“Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” – Robert H. Shuller
One of the attributes of living in your wealth space is being able to find your flow (happy, productive, healthy rhythm) and stick with it – but when we allow problems to be stop signs, our flow will become stagnant and our journey will be frustrating.
Problems will always be present, but if we can understand them as guidelines, or messengers of the wrong direction, we can deal with them without interrupting our flow. But to find a solution, we need to know our direction.
The term ‘flow’ comes from a series of psychological interviews where several people described their experiences using the metaphor of a water current carrying them along. Sometimes referred to as being ‘in the zone’, flow allows us to be fully immersed in an activity. It is characterized by the merging of action and awareness.
Flow is important for reducing stress in our life, but also for consistent income. It allows us to be fully engaged in an activity with a feeling of control and energised focus. Doesn’t that sound like the attitude you want to have towards your finances? Towards all aspects of your life? Fuller control, increased focus and deeper involvement.
When we let problems interrupt our flow we lose our focus. This is often due to the emotional reaction and stress that we feel when a problem arises and causes us to lose our direction. We worry and we fret, but it doesn’t get us anywhere.
Here are two ways to a solution to thrive when a problem presents:
1. We must be involved in an activity with a clear set of goals and progress.
At WellsFaber we are ever-mindful of the importance of a financial plan and a budget. These tools provide direction and structure, allowing us to evaluate priorities, measure our progress and drive us in the right direction towards our goals.
A helpful analogy of this can be found in the story of Alice in Wonderland. When Alice approaches a fork in the road, the Cheshire Cat appears. ‘Which road do I take?’ she asked. ‘Where do you want to go?’ was his response. ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it doesn’t matter.”
Without a clear set of goals, or a plan, we won’t know which decisions to make and dealing with our problem will become a stop sign on our journey.
2. We must have a good balance between the challenges of the task at hand and our own skills.
Many people are not skilled when it comes to their finances. We are here to offer guidance – yes, but we are also here to give you confidence in your own abilities and help you develop skills to manage and enjoy your money. Even so, there will always be areas where you need help. Recognising these areas and leaning on our team will be instrumental to building a more robust financial future.
If you feel as though you are going against the flow financially, let us help. Let’s work together to find solutions to help you thrive.