CHANGE IS CONSTANT

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If there is one thing that the past two years have shown us, is that change is constant, and inevitable.

As I sit here working from home in my beloved and bedraggled jean shorts, my dog lying at my bare feet, typing away while unwrapping endless mini–Xmas Chupa Chups for my kids, I am reminded of how the world has changed so dramatically.

Ten years ago, the first day back after the Christmas break would have seen me stuffed into a hot train carriage with hundreds of others, with all aboard grimly dressed in 'Wellington black', bracing ourselves for an 8-hour slog in the office, as the summer sun burned brightly outside our high-rise windows.
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The dog would have given me sad eyes as I left the house, and my salad sandwich would have been unappetizingly warm by the time lunch eventually crawled around.

Today, my work is flexible and more sporadic. I'll punch out hyper-productive hours early on to get out for exercise at 2pm (or to make up for the many micro-breaks taken to unwrap ridiculously packaged lollipops for three kids.) I might pick it up again at 7pm, or 9pm. Such a flexible work-life balance and freedom is now available to most of us, as opposed to the lucky few of yesteryear.

To me, and many, this change is good, and welcomed. Our increased capability and expectation to work remotely cuts out the daily grind of the commute and creates happy dogs who are overjoyed to have us home more often, in turn making us happier too. It is a heck of a lot easier when the kids need one of their gazillion sick days too (or ourselves, for that matter, now that no sniffles are allowed at work).

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And naturally, some changes are less welcome.

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The pandemic is the obvious culprit here.  The increased risk to health, potential loss of income, the increased stresses on relationships causing separation, for example - are all unwelcomed changes. I, like many, feel this pain personally. My life has changed significantly in the past year. Like many, I am feeling the unease of these harder changes and crave a sense of security, which is hard to grasp in a world of increasing uncertainty.

On a more hopeful note, taking time to nurture and fit all the life puzzle pieces together creates a sense of wellbeing, peace and security for me. I'm old enough to know now that my wagon wheels come off pretty quickly when I haven’t exercised, eaten, or slept well, read, socialised, or worked my creative muscles. I'm also old enough to know now that if I don't pay attention to those less exciting, “life-admin” type puzzle pieces (something I confess to doing begrudgingly, and with minimal exertion) the wheels can fly off, in flames, and without warning.

A significant piece of this life puzzle is the financial one. Even I, (being more of a 'live-in-the-moment', 'seize-the-day' type of Lass,) know that the contracts and policies that were suitable for me two years ago, are probably no longer fit for purpose in 2022.

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My own changes to income, health, relationship status and asset ownership need to be updated and reflected in my documentation, including insurance and will.

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To be honest, this task feels enormous. I've spent a lot of my emotional steam just resetting the basics again in the past year. To start getting my brain around numbers and legal jargon feels like something I'd prefer to exercise my masterful procrastination skills on instead.  Lucky for me, I am surrounded by people who I trust to help me with that important financial piece. The sands may have shifted around me, but I know I can count on them to help me adapt and come out on top in my changing world.

In this spirit, our January blogs topics are focussed on helping you get your financial ducks in a row in 2022.

Then, in this ever-changing world, you can begin to have peace of mind that you have your financials covered, and are ready for whatever 2022 brings.
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For me personally, I know that my future self, the kids and the dog, will all be better off for my efforts.

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Best wishes for 2022,

Shona

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Shona recently joined us as our Communications Manager. Read more about Shona on our website.

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