Face the Fear
With the new year upon us, my thoughts returned to the start of 2019. At this point, looking for inspiration, I decided to read ‘If I could tell you just one thing ‘by Richard Reed. It’s essentially the author’s story of the remarkable people he has met, and their most valuable advice for the next generation. Too many quotes to mention, however Dame Helen Mirren’s advice certainly resonated with me! I’m much too polite to quote it in this blog, but go on, google Helen Mirren’s quotes from her 70 year old self to her younger self and see if you agree?
This prompted me to raise the question at a family get together, what one piece of advice would we like to pass on to the next generation? When I asked my dad this question, his reply was quite insightful. He said, “You young ones think that tomorrow will never come, but it does and it lasts a long time, so you need to ensure you have enough put by to look after yourself”. Very wise words, and perhaps no surprise that he ended up with a child working in Financial Services.
This started me thinking, what advice would I like to pass on to my own children.
Before I come to this however, I need to tell you a story. I hope some of you will remember the school swimming lesson where you had to don a pair of pyjamas, dive in and retrieve a brick from the deep end of the swimming pool. I’m sure there will be a few out there that share this memory.
I remember the night before this particular swimming lesson, I must have had worry etched on my little face. My dad sat me down to give me some advice, and he said, “Now tomorrow when you get to your swimming lesson and the teacher asks who wants to go first, just put your hand up and get it done first”. Why would I do such a thing, I asked? His reply was simple “Because once it’s done, you can sit back and relax whilst everyone else in the queue sits there worrying”.
When I recounted this story to my colleague, he actually laughed out loud and said “Well you have certainly adopted that advice through most of your life.” I have no idea what he means! However, I think it’s the best advice ever and something I have certainly tried to instil in my own children. It’s not that I never get scared, of course I do, I just know that the best way for me to deal with things is to face my fears head on. Once I know what I’m facing I can then formulate a plan/strategy to deal with it.
But what does this have to do with financial planning, I hear you ask? The answer is simple. How many people out there would honestly admit that they don’t like thinking about retirement because they are scared to face the reality of whether or not they are saving enough? Do you shove pension statements in a drawer and hope for the best, and if so, is this akin to being terrified at the back of the queue at school swimming lessons……… perhaps food for thought?
I guess this raises the question, are you ready to face your fears?
If you would like help to find out whether you are putting away enough each month towards your retirement or if indeed a recovery plan may be needed, then why not contact Thorntons Investments (I may be just the woman to help you).
P.S. And in case you are curious, I did indeed manage to retrieve the brick from the bottom of the pool.