A Life Well Planned

Why Goal Setting Doesn’t Always Work!

Most of us have set New Year Resolutions and there are all kinds of available statistics on the rates of successful outcomes, including the dates when the resolution expires!

I am posting this on 26th February and guessing many resolutions are no more.
There is lots of good information available to us on how to identify goals and create plans to achieve them, so why do so few goals ever get so vigorously followed through that the original intention becomes part of our every day life?

A Life Coach may take the view that you didn't want it enough, a Guide may assume that the goal didn't have enough meaning to you and a Financial Adviser may just find it hard to accept that you didn't buy the recommended suite of technically correct tax efficient, regulated products that he made having analysed your financial situation and identified the gaps with regard to current needs and future plans!

I suggest that in life, you will need to have full coherence between goals, meaning and financial resources in order to achieve and maintain your desired lifestyle and so I see why in each of the above elements of life planning; your coach, guide and/or financial adviser may shrug believing your failure to achieve the goal had nothing to do with them!

On a recent flight I bought the book "That Little Voice in Your Head" by Mo Gawdat. Mo has an MBA and has worked in various roles for Microsoft and became Chief Business Officer at Google X. The book resonated with me because its all about the fact that whatever our best intentions, there is a little voice in our head that just does not want us to change, to take risk, to explore possibility.

The voice is all about keeping us safe, fitting in with our tribe and not being an embarrassment or disappointment to our family, friends, community.

The theme aligns with Steve Peters "The Chimp Paradox" as well as John Assaraf's 800lb Gorilla running our ancient brain's limbic system and Dr Kerry Spackman insisting that to achieve our goals we need to become a "Limbic Master"

This recurring theme of a voice, chimp, gorilla in our heads suggests to me that unless we can quieten that voice, placate the gorilla, nurture the chimp any goal we set will be challenged from within us!

We need to befriend, convince and hopefully establish a contract with our resistance by showing them that you have reviewed and analysed your goals along with all available resources and you are taking full personal responsibility and absolving them of any blame if it all goes wrong!

You need to produce and then show them a fully integrated life plan

I can help!

Set “Heart” Goals, Not “Head” Goals

One reason why so many people fall short on achieving their goals is because they set “head” goals, not “heart” goals.

Head goals are things like “grow revenue by 20%” or “add 12 new clients.” Those goals are like leaves on a tree when what you want is to get to the roots.

Heart goals are based on your core values. When you can align your goals with what is truly most important to you (not what peer-pressure says), you will have an unlimited source of energy to achieve.

Peer-pressure is a source of energy, but it runs out when the going gets tough. Core values energy is the ultimate renewable resource.

Take a look at your 2022 goals. How many are 100% aligned with your deepest core values?

The Process

In my previous post I asked you to “Hold Your Vision and Trust The Process” and in this post I want to cover more about The Process.

However, if you want to plan for your best possible life, it follows that you should know what it is you want from your life and that you have a vision of your desired lifestyle.

So, for me, The Process must always start with a Vision of Your Future!

I have been fascinated over the years to see how scientific research and studies have confirmed the beneficial effects of visualisation. Studies substantiate the power of thought to create or influence our reality.

Research on the way neurons fire shows that, to our brains, there is little or no difference between a powerful visualisation and the actual experience.

I believe that this is where Goal Mapping demonstrates it’s value as The Process.

Goal Mapping guides you using the power of your imagination to create images and verbal affirmations of what you desire for life and why. It then guides you through to how and when you can achieve your desires and establish who can help you. A complete process.

My view, based on professional and personal experiences, is that while we have a vision of a desired lifestyle, very real obstacles stand in our way and while we have the best intention to “do it one day when…..” a variety of reasons will mean we sigh and “get back to the real world”

Sadly, for many, the “real world” is the place that The Establishment wants us to live and there will be all sorts of pressures on the individual to comply with the system (school/work/retire) and to fit in.

We are primed by The Establishment to imagine lack, limitation, difficulties, problems and obstacles.

The Establishment encourages us to fit in and as long as we follow the accepted ways, then we get to do what we want “in retirement” (assuming we live that long, maintain our health and have enough money)

It maybe, of course, that you are happy to go along with this establishment life plan and, if this is the case, Goal Mapping still works very well. Key components of the process are how and when and if you plan to defer living as you would choose to retirement/later life, then the process works well.

Your life and your plan for life should absolutely be about you!

The Process works - whatever your desires, goals - by recognising that you should be who you really are, you should do what you want to do in order to have what you want!

