Yet another useful lesson we can learn from the world of finance. And like any good lesson, it has numerous ways we can apply it to our life. First, let’s look at how we can use this to improve our overall mental well being.
Rather than focusing on the half dozen things that we feel that we need and are entitled to, take a bottom up inventory of everything we have. Entitlement is a dangerous street to walk down. We likely have a functioning immune system, ten fingers that work properly, a bed to sleep in, hundreds and thousands (millions?) of other things! I guess another way to cast this could be to count your blessings. Even if we are battling chronic illnesses we are also enjoying chronic successes. Thank you so much you invisible army of unsung T-cells and others on team antigen….go team! How many of you died ostensibly in my service while I slept so that I could wake up again today! I say this as I cough again, still more work to do please fellas.
Another useful way to use this concept is in constructing and maintaining the infrastructure of our life. My family is using this idea currently as we envision the next phase of our lives. Being empty nesters we are considering down-sizing. We are constructing the list of what matters to us to ensure that what we change to (if we change) has the potential to make us even happier than we are today. We must have the ability to take candle-lit bubble baths after enjoying a good cooked-from-scratch meal prepared in a comfortable kitchen. Food is life. Our bedrooms need not be big but we need a wood burning stove or fireplace. Fire is magical. We must be able to go for quiet walks from our front door. Oh yeah, and I need space to do my art and woodworking. Okay it won’t be easy, but we know what to focus on at least.
Similarly, put your paycheck into your savings on auto-deposit, and move from savings to checking each month what you need to spend, rather than putting it directly into checking and deciding what to move to savings. Default to paying yourself first. Make it at least a little difficult to not invest in your future. If you find you are essentially transferring it all each month this offers a new lesson. Could I find a cheaper cell phone plan? Do I need five streaming services? Could I eat more veggies and beans and rice (healthy and cheap) and less meat and alcohol (not as healthy and more expensive). Am I maximizing the return on my savings? No-penalty CDs are pretty cool. Am I carrying a balance on my credit card(s)? That is task one, those cards can kill you. Maybe going back to school is a good idea to work on the supply side of the ledger a bit?
What does each year look like? Lots of hiking and concerts and hopefully a good stretch of time wandering around a foreign city or two. This year I was blessed with over five hundred miles of wandering Iberia. Sometimes the only place I can find myself is in a society I’ve never been and don’t fully understand. Getting to see friends and loved-ones. Getting to see our daughter and even go to a couple frat parties with her (happiest day of my year so far)! We crave lots of anonymous city time and quiet country time.
How do I want to structure my day? A couple good cups of coffee. Numerous daily hugs from loved-ones. Walking, even in drizzly Seattle. Good loud music often and everywhere. TVs only used for our single nightly program and good sporting matchups and CBS Sunday Morning. Every night ends by curling up with my wife after taking a hot dark bath.
All this is an attempt at quieting my monkey brain long enough and frequently enough to just be present. This is paradise if we can only slow down enough to stop searching for it and live in it.
