Life is more than working hard to pay bills

Words KATH ORMAN

Abouncing baby boy is born. His adoring parents are in awe of this tiny little person as they lovingly hold him in their arms. He has 10 fingers and 10 toes and is absolutely perfect! What will his journey in life hold? Will he:

• Have a happy disposition, an enquiring mind and a love of life?

• Nurture his body with food that nourishes and keeps him healthy?

• Exercise his body, mind and soul to be the best man he can be?

• Find work that he loves to do and is passionate about, which also rewards him financially?

• Follow a path and achieve his goals and dreams and enjoy the journey?

• Find a loving, supportive partner to share his life and have children of his own?

• Have a strong network of friends who will be there to share the good times and the challenges?

• Travel this beautiful world of ours and experience all that he can?

I am sure you will agree that these are all the things we wish for the life of the tiny newborn baby (male or female). Sadly, sometimes the reality is different. As our topic for this month is men’s health, I have focused on a baby boy’s life.

The fabric of life is like a big jigsaw puzzle, and sometimes we have many of the pieces in place, while others are missing. Sometimes, there is too much focus on certain areas at the expense of others.

Imagine our baby boy is now a grown man with a family, a busy life, a demanding job and not enough time to do all the things he wants to do. He is working so hard to pay the bills that he misses time on the beach with the kids, date nights with his life partner, and catching up with friends. There never seems to be enough money to take the family on holidays or enough time to keep his body healthy.

Does this sound familiar? If so, it’s time to do a stocktake on where you are and where you want to be? The first step on the journey is to make the DECISION to change. You cannot change yesterday, but you can make a choice to enjoy today and all your tomorrows. Be honest with yourself. Sit down and take some time to write a list of what is working in your life and what you would like to change. It may seem overwhelming at first, but this is an exercise I do with my clients and it is wonderful to witness their growth, sense of achievement and enjoyment as they start to make a difference in their own life.

Just visualise the jigsaw puzzle of your life. Take away the pieces that are not working and replace them. Imagine adding the missing pieces to create the life you want to enjoy.

KATH ORMAN is a Senior Financial Planner of her company Goals & Dreams Financial Planning Pty Ltd, which is an authorised representative of Charter Financial Planning Limited AFSL 234665. If you would like to know more email: kath.orman@goalsanddreams.com.au or phone: (07) 3350 9595.