I finished a book a couple months ago (and never commented on) called Your Money or Your Life spoke about the important of reaching financial independence and letting that be the end-all of your money pursuits—and to instead consider the pursuits of Life as intended.
I keep hearing about Terrell Owens recent incident and the aftermath it created. One of the small things that seemed to go overlooked is the publicist’s remark that T.O. had no reason to kill himself –in fact, he had “25 million reasons” not to, referring to the superstar’s paycheck. Because of course, we’ve never had cases of rich people offing themselves. I mean, if they have money, they have life right?
OK, let me hop up on this here platform.. Man, this soapbox is awful dusty..Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah:
In writing about personal finance, I’ve often overlooked the concept of “enough”—how much money is enough for you to live a fulfilling life? Clearly, money is tied to success in life, but it is NOT the whole thing. You must consider your health, your family, and how far you want your career to go—and it all is determined how we value those things and why.
I really like capitalism. I think it provides a great way for people to acquire the capital they need to pursue those dreams and meet their goals, especially if you not only work hard, but intelligently. However, some think that it takes large amounts of money to acquired in a short period of time so you can retire and “live a complete life,” when it really doesn’t.
Some think they need large amounts of capital so that they can buy things to entertain (impress) their friends, relatives, love interests, or neighbors. Smart, enterprising individuals and corporations have found a way to exploit this feeling by telling you that if you really want to feel good, be noticed, attractive sexually, then you must own The
At some point, you have to say “enough.” It won’t come easily either. It’s human nature to always want more stuff. In your pursuit of stuff though, always be conscious that happiness will elude you by placing itself just out of your reach. I can’t help you with that. Each person has to set a major goal and to set things in order to reach that one particular goal. Determine what will make you happy
Career/Family Aspirations—today’s society is filled with ways for individuals to reach certain income levels—for the average technically-oriented college graduate these days 100,000+ salaries and Soon, that $50,000+ entry-level job out of college inspires you to go for 70,000..then 90,000, then 100,000, and on and on. As salary increases, so does responsibility and hours worked. Investment bankers, for example work notoriously long hours. If you are single and unattached, a few years in this profession may not hurt you, but you should still be aware. Those who end up getting married and have kids have the ultimate job of balancing work and family responsibility and determining how money fits into that equation. If you
Health and Spiritual Aspirations—Many people who attain wealth still are unhappy because of many reasons. Sometimes, there are health concerns. There are many people who would trade all the money in the world for their health. Another issue is the feeling that people feel unfulfilled (empty inside) because they spend so much time working for the pursuit of more and more money that they fail to seek a spiritual balance. Instead, they try to fill it with “stuff” that will make them “happy.” However, the stuff they chase usually brings on a temporary feeling of happiness that goes away after, oh, say a week or two. Then it’s on to the next “thing” which cost more money, which you have to work so hard to get.
Importance of Balance—all that rambling to say that balance is extremely important, and it’s good to make a habit of it at a young age to prevent a mid-life crisis (or even a quarter-life crisis). Seek a profession where you are content and you see a future for yourself. Determine early on how much money you think you will need to be happy and to invest in the things to make you and your family’s future secure. It must also fit into a dedicated spiritual pursuit--whether you have a place of worship, practice a spiritual enlightenment activity like yoga or tai chi, or even something as simple as volunteering regularly in your local community will get your mind off the everyday challenges and can help keep yourself grounded
Dangers of Exceeding Enough— There will come a time where you may go through some self-evaluation. If you find your self falling into the get-up-go-to-work-go-home-go to-sleep-get-up-again cycle, and this is your life, be careful. Soon you find yourself living to work. You should actively implement other activities and downtime in your life while pursuing financial satisfaction. Seek financial independence, but be mindful of your future and decide at what point you are more than just a company’s cog. Find an interest and pursue it.
Its important to recognize the concept of what is “enough.” For some it may be a million, others 10 million; some more, some less. Be sure though that you know how money fits into maintaining you health, your spiritual life, and how you family (or your future family) will fit. Generally, families cannot be “planned” (as in “I will work and find a man/woman at the age of 35 and we will have 3 kids and one dog…) because usually, it doesn’t happen that way.
Or, you can sit on this soapbox I’ve been standing on, and think of another solution. I've rambled on too much. In fact, I’ve said enough.
Comment (as you often do) below!
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