Time to take your head out of the sand and get real about your finances
With more than 47,000 kms of coastline, we Aussies have plenty of space to stick our heads in the sand and put off managing our personal finances. While our heads are firmly entrenched, financial institutions are quietly earning interest on our neglected credit cards, cashing in on our multiple superannuation accounts and charging us bank fees we could have easily avoided.
When we receive statements from credit card companies, banks or superannuation funds, many of us think, I really need to sort that out. Then we receive the next round of statements, repeat the same sentence to ourselves and repeat this behaviour year after year without taking action.
Is it really so confronting to lay everything on the table and get clarity around our financial situation? Is our apathy a symptom of our laid-back lifestyle and easy-going culture? Is your lack of financial control holding you back from pursuing your dreams?
Whether we like it or not, having control over our personal finances makes it easier to live the life we want. Financial freedom is something we need to consciously choose and act on. It’s a confronting process for many because it involves taking personal responsibility for not only your current circumstances but also turning them around. Many people are extremely fearful of knowing where they stand financially because they’ve spent years assuming the worst. In my experience, rarely is the situation as bad as they think.
So, I’d like to ask you something:
- What are the dreams you had that you gave up pursuing because you thought they were unattainable?
- Are they the same as you had hoped for yourself?
- What would you do if you had control over your money and could use it as a tool to live the life you want?
It all starts with having a clear purpose. A purpose that is so inspiring to you personally, it drives you beyond good intentions, into tangible actions. Clarity only comes when you take on the things you’ve previously avoided.
You need to ask yourself truthfully: What’s important to me?
Don’t be afraid to get creative and dream big because as far as we know, we only have one life on this earth.
By understanding your finances, learning how to manage them, and allowing yourself to be vulnerable, clarity will help you uncover your purpose.
So what’s important to you and what are you going to do about it?
Lisa Barber, Financial Adviser
lisa.barber@hillross.com.au
