I grew up the son of a feed-mill owner. As a school-aged boy I was fascinated by the dizzying heights of the elevator legs reaching 80 feet into the air. Cranes and platforms and methods of construction fascinated me.
These were days long before fall-protection and safety cages. I was mesmerized when people on the crew could stand on a pinnacle of these legs like an eagle at the peak of a mountain. I envied the brass nerve! Balance.
These feats of heroic accomplishments required a strong understanding of the dynamics of the undertaking. Before attempting to stand on a vertical platform less than four square feet in diameter, 80 feet above the ground, a person first had to accomplish balance on less precarious levels. They had to understand a lot about dynamics such as wind, as well as footwear quality, to name a few. However, at some point of time this individual had to overcome the “what if” part of life.
Preparation is the key part of overcoming the “what if’s”.
Fiscal balance
From the child with the lemonade stand to the multinational corporations, fiscal balance involves measuring the cost of not only the lemons, sugar and water; but also, the funds needed in acquiring the table, the signage, and the umbrella to ward off the sun; all this, against the revenue of the lemonade sold. If more lemonade is sold than the outlay of the business plan, then we are heading for a profit.
Some senior citizens who must live within the means of their old age security cheques would be better business managers than their grandsons with a $150,000/yr. salary.
A friend recently stated there are two ways to have money left over. Put in more. Take out less.
As parents, guardians or people of influence we do well to teach by example, using hands-on projects that we initiate together with our young people, to clarify balance.
