PRIORITIES

A middle-aged female client, whose profession is to advise college students at a major state university, is under a lot of stress. Her supervisor has added to her duties, her house needs cosmetic repairs in order to make it more pleasant and more attractive to buyers. And her expensive foreign car needs repairs, all of which are putting pressure on her finances.

The car belonged to her late husband. After his passing a couple of years ago, she decided to keep it, even though the monthly payment was high. Apparently, having an impressive car is important to her. Meanwhile, she lives in a neighborhood which is, at best, just barely okay. Many people would never live in such an area. The drug-infested city she lives in is notorious for its high crime rate and for being run-down and dysfunctional. But, hey … she’s driving an expensive car.

When people get their priorities wrong, they suffer. Now, it’s clear that, in this day and age, lots of people reject the use of words like ‘right and wrong’. It’s judgmental, they say. It’s disrespectful. It’s “wrong”. But, from a purely financial perspective, to put your money into a car, which loses value every year, while you do not put money into your home, which should gain value each year, is not just wrong. It’s a waste of resources. It’s nuts.

So, yes, this poor woman is suffering. It should be noted that she has told me, “I don’t take care of myself.” She says she doesn’t follow her doctor’s recommendations to stay healthy. She doesn’t consider moving to a safer, nicer neighboring town. There may be more to her problem than the fact that she gets her priorities mixed up. She may have a mood disorder, such as mild depression, for example. This bears some investigation. Another thing: part of her problem is that she only seeks therapy when her Employee Assistance Program pays for it. When that runs out, as it has done in the past, she probably will not continue with therapy. Once again, is she getting her priorities wrong? Does she not know that good health should be everyone’s top priority? Mental, as well as physical, health, that is.

Keep in mind the fact that she is not disabled physically or mentally, her health is pretty good, she has a good career, she has not suffered from natural disasters. And yet, she continues to make one bad decision after another. What sort of help does she need?

Let’s be honest. This kind of thing can happen to anyone at some point. But, if, as in the case of this lady, you have been in the habit of getting things out of order, you might benefit from outside help. You can find books about time management, decision-making and setting priorities. However, if you’d prefer a person-to-person encounter, working with a professional could be just the ticket. If so, you can reach me at the phone number (219) 309-3928. I would be honored to be of service.

For more thoughts on this subject click here What is Wisdom?

Thanks for reading!