Learning to Live

 Life...  seems to be a concept that most of us take for granted...  in that, we will always be around until we get old or until it is our time to go whichever is the longest amount of time...  and, therein lies the problem.  We assume that our lives are relatively protected and that we will live out our normal and expected lifespans...  and, while that may be true up to a certain extent, we have lost sight of the overwhelming importance of life...  in that it has been given to us to appreciate not waste.

Most of our lives are, in fact, wasted...  and, we waste them on the stuff that we have been told is not just important but necessary...  the accumulation of wealth which includes both money and assets...  assets being the toys that we purchase, make, or steal along the way.

How much money do you have to earn before you decide that you have earned enough?  And, when you have all that money what will you do with it?

• Buy homes
• Buy clothes
• Eat at Restaurants
• Buy cars
• Take vacations
• Buy Jets
• Give it to charity

There will always come a point in time, where after earning all your money, you just get tired of spending and going places...  it all becomes routine and boring.

However, everybody feels like they would like to give it a try and that willingness usually comes from people who don't have much to begin with...

Being wealthy to some degree makes you lazy...

• you don't drive anymore
• someone cooks all your food
• someone does your maintenance
• you play golf and watch stuff
• someone does your shopping

It is like being on an all-inclusive vacation for your entire life...

Do you really think that after a year or two that would still be fun?

HOWEVER,

being poor is not fun either...  and, being poor is not something that you want to try out for a few months or years.

What you want to be is WELL OFF enough so that you no longer have to worry about money or having to take out money from savings to fix an emergency...  Well enough off, so you can buy what you want when you want it, as long as your purchase is frugal, necessary, and not outrageous...   For example. you don't need a $150,000 vehicle just because you have the money.  Nor do you need a 10,000-square-foot home just for you and your spouse.  

As you get older, you will see the wisdom in my article...  My mother, once my father died, had to downsize from a 6,000 square foot home to an apartment less than 1,000 square feet.   She only took those items she had to have and let go of all the rest that she had spent a lifetime collecting...