Equipping young women professionals with young families to find fulfillment, contentment and joy as mothers and home makers without losing sight of who they are as women.

Volume 02, Issue 18: Being on Top of Your Money

Last week we were looking at how to organize our lives so we have time for all the things that are important to us. This implies that we have to be successful at juggling many hats.

For this to work well, we have to be financially resourceful and responsible as well. As you set out to achieve your goals, you don’t want to be bogged down with financial stresses. Become the master of your money. Refuse to be ruled by impulse but rather make wise and discerning choices concerning your finances. Partner with God to create security for your future by watching how you spend today.

First, tithe 10% of your earnings to God. Let this be the first bill you pay because He is the one who gives you the ability to make wealth. The tax man asks for much more than God does, so this should not be a hardship on your attitude.

Secondly, pay yourself. Set aside 10% for investments in a savings account or other channel and purpose not to touch it. In addition to this, open another expendable savings account and put another 10% there. The objective is to establish an emergency reserve to cover about 12 months of your monthly budget in case you find yourself out of work or unable to earn an income for a season.

Some of us excuse irresponsibility for having faith in God to supply our needs. God is certainly the source of our blessings. But being financially responsible is part of the deal. God does not want us live a life of panic, running frantically to put out fires. He wants us to be able to calmly assess our situation and move forward in faith, without fear. That is why we need to have in place an emergency reserve from the resources God has already blessed us with.

If you can stretch, set aside another 10% from which you can generously contribute to the needs of those less fortunate than yourself. I must admit that I am still struggling with this part myself.

Thirdly, make an allowance for your indulgences such as holidays, treats at fancy restaurants, shopping sprees, or any other pleasures that you like. Allocate how many of them you can afford in a year and link them to a special occasion so you don’t get out of control.

Be on top of your money, from how you spend on groceries to major purchases. Prepare a budget with columns for both figures and percentages, so you know what percentage of your earnings is going to savings, and individual percentages for each expenditure item. Stick to your budget no matter what temptations bring your way. Additionally, don’t spend money at random. Be cost–conscious and look out for savings in every purchase.

Manage your money well. Aim to reach and stay at a level where your needs are met with an abundance with more than enough left over to contribute to the needs of others.

Lillian Chebosi

　

Volume 02, Issue 17: Mastering Organization

Throughout the month of January, we have been talking about making goals and drawing action plans for achieving our goals. We have seen that only what get scheduled gets done. That whatever it takes to attain what we have set out to do has to find its way on our daily schedules.

Having settled that, perhaps juggling all our responsibilities at work and at home is a bit overwhelming as it is. How about when we add personal development activities for achieving our goals? Where are we to find the time and energy for these given our already cramped schedules?

In order to be successful in any area, you must exercise wisdom and plan carefully. I am a big fan of journals, budgets, programs, plans, and writing things down. I like putting systems in place to ensure sidestepping needless emergencies, dramas, overload, and burnout. I don’t allow things to pile up until they reach unmanageable proportions.

Break down each of your objectives into manageable bits; look out for what you can do daily to make up for the overall objective in the fullness of time. This way, you won’t get overwhelmed or intimidated by the size of the task.

Having a personal plan will make you more effective. Put a plan into action in your own life. Organize your activities well enough so that you are not behind the eighth ball, but in front of it, one step ahead of the game.

Organization is everything. If you organize your life well you will have time for all the things that are important to you. What if you think your day is already too full to add anything else? Not necessarily. You have to budget for your time the same way you budget for your money. Prepare a time budget grid for your 24 hours for each of the 7 days of the week.

Realistically set goals for yourself, and then make a list of all your daily and weekly responsibilities, tasks and activities. Allocate the time each task needs to be completed. Prioritize their order of importance and then assign each task to a different slot on your time budget log. Be honest with yourself about your limitations; and be sure to build rest time and time for fun and recreation into your calendar along with your tasks and activities to keep your life in balance.

Lillian Chebosi

　

Volume 02, Issue 16: Growth is a Process, Stick with it.

