With so many products in the marketplace the investment scene has become crowded. Today, you can invest in so many things and in so many ways, thanks largely to the internet. That can often be confusing – how do you know you are making the right investment and for the right reasons?
Here at GL Integrity we take you through a process to discover your purpose and align your financial goals around it. This journey can be life changing.
One of the most powerful ways of staying on track with your investment journey is knowing what your personal mission, vision and values are. We’re not suggesting coming up with a family brand (although having a coat of arms works well) but knowing what you stand for definitely helps you to make the right choices.
Here are a few tips in crafting your mission, vision and values that will keep you heading in the right direction.
Mission: The mission deals with your purpose – your why.
Discovering your purpose in life is so important. When you discover it, it’s really easy to say “yes” and “no” because your choices determine if you are getting closer to the reality of purpose or being distracted away from it.
Using the GL passport process you’ll have a clearer idea on what that future will actually look like and our job is to help you define and accomplish your financial goals so the future you want becomes your reality.
To start the ball rolling – here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- What are you willing to struggle for?
- When you were a child, what activity would you do that made you forget to eat?
- What do you want to be remembered for at the end of your life?
- If you didn’t have financial responsibilities what would you do?
- What are you naturally gifted at?
- Is the life I’m living worth what I’m giving up to have it?
Being honest with yourself is the fastest way to discover your purpose. Once you know it, are you willing to make the necessary changes in the present to affect your future? That’s where purpose driven investment comes in.
Vision: The end goal – what does a perfect future look like?
Starting with the end in mind is crucial for purpose driven investment. Making your vision clear can be achieved in many ways: one way is a vision board. The law of attraction is powerful and having pictures of the life you want really helps you get clarity.
Another way is writing the vision down and making it plain. This is one of the benefits of the GL Passport. The act of writing will literally imprint your brain with your vision. It will inspire you and give you a sense of confident expectation of what the future will hold.
Values: The key components to create culture.
Values help craft the culture of your home and family. Having clarity on your values allows you to celebrate behaviours that enhance the journey or change those which take away from it. For instance, if you value fitness, then endless trips to the takeaway are not going to enhance that lifestyle. You might be better saying no!
A simple way to achieve this is to take your family name, and attach a value against each letter. Let’s use “Gerrard” as a family name:
G | Giving
As a family we are committed to giving our time, talent and treasure for good causes.
E | Excitement
Life should be lived to the full and we are committed to having great experiences.
R | Risk
We are not risk adverse but we take calculated risks – we fall more into faith than fear.
R | Rest
Working hard has to have a reward and taking time out to rest and reflect is vital for a healthy life.
A | Altogether
We make decisions for the benefit of the whole family – we discuss and are collaborative as a family.
R | Run
We take time as a family to stay active and make it part of our daily lives.
D | Direction
We have a vision and reflect on its progress continually.
Adopting these principles will help you as you navigate your family along the pathway to success.
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Until next time, let me leave you with this quotation:
“Happiness is not a goal…it’s a by-product of a life well lived.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Kind regards
Note: The value of units can fall as well as rise, and you may not get back all your original investment.
Andrew Stinchcomb
Lead Navigator
Certified Financial Planner™ professional
Chartered Wealth Manager™
Investors should remember that the value of investments, and the income from them, can go down as well as up. This update has been produced for information purposes only and isn’t intended to constitute financial advice; investments referred to may not be suitable for everyone.
