![\"Stones](\"http:\/\/www.getmotivation.com\/images\/imgjhblog\/relaxing-balanced-stone.jpg\")
For our purposes we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll define margin as anything that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s left after all expenses or costs are deducted.<\/p>\nFor our purposes we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll define margin as anything that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s left after all expenses or costs are deducted.<\/p>\n
The natural inclination is to think of margin in strictly monetary terms, but I believe that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too small a box to put it in. It should also apply to other areas of our life, such as — the way we manage our time, relationships, even our careers and professional lives, among other things.<\/p>\n
Sadly, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think most people take the importance of having margin in their lives seriously enough. The benefits are far reaching.<\/p>\n
The key to living your life with ample margin really all comes down to the choices you and I make. It gets down to how intentional we are in the way we live our lives.<\/p>\n
When you have extra left over, and you haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t spent it all — in any area of your life you have a certain freedom that those without margin typically don’t have. I realize that some folks reading this aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to agree with that. That said, I often find that those who don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t, are those who typically don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any margin in their own lives. To that, I’d suggest not knocking it till you try it \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
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Please know that I’m not picking on anyone. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just saying, as someone who has experienced both sides of this in my own life, having lived with and without margin — living a life filled with margin is the path I want to continue on.<\/p>\n
Whatever you do, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t blame things outside your control for why margin isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a part of your life. It discounts the important part you and I get to play in our lives. We are active participants, not just robots being controlled. Perhaps you didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t directly contribute to it — even if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the case, you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to stay there. Create a plan to free up your time. Build in extra time between appointments. Keep a calendar where you track what you need to do each day. Be sure to build in free time. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how easy it can be to introduce margin into your life. Consider picking up a part time job, or one of the countless things that can be done to earn extra money. It doesn’t mean doing so will be easy, but the fact that others make that sacrifice means that you and I can too if necessary.<\/p>\n
Track your expenses. It can be as simple as saving all your receipts and looking back over them. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not here to beat you up or make you feel bad for how much you spend. Just to say that if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never done this simple exercise of looking back on what you spend it may surprise you just how easy it would be to spend a little less — and in doing so end up with more financial margin in your life.<\/p>\n
When you have savings, when you haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t spent it all, you have options that those who haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t gone this route don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always have. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easy to feel trapped. Notice I said \u00e2\u20ac\u0153feel\u00e2\u20ac\u009d — because ultimately, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not really trapped. Still, the feeling of being so is very real when faced with the uncertainty of wondering how you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll make it financially when you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any savings to fall back on.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important that you understand I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not saying you must have margin to bless others. Far from it, in fact, there are countless ways to do so which don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t involve any resources at all. That said, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just pointing out that in some cases, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easier to do so. For example, if you want to be a blessing to someone financially, if you have a good amount of margin in your finances you can give to others without your doing so potentially having a negative impact on your day to day life.<\/p>\n
Giving, when you are living paycheck to paycheck can be a real challenge. The same is true of your time. If you are always rushed, running from one appointment to the next, with little time in between, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be hard to give your undivided attention to the countless opportunities which pop-up all the time. Stress and overwhelm lurk in the shadows and prey on those who choose to live their lives with little margin.<\/p>\n
There isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really a magic key that unlocks a life of having more than \u00e2\u20ac\u0153just enough\u00e2\u20ac\u009d — whether in your work or personal life, finances, or wherever you find yourself needing more margin. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more of a lifestyle. A commitment to living your life in a way where you will have some left over — where you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u0153spend it all.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Here are a few practical ideas you can do that will help:<\/strong><\/p>\n If your lack of margin is in your finances — get a grip on what you spend each month. Commit to spending less. I realize this is easier said than done, but really, once you know where your money is going, if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be honest with yourself, you will find things you spend on that aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t truly necessities. Then the choice is up to you whether to continue the same pattern you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been doing, or change. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not here to lecture you, just to offer options. Ultimately the choice is yours.<\/p>\n If you want to change, then in many cases that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to require a change in your habits. Initially, it may be a shock, but if you stick to the changes you make, before long you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll emerge a better version of yourself for having adapted. There are also countless people you can learn from that are in the personal finance arena. Many of these people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s resources are readily available online. Here are two that you might look into. Mr. Money Mustache<\/a> and Dave Ramsey<\/a>. If neither of these folks resonate with you that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fine. Just look around and find someone that you can learn from in this area. Margin is something that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth having, and the best way to get there is to learn from those who already have it, and can show you the path.<\/p>\n If it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lack of time you have, or you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re experiencing overwhelm because of all your daily commitments, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d strongly suggest making greater use of a calendar. That may sound very unsophisticated in this day and age of fancy gadgets. However, it can make a real difference.<\/p>\n The main reason a calendar works is that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always nearby. Sure, if you keep a print version you have to make sure it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in a convenient place. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done easily enough. I happen to make use of a digital calendar (Google calendar to be exact — you can use whatever works for you), I put everything that needs doing in my calendar. Both work and personal items. If it needs doing, or may need doing, or remembering in the future, then I put it in there. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s incredibly freeing to no longer have all those \u00e2\u20ac\u0153to do\u00e2\u20ac\u009d items rolling around in my head, hoping I can remember them all myself. No more fear of missing a deadline.<\/p>\n I do keep a separate action items list in addition to my calendar, but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s for very short term things. The great thing about my calendar is it syncs to whatever device happens to be handy. So whether I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m on my computer, tablet, or phone it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always nearby. And when it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s handy, I get to experience the joy of margin in my time and schedule.<\/p>\n Those are just a few practical things you can do to start living a life filled with margin. Apply what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned, but more than that adopt this way of thinking. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a mindset worth developing fully, and one which can have a profound impact on your life.<\/p>\n It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Your Life, LIVE BIG! For our purposes we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll define margin as anything that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s left after all expenses or costs are deducted. The natural inclination is to think of margin in strictly monetary terms, but I believe that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too small a box to put it in. It should also apply to other areas of our life, such as — the …<\/p>\n
\nJosh Hinds<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"