Who’s Spending Your Time?

I remember in my early parenting days hearing moms complain that all their two year old would eat was hot dogs and spaghetti. I tried to picture the toddler shopping at the A & P and filling his cart with Hebrew National franks and Ronzoni pasta. Of course, I’m being facetious. While the child wasn’t in charge of the groceries, it appeared he was in charge of the adult.

I frequently hear my clients bemoaning the fact that there’s just not enough time to do what they really want to do – write, create, work on their marketing materials, etc. –because of the other demands on their lives. When I dig a little deeper, which I always do, I find that these clients are putting secondary priorities ahead of what they say they really want.

It’s fine to go for physical therapy, show up for your child’s teacher conference and take care of an ailing family member. We all have those necessities to attend to. What I strongly urge, though, is that you set aside sacred time for what is important to you and honor that so the car repairs, dentist’s appointments and grocery shopping are not done during your best working hours.

If you find yourself thinking, it’s not happening fast enough, I’m not where I want to be, and everything else is taking priority in my life, you might want to ask yourself who’s spending your time. Then read my latest blog post about a breakthrough one of my clients experienced when she realized that she was in charge of how quickly her dream became a reality. Please share your own commitments to your priorities – sometimes sharing it with others helps you stay on track.

Maybe, what’s hardest for you is spending money on yourself. If so read on to hear my confession and my solution.

Solutions That “Feel” Abundant

Although I don’t like to admit this out loud, now is actually a good time to make a confession given the state of the world economy. I have trouble spending money. I would rather have money than spend it.

I prefer to have a large bank account and watch the interest grow. Remember those good old days? Except now, as the weather turns nice, many spending opportunities are calling my name and my bank account.

In times like these I turn to my team of financial advisers whom I’ve entrusted with my economic issues for many years now. They have never steered me wrong. I called them recently for a brief phone meeting and came up with solutions that feel abundant – read my blog if you’re curious about my choices.

What I especially appreciated during our conversation was their reminder to me that I set an example for all those I meet. How can I coach women towards their greatest achievements and self-care if I’m not continuously modeling that behavior? Hmmmm, could this be a business expense given that last statement?!

If you’ve got savings tucked away and a trusted adviser that will help your review the numbers, go ahead and reward yourself too. And remember that it just has to “feel” abundant.