Financial Journey
(featured column)

Ordinary Reflections of the Past Week
by Karen Kuebler

During the last week we were fortunate to have some very dear friends stay with us. We always have fun together and enjoy each other’s company. Even though they are coming here for a getaway vacation, it feels rejuvenating for us as well.  More...

My friend is a quilter and this has opened up a new world to me. I had a new experience of visiting quilt stores, and working together on a quilting project while my friend was here. While we were at one quilting gallery, I stood in amazement at the incredible amount of time and effort that had been devoted to each and every piece of work there. 

I also saw a parallel between quilting and financial management. Maybe that’s because I can easily find associations with managing personal finances! As I looked at one particularly elaborate quilt, I stood very close. I saw all of the tiny pieces and how they fit together. But when I was standing close, I didn’t see the overall pattern of the quilt. I had to step back several feet to look at the overall pattern, and the difference between viewing the whole quilt vs. the small pieces was phenomenal!

The first thing I thought of when I looked at the quilt was one of my favorite Chinese proverbs, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Not being a quilter, I can only imagine that the best way to begin and keep going on a project is to take it one step at a time. 

However, if one only focuses on the small pieces, losing sight of the overall finished project, that can lead to tunnel vision and lack of motivation. It’s the ability to step back and have the vision of the finished project that provides the motivation to proceed, as well as a clear understanding of the importance of each small piece and block that is being assembled. It is also the vision of the completed project that makes the journey of making the quilt fun and creative.

The correlation to personal financial planning really stands out for me. I know how easy it is to get bogged down in the day to day drudgery of living on a tight budget or daily plodding through a job that you don’t enjoy. You need an overall vision for your financial future and goals. If you can’t see how the small efforts fit into the big picture, it will not feel fun, creative, or purposeful. It will seem like hard work, and will probably feel senseless.

The other connection I saw with this beautiful quilt and having a vision of my own financial future was the absolute necessity for a plan. The quilter can never begin, take it step by step, and complete the project without a clear plan, or pattern. We cannot achieve our financial vision and goals without defined steps with short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals. 

If you’re currently feeling like you are fighting an uphill battle and that it is a daily struggle to make ends meet, maybe it is time to develop your vision for your secure and abundant financial future. Stephen Covey profoundly states this principle in his book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” Begin with the end in mind.

If you feel that you are in a daily grind at your job, it might be time to change your perspective of working. Work for a purpose, not for a day. If you are absolutely miserable, then making plans for a different job or vocation might be in order. But, simply changing your outlook and viewing your job as a way to achieve a greater objective can make the daily grind seem less overwhelming and more purposeful.

In the meantime, maybe all of the little things you are doing to tighten the belt and save money will feel more focused because you know that you do have an overall goal for your future – it just may not be clearly spelled out and developed yet. It is inside of you, waiting to be examined, designed, planned for, and eventually assembled – one piece at a time – into your personally orchestrated future.

It was great to spend time with my friend, Susan, and to share this experience. I find the universe provides lessons and teachings in the most unusual and obscure ways. The next time you look at a beautiful quilt, I bet it will take on an entirely new meaning to you!

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Copyright © 2003 by Karen Kuebler

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