When it comes to Provision (having what you need), there are three types of People:

1. Those who have more than enough resources. They have so much that they are not aware how much money they fritter away because they don't think about it because they don't need to think about it.
2. Those who have what they need but would like a little (or a lot) more. These are the people who can make ends meet but they think about those needs regularly with the occasional fear that they might not have enough. They usually do.
3. Those who live paycheck to paycheck and go without, without telling others. These are the people who have grown accustomed to sacrificing to help their kids or family, hoping for days when they don't have to think about the basics of food or transportation or a place to live.

When I lived in Moscow, Russia, as a 21‐year‐old, I lived off $700 per month. I didn't have excess, but I had what I needed. I also wanted to have more provisions. That is when I met Fatorma Siafa.

Fatorma was a refugee from Liberia. The Soviet Union would sponsor Africans to study there, and he was now stuck in Moscow with thousands of other Africans. When the Soviet empire dissolved, so did the scholarship money.

I first met Fatorma in our small International Fellowship church that was held each week in a movie theater. Over time, Fatorma would become the steward of the benevolence work to others who didn't have Provisions. We would give monies and Fatorma would dole it out appropriately as we worked to help these stranded students make it back to their home countries.

Each Sunday we would ask Fatorma if he had what he needed and each week he would smile and say, “I have what I need. I just want to help others get what they need to survive.” One of our friends didn't make it. Malnutrition set in and we were too late to help. As an American, I couldn't fathom what I was experiencing each week—people not having what they need to simply live.

Do you have enough?

Do you need more?

Interesting questions. You might ask, “Enough what?” That is what Provision means—having enough of what you need to do what you do.

The amazing ending to the story of Fatorma is that he now lives in Pennsylvania, working as a Chick‐fil‐A operator. Years ago, I went to visit him and guess what? I met person after person who told me Fatorma had helped them get what they needed.

Because of one man they received what they needed.

How about you? Do you have what you need?

• Did you start a job in a new city, realizing that the costs of a growing family could outstrip the initial excitement of your salary?
• Do you have a cost that was not on the radar that hit you like a rogue wave, knocking you off balance?
• Was there an accident that insurance won't cover?

Most of us experience some sort of surprise in our life, whether when we were younger or because of some dependents in our lives. Kids cost money, and money doesn't grow on trees, to the dismay of our kids.

Your Provision % may simply be getting lower and lower based on the season of life you are living, and that alone could be lowering your Provision score.

In the context of the Peace Index, Provision is your satisfaction level with what you are earning (your income) and what means you have available to live your life, lead your family (if applicable), and do your work.

So, what is your number? Be honest. Are you at 85% (feeling good) or 70% (just okay), or below 50% (really struggling)?

Let's work on this number, as thinking about Provision can lead to significant breakthroughs. I ultimately want you to be free from any wrong thinking plaguing you around money or finances.

Needs Versus Wants

Let's get started: How much do you need to earn?

When I ask this question to people exploring how to become certified in GiANT as a coach or consultant, they usually say, “$10,000 per month.” I then ask them if that is what they want or what they truly need. Inevitably it leads to, “Well, that would be helpful.” They then state that they want more. Now, I get it. I have said the same things many times, but the facts are that most of us don't know what we truly need to live on. Life and bills and expenses add up as we pile on new entertainment subscriptions and pay for those unexpected expenses.

It is much easier to list what we want instead of understanding what we need. My wife and I are empty nesters and only have a couple of more payments on college before we are free from the burden of those meddling expenses. We have decided to revisit our budget to truly understand what Provisions we need to do what we do. I could live in a 1000‐square‐foot home with a guitar, stacks of books, and my computer. Oh, and a fire pit. That is all I truly need.

We have needs, and those are real. But the wants tend to take over the needs because if you are a family, you have three to five or more sets of needs and wants, all clouding the bigger question of “How much do you truly need?”

Where Pressure Resides

Longing for more is what global marketing budgets are designed to provoke. There is pressure to want. Our eyes are attracted to the glimmer and shimmer of clever ads promoting most things we don't need.

For some, longing for more is an addiction. It is like a consumption habit. You don't know why you spend money on things you barely want but don't need. It just happens.

For some, longing for more is a fear of not having enough. Like a squirrel preparing for winter, you want to ensure you have enough Provision to last through a downturn, which isn't unwise.

