The Time Is Now
The recent end of the school year has brought about a lot of change in our house, with our daughter finishing 1st grade, and our son preparing to enter kindergarten in the fall. And, although we are focused on the big things to come, it’s hard not to reflect on the past few years and wonder, where did the time go? Was it really over 7 years ago that Janine and I sat in the waiting room at Kaiser Hospital, freaking out about the unfamiliar road ahead, while waiting for our first child to be born? It can’t be, can it?
While ruminating recently about this, and how fast time flies (and how old I am), I began to think about clients and their “5 year plans”. I regularly meet with people who tell me that they can’t save more now, but plan to in the next five years. Or, they just haven’t had the time to take a closer look at their budget, talk to an estate planning attorney or CPA, or their contact in the HR department, but will get to it when things calm down. For many, the five year plan is always the five year plan.
The flip-side, of course, is when someone does begin to implement their plan (be it personal, professional, financial or other), he or she laments, “I sure wish I had started this five years ago”. Putting off until tomorrow, what could be done today, is an all-too-common human behavior that rarely results in positive change, which reminds me of something my mother always says: “…while change is not always better, better can only come from change”.
I guess what am saying is, now is the time. Now is the time to start your savings plan, start your exercise plan, start your garden, start spending more time with your family and friends, start volunteering for your favorite charity, etc. There is no time like the present, and the only obstacles to a new, happier, more fulfilled you, are inertia and an outdated mind-set. From the best I can tell, you only live once, and I have never heard of anyone on their death-bed saying: “I just wish I had waited longer to…”.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual
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