Daniel Skognes

Remember when you got an F in school? LOL. Me neither. But I remember seeing other kids get them, and it was never a good thing. It was usually in red and printed very large at the top of the page so the world could see their failure.

Well, these Fs are not just good, they are essential to living a full and balanced life. When we fail to keep these in balance, we find life unfulfilling, frustrating, and discouraging. So, what are the six Fs?

Faith, Family, Friends, Fitness, Finances, and Fun

Faith is first for a reason. We need to have our faith in God first and foremost. That is the foundation to having peace and purpose in our lives.

Family is next because next to God, our family is the top priority. We are to love each other, honor each other, and take care of each other. Family was created by God and a healthy family has a positive rippling effect on our society.

Friends are essential as well. In fact, the Bible says that there is a friend who sticks closer than a Brother. That is proof that friends are necessary for us to have fellowship, council, and support. If you have two or three really close friends, you are truly blessed. If you don’t have this in your life, perhaps you need to BE a friend to others. Isolation is not a good thing for long periods of time. We are created for relationships. We need each other.

Fitness comes next because it deals with our health. Getting proper exercise, eating a balanced diet, and getting proper rest are all critical to living our life fully fueled and energized. If you don’t take care of your health, you will suffer the consequences.

Finances is next because it is important to have your spending, saving, and investing in order. We live in a society here in the USA that promotes living off of credit. Trust me when I say: “That is a trap!” Unless you are going to pay off the bill in full, you should learn the power of paying in full up front. There is a freedom that comes from being debt free. I realize that cars and houses are exceptions because of the high prices of both, but even then you can minimize the impact with larger down payments that you’ve saved, and doubling up on payments when you have the extra cash available.

Fun is the last but not least of the six Fs. In fact, I believe fun can be woven throughout the other five Fs. Fun is important, but it is not THE most important thing in life. Too many people seek to just have fun in life, and the quality of their life suffers for it. Play time is essential for kids to learn, and for adults to relax. Just don’t make play time the main time.

Live your life fully balanced. You will see the stress, worry, and impact of bad decisions minimized, and the impact of good decisions maximized.

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes