The Lifeline

I grew up spending many summers of my life on the waters of Lake Michigan. I’ve had many opportunities to explore large cabin cruisers as well. Prominent in many of pilot houses or fly bridges that I’ve explored are not only the tools of navigation and controls to get the vessel underway but also rescue tools – a bell and throwable personal flotation device (PFD) attached to a lifeline. Although the bells are more ornamental today on smaller cabin cruisers, they were once used for telling the time, identifying the ships position in foggy seas, or to signal the crew for particular action. The throwable life preserver typically attached to a lifeline by which mariners could pull an overboard sailor to safety after grabbing ahold of either the line or the throwable PFD. Nobody wants to be in a position where the captain or the crew needs to use the life saving device; but, as my Grandpa Zimmerman can attest after falling overboard during a spring fishing derby, that lifeline and PFD is partially responsible for saving his life. The shock of the cold water limited his body’s ability to respond, but he held on tight until he was pulled aboard.

Dictionary.com has two different definitions of a lifeline. The first is directly relatable to the content above - “a rope or line used for life-saving…”. The second is more pertinent to the mission of Zimmerman’s Lifeline Financial Coaching - “a thing on which someone or something depends on or which provides a means of escape from a difficult situation”. The lifeline does not consider how treacherous the waters are. The lifeline does not consider if the person is worth saving. A lifeline works because it was built with the primary purpose of providing hope for those in trouble. Used in skilled hands people are ultimately brought to a haven where they can once again be restored.

Zimmerman’s Lifeline Financial Coaching also exists to provide you with a lifeline. A lifeline for your faith – no matter the position on the journey. A lifeline for your family – weather married with kids or single trying to manage key relationships with your parents and siblings. A lifeline for your finances – weather you are feeling hopeless from the past due bills and debt collectors or needing inspiration to manage your nest egg well. Zimmerman’s Lifeline Financial Coaching is here to guide you towards exceeding your goals and thriving with your relationships.

Questions to Ponder

- How can you benefit from a financial lifeline to guide you to set attainable goals?

- How can you benefit from a financial lifeline to help you learn how to succeed with money?

- How can you benefit from a financial lifeline to help you reduce stress anxiety, stress, or isolation?

- How can you benefit from a no judgement conversation with Jacob to see what your lifeline would look like?