Why You Need to Put Your Life First

For much of our adult life, we spend more time at work than in any other area of our lives. As a result, we often plan our life around our work. Dean Harder transformed his work and life by putting life first and then planning his work.

Dean has been a Covenant Group client for a number of years. As a financial advisor, he has built a very successful business. When he started his career in financial services, he made a decision to put his family first. He structured his time at work to keep evenings and weekends free. He built his business by working Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.

Work gives us three things:

Meaning - Dean is passionate about making a difference in the lives of his clients and the people whom his work impacts. 

Structure - For years, the Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 routine served him well.

Relationships - He has developed a strong network of relationships through his work.

In our coaching relationships with successful entrepreneurs like Dean, we have learned that they want to:

Make more money - For many of our clients, making more money has more to do with meaning than lifestyle. They want to use their money to make a difference.

Have more quality time - They want to work at the highest level of their capabilities. They only want to do what only they can do.

Have more fun - They want to be fully engaged in every aspect of their lives. They want more free time to pursue the things that bring them joy.

Achieve financial security and independence - They want financial stability for themselves and the people they care about.

Dean has achieved all four of these by planning his life first and then, his work.

There are Five Balls all of us are looking to keep in the air:

1. Self/Health

2. Family

3. Relationships

4. Work 

5. Community

Four of these balls are crystal and one is rubber. Work is the rubber ball. To be successful in your work and throughout your career, you have to be resilient. You have to bounce back when you encounter adversity.

If we do not pay attention to our health, our family, relationships and community, they can break.

Helping our clients thrive is at the core of everything we do at The Covenant Group. We help our clients design their work and life to leverage all the resources available to them.

The starting point is to focus on what matters to them, so they can attain what matters. Each of us is unique. For some of our clients, the focus is building a successful business. For others, it is a powerful legacy. The common thread is fulfillment in every area of their lives.

To realize success and fulfillment, you start by putting life first. Your planning includes self/health, family, relationships, work and community.