What’s important to you? What is your mission?

As the Government has set out a plan to reopen the country over the coming months, we are now all considering what the new norm will look like. I wrote a blog called Life After Covid-19: What are your priorities? back in the middle of April, setting out my view of what we will take forward from these extraordinary times.

I think now is a good time for everyone to take stock and consider for themselves what they have learned from this strange period of our lives.

If you can get really clear on what is important to you (and your family), then you are best placed to hatch a long-term plan to ensure that the things that are most important to you are always given priority. A great way of determining your priorities is to ask yourself some questions, and to get very clear on the answers.
 
 

Here are some questions that might help you:

1. Who did you really miss seeing during lockdown?
 
2. What did you really miss doing during lockdown?
 
3. What did you think was important to you but you have now realised isn’t that important at all?
 
4. Has your bucket list changed? Or maybe you didn’t have one and now you have made some promises to yourself about the things you are going to do.
 
5. What aspects of lockdown did you really enjoy? What parts of the new norm are you looking forward to practising going forward?

If you can get really clear about the answers to these questions, you are now in a brilliant place to answer the question: What are your goals, dreams and aspirations?
 
If you know the answer to this question, you now know what your money is for. Money for the sake of money is pointless. Money should be a means to give you the freedom to live the life you want to live. When you know what the money is for, the rest is easy. You create a long-term financial plan that is built around your goals, dreams and aspirations. You set up the plan for the long term and then you #StickWithThePlan.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Of course, life changes and you might want to amend the plan over time. But that’s not the hard part as all you have to do is make sure your plan is flexible and regularly reviewed. This is real financial planning. Watching stock markets day in day out, talking about the latest great fund or following (or seeking out) predictions or tips about stock markets has nothing to do with financial planning.

You owe it to yourself and your family to firm up on your life’s mission. Only then can you have a focus, a plan and a sense of optimism that you are running your life to live the life you want to live. It is utterly pointless living the life someone else wants you to live.

Find your mission, hatch a plan and do everything in your power to make it happen.

Carl Widger
Founder & MD of Metis Ireland
 
Email: info@metisireland.ie
Twitter: @metisireland