Paperwork and the story of Health

I have been accused of not liking paperwork. This is true. Paperwork is a necessity of the modern life. Even though I can appreciate its practical effect then it doesn’t have to mean I have to love it. I am the one doing the bookkeeping at home. Why? Because my dear one wanted me to learn how to do book keeping and to keep an eye on our finances. “It would be good for me”. Sigh. Thanks dear.

A while ago Nico and I had to re examine our health insurance. We were with a company that we thought was professional and good. Truth is; how the heck do you know? You read the small print and then get too bored to pay proper notice. You hope for the best, pay your premium and forget about it.

I met Jason our insurance broker through a business network and no, we didn’t have income protection. Why would we need it? We’re in our 30s, young, healthy etc and so forth and didn’t see a need for it. We naively thought that if we needed an appendix taken out that the Dunedin hospital would look after that. Now that idea would need revisiting we were politely told. I had the distinct impression that we had been missing out on doing something very clever. And I hate missing out.

I told Nico that it would be a good idea for Jason to go over our insurance stuff. As Jason happily went through our data a week later and showed me spreadsheets and impressive understandable data, I wondered how come we always think of these things when it’s usually too late. Jason showed me an independent study which listed companies that are walking the talk (or not) and being the best qualified in the market. The results showed which ones would pay out more if we got slightly flattened by a truck. I was also told that women are more expensive to insure then men which surprised me.

Jason doesn’t always advise his potential clients to change companies. Every situation is different. What IS important is to insure wisely. Nico and I both have income protection now which ensures that if one of us suddenly departs this world or gets sick for an extended period of time, that we are looked after financially and therefore medically. Jason’s company Finluca Services helps to make sure people are not being ripped off and that they are also not being over insured. (http://www.qualityliving.co.nz/)

Why Jason likes to wade through all the papers is beyond me but I’m happy he has done this for us. We are now officially ‘sorted’ and I can go back stuffing the paperwork in a folder and forgetting about it but at least I earned the right to do so.

magic frequencies

Having brainwaves is a good thing. It means the pink blob is working, ticking along and humming on its magic frequencies, making popping noises when ideas start tumbling over each other and resulting in a waterfall (like chocolate pouring out of the huge container in the chocolate Cadbury Factory here in Dunedin). It can be overwhelming and it can be very Eureka. It can taste delicious too.

For me, I had been pondering how to resolve a situation involving my own dear business, Quality Living ltd. I have a group of wonderful people I’d like to continue to work with, I have got myself and my limitations time wise, and I have my financials that are in pretty good nick but have yet to evolve to come even close to compare to Buffets empire. (There's time still.) As I’m continuing to work on my business plan and tinkering along filling it out I wonder and ponder. A practical and sensible idea has entered my head and I will go and see a business consultant to discuss this with tomorrow. I realized that I can’t be everything and do everything. Everyone has their expertise and mine is seeing things others don’t and getting these ideas underway and into motion. Being creative helps too. I have a knack for picking up on gaps in the market, trends, how certain things will pan out and so on.

There’s more to life than making money though, for me it’s about passion and keeping my eye on the ball is important. Growth is a motivator through experience and bringing people together who can share that. It’s about learning, not accumulation. You can’t take material things with you when you die but heck I decided I can have fun in the meantime. Money is energy and a means to and end, not a goal in itself.

Last year I felt I was trying to learn to mountain climb but couldn’t see the whole mountain from where I was and I hadn’t all the necessary gear. It would be a bonus if I found someone who’s climbed a rock face before but I will make do without him or her if it so happens. I’m not afraid of trying new things or to fall on my face. Playing safe doesn't get you anywhere. I’m not stopping my enterprise because it’s daunting. I’ve concluded I’m better doing what I do best and to learn that which I think I can get my head around and consult the ones who are experts in areas I'm not. Keeping taking steps is the best way. I am not yet a hard core businesswoman who knows the whole nine yards. I probably will be quite knowledgeable by the time I’m 40. I’m not wanting to become this straight haired business biach anyway, with bright red lipstick and stilettos to kill. I'd laugh at myself too much looking like that. If you take yourself too seriously then live starts to lose its shine.

The more I think about it, the more sense it makes to do what I intend to do. I found that it no longer matters what opinions others may have. I do my homework, draw the conclusions and keep building. Those who will understand what I'm doing and support me will definitely benefit from it. So we all win the end of the day and the main thing is that I know I've done all I possibly can. And it will be quite a bit.