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Using a sheet with time slots that went from early morning to late at night, I used color codes to identify the time I wanted to spend on my priorities in the coming week (my ideals). Then as the week went on, I’d fill in a similar sheet, but this one was recording how I actually spent my time. Every day at noon, at dinner time, and before I went to bed, I took out my highlighters and colored each 30-minute slot. It was painful to see how the actual me didn’t look anything like the intended me. It took six months before the one I filled out during the week began to mirror the one that I intended.
When I mastered the art of being able to live the life I wanted to lead, everything got simpler, and my income doubled. That is the power behind having a vision and focusing on living that vision, especially when the load is heavy. Now, six months might sound like a long time, and I can tell you it felt like a long time back then. But this was decades ago. And here I am, so many years later, grateful I invested the time, energy (and honesty!) to go through this exercise.
family than I really was, only to watch my faith and relationships suffer over the ensuing years? I’d have so many more regrets, and that’s not the life I wanted to live. Or that I want any of us to live.
Which is why I invite you to go on a similar journey.
I’ve distilled the process into a tool, called The Ideal Me vs. The Real Me Transformation . It will walk you through the journey of assessing your priorities, tracking your ideal week vs. your real week, and setting goals accordingly to make your life richer, fuller, better.
What if I had gone on, thinking I was focusing more on my spirituality and
This has always been one of my favorite times of the year. As a kid growing up in the Andrew home, the holidays meant everything from our annual traditions to spending time with extended family and getting involved in helping others in the community. As Heather and I raise our girls, we want to pass on that same holiday spirit. We always look forward to our yearly trip to a local tree lot (that has reindeer!) to pick a sky-high Christmas tree for the living room. A MATTRESS, TOYS & MORE WHY INVOLVING OUR FAMILIES IN GIVING BACK IS CRITICAL
last year, our work team took requests for special needs in the community, and the girls helped Heather and me shop for a new mattress for a young man with specific health issues. Every year, we also choose an envelope from the giving tree at church, and the girls come with us to pick up items for a local family in need. Heather’s a great example, as well, as she often does things like go with her sister to buy and deliver Thanksgiving dinner to nearby families. A YEAR-ROUND MINDSET We’re also trying to help Shelby and Sienna see that it’s not just December when we focus on giving back. There are opportunities every day, everywhere. And by thinking of others throughout each season, we can not only strengthen our communities, but we can build our Foundational Dimension. We encourage our girls to be part of service projects at church and school. When we travel to our favorite spot in Mexico, we buy toys from the kids selling items along the beach to contribute to their families’ needs. And at Grandpa’s Camp, now that the girls are older, they
help teach the younger cousins (that pic is from a session they led this summer).
Like you, I’m grateful for the opportunities we’ve had to build our family’s Financial, Foundational, and Intellectual Dimensions, and the holidays are a perfect time to pay it forward and find ways to be there for other families, as well.
We enjoy lots of get-togethers with the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
And I’m sure, just like you, we want to help our daughters think beyond the traditions and gifts and help make a difference for those in need. FINDING WAYS TO HELP Over the years, we’ve included the girls in outreach efforts at work and church. For example,
Wishing you and your loved ones all the best this holiday season!
–Aaron Andrew
2 3DimensionalWealth.com
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