“What do you want in life?”

It’s one of the most difficult questions for anyone to answer, and yet we don’t get a lot of time to answer it. Life is not a guarantee; time is not a guarantee. We don’t get to choose how long we live and if we get to the ripe old age of retirement, we are lucky people. There are so many people out there who don’t get to live to old age, who don’t get to live a comfortable and pain-free life. It’s for this reason that you need to do what you can to make your life feel good and feel secure. Life should be happy, and for that to happen, you need to plan for your future. It may not be a guarantee, but you don’t want to get there and find out that “living for today” only worked when you had the money to do it! 

You may not know what you want to do in life in terms of a job and whether you want to get married one day, and that’s okay; that can be figured out later. However, you do need to start thinking about what you could do to make the future the best one that you could plan to have. Below, we’ve got some simple ways to help you to figure out your future properly.

• Always Plan Ahead

You may not have the next week planned out in terms of your grocery shopping, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t plan for what you want when you hit retirement age. You’re either going to plan to live with your kids, or you’re going to make sure that you have the money to one side for Enterprise Retirement Living. You need to plan ahead for your dreams – if you know what they are – and you need to know what you want your life to look like. All the time that you spend thinking about it is going to be a waste if you take too long. 

• Live Like You Mean It

You want to plan ahead, but you don’t want to miss out on living for today while you do it. We don’t get to see how many years we have left – we’re all in a queue for an elevator, but we have no idea where we are in that queue. Things change at the snap of the fingers, so plan for the future and work your finances for it, but don’t forget to take adventures and do something that makes your soul sing right now.

• Find Balance

Are you a health nut? Do you love to keep fit? That’s all well and good to treat your body like a temple, but don’t say no to the ring doughnuts in the theme park just because of calories. Calories in and calories out matter, but that doesn’t mean that you have to live a life of rabbit food in the art of preserving your body. 

• Spend Less Than You Earn (Cash & Calories)

Whether you are thinking about your cash or your calories, always spend less. With cash, you want to avoid debt as much as possible (except the good debts like student loans or a mortgage). With calories, you want to have a calorie deficit where you can. Burn more calories than you consume, and you’re going to be able to maintain a healthy weight at all times. You deserve good health in both your body and your bank account.

• Invest In Your Family

You need to invest your time in your family. If you invest your time into your family from a young age, you’re going to be able to say that you don’t neglect your children. Invested time is so much more important than invested money, and the years go by faster than you anticipated. If you give yourself the time to be with your kids, you’re going to have well-adjusted children who are excited to spend their time with you.

• Invest Your Money

Speak to a financial advisor and work out where you can put your money. You need to be able to say that you have a nest egg ready to pay for your medical expenses and pay for your care when you get older. You can also create something to pass down to your children, too. 

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• Love Your Partner

If you do find someone that you love, love them hard. Don’t neglect your partner in favor of your job and your hobbies. You need to be an equal partnership and your partner is going to be your best friend and your confidant, your biggest support and your lover all rolled into one. Treat them well and you can ensure your future is secure with someone who loves you wholly and completely.

• Make Memories

Part of your life needs to be in building good memories. Not just for the kids, but for you and your friends. You deserve to get to retirement and know that you have had an excellent time of life. Memories will carry you long after time has erased and those will be the things that bring you joy the most later on.

• Don’t Be Ordinary

If you think you could cure cancer, go and study and learn how to be a medical marvel. If you can imagine yourself singing on the stage, go and learn how to do it and take vocal lessons. You do not have to settle for ordinary when you can be extraordinary. Life isn’t about ordinary; don’t settle and don’t complain about it if you do. You can make life better; stop accepting less than you deserve and demand something more.

• Believe In Yourself

You want a life of riches – not just financial. You want a rich life with friends, family, security, good food and drink, and it’s right within your reach. The best thing that you can do for your future is believe that you can have the future that you want. Map out what you want in your life, and give yourself five or ten years to achieve it. You’ll be surprised with what you can achieve when you really put your mind to it.

Mandy X

Author: Mandy Kloppers

Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.