Do You Have Personal and Professional Reserves?

The concept of assessing your reserves is valuable in the workplace and in your home life as well, no matter what your, business, level, position or role. When faced with an unexpected problem or obstacle, it is always helpful to have a collection of reserves in place to deal with it. That simply means having cash reserves, spare time, friends, employees and resources, etc. Without a reserve, a problem can very quickly morph into a crisis that can have disastrous implications.  This is a great time to remind yourself to keep a healthy reserve in all areas and if you don’t have one, start creating your own reserves now. That may mean taking some actions now to save aggravation and distress later on. Take a close look at your level of reserves, especially in the areas of finances, time, support, health and able-bodied workers.

• Do you have cash reserves, savings account or a line of credit?
• Do you have employees or co-workers who can step in to cover for you if necessary?
• Do you have friends or family you can turn to in a personal emergency?
• Do you get enough rest, exercise and nutrition to help you weather a health setback?
• Do you leave enough time in your day to deal with unexpected developments?

If you do not have adequate reserves in any of these area, then you need to make it a priority to figure out how to build it. When the problem arises it is far too late to plan ahead. The time to assemble your safety net is now, when you don’t need it. Rest assured that someday you most definitely will!