Your finances are more than dollars and cents
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Trent Hamm Guest blogger
When I look at our financial accounts, I don鈥檛 just see dollars and cents.
Whenever I look at our checking account, I see Sarah sleeping peacefully without a financial worry in the world. She鈥檚 not worried about paying the bills or making the property taxes. She鈥檚 dreaming without anything like that weighing on her shoulders.
Whenever I look at our savings account, I see myself being pretty calm after the transmission goes out of a vehicle we own. I recall the time I got extremely upset circa 2005 when a tire blew out on my old pickup truck and I know I don鈥檛 have to freak out like that any more.
Whenever I look at our investment accounts, I see Sarah and I sketching out the floor plan of the house we鈥檝e always wanted to live in. I see a house rising up out of the ground and the two of us walking in the front door, hand in hand.
Whenever I look at our retirement accounts, I picture the two of us sitting on a porch somewhere, gray hair covering our heads, watching our grandchildren play in the yard. Honestly, it鈥檚 not that different than right now, except we鈥檙e older and it鈥檚 our grandchildren instead of our children.
Whenever I look at our children鈥檚 529 accounts, I picture them leaving for college as they continue to chase whatever dreams they have in their head. I try to picture them as eighteen year olds, full of youth and energy and optimism and a sense that they鈥檒l be all right, no matter what.
Whenever I look at our monthly budget, I immediately visualize planting seeds in a garden, as I know all of the little sacrifices of insignificant creature comforts will eventually blossom into the big things that I鈥檝e mentioned above.
These accounts aren鈥檛 just numbers. They represent the possibility of life ahead of us.
Every time I find a way to contribute a little more, that picture becomes brighter and even more real.
Every time I fail, the picture starts to fade, like the children in Back to the Future.
If I let myself just see numbers when I look at the accounts, it鈥檚 really easy to let go of the real-life importance of things.
It鈥檚 only when I let go of the numbers and see what they really mean that it all comes to the forefront. It鈥檚 when I connect those numbers with the people and things that I care about the most and I see how the choices I make alters those destinies鈥� that鈥檚 when I鈥檓 inspired to keep making good moves.
When you look at your accounts, don鈥檛 just look at numbers. Picture in your mind what those numbers may mean for your life if you make good choices and keep those accounts healthy. It鈥檚 a powerful inspiration.
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