Assets

In my second class of Savings Circles at Momentum Calgary we looked at assets.

What is an asset?

Assets are typically looked at as having ownership of something worth value. Typically a car, a home, a farm.

Here we looked at it in multiple levels. Finances, connections, sense of self, basic needs and services, and skills and knowledge.

We discussed where we wanted our lives to be in two years from now. Where did we want to live, what kind of work to do, what did you want your social life to look like, what goals did you want to achieve, what are your passion?

My goal on the Skills and Knowledge sector was wanting to learn American Sign Language, and setting up S.M.A.R.T goals to get started on that.

The acronym S.M.A.R.T being, is it:

1. Specific
2. Measurable
3. Attainable
4. Relevant
5. Timely

The next was my sense of self. What qualities did I want to have, what was unique about me.

I am:

1. Friendly
2. Funny
3. Ambitious
4. Honest
5. Resilient

What are my connections with other people? Do I have a close circle of friends and relationshiops that help me achieve my goals? Are there organizations or communities that I can be a part of that will help me do that?

Next we looked at Basic Needs and Services. Do I have housing, reliable transportation, access to information I might need to help me make decisions, etc.

My Basic Needs and Services were:

1. Chronic pain centre
2. Shelter
3. Transit
4. Employment
5. Library
6. Community Resource Centre

The next was finances. Do I have income? If so, where from? So I listed them and came up with some surprising items that I never would have put on my list before. I found:

1. Employment
2. Alberta Works
3. Tax Free Savings Account
4. Piggy Bank (spare change)
5. Gift cards
6. Pop bottles

Then I looked at the challenges part of my life. What do I need to work on now to start achieving what I want my goal to be in two years?

These were huge skills to work on, and a very important one to look at in this program.