Family

January 7, 2015

The Wheel of Life

Long before I ever considered blogging, possibly even breathing, a man by the name of Zig Ziglar presented an illustration called The Wheel of Life. In this wheel, Zig illustrates the importance of seven crucial areas of our lives: Career, Financial, Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Family and Social. Zig tapped into a universal truth with this simple diagram; what you do in one of these areas of life will affect your overall ride.

The Wheel Leaks!

If it isn’t maintained, it gets out of whack. A perfect example: When I graduated college I thought my wheel was pretty round; until Maura and I got engaged. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never been more excited about anything in my life but we had no idea how we were going to pay for it. Maura was in a career transition, so much of my income was going to things like rent and lights at her apartment. I hadn’t been doing any saving or even budgeting up to that point, so my wheel wasn’t as round as I had thought. As a result, the ride got a little bumpy!

Pump it up Schwarzenegger style!

Thankfully, around that time we discovered Dave Ramsey. Over the next few months, we hunkered down, cut our lifestyle and began selling anything that wasn’t nailed down. We began pumping the wheel like Arnold pumps iron! It was a perfect opportunity for Maura and I to work on something together. In the end, we had our wedding and our honeymoon without acquiring any debt!

All Parts Need Each Other

An even more profound aspect of the wheel is how connected the different areas of our life are. You can be the champ at work, but if you neglect your family it will catch up to you there. You can be the best parent, but weigh 500 pounds and not live to meet your grandchildren. It is so important to give attention, or “air” to every section in the wheel. The other sections depend on it!

Question: As 2015 really gets moving, what areas do you need to give some air to? Leave a reply in the comments!

December 31, 2014

Will Your Kids See You As A Deadbeat?

Have you ever thought about the legacy you are creating? Whether you like it or not, your children, and maybe even their children, will be subject to the decisions you are making today. Maura and I don’t have children, but we were children not too long ago. So, I’m speaking out of my experience as a son.

It’s yours to build
Last weekend as my brother and I walked around my Grandparents’ farm, I thought about our family’s legacy. My grandfather came from an abusive home, and my grandmother was raised in the hills of West Virginia (not exactly the birthplace of wealth.) However, by the end of their lives they had acquired 260 acres of land, a wonderful family, and a comfortable life. Where you start in life isn’t the determining factor of where you will end up.

Make the decision today
My grandparents did not stumble into the lives I watched them lead. They made a choice. They made a choice when they were married to stick it out no matter what. They chose to work hard, and work together to get out of debt and retire with dignity. They chose to teach my Mom how to work and how to be successful in life. All of these benefits in life have to be choices on our part that are carried out intentionally.

Stick with it
My Grandparents were huge advocates of hard work. Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” If you want to leave a legacy for your children and even your grandchildren, there will be times when it feels like work. But, take heart! If you stick with it the benefits will far surpass the temporary sacrifices you are making today. Literally, you will change your family tree and impact generations.

I often use financial illustrations when talking about intentionality, but only because it is a concrete and measurable aspect of our lives. There are so many other factors that will impact our future and that of our families. Zig Ziglar used an illustration known as “The Wheel of Life” which does an amazing job of helping us understand what all these factors are. More on that to come! So, my question to you is: Have you ever considered what your children and grandchildren will say about you when you’re gone? How will they describe you to their children? What are some specific things you would like to do for your family to set up their future? Please leave a comment below!