Feel Like Life's a Circus?
CIRCUS LIFE - The Money Changer:
Attending an event such as a circus requires you to ‘pay a price’ to gain entry. As in life, the right change or ‘currency’ may enable you to gain entry to ‘the greatest show on earth’ - your chosen career, your dream relationship, achievement of your financial, spiritual,or physical goals. In fact you might have to go away and come back again. You may have to go and source a bank where you can ‘draw on your deposits’. You might have to go and work at something you don’t like to get a little more of what you do like, currency. Currency could be described as finance, skill, experience, a commodity, or an asset that you can redeem*. This applies no matter who you are:
Are you a new citizen or resident? A business founder? Fresh out of college and trying to find your way?
Are you the breadwinner in the family? Trying to cover the increasing cost of living, with rising mortgage rates? Insurance premiums jumping? Fuel prices on the rise?
Or are you the single person, trying to make it big, get some cash in the bank, go on that holiday overseas, save for your first home, bring your cell phone bill back into control?
Are you the non-residential parent trying to make ends meet in your new living arrangements, paying child support payments to the other parent and not receiving a return on investment of time spent together between you and the child?
Are you on the board of a community organisation and the gap between government funding and the true provision of services continues to grow at an exponential rate? Is your not for profit organisation finding that debtors are increasingly slow to pay their accounts? What happens in the GFC and redundancies, government grant guidelines changing, and donations fluctuating like never before?
The tourist stranded abroad because of a natural disaster or phenomenon and little change left from your holiday – is that you?
The 'money changer' may feel like funds are coming in one hand and out the other?
You could be one, or a mix of these people and the challenges remain the same: How do you maximise your income and the return on investment?
Answer: You’ve got to know YOUR business and plan to succeed. Simple but INTENTIONAL!
Questions for: Company, Community, Clan & Church
1. How reactive are you to emerging issues and opportunities?
2. Personally or professionally – do you have a plan? Could be strategic, operational, communication, marketing or financial?
3. Have you undertaken a risk assessment on the numerous variables that could lead you to feel ‘out of control’ and jeopardise your cash flow? What are your strategies to assist you and your team to implement counter measures wherever possible
4. Are you a SME – Small Business Enterprise or NGO – Non Government Organisations or Church Group? Are you aware of current legislation and due diligence? How do you communicate the vision and invite 'buy-in'?
The Way Forward:
'Fail to plan then plan to fail’ so the saying goes. Imagine if God didn’t have a plan and everything was reactionary? Jeremiah 29:11 reads “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans to bless you not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future”. If the big guy is into planning than shouldn’t we be too? So what could you consider:
Strategic Plan - “The document that is the result of long-range (strategic) planning. It usually covers a minimum period of five years, sets forth the mission and goals of the program, prioritizes strategies, and formulates the financial basis for achieving the goals” [http://erc.msh.org/mainpage.cfm?file=2.2.3s.htm&module=gmt&language=English]
Operational Plan - ”sets forth the specific projects or activities (consistent with the strategic plan) that will be conducted, and the timetable and resources needed for completing those projects or activities”
Financial Year Budget – “A plan for a person or company's expenditures. Making a budget involves looking at one's revenue or income and matching that to expenses such that the person or company pays for all necessary expenses. A budget is in balance if revenues equal expenditures, in deficit if the person or company must resort to borrowing to meet expenses, and in surplus if money is left over to be used for savings or expansion” [http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/budget]
Financial Year Forecast - (Actual Year to Date and remaining spend window)
Career Plan – Professional development. If you’re working for a company the HR department and your immediate supervisor will work with you on an annual minimum basis to identify opportunities for growth and relevant training for you to undertake
Family Contracts – Gary Smalley & son Greg Smalley Psy.D have written a great book “the DNA of Parent – Teen Relationships” and have “ drawn upon their experiences from Greg’s teen years – along with those of 5,000 teens they surveyed – to give you a workable plan for relating positively to your son or daughter ISBN 1-58997-163-9
Our Next Circus Role will be : THE TICKET SELLER
* As a Christian I believe that Jesus Christ gave His Life for me as the greatest act of love for humanity. Now, that my friends is major currency that isn't affected by fluctuating currency markets! Have you thought about investing?