Whatever it is you want for your life, there will be obstacles and the process guides you through what needs to happen in order to remove them. As I described in my last post, there are excellent financial planning tools that are invaluable in demonstrating the impact on current and future finances if goals are to be achieved.

However, I would suggest that as well as establishing the numbers, it can be beneficial to discuss obstacles with experienced coaches, planners and advisers, who have walked other people along their unique life path.

So, in summary, Goal Mapping is a valuable, effective complete planning process for those of you who desire to achieve and maintain a desired lifestyle - a life of meaning as defined by you.

What I offer in addition and added value to Goal Mapping is my experience of many years in the financial planning industry helping my clients achieve their goals and my personal life experience of the process.

I believe that the A Life Well Planned programme is worthy of consideration to help you plan and enjoy the best possible life that you can, given your personal circumstances and resources.

Please contact me if you would like to know more
(e) [email protected]

Hold Your Vision - Trust The Process!

In my last post, I talked about thinking about what you would choose for your life and to consider using Goal Mapping to guide you toward achieving your desired lifestyle.

Something I have noticed when observing life planning is that the client is often able to visualise and create their life plan but, when they get confronted with the inevitable obstacles, they can lose the confidence and inspiration to persevere.

What to do?

Sadly, it is often a case or reverting to “real life” and conforming with “The Establishment” way of life.

The good news is that there are relevant, proven planning processes to guide you, to remove obstacles and to keep you motivated.

Most Societies require us to have access to money to live, to pay for what we need to survive and hopefully thrive. Money is emotional and our experiences around money will affect our thought and belief systems influencing how we view the financial obstacles in our way.

Life-Centred Financial Planners usually provide their Clients with a Cash Flow Modelling program. These programs will show the impact of getting and maintaining the lifestyle you want on current and future finances.

The programs are really helpful because they show what income/cash will be needed and this enables discussions as to how this might be achieved.

I am able to provide this help in several ways, including getting you access to a cash flow based financial planning model which allows you to explore the financial implications of your personal goals, dreams, desires in total privacy and confidence.

My experience helping many clients over many years, is that many are reluctant to discuss their finances for a variety of reasons. They may also prefer to keep their dreams for their desired lifestyle private too!

This is where I suggest that my A Life Well Planned program can be of great support and value to you.

You get objective support to create your life plan through Goal Mapping and, if required to, access financial planning software which will be totally relevant to supporting your life plan. On your own or with my help.

If you would like to explore this further, please get in touch:

[email protected]

A Vision of Your Future.

Do you have a vision of your future? If so, does it look any different to your current day to day, week to week life? Would you choose a different future? What if you could…….

“The Establishment” has a default, pre-determined linear lifestyle of study, work, retire and doesn’t really encourage that we wander from this proven path. Work hard at school to get good grades, get a good job, earn enough for a good lifestyle and hopefully, save enough for a good retirement, when you finally get to do what you want!

Do you have dreams? Do you remember when you were a young pre-school child and you were anything and anybody you wanted to be? What happened to those dreams? It is likely that you were discouraged from dreaming your dream life and to “get into the real world” so that you wouldn’t be disappointed.

So, if you were to allow yourself to daydream about the path not taken, what might you visualise for yourself going forward? Do you still hanker after your pre-school dream? If this is different to who you are now, do you think that your past or current dream lifestyle is achievable, or do you quickly reset your thoughts back to “reality”?

“When you have a compelling vision of an achievable future, you are inspired to take action”

I urge you to give yourself the best opportunity to enjoy your life journey by choosing the best life possible given your available resources - not just money, but time, knowledge, skills, experience, values and contacts.

Your imagination has the ability to create an idea, a mental image, a sense of feeling something that you desire.

You need real desire to keep you inspired enough to establish what needs to happen to enjoy your best lifestyle and to follow through with positive action. You need to believe that what you imagine and visualise is achievable.

You need real desire to acquire the knowledge of how to remove the inevitable obstacles in your way. These obstacles are likely to be from your past conditioning - our default is to imagine lack, limit, difficulties and problems if we step off the establishment path.

You also need to be willing to actually receive a better life without feeling guilt or fearing judgement from your peers or the establishment.

You owe it to yourself to be who you really are, to do what you need to do in order to have what you deserve.

Science confirms the beneficial effects of visualisation and studies substantiate the power of thought and how the way neurons fire shows that, to our brains, there is little or no difference between a powerful visualisation and actual experience.

I highly recommend Goal Mapping, a proven process, which engages both sides of our brain to help us create images and affirmations for our goals.

Not only that, it provides a proven process to achieve your desired outcomes by guiding you through the “how and when” these can happen.

