Margin – Part 2

Welcome to the latest series of JosephSangl.com – Margin.   This is a series where we will focus on the real and emotional effects of living life WITH and WITHOUT financial margin.   As part of this crusade to help people accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their money, I see so many people living life on the edge with no financial margin.   Lack of financial margin leads to lots of issues.   Through this series, we will be discussing the benefits of establishing and keeping financial margin.

Part 2Freedom

When financial margin is established, it provides a sense of freedom!   I know that when we finally established some beginner margin in February 2003, it was like scales fell from our eyes.   We saw life in an entirely new light!   Instead of wasting tons of energy determining how each bill was going to be paid (anyone who has lived paycheck-to-paycheck KNOWS the energy this takes!), we began looking forward.   It allowed us to start asking new questions like:

  • How much should we save each month for our children’s college?
  • Any question that starts with “I wonder what would happen if … ?”
  • Who can we bless this month?
  • Is this the life that allows us to use our gifts and talents in the most impactful way?

Here’s a weird emotional effect that I felt.   I discovered the freedom of knowing that I could pursue a dream!   It did not matter as much if I really did pursue the dream – what mattered most was the fact that I could pursue the dream!   I’m not sure this really makes much sense, but knowing that fact was incredible.   Let me share a few examples to better explain this.   I am entrepreneurial by nature.   This means I love starting things.   When I was broke and living paycheck-to-paycheck, the option to start a business or new venture was out of the question.   Financial margin gave me the freedom to consider the options without being overcome by the fear of living in a cardboard box.

Here’s another example.   When I took the leap of faith to go on staff at NewSpring Church, a church Jenn and I were a part of starting and LOVE being a part of, I took a massive paycut.   Jenn was able to make the decision to work or continue to be a stay-at-home mother without really having to worry about the financial aspects.   This was possible only because we had financial margin.   How many people can take a 50% paycut and still have this option available to them?   Not many, but I will tell you with 100-percent confidence that those who have established financial margin CAN – and that FREEDOM to choose is incredible!

If you have no financial margin, make a decision to start building it today!   If you do have financial margin, celebrate the fact that you have made the necessary choices to establish it and then use that freedom to pursue a dream!

Read the entire series (available after 6/8/2011)

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