Attending an event such as a circus requires you to ‘pay a price’ to gain entry. As in life, the right change or ‘currency’ may enable you to gain entry to ‘the greatest show on earth’ - your chosen career, your dream relationship, achievement of your financial, spiritual,or physical goals. In fact you might have to go away and come back again. You may have to go and source a bank where you can ‘draw on your deposits’. You might have to go and work at something you don’t like to get a little more of what you do like, currency. Currency could be described as finance, skill, experience, a commodity, or an asset that you can redeem*. This applies no matter who you are:
Are you a new citizen or resident? A business founder? Fresh out of college and trying to find your way?
Are you the breadwinner in the family? Trying to cover the increasing cost of living, with rising mortgage rates? Insurance premiums jumping? Fuel prices on the rise?
Or are you the single person, trying to make it big, get some cash in the bank, go on that holiday overseas, save for your first home, bring your cell phone bill back into control?
Are you the non-residential parent trying to make ends meet in your new living arrangements, paying child support payments to the other parent and not receiving a return on investment of time spent together between you and the child?
Are you on the board of a community organisation and the gap between government funding and the true provision of services continues to grow at an exponential rate? Is your not for profit organisation finding that debtors are increasingly slow to pay their accounts? What happens in the GFC and redundancies, government grant guidelines changing, and donations fluctuating like never before?
The tourist stranded abroad because of a natural disaster or phenomenon and little change left from your holiday – is that you?
The 'money changer' may feel like funds are coming in one hand and out the other?
You could be one, or a mix of these people and the challenges remain the same: How do you maximise your income and the return on investment?
Answer: You’ve got to know YOUR business and plan to succeed. Simple but INTENTIONAL!
Questions for: Company, Community, Clan & Church
1. How reactive are you to emerging issues and opportunities?
2. Personally or professionally – do you have a plan? Could be strategic, operational, communication, marketing or financial?
3. Have you undertaken a risk assessment on the numerous variables that could lead you to feel ‘out of control’ and jeopardise your cash flow? What are your strategies to assist you and your team to implement counter measures wherever possible
4. Are you a SME – Small Business Enterprise or NGO – Non Government Organisations or Church Group? Are you aware of current legislation and due diligence? How do you communicate the vision and invite 'buy-in'?
The Way Forward:
'Fail to plan then plan to fail’ so the saying goes. Imagine if God didn’t have a plan and everything was reactionary? Jeremiah 29:11 reads “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans to bless you not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future”. If the big guy is into planning than shouldn’t we be too? So what could you consider:
Strategic Plan - “The document that is the result of long-range (strategic) planning. It usually covers a minimum period of five years, sets forth the mission and goals of the program, prioritizes strategies, and formulates the financial basis for achieving the goals” [http://erc.msh.org/mainpage.cfm?file=2.2.3s.htm&module=gmt&language=English]
Operational Plan - ”sets forth the specific projects or activities (consistent with the strategic plan) that will be conducted, and the timetable and resources needed for completing those projects or activities”
Financial Year Budget – “A plan for a person or company's expenditures. Making a budget involves looking at one's revenue or income and matching that to expenses such that the person or company pays for all necessary expenses. A budget is in balance if revenues equal expenditures, in deficit if the person or company must resort to borrowing to meet expenses, and in surplus if money is left over to be used for savings or expansion” [http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/budget]
Financial Year Forecast - (Actual Year to Date and remaining spend window)
Career Plan – Professional development. If you’re working for a company the HR department and your immediate supervisor will work with you on an annual minimum basis to identify opportunities for growth and relevant training for you to undertake
Family Contracts – Gary Smalley & son Greg Smalley Psy.D have written a great book “the DNA of Parent – Teen Relationships” and have “ drawn upon their experiences from Greg’s teen years – along with those of 5,000 teens they surveyed – to give you a workable plan for relating positively to your son or daughter ISBN 1-58997-163-9
Our Next Circus Role will be : THE TICKET SELLER
* As a Christian I believe that Jesus Christ gave His Life for me as the greatest act of love for humanity. Now, that my friends is major currency that isn't affected by fluctuating currency markets! Have you thought about investing?
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