MY TWO CENTS:
Stages and phases…
My wife and I are the proud parents of three active kids that are ages 16, 13, and 10. This stage of life is makes our household a pretty busy place. Juggling kid’s school events, sporting activities, fun time with friends, homework, immediate family activities, and extended family events sometimes has me wondering when we get to take a breath. I then I hear the words of some wise person earlier in my life saying, “It’s just a phase.”
In financial planning, a lot of our work is to create strategies that help people prepare for certain phases or stages of their lives. Considering that idea this week got me wondering about whether we’re doing enough to empower people to live fully when they reach those phases or stages for which they’ve been planning.
You’ve undoubtedly heard someone, sometime say something like, “Don’t blink…it’ll be over before you know it.” Or, maybe something like, “Enjoy it while it lasts!”
So…are you blinking?
So…are you enjoying it?
Whether you’re just finishing college, getting married, starting a career, building a family, growing a career or business, juggling kids’ activities and busyness, sending the kiddos off to college, picking out your retirement travel destinations, checking off the retirement travel destinations from your list, loving on the grandkids, or settling yourself into a quiet place of peace and joy in the later years of your retirement…are you embracing this stage or phase of your life? If not, what’s holding you back?
As a planner, I’m notorious for living in the future. I like to look forward to the next thing, and it requires focused effort to live in the present. Maybe this week’s MTC edition is simply a cathartic reminder for me to be present, engaged, and grateful for the season of life in which our family finds ourselves. Or…maybe this is the reminder some of our readers needed to look past the malaise of any stage of life to fully embrace the blessing they are, and the blessings they have in their lives.
Make it a great week…and stage of life!
Scott Cousino, CFP®
President