Projecting Yourself into the Future
Dear Friends,
If you’re like me (and most other financial professionals) you are a planner. Our clients ask us to help them plan – for retirement, to leave a legacy for their children or so that they can be generous givers in life and after death. We often find comfort in number-crunching to project growth in our clients’ accounts…with our carefully planned guidance, of course. Is all this planning a strength or a pitfall?
Being a thoughtful planner is a strength for most people, especially those in our business. We cannot go through life randomly being swayed one way or another, like a shell being knocked about by the tide. We cannot simply sit back and “see what happens” – that would make us irresponsible spouses, parents and business people. God gave us the ability to learn from our past experiences and shared history, and use that knowledge to make better our lives and the lives of those around us. Bible teachings tell us that it is OK to plan… as long as it is with the understanding that God is ultimately in control, and even our best laid plans may undergo some unanticipated alterations according to His will.
Failure to recognize His omnipotence is what causes a large measure of the frustration, anger and fear experienced by people who rely too much on their own plans. We should be careful not to get too caught up into thinking about every possible problem or scenario and then rehearsing what our responses should be. If we do that, we are basically saying that we can foresee the future, we alone can prepare ourselves to handle it and our projections are correct and true.
But that’s not really possible, is it? Do you think you control the thoughts and actions of every other person with whom you will interact on any given day? Of course not! Only God knows what is in each of our hearts and minds. So it is impossible for us to anticipate and plan for every event. Instead, we should turn to the wisdom in scripture which reminds us to lean not on our own understanding, acknowledge God in all things, and know with assurance that He is our protector and provider.
Can you recall a situation when you wasted too much time and energy trying to plan and rehearse exactly what you would do or say in response to an event? I’d bet that things didn’t turn out how you expected! Share your story and inspire others to remember and rely on God, not themselves.
Blessings,
Ron
Ron -
I love your perspective on this. I am 41 now and about 13 years ago, I expected to earn about 14% per year and have a lot more money than what I actually have now. I've come to believe that who I am is not tied to my net worth, but there is still a certain part of me that knows I did not meet this expectation (albeit based on very faulty assumptions).
I know my clients must feel the same way after the tech and credit bubbles. At the very least, I can be empathetic! Thank you for this reminder about how we are to view ourselves and to always be ready to walk in His will.
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Ron, thank you very much for this insight. It really hit home for me, even to the point of my actually saying "Wow!" I also am a "planner", and, as many probably have also experienced, my "plans" often do not pan out. I've often wondered why, and just resolved to overwhelm my day with what I thought were well planned out activiies.
As I think about what you said, I now realize that I may plan, but only after prayer, and making myself open to the "still small voice" of God, as I work my plan. I must be totally prepared to alter MY plans to come alongside HIS plans for me and my business.
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