What do I mean?

This subject may sound technical—but actually it isn’t.  If you know what Excel® is please skip the next paragraph.

For those of you not familiar with Excel® it’s software that allows you to arrange information in rows and columns and to perform all sorts of operations, including arithmetical and accounting operations on the information.  (Excel® can also be used to organize text in lots of neat ways, but that’s another subject.) Among its many uses, Excel® is used vey widely for accounting, budgeting, and general planning—and that’s where I lead into spirituality. (For those of you who want to learn more about Excel®, try looking at http://www.baycongroup.com/el0.htm.)

Well, the day-to-day activities of running a business or even organizing your household can cause quite a bit of stress. Even the most disciplined among us can easily get overwhelmed by the complexity of the number of choices and variables we’re faced with. Frequently, not having even a basic grasp on our finances can yield this distress.  Having some sort of plan where we can “see a larger picture” frequently helps.

There are many ways to set up family and business budgets.  Clearly, a useful budget or plan can be a very valuable tool. My purpose here is NOT to cover  methods of setting these up.  Suffice it to say that a balance must be struck between investing too much detail and work in setting up the plan, versus quickly slapping together a tool which has little value.

I’ve found that setting up an effective Excel® budget—whether I’m using a simple arrangement or a complex mutli-tabbed/multi-linked spreadsheet—gives me a sense of grounding and control. I’ve felt  this happen again and again, in business environments as well as in organizing my own home expenses.

As long as the balance I mentioned above has been struck, Excel can serve as a spiritual tool! I’ve found that it helps me feel grounded in much the same way as I’ve felt using more “conventional” spiritual methods, such as meditation, yoga, and prayer.

Let me know if you agree!