Are you the type of person who
- puts in a little petrol here, a little petrol there, or
- enough to last you the week based on calculations you’ve done of what you need, or
- are you someone who fills your tank up every time you visit the garage?
The petrol price has become a touchy topic, with all the gruelling petrol price hikes South Africans have endured, but actually your petrol tank philosophy can reveal a lot about the kind of life you lead.
Whilst filling up your tank of petrol has physical costs and constraints, filling up your life thank can cost considerably less than your monthly fuel-spend.
Which mindset are you?
There is a concept called the ‘poverty mindset’ which was pioneered some years back. People who are afraid of spending money to the point of being illogical, are often suffering from it – and don’t know it. This mindset causes us to operate from pay-cheque to pay-cheque and constantly feel like we don’t have enough money, time or energy.
It often means that we’re constantly chasing ‘the next big thing’ and not spending enough time enjoying who and what we have in life right now. We have the perception that because we’re so busy, our lives are full – but in reality, our lives are constantly running on empty.
The first step in filling up your life tank is to have a desire to change your mindset.
A plan to change
A desire to change is a powerful step in a joy-filled future, but without a plan to see that change come into fruition, the desire will wane and you will continue to run around on empty. To overcome the inertia of this mindset, you need to create a plan. A plan to think about yourself differently, to be actively mindful and change behaviours (and spending patterns) in your life that are causing you to miss out on the joy of the present.
A partner to change
Of all the activities in life, change needs the most fuel and can be the most difficult. Think about it – how stiff are your muscles after doing a workout you’re used to? And if you do a completely different exercise, even if it’s less lengthy or strenuous? How tired and stiff are you afterward?
This is where coaches prove their value – when you feel like quitting, they motivate you to continue through the change process. When you reach a plateau, they help you identify, plan for and achieve the next level. With your financial journey (and it’s intrinsically linked to your life…), having a financial adviser that you trust is the best partner to change.
Life is too short to run on empty.