Follow the links below and please let me know if I can help further.

https://www.alifewellplanned.co.uk/

https://online.goalmapping.com/coaches/gary-arthurs

https://online.goalmapping.com/register

Sign Up - Brian Mayne's Goal Mapping Online Start living your dream today by creating a Goal Map with this online app created by Brian Mayne

Ideas to Keep Inspired in Retirement

Staying active and stimulated can be difficult enough for retirees. But during the pandemic, days, weeks, and months started blending together, creating endless doldrums that are still lingering for many people.

As the world starts opening back up, retirees could start looking for ways to broaden their horizons again. Try one of these three ideas to improve your Return on Life.

1. Change Routine: Do something outside your comfort zone.

In our digital world, you don't have to leave your house to try something new.

Group exercise, cooking classes, books, movies, music, social hours, and games are all just a tap or swipe away. It's never been easier, or more affordable, to try out a bunch of potential new hobbies and see if anything sticks.

However, taking a few actual steps outside your major comfort zone - your home - could provide the extra push you need to start enjoying retirement again.

Start small. Try that new restaurant you heard about even if it’s across town. Switch up your exercise routine and try jogging in a park instead of through your road.

Visit a farmer's market, farm shop or local independent store on Saturday instead of ordering online and having all your food delivered.

2. Review your Goals.

For many people, the winter blues feel bluer because they're lagging behind their New Year's resolutions. According to Forbes, 80% of people abandon their resolutions in February. A common reason for these failures is that, flush with optimism for the year ahead, people set goals that look good on paper (or social media) but don't really resonate personally.

Reviewing your goals for the year and putting daily, actionable steps in place to work towards those goals could freshen up your retirement routine and improve your chances of succeeding.

A good start is to get as specific as possible about what you want to achieve and how you're going to achieve it.

For example, if you really want to get healthier, you need a better goal than "get healthier." Put three trips to the gym every week on your calendar. Set a weekly running goal. Plan out meals for the week in advance so you cut back on fast food. Or, for some tougher accountability, hire a personal trainer who will help you schedule your exercises and improve your diet.

3. Schedule trips, visits, events, holidays.

Have you travel vouchers from all the family visits and holidays you had to cancel during the pandemic? Or do you have a slight surplus of spending money after staying home for much of the last couple years?

If you're able to travel safely now, then start making up for lost time. You don't have to make grandiose plans to pull yourself out of your retirement rut. Getting a few social events on your calendar will give you something to look forward to, and a reason to get out of the house.

But if you have the resources to reschedule the dream holiday that lockdowns cancelled, what are you waiting for?

We understand that the retirement transition isn't a one-time experience. As life goes on, your feelings about retirement are going to change in both negative and positive ways.

A comprehensive Life-Centered Financial Plan can give you added comfort and reassurance during times of potential uncertainty and provide the extra confidence and inspiration to live your best possible life when you're excited for your next challenge.

We are here to help!

Put Purpose in Your Financial Planning

One of the most important questions we help our clients answer is, "What's the money for?"

After all, if the purpose of your financial plan was just to keep growing your nest egg, then the best financial strategy would be to keep working and growing that nest egg as long as you physically could.

Our happiest retirees have improved their Return on Life not by earning as much money as possible, but by using that money in ways that make every day meaningful.

Here are three ways you can start planning to build that same sense of purpose into your own financial plan.

1. Put your gifts to their highest uses.

A financially independent retiree might consider time to be their most valuable resource. Now that you don't have to spend 40+ hours every week at a job, you can organise your days around using your personal and professional skills to do work that's important to you.

So, what do you do best? And, just as importantly, what do you enjoy doing?

Somewhere there's a community organisation that could benefit from your pro accounting skills or graphic design background.

You could volunteer as a tutor at a local school or adult education centre.

If you'd like to maintain some ties to your old professional world, you could start your own consulting firm or serve as a mentor to the next generation.

Or perhaps your favourite part of the work week was the spare hours you could focus on exciting new initiatives. Could you grow one of those unrealised ideas into your own company?

2. Create a charitable giving strategy.

Do you feel an extra bit of joy around the holidays when you donate to families in need? With proper planning, you can make giving back a part of your year-round routine.

The most effective giving strategies usually focus on making regular contributions to a couple core causes that are personally meaningful.

When you have a special relationship with a particular organisation, it's that's much more fulfilling to see your generosity in action.

You might even feel inspired to start your own charitable organisation and work on building a legacy that could impact your community for generations.

