This sounds like a simple question, and it is, unless you dig deeper…
There are two main areas in your life where you (and your loved ones) should always take precedence.
No one else should have your health and the health of your family as a higher priority than you do.
No one else should have more concern about your personal financial situation than you do.
Many of us would probably say we have the health of our family and our personal finances as top priorities, but does our behavior actually reflect that?
If anyone has more concern than you do in these areas (like a doctor, financial advisor, or another family member), you need to reevaluate your priorities. If you put other things in your life over you and your family’s health and financial well-being, you need to ask yourself why and what makes those other things more important.
What do you want for you and your family’s health?
Many people would probably say they would like to live to see certain family life events. Others just want to have a healthy family without major injury or illness. Or maybe it is just simply living a longer life. If you have these goals, do your diet and exercise routines promote achieving them? Tons of information exists and is accessible in our world today to help you improve your health, whether it is on the internet or getting help from a professional. What steps do you take to improve you and your family’s health and well-being?
What do you want for you and your family’s financial well-being?
Being debt free. Owning a fully paid off home. Six months of savings in an emergency fund. Steadily saving for retirement. All of these will help you improve your family’s financial well-being, but they are all part of two overarching ideas: Financial stability and financial security. When we dig deeper, financial stability and financial security are likely goals for all of us and our families’ financial well-being. If we can reach these goals of financial stability and financial security, do you know what else should be reduced? Stress! And less stress will tie back into better health. Do your financial habits promote financial stability and financial security for your family?
We all have different levels of income, but we also all have different levels of spending. Financial well-being should include having an emergency fund, saving for retirement, saving for kids to go to college, spending consciously, and not having high interest rate debt. Are you working towards financial well-being?
Closing Thoughts
This is not intended to imply everyone should be an elite athlete in the best physical shape of their life or be a multi-millionaire. It is to draw attention to the fact that many of us are not prioritizing our health and financial well-being. We are distracted by other ‘stuff’.
Many of you know more about your favorite sports teams or favorite celebrity than you know about your own health or personal finances. You are not alone in this, and that should scare all of us. We all need to make sure our priorities are straight and focus on what should be two of the most important things in our life: The health and financial well-being of us and our families.
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