For some, longing for the basics is a daily prayer. You literally don't have enough to make ends meet and wants are a Christmas list or a dream.

Most of us live under the pressure of not having what we want while just having enough of what we need. And that creates the pressure—the stress that can affect our behavior or cause a smile to a frown.

My struggles with Provision have consumed me my entire life. I grew up in a middle‐class family in a smaller town (Shawnee) outside of a smaller city (Oklahoma City). I had everything I needed, and as an only child, I tended to get most of what I wanted. My parents owned small businesses and real estate, and a farm. My dad also worked in the city for the state government. Again, I had everything I needed.

The intriguing part was that I had friends who had much more than I did. Even though I had more than enough for one, they had things I didn't. In college, my family made some career choices that affected my view of what we had versus what we needed. I was going to a more expensive private college, and the pressure to help my family was just on me, not from my parents but my fears. “Did I have enough?”

The fear of not having enough has been a pressure that has not added one helpful thing to my life. I have had everything I have needed and most of what I have wanted, yet I want more. Why is that the case?

Does anyone else deal with this?

Contentment

Say this out loud if it is true. “I have everything I need.” “I have enough Provisions to do what I need to do.”

To be satisfied and at Peace with your:

• Life
• Marriage
• Career
• Children
• Friendships
• Future
• Possessions, etc.

Mick Jagger quipped the famous lyrics,

“I can't get no satisfaction / Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try / I can't get no, I can't get no, satisfaction”

What if you could find contentment?

To be content means to be in a state of happiness and satisfaction. Content with what you have because it is what you need and fits what you want.

So, let me ask you again: Are you satisfied with your current income level and the state of your finances? Are your needs being met?

I recognize this chapter might be uncomfortable, especially if worry for money has become lodged in your heart.

Surviving to Thriving

According to World Vision, there are 689 million people worldwide currently living in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1.90 a day. That is astounding in the twenty‐first century.¹

Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who developed a hierarchy of needs to explain human motivation. His hierarchy is used globally as foundational research to help people in multiple situations. Here is the premise he taught.²

All of us have needs. They start with the physiological needs of food, water, warmth, and rest. The next set includes the needs of security and safety. These are basic, foundational needs that aren't found in many third‐world countries, areas of extreme drought, or war‐torn lands. In most first‐world countries, these are assumed at birth.

The feeling that we don't have what we need can get muddied in our heads so quickly. It can be easy to ignore real needs we have by shaming ourselves for wanting them since we have so much compared to so many in the world. Often, it can be helpful to break down needs through the lens of Maslow's hierarchy to allow ourselves to get really clear about what it is that we feel is lacking. Sometimes the result is healthy perspective and greater contentment with what we have; other times the process helps identify where our dissatisfaction lies so we can do something about it.

Do you have enough Provision at this point? Do you have food, water, warmth, and rest? Are you safe and secure?

If not, then your Provision score could be deficient, or it is all you know, and you have learned how to thrive and survive amidst inadequate Provision. If so, Provision most likely becomes the number one priority until you have enough to take care of your responsibilities.

Maslow discussed the next set of needs as psychological. They revolve around belonging, love, and esteem, including intimate relationships and friends, prestige, and a feeling of accomplishment.

You may have had your base needs met, but not your psychological needs. This lack of intimacy could affect how you deal with people and create trust issues in certain situations. It may also affect your views of contentment regarding having what you need.

To thrive means that your self‐actualization needs are or have been met. Those needs include achieving your potential in life. That means you know your Purpose and can attain creative activities that make life fulfilling.

It is hard to imagine for many of us living in first‐world countries or regions that most of the world will not have the opportunity to achieve our self‐actualization needs. Most people can't control their destinies due to poverty, national dictums, family pressures, etc.

Having Enough to Do What You Do

Those with a clear vision of what they want tend to work backward to ensure they have the Provisions needed to accomplish what they want to do. The wise person doesn't get sucked into the lifeless rat race of accumulation and become content with who they are and what they desire. This lot is indeed a small number of people.

Understanding what you need versus what you want is an act of adulting, even if you are an older adult. I have been training my three 20‐somethings about prioritizing what is essential and what is not for years. They are now getting to experience it. Unfortunately, most adults never adult, which is why there is so much debt, waste, and unfruitful living. Peace rarely exists when adults are not living as adults.