3. Have some fun!

Some retirees embrace an "endless weekend" mentality about their retirement. That can be a negative if your typical weekend involves lots of time on the sofa watching television.

But if you're the kind of person who packs as much fun as possible into your off days, you might really enjoy filling out a new daily retirement schedule.

Set a few weekly tee times with your retired friends and family and see how low you can get that handicap.

Take your spouse out for date nights at your favourite restaurants – and between courses, start planning that dream holiday or trip you never found time for when you were both working.

Try a new exercise routine.

Schedule some extra trips to visit your grandkids and catch their football, rugby, cricket, netball and hockey matches. Attend their drama productions.
Take them to a theme park…

Perhaps most importantly, give yourself some space to experiment. Very few seniors get retirement right on their first try. It's possible that some things that made you feel purposeful when you were working don't excite you as much at this new stage of your life.

Be open to new experiences. Follow your curiosity.

And if you ever feel your financial plan and your sense of purpose drifting apart, schedule some time to talk to one of our advisors.

We can review your plan and work through some of our interactive Life-Centered Planning tools to reestablish that connection and make sure you're getting the best life possible with the money you have.

It May Be Time to Reconsider What Retirement Means to You.

Whether you’ve been told you should retire at 62, 65, 67 or some other age, only you can decide what is right for you. In fact, you may want to reconsider retiring at all––at least in the traditional sense.

Many of us don’t like the circumstances we find ourselves in and look at retirement as the nirvana we’ve been missing.

The truth probably lies somewhere between completely dropping out (i.e., messing around in retirement) and never retiring (i.e., dying with their boots on)

The reason many of us find ourselves in such situations is that we have been sold on an idea about retirement that is flawed:

The idea that we should do what we don’t enjoy to accumulate the money we need to someday do what we want.

This hope of doing what we really want to do is why the concept of traditional retirement is appealing to so many of us.

Although this may surprise you, many people who have retired and dropped out of the race are not altogether happy with their decision. The truth is that traditional retirement doesn’t work for everyone.

Instead, people want freedom to pursue their own goals and interests. They want the autonomy to call their own shots––to do what they want, when they want, and where they want.

There is no question that having money provides options. If you have enough, you can usually do things the way you want. But money is only part of the equation––finding a work/life balance is just as critical.

There are two important steps to take when planning your retirement:
Decide the path you want to take: continuing to work, not working at all, or a combination. If you have a partner, it’s critical to involve him or her in the process.

Put together a plan that will enable you to achieve your goals.

These two steps will help guide you in living a life you love with the money you have––on your terms, not someone else’s. People are still haunted by the old rules and media hype that bemoan their lack of preparedness to reach this artificial goal line of traditional retirement. Many don’t understand that they don’t have to stop working to start retiring.

Life can present all of us with challenges that can radically alter our course:
Disability
A death in the family
Divorce, and so on.

We need to plan ahead financially because our minds and circumstances can change over time.

For example, what interests you today may bore you ten years from now, or an unexpected disability may prevent you from plans you made for the future. Investment savings are necessary to purchase the freedom to change course when you choose––or need––to change it.

Many of us have already seen enough of our parents’ and forerunners’ retirement lives to know that this is not the life for us. We have already figured out that our lives will be full of challenge, relevance, stimulation, and occupational adventure. We may slow down but we are not leaving the track for the concession stand.

When you ask many retirees how they’re doing, they often reply, “I’m keeping busy.” This is an acknowledgment of the void that retirement has brought. Most people are truly happy when they are busy doing what they love.

Conversely, if people are not productive and contributing in some way, they are most likely not very happy.

The goal of investing––including retirement planning––is to have the resources to have the liberty to do what you want when you want. What is the point of using that kind of liberty to do nothing but play golf?

It may sound like a great idea when you’re commuting three hours a day, but it gets old quickly.

Redefining retirement is about balancing vacation and vocation. How you define retirement is up to you.

Use Your Daily Schedule to Increase Your Return on Life (ROL)

When you're working, raising kids, and struggling to find time to take a run or read a book, it's common to feel like your days keep getting away from you. Mixing a few of these hacks and habits into your schedule can help you take back some control of your time and meet your personal and professional responsibilities with more energy and purpose.

1. Make the most of your mornings.

Several studies have found that "morning people" are less likely to feel depressed than "night owls." And although our sleep patterns and preferences are partially genetic, there are things you can do to feel more energised when your feet hit the floor.

Try waking up an hour early and filling that time with some physical, mental, or spiritual exercise. Work on your painting or hammer away at that novel. Brightening the mornings by throwing open the curtains or eating your breakfast outside can also tell your body that it's time to get going.

