Defining Your Values #4
Hard lessons. Sweet successes. No matter who you are, most likely you have a wide range of good, bad and ugly experiences around money. To be sure, you carry some values about earning, saving, giving, and spending. Consider these:
Simplicity. So much of life is complex. Clutter, consumption, discontentment and overcommitment make it worse. What if you omitted needless things and identified the essentials? Regarding your time and commitments, your stuff…everything. Could you start with one room in your house to minimize, declutter and simplify? Or, could you rethink your necessities? Could you reconsider your schedule, leaving room for what matters most?
Generosity. When you pare down with simplicity, you may find more room for generosity. More time to give; more funds to share; more of an open perspective toward others. Generosity comes in many forms, put the point usually is to make a positive difference for someone else.
Wealth. Don’t you feel better with ample savings and cashflow? This has very little to do with comparisons to anyone else. As Morgan Housel points out, “Wealth is hidden. It’s income not spent. Wealth is an option not yet taken to buy something later.” Most wealth resides in retirement funds and real estate, but also in savings and investments that are more liquid. Any amount that you set aside for later can serve to lessen your stress and increase opportunity.
When you embrace simplicity, generosity and wealth, you are creating freedom. All journeys begin with a small step in the right direction.
Worth Repeating
Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.
-Leo Babauta
