WHEN EVERY PENNY COUNTS!

The month was drawing to an end, reality started to set in that no pay cheque was in sight. The clock was ticking, soon everything will be due, the water bills, the electricity bill, groceries all which needed money. The wallet was open, the contents scattered on the table, counting what was left in the pocket. The few notes that were in the wallet were counted so many times, as if the count was not tarrying with what the mind was looking for. The mind was full of numbers, numbers which represented the expenditures at hand. After a while he stared at the wall, not because there was anything fascinating on it but the reality just sunk in further.."this is the last I have in my pocket."

Chikhu, was a young man, he had a great career, swam in money and he could get whatever he wanted. It was until one day when he was suddenly told that the company is getting rid of his position because they had acquired new technology which was going to automate everything so there was no need for anyone to do the work manually. At first he was ok with it, he said I will find something else to do. The first month elapsed and he was still living comfortably. The second month came and he started noticing that his account was getting thinner. The third month he started counting and budgeting to make sure he could survive the few coming months. No job was in sight and Chikhu started getting worried.

The interesting thing was by the fourth month Chikhu was able to budget on the little he had to make ends meet. Had he done this earlier on he would have been able to save a bit more during his hay days. In the end Chikhu started thinking of doing something else that could generate income than waiting on a job. He finally managed to get a small business going that helped him carter for his needs.

There were some lessons that Chikhu learnt from this  experience

• Man can not survive by bread alone but by faith in God that only He could carry him through all his troubles
• That saving is an important aspect of life, as they say "make hay while the sun shines."
• There is always a chance to move on and still survive

To my fellow readers, reality is anyone of us could be like Chikhu... Lets make sure we make the right decisions. Having a proper saving plan for yourself and your loved ones can be the best gift you can give to yourself and your family for the future.
There are many institutions which offer insurance schemes. It does not harm to talk to them and find out what they do. You may just find the solution to your future plans.

Make hay while the sun shines, its time to act, like the saying goes, "tomorrow never comes", all you have is now and today because you never know what tomorrow brings.

Every penny counts, make sure you account for it!

PORTIONS OF A LIFETIME!

There comes a time in life when starting afresh really means starting all over again.

When I wrote the previous entry on starting afresh, I highlighted a few points but today I wanted to talk about starting afresh on our mindsets or simply resetting our minds.

When we move to a different time zone, we always have to reset our clocks to the actual time in the new zone otherwise we will lose track of time and will not be in sync with everyone else. The same thing applies in life, our minds need resetting whenever we find ourselves in a different environment or situation.

It is a bit weird when you think of it but actually its very true that the human mind has the capacity to adjust itself to the environment it has been or is being exposed to. For example if we take someone who has been imprisoned for a couple of years and then is released back to the outside world, they need to adjust from the life of being a prisoner to that of a free man. In prison , the person had to develop a different mindset to survive the environment, the same is needed for him/her to survive the outside world. Can you imagine what would happen to this freed prisoner if he/she does not adjust his/her mindset to that of a freed man? He will be a prisoner of himself, his mind will still keep him in prison even though physically he is no longer there.

Many are the times we find ourselves in a new environment, new situations, new positions, new relationships the list is endless and yet we still cling on to our old mind set. We find ourselves not adjusting to our new environment. I am not saying that you should change your principle but accepting your new situation, embracing it and accepting it. In this way we are able to learn more of our new environment. Many are the times we fail to adjust to situations because of denial hence we find ourselves clinging on to things that will not help us forge ahead in life. We keep on saying I was so and so, I used to do this and that, how about now, who are you, what are you doing with your life?

We have one lifetime split in so many different portions, let us make sure that we learn something and make use of each portion of our life so that when we add them up, we will look back and say "Thank You Lord for the Days of My life".