What happens to your life if your worst financial nightmare comes true and you suddenly lose your job?  Do you have enough savings to cover the mortgage for six months or more? 

What happens when your relationship hits a low point?  Do you have enough support to see you through? 

If something unexpected happens during your day, do you have enough spare time to adjust without causing a Migraine - for yourself or others?

When you're in the rat race, and the clock is ticking, even simple projects become complicated.  That's stress.  And that's when life becomes hard. 

Instead, how would you like to be able to say, "No matter what happens, I still call the shots."  "I'm prepared, I'm ready." 

Sounds good, huh. 

What that means is that you make a conscious choice to no longer be a victim of circumstance.  It means that you're in the driver's seat, and you are in control of your life.

That means that your time doesn't dictate what you can or can't do.  That means your money - or your job -- doesn't make your decisions for you. 

Over the past few years as a Life Coach, I have worked with a lot of people who were currently living their life being pushed and pulled as if they were in a pinball machine.  Each person's story was different, yet all had a common theme. 

I began to realize that by putting just one idea into place, their whole life automatically changed for the better.  What could be easier?  Just make one change, and the rest falls into place. 

In order to be "choosey" in life, in order to put yourself in a place of control over your life, in order to make decisions on what you want instead of what you have to do, you only need one thing -- reserves.  

Reserves means:  extra, a stockpile to draw on, more than you need, insurance, back-up plan, escape plan, Plan B, safety net.  It means planning ahead.  It means winning the race because you got a head start.  

Does that mean that you control everything in the world, and nothing bad will ever happen to you ever again?

Of Course Not.  You will never control the economy, or the weather, or tragedies, or war, and most certainly not other people. 

But it does mean you aren't subjecting yourself to pressures you CAN control.  It means no longer waiting until the last second to finish a project, no longer spending your last dollar and hoping nothing happens until your next check, no longer running the
yellow lights to arrive on time.

The whole idea behind reserves is simple:  When you want it, you have it; when you need it you have it.  It means a lot less to worry about. And that's really what we're all looking for, isn't it? 

When you have more than you need at any given time, of any given thing -- from toilet paper to paper money -- you automatically have a sense of well being.  You feel secure and safe.  You feel like you can handle life's curves.

Children who have a reserve of support and love in their life are the ones who try out for the school play, who play sports that they're not necessarily built to play.  They have enough support to make a mistake, to work it out, to learn instead of quit.

With reserves comes freedom -- freedom to choose instead of being subject to your circumstances. 

Instead of allowing the circumstances to control your reaction, you are able to make a choice about how to handle the situation.  When you have "it" (time, money, energy, love) to give, you're not constantly depleted, both physically and emotionally.  

The key to a less stressed life is having the answers already available when the problem first appears. And that comes from taking the time to put the reserves in place. 

What I want to stress here is that any plans to improve your life that fails to include reserves is doomed from the start.  Change of any kind only has staying power - sustainability - if it has firm ground to stand on.  With reserves, you operate from a base
of stability and security. 

Experience the power of making decisions based on security instead of worry, readiness instead of reluctance, abundance instead of lack.  If you're ready to 'make it happen' in your life, begin with reserves

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Professional Life Coach Kathy Gates is the author of several e-books and e-courses designed to help people live happier, healthier, easier lives.  Sign up for her ezine, "Make It Happen" at www.reallifecoach.com.