What I like to call… Financial Integrity
I frequently speak with people about their goals and objectives and hear all sorts of things. Granted, everyone is different and there is always variation between clients. This is because we’re all different of course (not that you didnt know that already). In my conversations with folks, I hear things like “I want to live a good life”, or “I want to have financial freedom”. One of my personal favorites, “I want to be successful”.
As much as I appreciate the sentiment, and the attempt to encapsulate and articulate the deepest parts of themselves; I always try to encourage going deeper and more descriptive. You see, in order to do my job I have to understand people. I have to be able to empathize with their vision for themselves. I want for people what they want for themselves, and I want to encourage people to pursue whatever that is. Yet, it takes much more than answering questions for most people. It requires self reflection and introspection. A constant state of checks and balances between what they say they want, and what they are actually doing to materialze what they say.
This is why I like the term “Financial Integrity”. It allows for the person who cares about their character and their personal integrity and carries it right on over into their finances. It just moves everything about them right into the financial drawer. Like, “Ahh, I see. I have integrity as a person, but it doesnt reflect well in the outcome my finances are currently producing”. BINGO!
This is the trick to the trade. Life is meaningful, yet we don’t treat it as such. We can get sucked into the vacuum called “The Rat Race”. We work so hard towards something, but we can never really describe what that something is. It is grasping for the wind.
I think Solomon puts it best, “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:11
This has been my experience in working with people. A struggle to clearly identify and define what is meaningful to them, and consistently pursuing that above all else. My gosh it is difficult to do though. It takes accountability, and reminders. It takes sensitvity to the direction that their lives are going and an ability to course correct. If we’re veering off course, then its time to reel it back in and stick to the vision and the purpose we want for ourselves.
We do this with our personal lives regarding our character and our morals, but rarely are we fully integrated financially. It’s very odd too. Our finances are the mechanism to actualize who we want to be and the vision for our lives.
So, I think it’s time we do some introspection. I think it’s time we decide on being fully integrated. This way, we can live with no “what ifs”. Rather, we live the lives we were meant to and in the way we were supposed to when we first started thinking about our future.
I want this blog to start turning the wheels in peoples heads and hearts, but maybe in the opposite direction this time… 😉
Enjoy your weekend, and may the Lord bless you and keep you.