All people for the most part strive towards progress, but successful progress is almost certainly an unrealistic goal without a holistic approach.
Many use the term holistic, but it is important for this discussion to understand the meaning of the term as some only use it but do not follow through on actually practicing in this manner. Holistic is a wide-reaching term, designating views in which the individual elements of a system are determined by their relations to all other elements of that system. The emphasis is to be concerned with wholes rather than separately analyzing individual parts. The individual parts are interdependent upon the other parts.
The legal profession historically has dealt with issues as they arise. For example, car wrecks, slip and falls, negligence and probate issues all have one thing in common which is that they are not being worked in a preventative sense. In high contrast, they are issues which require an intense amount of curing or fixing.
There are many reasons I approach the practice of law from a holistic perspective. As one may initially imagine, prevention is far less expensive over the long term, less emotions are involved, logic and rational thinking is involved and the efficiency of the process is greatly increased.
At this point, you may be wondering what all of this really means in terms of your planning.
In personal Estate Planning, this means that individuals are much more than a composite of who their beneficiaries are, who they have appointed as trustees or personal representatives (traditionally called executors). Individuals and couples have life goals, assignments they are working on, and a purpose for their existence. Just as it is important to decide upon the significant details of who beneficiaries will be or who their trustees or personal representatives will be, it is important to remember to start with a more purposeful holistic approach which answers these greater questions first. Without these answers, one cannot begin to answer the sub-questions accurately or with a true sense of completeness.
In the context of faith based planning, these more important issues begin with answering questions about one’s faith including one’s purpose. Why did God create that individual? Knowing the answer to this question helps to answer many more questions and shed light on matters that can be covered in darkness. Also, for married couples, answering questions such as their life mission together is important. What does the Bible teach about inheritance? What does the Bible instruct regarding end of life issues in terms of the health care portion of planning? All of these issues are truly important to master first before any of the details can be answered.
In Business Planning, holistic planning means that businesses are comprised of more than just products, sales, employees and owners. These four components are crucial, but they are the tip of the iceberg. These components are only what appear visibly when looking head on at a business. There are countless other components which are at the core of the business which either ensures its success or failure. It is crucial that a holistic approach is followed in light of the failure rate of small businesses. This failure rate is around 80% which is extremely high. This means that 8 out of 10 small businesses fail in their first year of business. After investing time, finances, hard work and numerous resources, it is important to realize the results of the endeavor. Therefore, some basic components that a business must have in place include: a business plan, a detailed budget, a knowledgeable certified public accountant on board, a set of processes which ensure that variation is eliminated, a well thought out and organized employee handbook or manual, frequent training for employees as well as supervisors, the appropriate hardware and software and knowing how to use this hardware and software to its fullest advantages. The list is endless and these are only the beginning of the basics that each business must have in place to ensure success. There are also other components that businesses must have in place which are specifically tailored to their specific industry, purpose and goals.
In the context of faith based planning, a business owner needs to begin with the same larger questions that one does in Estate Planning, but also discover the answers to questions such as God’s purpose for them in business. What can they accomplish in the business world that stands out as an example for others to follow? What is the true mission of the business? These questions are extremely important to investigate before meaningful and successful business planning can occur.
As an attorney, I have adapted my strategy with clients to include discussions regarding the greater holistic approach. Having a holistic approach means that as an attorney, I counsel individuals, couples, and business owners using this approach. Part of this approach also includes working with other professionals to provide the absolute best and most completely holistic plan possible to ensure the highest probability of success. This approach is not the mainstream approach and is not considered orthodox, but clients who truly wish to plan in the proper way are extremely open to this approach and recognize the value in it. This is not just a theory that I use. I have seen its results. These results yield for the absolute necessity of using the holistic approach.
This point is when the successful progress begins. BASED ON FAITH.