Wheel of Life
Zig Ziglar had a theory about creating a balanced life that he called the Wheel of Life. He believed that there were seven categories that one had to focus on to be a whole person:
Financial
Spiritual
Career
Intellectual
Physical
Social
Family
If one ignores a category, their life would be like a bicycle wheel without a spoke; out of balance. There will be seasons of life where you will give more focus to one area over another, but you should always be trying to improve in all areas. It is my belief that if we are intentional with our lives by creating goals around these seven categories, we can increase resilience to the stressors of being a first responder. Just by putting focus on things that are within our control will provide greater clarity.
Try writing yearly goals around each of the categories. You don’t have to wait to January to write goals, start them at any point. You can also create goals for any timeline that works best for your lifestyle at this point: monthly, quarterly, yearly. They are your goals, so you get to choose. You will be amazed by what you can accomplish and the positive benefits it will bring to your life by just putting the goals down on paper. We like to create yearly goals that we hang on the door to our bathroom so we see them every day. Know that just like a budget, your goals may need to be adjusted during the year. If for example, COVID hits and you can’t go out for two dates every month. For goals to be effective, we need to ensure that they are S.M.A.R.T. - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and you have put a Timeline.
You can say that you want to pay off debt, which is a great goal, but not S.M.A.R.T. You are less likely to achieve this goal because you have not created small benchmarks for yourself. The same goal, can be written by saying that you want to “pay off $30,000 in 12 months.” You just have to ensure that the goal is attainable and that it is realistic to achieve in the timeline created based on your income.
Go ahead, sit down with your spouse and dream big! Coming together to write goals when the kids go down to sleep. It will ensure that you are moving together as a family and creating a vision for your lives. This will bring greater happiness.
If you need assistance determining what is a realistic plan for debt reduction, schedule an appointment today.
Stay safe and stay well.