Once you've found a morning routine that energises you, stick to it. You may never become a morning person, but you'll enjoy your mornings a lot more and feel more prepared for the rest of your day.

2. Take a break – and not just at lunch.

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But many of us secretly place a bigger emphasis on lunch. We need that midday break to unplug from work and enjoy a long walk a favourite podcast or good company with our meal.

Adding some mini-breaks to your day can give you a more consistent recharge than trying to cram all your rest into your lunch hour. One popular technique, the Pomodoro Timer, suggests taking a five-minute break every twenty-five minutes.

If that's not practical at your job, just try something simple like getting up out of your chair every half hour to stretch, walk around the office to chat with coworkers, or grab a breath of fresh air.

3. Minimise your multitasking.

Do you pride yourself on your ability to juggle multiple projects at once?
More and more research suggests that maybe you shouldn't.
Multitasking can overload your brain, raise your stress levels, and result in sloppy work.

The Pareto Principle says that 20% of our efforts yield 80% of our results. Rather than scattering your time across several projects at once, try to organise your to-do list and identify those 20% of tasks that are going to drive your most important results by the end of the day. You'll head home feeling more accomplished and more confident about where to focus your energy tomorrow.

4. Don't work after work.

The work from home revolution has added some valuable flexibility to how we get things done.
But when the boundaries between home and work get too blurry, many of us have a tendency to err on the side of work. Is all that unpaid overtime helping you get ahead?
Or is your job's takeover of the kitchen table slimming down family time more than it should?

Multitasking at home is often every bit as inefficient as multitasking at work.
When you clock out for the day, toss your laptop in your bag, power down your work phone, and give the most important people and passions in your life the attention that they deserve.

Whether you're just starting your financial planning journey or preparing for retirement, our interactive tools can help you get the most out of your most precious assets, including your time. Let's talk soon about how you can plan to spend more time improving your Return on Life.

Spring-Cleaning Financial Clutter

Is a financial check-up on your Spring-Cleaning list? Once you've tidied your lawn and emptied that out-of-control closet, let some fresh air into your home office and use these six tips to freshen up how you spend, save, and plan for the future.

1. Pay yourself first.

Making automatic contributions into your savings, investment, and retirement accounts is a small budget adjustment that can go a long way towards building wealth over time.
Is there extra money in your monthly cash flow that you could use to increase those investments? How much extra could you contribute per year if you went from five coffee shop visits per week down to two, or started packing your lunch every day?

2. Review your monthly statements.

Automating your investments and bill payments doesn't mean that you never have to check on them.
Get back in the habit of reviewing your monthly bank and credit card statements.
Make a list of all your recurring charges and subscriptions and consider cancelling anything you're not using enough to justify the expense.
Also review the terms and conditions of your accounts and be sure you understand what fees, if any, your financial institutions might be charging you and what benefits you might be overlooking.

3. Shop around.

And if you don't like those fees? Of if the cost of your Satellite/Internet/Streaming TV bundles have shot up unexpectedly?
Or if you never get near the data cap on your cell phone service?
There might be better deals elsewhere. Do a little comparison shopping, and don't be afraid to play some hardball if you can find ways to save a few bucks every month.

4. Check your credit report and score.

You can also use a free credit score service to see where you stand with potential lenders and check for any major fluctuations in your score, which could be another indicator of fraud. Together, these reports will help limit any surprises if you're preparing for a big purchase in the coming year, such as a car or new home.

5. Scan and shred.

Digitising your financial records can save space and simplify tax season.
There are many apps and online services that can help you replace your filing cabinet with a cloud-backed folder, but snapping pictures of important documents with your cell phone is an easy way to get started.
Once you've backed up your statements and receipts you can shred anything that's over three years old.
Also review your hard copy filing system and make sure that your birth and marriage certificates, Social Security cards, insurance policies, and estate plan are stored safely.

6. Talk to your financial planner

How have your short-term and long-term financial goals changed in the last year?
Are you thinking about making a career change?
Are your teenagers scouting colleges and universities?
Is there a new baby on the way?
Do you want to start making a bigger impact in your community through sustained giving?
Is this the year you’re finally going to start your own company?
Do you or your spouse have any new health care concerns?

We use your answers to these kinds of questions to guide our Life-Centered Planning process. Annually, it’s a good idea to check if dust is settling on some out-of-date plans or if the path to any of your financial goals is feeling a little cluttered. Give us a call and we’ll schedule a meeting to shake off some cobwebs and put a fresh shine on the year ahead.