Making Life Deposits
by Janet Daughtry, Master Certified Coach
– This article can be listened to here.
“An unintentional life accepts everything and does nothing. An intentional life embraces only the things that will add to the mission of significance.” – John Maxwell
You know in life, there are principles that just simply work. One example is sowing and reaping. If you plant corn, you don’t expect to harvest potatoes. If you never exercise, you can’t expect to have a toned physique. In addition to being a life coach myself, I also train and certify coaches. In this training, we talk about the concept of deposits and withdrawals. It is an important principle to grasp for success in life.
When it relates to money, we understand the concept of withdrawals and deposits. For example, If I go to the bank and try to make a withdrawal and haven’t deposited money into that account, the bank teller will tell me that there are insufficient funds in my account. I can’t withdraw what I haven’t deposited. Well, I can try, but it certainly won’t work out so well.
Our life has other types of accounts besides money. The same problem occurs when we try to make withdrawals from other life accounts that exceed our deposits. We are also left finding those accounts are often empty. For example, we want to withdraw the benefits of a close relationship with our spouse. However, if we haven’t made time, attention, and affection deposits with them, then why would we expect to easily be able to make a withdrawal of affection or closeness? Especially when nothing has been deposited into that most important relationship.
The same thing is true with close friends. How can I expect to withdraw kindness and goodwill from my friends, if I never make deposits into the relationship or spend time with them? Or, when I do spend time with them, I only talk about myself and do not show any interest in my friend. Again, I can’t cash in on the benefits of a close relationship, if I haven’t made any deposits or investments in that relationship.
This same principle applies to work, health or any other area of life. How can I expect to cash in on a bonus or promotion if I don’t make deposits in my workplace? How can I expect the boss to favor me if I am not stepping up my game? Or, what about your health account? You may want to feel good and have more energy, but how can you expect to make the withdrawal of good health if you are not making deposits by eating well, exercising, or taking care of yourself?
So, here is the principle. You can’t withdraw what hasn’t yet been deposited. If you constantly feel like you are trying to make withdrawals but not getting anywhere, may I suggest that your life may be running on empty! You may need to slow down a bit and reconsider how many investments or deposits you are making into your most needed life accounts. If you want a great life, you have to be intentional about making life deposits. You just do!
Janet Daughtry is a multi-certified professional coach and author. This article is an excerpt from her book, Living A Great Life. Follow Janet – @coachjanet on Instagram and Twitter.