"It's not about the money,..."

We often hear this phrase being used as part of some rambling by an erudite. My subtitle to this blog used to be Life Swings..., owing to my photo ripping a golfball with a 7-iron. Then after awhile, I thought about it. I'm a retirement strategist and I'm supposed to coach people on how to conserve their most vital resource...LIFE ITSELF.

People generally squander their lives by not taking stock of what lies ahead and evenly balance it out with the "here and now". Yes we are to savor the moment. Enjoy the "right-here-right-now". But equally so, we have to muster the courage to plan for the future.

As a Retirement Strategist cum Coffee Cup Counsellor, I've discovered one more thing...it's not just enough to plan for the future. It is more important to take those initial steps and walk into that future you've planned for yourself. This is the scary part. That first step towards a brighter future involves a four letter word people don't want to hear. It's spelt R-I-S-K.

As long as you don't take the risk, you'll be squandering your LIFE SAVINGS. Perhaps not in the monetary sense.

And here is the paradox: the more you hold on to Life, playing safe and not taking risks, the more you actually squander it.