Creating Margins in Life

No one likes to think about the worst-case scenarios in our lives, and even less, do we like to plan for them. It can feel negative, faithless, overly cautious, and unnecessary… but it is necessary. We don’t need to live in fear, but adding some margin for catastrophe in our lives can keep us feeling safe and in control (as much as we can be) of our own futures. Take a look at your life. Do you have the capacity to weather a storm? Are you planning for the unexpected?

Differentiating the Margins of Life

We need margins in many areas: physical, financial, and emotional. Physically, we need to give our bodies a margin; are we doing well in caring for our bodies so they can withstand sickness? A night of poor sleep? A morning of intense exercise? What happens when your body goes through something serious? Are you able to take the time needed to rest and replenish? Financially, do we have enough saved for car troubles? Health scares? What if you lose your job? What is your safety net? And finally, there are the often-neglected, emotional margins. Are you giving yourself the outlets you need? Can you process feelings as they happen instead of letting them build? Are you making sure you give yourself time for fun, relaxation and relationships? Would you have enough in your tank to handle an emotionally-stressful situation?

We need these margins not only for ourselves, but also to be able to help the people around us. We want to be able to intervene or be of assistance when there is an opportunity. This is only possible if we are taking care of ourselves and building up healthy margins that allow us space, time and resources to then help others.

Reflection Questions:

• What can you do to increase margins?
• How do you successfully prepare for the unexpected areas of life?
• Do you have enough buoyancy to survive something tough?