"The feeling of progress is one of the best feelings of all. This is true even when progress is small." ~ James Clear
There are a million reasons for putting off important work. This “work” could describe any aspect of our lives; from getting healthy or working on a relationship, to finally getting around to insurance or financial planning, starting to invest for the future, or completing our wills. When we rationally examine the reasons (or sometimes excuses) why we put off work that we know to be important to our long-term success, we find that they fall into one of two categories: fear or priority.
(1) Fear: Many of us are afraid when it comes to honestly evaluating our current circumstances, be it professionally or socially. We are afraid of judgement; of failure; of facing the truth. Afraid that we have failed to live up to our own ideas of where we “should” be at this point in our lives. Or that we have failed to measure up against a comparison “other”. It could be that your financial situation is somehow less than you would prefer, or less than someone else’s seems to be. It could be embarrassment over the awkwardness of not having a will done when your circumstances really require one. Perhaps you feel that you may be judged by a potential advisor for where you are at based on where you perceive some benchmark to be.
(2) Priority: Many of us “don’t have enough time” or are just “too busy” to get some things done. Things that we know are important, but things that, somehow, keep getting pushed to the back burner. For those who find themselves putting off tasks that need to be addressed; when you think about something that needs to be done, instead of saying “I don’t have time do that” substitute that thought process with “that is not a priority for me right now” and see how that feels.
Instead of saying “I don’t have time to workout today” say “working out is not a priority for me right now”. Does that feel different? To the extent that our priorities reflect our values, this exercise can reveal that sometimes our true priorities get lost in the everyday grind and it’s easy to set fundamentally important things aside because our focus has shifted to the short term, rather than what is in our long-term best interest.
Whatever your “work” is, finding a trusted team of advisors can make all the difference to how your goals are enacted in real life. Seek out an advisor that understands your values and your current position so that your fears can be put to rest. Find an advisor who can help you create a plan to move you towards your future. Choose an advisor who knows what needs to be done, and who can make your long-term goals their priority, allowing you to shift your focus to all the other things that matter.
It is never too early and it’s never too late to build your path; to create your legacy.