Lady Stella Reading, founder of Great Britain’s Royal Voluntary Service said, “The whole point about getting things done is knowing what to leave undone.” That’s great advice because daily life can really get in the way of taking care of bigger issues that could give you peace of mind. Below is my “Top Ten Musts for Peace of Mind” list to start the New Year. The goal of my list is to jump start your own. Let’s break it down David Letterman style:
#10. Prepare a Will. Prepare one on-line or go to a lawyer, but put your wishes in writing.
#9. Research Health Care. Health care is constantly changing. Go to healthcare.gov for health insurance plans or do research on paying cash for health care without insurance. It can be done.
#8. Take Vitamins. Daily vitamins and supplements are the fail-safe way to get the nutrients you need to stay healthy and out of the doctor’s office. If you want an easy, researched-based way to take vitamins formulated for you, go to shakelee.com (It works well for me!).
#7. Know Your Credit Score. A good credit score is gold. I use the free Credit Karma app to check my scores weekly from my phone and receive any changes or updates to my score.
#6. Know Your Financial Picture. Develop a spreadsheet that lists money coming in and bills going out each month. Call your financial planner once a year to monitor your retirement. Include as much detail as you can and update as often as you can.
#5. Donate to Causes You Believe In. I donate to five charities each year on auto-pay to make sure the causes I believe in receive my support.
#4. Update Car, Life and Home Insurance. Make sure you have just enough, and everything is up to date. Use one company you trust to save money and time.
#3. Nurture Friendships. Go to lunch, send cards, make phone calls, text randomly, but make time to cherish your friends. Schedule them in the future to make sure they happen.
#2. Make End of Life Decisions. These decisions could include funeral arrangements, service details, DNR orders, organ/body donation, and personal wishes to family. If someone close to you died, you know that any end of life decisions made ahead of time were invaluable to the family members left behind.
And my #1 Must for Peace of Mind is Give Love Freely. When the people you love know that you love them, that’s peace of mind.
Take the time to organize your Peace of Mind list and update it yearly so it serves you well into the future. Developing this list may not be easy, but having peace of mind is priceless.
