“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? – Luke 14:28
It is often said only a foolish person will begin a long journey without knowing the destination. Have you seriously thought about drawing up a plan for your life and deliberately mapping out where you want to go and your targeted achievements? We often hear two things in life are sure: death and taxes. However, there is an additional thing not often considered. That of “TIME.” The clock is ticking, and the future soon will be the present; you can be ready for it or wait to let it take you by surprise. In turn, most of the time we end up saying, “If mi did know say this woulda reach me, mi woulda, shoulda, or coulda do things differently.”
Your financial clock is ticking, and before you know it, that which you thought was some way off will be just around the corner. You must start now by defining your purpose, objectives, and life goals. It’s important to construct a personal and family mission statement. This is key to establishing your financial goals, which tie into your life’s purpose.
Thinking ahead might sound like an obvious strategy if you want to change your financial future. However, recent happenings in Jamaica have shown that over half of the population plans their lives only days or weeks ahead. Our current life is very immediate, and it’s easier to be impatient about the big picture now that we can get so many other things instantly at our fingertips. However, if you foresee specific things in the years ahead, you’ll need to put a series of practical steps in place to get there. Don’t just imagine your future; invest in it—both time and money—to make it a reality. It’s hard to imagine the very distant future, decades away, so try focusing on a 5-10-year plan to start with, but with an eye on your long-term mission.