Most people are looking for a happy, calmer future, and to get that, you’ll probably need to do some planning because it won’t just magically happen, but the problem is that actually doing that planning is hard because you’re trying to organise something you haven’t lived yet - it’s a real catch 22. But even though it can be hard, there are a few things you can do early on that can make a big difference later on. With that in mind, here are some decisions you can make that bring long term stability.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
Long term stability really means having a direction you want to go in and, ideally, an end goal to reach (and don’t forget, those end goals can change and when you reach one there’s nothing to stop you from making another, and so on). So it’s wise to ask yourself some questions, like whether you want to spend more time at home, for example, or if you want a career with prospects, or how to have a life that doesn’t leave you exhausted all the time. Once you know what your priorities are, the next steps can be easier to work on.
And this kind of thing helps with bigger practical decisions as well, whether you’re thinking about money, the kind of work you want to do, or even if now might be a good time to look at real estate.
Money isn’t all that exciting unless you’re counting a lot of it, but if you want a stable life, it’s one of the most important foundations to get right. And simple habits can make a huge difference, and they can include things like tracking what actually goes out each month, slowly building a savings buffer, or finally sorting the bills that always get left to the last minute.
Having these things isn’t going to solve all your problems overnight, but they’ll give you a bit of room to play with if you need it, and if something were to go wrong, you’d be a lot less stressed out it knowing you’ve got your finances in a place where one wrong move isn’t going to pull you under.
You can plan for the future all you want, but if you try and do everything on your own, you’re just going to burn out. The fact is, stability comes from having people you can rely on around you, like friends, partners, family, or even a community from work, hobbies, or your neighbourhood.
If you take the time to strengthen these connections, by being there for them, checking in once in a while, dropping a text or email if you can’t call - even sending funny TikTok videos - then you’re letting people know they really matter to you, and they’ll be there for you too.
Stability for the future isn’t just one job - it’s a lot of little jobs all coming together, and the decisions you make about all kinds of things can help you be a lot more comfortable as the years pass.
