Finding the Right Balance in Order to Succeed

Earlier this week, I submitted my article to Perkstreet Financial titled 6 Ways to Change Your Financial Math, Without a Calculator. It really digs into the psychological side of money and asserts that if you’re struggling to turn things around by using math and book knowledge, you may be missing the bigger picture.

I’ve said it before; just because you know what to do doesn’t mean you will necessarily do it.

I mentioned 6 things in the article that I think are far more important than math. They were attitude, behavior, contentment, balance, intensity, and diligence. My point was that by working on these 6 characteristics you might be much more likely to succeed financially.

Later that day @Budgetable tweeted this and it got me thinking:

It made me wonder if people might see “Balance and Intensity” as two opposite forces. Some might say if I find balance, how can I be intense OR vice-versa. Intensity can tend to over power other areas of your life if you let it but it also depends on how that intensity aligns with your goals.

For instance, you should be able to eliminate your debt with intensity without neglecting other important facets of your life. If your goals are to become debt free — and you really, REALLY want it — the sacrifice it will take to make it happen shouldn’t be a problem.

Intensity is all about priorities and can be the driving force in giving you the motivation you need to become debt free. You can sacrifice and have balance, but again, it really depends on your goals and what you are willing to do to achieve them.

We sacrificed vacations, a nicer car, a big screen television, an xbox 360 among other things we enjoyed doing, but we didn’t feel it created imbalance at all. We could have seen those sacrifices as something that kept us from experiencing balance since we did enjoy them, but our goals aligned with our actions to achieve them. Everybody needs some form of entertainment or activity to relax and unwind in order to achieve a desired balance, but as I stated earlier, you can balance things out by doing things that do not take from your resources to pay down your debt or save for retirement.

Achieving balance shouldn’t be an excuse to be any less intense when it comes to accomplishing your goals. Don’t fall for that trap! Get out of debt and get out of debt now — you can go on a vacation later. Just because you skip a vacation or two doesn’t mean you can’t have balance. Instead, be creative and find alternative ways to do the things that are important to you to achieve the balance you desire.

Personally, I believe that contentment is the key to it all. The more content you are the less you require to make you happy, and happiness is usually the very reason we desire balance. For a lot of us, happiness has become something we search for based on what we see others doing and having. Often times, it was the “keeping up with the Joneses” mindset that put us in debt in the first place, whether we want to admit it or not. Acquiring stuff is not balance!

If balance is what you’re ultimately after, I’m positive that a big load of debt is seriously getting in your way. Get rid of it as fast as you can by making it a priority in your life. Intense focus and determination will lead to a more balanced and happier life if you can sacrifice without letting people around you convince you that you HAVE TO have expensive fun.

Good luck! ๐Ÿ˜€

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About Brad Chaffee

6 Responses to “Finding the Right Balance in Order to Succeed”

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  1. I agree with you. I feel intense and balanced. I have a few intense goals, but those goals give me balance. Does that make sense? I have career goals, and family goals. I pursue them both with fierce intensity, but together they bring balance.

    • Brad Chaffee says:

      Thanks Ashley and good for you! We were intensely balanced as well and it led to us eliminating our debt faster than we thought possible. If an expensive vacation is needed, at the cost of financial independence, then I think the problems are much bigger. As long as you dedicate yourself to what’s important balance is almost automatic. ๐Ÿ˜€

  2. I was just thinking of this the other day!

    I’m debt free, so my attacking debt is no longer intense.
    Yet, I’m trying to help others online do the same, so I’m back to intense…

    Quite frankly, I’m just as intense now and feel I need to retain the balance!
    Constant fight, but at least we’re intense for the right reasons… right?

    Have a great weekend, it’s a great day to be great!

    Eric

    • Brad Chaffee says:

      Absolutely Eric, and that’s the thing. Even after becoming debt free you can use the same 6 steps to save an emergency fund, save for retirement, kids college, that trip to hawaii after you’ve reached your financial goals. Intensity is important and should be used for anything that is important to us. ๐Ÿ™‚ If someone loves their kids (and I hope everyone that has kids does), the same intensity should be tapped into to being a better parent. ๐Ÿ˜€ It’s universal.

  3. KDB says:

    How true! Struggling with debt or lack of money is very stressful, and can be so consuming. You definitely need to find ways to stay positive and re-focus without losing sight of your main goal – which is much easier said than done, but critical to avoid losing perspective.

  4. The thing that keeps us balanced are the very people that (without them really trying or knowing they’re doing it) are promoting the “keep up with the jones’s” attitude. We have some dear friends that are seemingly always buying the latest cell phone, or a bigger lawn mower, or remodeling something in their 6 year old house. Of course much of this is financed.

    My wife and I struggle to hold things together financially, constantly reviewing our budget, reducing costs when possible. When we watch our friends do these things, it strikes us as almost amusing. Will we need to get new cell phones? eventually. Will we want to remodel something in our home? Likely. But only when it’s necessary, and when we can afford it.

    It’s odd…by seeing people that are NOT balanced, we achieve our sense of balance.

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