Knowing What You Want

What else do you want? There are generic wishes like wanting a new iPhone or a new car. Those wants are different than the philosophical wants—what you want for your life. What you want for your life might be to have a happy family or for your marriage to be more vital. You might want to unlock your full potential in your career while also wanting a bigger house.

What you want for your life leads to vision. The wants of life are called possessions, and there is a big difference. Once you figure out your vision (what you want for your life), you can work to become more responsible with money to obtain your wants. You can proactively work backward by listing your provisions and being a steward of what you need.

That is why budgeting is helpful for many. You can see what you have and what you need and prioritize what you want. It takes real vision—the imagination of what doesn't exist but that which you want to happen.

The goal is to understand what you need and be content with what you have.

Most people never have enough. They are not disciplined to not waste money on petty items that don't help them get where they want to go because these individuals don't know where they want to go.

Getting on the Same Page

People have different perspectives on money, saving, investments, etc., which makes Provision a complex topic to discuss. Getting on the same page is essential with those closest to you. That is why you must do the hard work to communicate, build relational trust, and work toward alignment that meets your vision and financial goals.

Here are the issues that tend to make it challenging to align with others in your life.

• Your spouse spends frivolously but gets defensive and feels attacked by you when you try to have the conversation.
• You and your spouse are not good with money and become diligent in some seasons and carefree in others, which brings money woes and creates chaos.
• Each person has a different view of priorities. The hot tub in the backyard might be high on one list, while a new bedroom set is more critical in the other person's mind.
• One person might be calling a Want a Need, which leads to lower Peace levels because of conflicts in how to spend money.

Provisions, when stewarded well, bring long‐term wealth. Wealth brings options. Options are choices. Working together with those you love intentionally and responsibly brings Peace in droves. It allows your Peace Index to rise because your Provision % increases. If you and those closest to you are aligned and move forward confidently because you know what you want and understand your needs, you will maximize your Provision.

Now, retake the Provision assessment (give each statement a number from 1 to 100%).

• How good do you feel about what you are currently earning from your work: _____________________________________________________
• You have the resources needed to do what you desire to do in life: _____________________________________________________
• How hopeful are you about your future provisions in light of your current reality: _____________________________________________________

Add all three numbers and divide by three to get an up‐to‐date Provision score.

What is your Provision % now?

Did it increase from the assessment in the first chapter?

Be Careful of the Purpose and Provision Clash

Be careful that your Purpose and Provision don't take you down a road of hopelessness. I can give you over 100 examples where I have met with someone who doesn't know what they want to do in their life and are in a “dead‐end job,” making a low salary, which leads to hopeless chaos.

To help them is like unwinding a tangled ball of yarn. Because they need the money (often because of poor financial decisions like excessive car payments or overspending on a home), they stay in the job and complain rather than do the hard work of dusting off their vision.

When a person reaches this level, they can get trapped in the doom loop where they don't know their Purpose and feel the weight of needed Provision. Chaos must be conquered so Peace can enter. If this is you, then here are two things I recommend:

1. Meet twice a month with the wisest person you know, either paid or unpaid.
2. Have them help you see the doom loop and work with them to find the root cause of any current issue.

Break the list down to the real dissatisfactions/issues and begin answering these questions:

1. What is the real problem here?
2. How did you get there? (Without blame or judgment)
3. What are two or three possible solutions to solve it?
4. Who else needs to help solve this?
5. When will you resolve it?

Have your friend/counselor begin to help you work on your Purpose. Revisit Chapter 2, Purpose, and work through these questions:

1. What are you made to do?
2. What current opportunities are available that you could pursue that connect more to your passions and expertise?
3. Are there any mindset changes you can make that could positively affect how you view your current job?

Provision is about security. When you are insecure, it is hard to see the world correctly. When working with sports teams, I use the concept of Scurry vs. Hustle. When a team is scurrying, they worry, and they tend to mess up when they worry. Conversely, when a team is hustling, they are focused and confident. They are in the zone.

Are you scurrying? Do the hard work of conquering the chaos related to your insecurity and low confidence. That will allow you to focus on your strengths and begin to hustle.

Now, let's move to Your Peace Plan. The next chapter is designed to help you put all of your learning together to conquer chaos and increase your Peace.