Target your life and work plan at a stroke

Stop staring into murky waters and formulate a sound financial plan for your future. Life will be much clearer and calmer as a result, writes Nima Abu Wardeh.

Illustration by Gary Clement for The National

I was staring straight down - into a vast black abyss. All was well. But after a few minutes, muscles and viscera started tightening, my breathing quickened and became more shallow.
Just a few days earlier I had done the exact same thing - but with a couple of friends. On my own, it didn't seem such a great idea.
I knew that there was nothing out there that would "get" me. I knew that I would be absolutely fine. But I couldn't do it. I didn't want to do it. I was not going to swim along the line of buoys bobbing above what seemed to be a bottomless inky pit.
No longer relaxed, and with a feeling of fear gripping my gut, even though I knew better, I headed towards the shore.
Then I got to the "line" - and all was well once more. I relaxed. Could breathe. Swim. I was happy again.
And all because I could "see". I knew where I was, I had clarity, I was no longer blind to what was around me.
The line I'm referring to is where I could see sand - with its static ripples running parallel to the shore. It was a bright, clear daylight once more. I followed these lines and used them as my guide - nature's mini-lanes, very useful too as days earlier, certain that I was swimming straight as an arrow towards my destination, I found myself in the boat-lane a few times, then heading for a perpendicular collision with a friend on the other side of the buoys a few minutes later.
No deviations now. I was on my way, and cruising.
It got me thinking - this is why we need a plan. A financial plan. Without one, we are headed somewhere, but we don't know where. Yes, we will arrive at a destination but is it where you want to be?
Not having clarity means that energy is wasted going off course, a lot more energy is needed to buffer currents dragging you away from your destination and get back to where you want to head.
To have a plan, we need to spend energy on figuring out what is important to us - it might be daunting or too much hassle, but it will be much less hassle than navigating your way through life's mess if you don't.
I like to know where I'm headed.
Key is knowing what's important to me, and then doing something about it.
Spending time with special people in my life is important, so I choose not to have a job where I don't own or control the majority of my time or life.
Not being dependent on my dependent is vital - so I must make sure I am solvent and headed towards financial independence.
I want to be physically and emotionally able, not just financially, so I must prioritise my well being. The simple act of going for a swim in the sea serves my well-being, which will spill over into every aspect of life. It could be said that it also helps my financial independence goal too because it's free. When I do it with friends, I get to connect and bond with people who enrich my life.
Being happy means I'm less likely to spend on things to feel better, less likely to be ill and stressed.
There. A simple act. Three major targets ticked.
This isn't exactly a meticulous detailed financial plan, rather a declaration of mission and values and a guide. Say I was thinking of buying a car, accepting a job, or joining friends for an amazing but expensive outing. If these things support my life plan, then yes, I can do them without as much as a second thought. But if doing them takes me away from my bigger picture then, no, it's not in my interest - at this point in my life - to do it.
This sort of "plan" isn't set in stone.
It's there to help make the best decisions for you, for your life. Years ago I was introduced to the importance of having my values aligned with those of the people working with me on a project or a business. Making sure we all had the same values meant that we intuitively knew how to behave at work, what decisions to make and generally how to conduct ourselves with each other and with others. All we needed to do was check in with our list of values and see if they were being ticked. It works. Not just for the business world, but also for our lives.
So instead of staring into murky waters, state what it is you're working towards and why. Your plan will change. You will change. That's fine. Just make a start.
Get yourself a whiteboard pen, go to your kitchen, and write down three things that you are living for on the wall. Life will be clearer and calmer.
Nima Abu Wardeh is the founder of the personal finance website cashy.me. You can reach her at [e-mail]