As the current lead evangelist for a Values First approach to finances and relationships, we spend a lot of time helping couples and individuals discover and clarify the things that are more important to them than money itself.
And while clarifying our values is often more difficult and enlightening than most people initially realize, it is not the end of the journey. Today, I want to pivot to two important skills that successful individuals must learn to overcome the inevitably challenging changes of life we will face.
The first is hierarchy. Maybe you have done the hard work and you and your partner have now come to a deep understanding and agreement on the top three or four things in your life together that are truly more important to you than money. These values drive your decisions. You now intentionally use your resources in alignment with these values, and you don’t get distracted easily by other “shiny” things.
Hierarchy just means that you have a prioritized order to that list of values. When resources are tight, you know what comes first and what must wait. Hierarchy also keeps your list of values from growing to the point that everything is valuable. When push comes to shove, it’s not enough to know what’s important – you need to know what comes first!
The second skill is ordering. Think of ordering as good old project management. Most challenges we face are challenging because they are new to us. They have multiple steps and components that we are not yet familiar with.
Once we have decided that we are going to move through this new challenge, we need to break the task down into bite-sized parts. What needs to happen or be researched first? What is the most important decision to get right first? Is there a natural order we should work our way through this process? These types of questions often benefit from outside advice – that would be a great time to let us help!
In a perfect world, we would have unlimited resources to pursue our goals and dreams. Since none of us have that problem – we need to be efficient, wise, and united as we face life’s challenges. Getting the most out of what we have – and doing it together with those we love – is a great way to navigate the years ahead.
If you find yourself facing stress over new (or old!) challenges – let us help!