We set goals because we want to grow. We realize that we can be more than what we have become so far. It is commendable to want to grow, but we have to be committed to work it out. Personal growth takes discipline. We must discipline ourselves to do what we need to do every day to reach our potential.

A desire for self improvement begins with self discovery. I can attest to the fact that we do not remain quite what we were once we discover ourselves. We cease to be comfortable with the status quo and declare it time for business unusual. Self discovery spurs within us a hunger for growth, a love for learning and application.

Once you decide what you want and the goals you want to achieve, recognize that growth is a process and stick with it. It isn’t something that you do a couple of times then set aside. It is something that you determine to pursue continually.

We succeed only in what we give attention to. The secret of achieving our goals lies in our daily preoccupation. It is pitiful how we determine to accomplish something but do very little to attain it. We can do things differently this time. What we do on a daily basis determines what we get out of life. Let’s occupy ourselves with actions that are in line with what we want to achieve.

As we refine our goals and draw work plans for achieving them, let’s be sure to set the standards that we will use to measure our progress as we go along 2012; because only what gets measured gets done. What level of achievement is good enough for you? If we do not measure how well we are doing against a set standard, anything will be good enough for us. We will risk settling for less than our best.

Lillian Chebosi

　

 

Volume 02, Issue 15: Action Planning

Having done the first phase of goal setting, next is the crucial phase of action planning. This is where we commit ourselves to action. We must determine the actions we need to take to achieve our goals.

We are sure to forget every wish that we do nothing to realize. We can believe all we want about what we want to accomplish, but until we determine the price we have to pay in every step of the way and start paying it, we are only fooling ourselves.

Make action plans for your goals. Plan to do something every day to make it happen. The important thing is to do something each day, even if you think it is a small thing. It is in the bits and pieces that the overall goal is realized.

You are more likely to achieve your goals if you have a plan; a road map of what you want to accomplish. Without action plans, goals are merely hopes and dreams. Break down your goals to the things you need to do quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily; and then commit to it to attain what you set out to do.

Set goals if you want to go far in life. In the absence of goals, you will never know what you are capable of achieving. Do not go through life without knowing the extent of your potential. Set goals and aim high. But don’t just stop at goal setting. Act on your goals. In life you end up possessing only that which you pursue.

The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score. Bill Copeland.

Lillian Chebosi

　

Volume 02, Issue 14: Cover the Basics First

 

As we take time to set goals for the New Year, let’s not get stuck on trying to come up with complex things to achieve, at the expense of the little things that make a big impact on day-to-day successful living.

As you list down your goals, consider starting with the little things that make all the difference in your life. These are of course different for everyone, for me they include daily reading, reflecting, recording, writing, and healthy living. Maybe you already got your little things sorted; they have become part of your daily routine. Nonetheless, list them as the things you want to continue doing, lest they find their way out of your radar.

Prioritize on covering the basics first. If we get these right, we afford ourselves room to reach for the big goals, the ones that force us out of our comfort zones. You can’t suppose to successfully run the marathon if your regular work out is not yet covered. I can’t expect to write a book if I haven’t mastered the art of writing short paragraphs on a regular basis.

Once the basics are covered, go ahead and dream big. Dare to get out of your comfort zone. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you. After all, what’s the worst that could happen if you dream big and fail? What do you have to lose?

What’s the point of dreaming if you are only going to dream small? Aim high. Aim for the moon; you may not hit it but you will be happy to land among the stars. One of my goals last year was to write articles on personal development weekly without fail. I did that. Now I wish I had aimed higher. Who knows, maybe I could have gotten halfway writing my first book. Michelangelo once said that the greatest danger is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.

Let’s overcome our fears and aim for the seemingly impossible dreams. Esther, a fellow alumni at a school I attended recently aimed for her highest possible dream last year and she nailed it, against all odds. She released her first music album despite the fact that by the time she was making the goal she had not done voice training, written any concrete songs, leave alone recording.

Let’s go for it. We will achieve the big dreams by holding ourselves to a higher standard than anybody else expects of us.

Lillian Chebosi