Time may be the most certain thing in life, and no matter whatever we do, it continues to advance. Unfortunately, in our struggle to succeed in the present, it can be hard to plan for the future … and unplanned futures are rarely happy ones. You don’t have to face this challenge alone; here are some things you can do to work towards your future without sacrificing what you’ve got now.
Understanding your finances
A recent report by the US Government Accountability Office found that as many as two-thirds of households were not saving enough money for their retirement. Now, it can seem like it’s going to be a long time before you stop working, but the best way to earn a comfortable future is to start saving early and often. Take a look at your current budget and ask yourself not just whether or not you’re saving enough for retirement, but rather do you really need everything you’re buying?
Cutting back isn’t fun, but it might be necessary, especially given the limited growth in stocks and other investments over the last few years – the more you control your finances – the easier it will be to help arrange a comfortable future for yourself.
Dealing with children
If there’s one thing that having a child guarantees, it’s that things will never be the same afterwards. Every child offers a unique set of circumstances, challenges, struggles and the sooner you start planning for ways to deal with them, the easier it will be.
For example, about 13% of all children have special needs – and if your child needs any kind of extra help (whether it’s physical, educational, emotional, or anything else), you’ll want to have a long-term plan for their care and finances. Even without any additional needs complicating the matter, the cost of raising a child for eighteen years is almost a quarter of a million dollars. The better position you’re in when you have a child, the easier it will be to raise them.
Protecting your health
Working hard right now might help you save better for the future, but if you don’t take care of your health, those extra aches and pains mean you won’t be able to truly enjoy your future. Start by reconsidering your exercise plans, joining a health club or going to the gym several times a week is a good place to start, but it’s not enough to offset the damage that can be caused by sitting in the office all day.
To truly protect your health, you should be looking for a more active office life — one where you’re able to stand up and move around on a regular basis. Exactly how you do this is up to you and your colleagues. While some people look for jobs where they can move around, others focus on walking meetings, office stretching times, or some other method of spending more time on their feet. The specific technique doesn’t matter, what’s important is that you do something to protect your health and not remain sedentary all day at the office.
Do you have any other advice for working towards the future? If so, share your thoughts with us in the comments below – we’d love to hear what you think. And who knows? You might just make a real difference in someone else’s life!
