The first 30 years of my life I was convinced it was the other way around. I believed that in order to be successful you had to make a lot of money, at any price, even if it meant that you hated what you did for a living. After all, what was more important than making a lot of money? However, that all changed a few years back when I all of a sudden realized that money wasn’t all that important to me. All I really needed, I decided, was enough to live comfortably – no more, no less. I looked back with disdain at all those years I spent working at jobs I didn’t even care for just for the paycheck. It was then that I decided to work for me and what I need rather than A. what others thought I needed or B. what my younger self had been telling me that I needed.
And then I took a big pay cut to strike out on my own…and nothing bad happened.
See, I had already started to adjust for making less money and had changed how I spent the money I did have. It wasn’t how much I was making, but rather how I was spending it that was dictating how much money I had to bring home on a monthly basis. As soon as I got rid of that mindset, the picture became much clearer – I should be doing what I want to do for a living. Something I enjoy. Something that benefits others in some way, shape or form. And something that still pays the bills. I mean, just how important is stockpiling cash? Is it worth trading my soul or being miserable for 40+ hours a week? No way.
You can be comfortable and “successful” on almost any salary. You may have to move to a cheaper town, buy an older car, cut off the cable TV, or get a Pay As You Go cell phone to do so, but for most people it can be done if the desire is strong enough. Those on welfare with 5 kids are a different story and not really who I am talking about in this post. (Will save that for another post in the future) I am speaking about the average Joe, The Joneses, the normal American Family or Individual. It’s not about making a ton of money – it’s about using what you do earn, wisely.
I think that if most people took the time to really reflect on how their life is going, most would prefer to be at a job they enjoy rather than one they hate, right? However, a lot of them cannot leave said job because they are unwilling to adjust their lifestyle to enable them to do so.
Are you one of them?
It took me until my 30th birthday to start understanding that what was truly important to me was way more valuable than how anyone else perceived me and my lifestyle. If I only get about 75 years on this floating blue globe, I want to enjoy it rather than toil away doing things I have no interest in doing. Don’t you?
Photo from Shutterstock
Similar Posts:
- Rent or Buy: An Investment Strategy Gone Wrong
- Living Debt Free – Part 1
- Blue Cash Preferred℠ Card from American Express $100 Cash Back Bonus
- Downsize Your Lifestyle for a Lighter Future
- Can I change my IVA payments?
Recent Comments