Last year my reverend gave a series of talks on a book he read entitled Twelve Powers in You. The book describes  physical, spiritual, and emotional aspects of the 12 powers inherent in each of us. Fascinated by these talks, I’ve decided to expand on them through the money perspective that I often see things, being a financial planner.
According to Google, order is the arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method.
Spiritually, order is deciding what’s important to you and making a decision to get it done.
Emotionally (soul), order is about focusing your thoughts on what is good first, instead of worrying about outcomes.
Physically, order is represented by your digestive and skeletal systems. Order is reflected in our skin. When things are out of order, our skin shows it first.
What does Order have to do with money?
Money-wise, budgeting brings order with finances. We do this by prioritizing what’s important to you and setting a guideline (budget) that focuses your spending (consumption) there.
Sometimes, figuring out what’s important to us is tough to do. One way to figure out what’s important is to answer the following question in 30 seconds or less. Remember, you have to answer it in 30 seconds or less:
What are the 5 most important things in your life?
For me:
- Family & Friends
- Health
- Being Successful at work
- Spirituality
- Travel and other Hobbies
When you’ve written down your 5 things, take a hard look at where you are spending your time and money. If family and health are important to you, are you budgeting time for family? Are you budgeting time for exercise? Do you spend money on exercise classes or vacations with family? If time with family is important to you, it’s natural to budget time for day trips and quality time together.
Figuring out what’s important to you allows you to prioritize. Once you know your priorities, you can see if you are indeed spending on those things that are most important to you, or if you should be changing where you spend your paycheck.
For more information about how to budget, check out my blogs on Online Budgeting and Cash Flow.