Let’s Enjoy the Holiday Season
Let’s enjoy the holiday season!
Many people can only find joy by giving. Of course, some people think that the only joy they can find is from receiving! I believe joy comes from confidence. Confidence in our plan. Confidence in our purpose. Confidence that what we do today will lead to a better tomorrow. That can be through giving, receiving, or neither. It amazes me how local, county, state, and federal bureaucracies can be so fiscally inept. But they are spending someone else’s money. If they spend too much today, they take more tomorrow from someone else!
Christmas is my favorite season. I hope every one of you has a wonderful Christmas. But being fiscally irresponsible gives you short-term happiness but a lifetime of grief. The best way to enjoy any season, including Christmas, is to be fiscally responsible, intentional about our plan, and have a purpose to improve the world around us.
So, have a plan! Engage with someone to be your coach to help you have a strategy that makes every financial decision more intentional and measurable. Set clear goals to achieve your dreams. To do this well, you need the following:
- Goals
- A budget to direct the best use of resources.
- A process to track our path towards those goals.
- Accountability/a coach
If you have the above four things, you will be fiscally more responsible and content with your direction and results.
I know people who give tremendous amounts to family, friends, or charity during the holiday season—more than they can afford. So, for the next 8 to 11 months, they spend all their time fretting and worrying about the budget and the lack of resources. Then, the next holiday season, they get to spend a tremendous amount, usually on credit cards or other kinds of debt, to maximize their good feelings. Then, for the next 8 to 11 months, they are depressed because they are broke, cannot pay their bills, and cannot enjoy life as they think it should be. Fiscal responsibility, deferred gratification, and a plan with purpose are phenomenal elixirs to this problem.
So, here are some thoughts for the season that I think will lead to more enjoyment:
- Don’t buy your happiness; create it. Spend less but give more time.
- Spend more time with people in conversation in a relaxed environment with no outside interference. (Get rid of the cell phone)
- If you don’t have a financial plan, give yourself one for Christmas. It will help you get more organized, accountable, and fiscally responsible.
- Identify your purpose in life. That’s bigger than you. Some combination of time, gift, and wealth will help you maximize that purpose and bring joy to the innermost parts of your heart.
Following this process will lead to confidence in who you are and who you will be and take you down a path of freedom, joy, and exhilaration because you did something that so few do. Succeed financially on your terms based on your circumstances and your reality!
Sincerely,
WAYNE VON BORSTEL, CFP®, MSFS, ChFC®, CLU®
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which investment(s) may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor prior to investing.
