Every day is a great day. It’s all about your perspective. You can have bad things happen to you where you had a down moment, but there is always something to be grateful for.
Tag: perspective
Stop saying “I can’t”
We need to stop saying “I can’t”…if it’s something you don’t want to do, tell the truth. Not “I can’t,” but “I don’t want to.” If it’s something you’re not sure of, it’s not “I can’t,” but instead “I don’t know how.” But don’t just stop there. Ask yourself a question. Ask, “how can I?”
How can you achieve what you want to? What thoughts, words, and actions do you need to change? Do you need to ask someone for help as a mentor? Do you need to ask someone for help as a business partner, workout buddy, or accountability partner? Do you need to read more about the subject, research it, YouTube it?
When you’re stuck, it’s not permanent. It’s just a temporary road block. Figure out what you need to do differently or who can help you learn how to overcome that obstacle.
Change your mindset.
On how to not things stress you out
If it’s not going to matter in five years, don’t let yourself stress over it for more than five minutes. Feel your feelings. You don’t have to be a robot. But if something isn’t going to matter in the grand scheme of things, let it roll off your shoulders. Why stress out over something that has already happened and that you can’t change? Try to remedy the situation or learn from your experience/get better so that same thing doesn’t happen again.
Chasing money
As a competitive, ambitious, frugal, investor-minded individual who comes from humble beginnings, this graphic speaks to me.
The competitive side of me wants to be in the top 1% of everything I do (including financial-related goals).
The ambitious side of me wants to prove to myself, my family and friends, my acquaintances, etc. that I can do anything I set my mind to.
The frugal side of me wants to have the financial security money can bring.
The investor side of me hates waste and focuses on being as efficient as possible (like investing in assets and having my money work for me).
But when I think about what’s really important in life and what brings me the most joy, it’s not money…
I’m happiest when I’m hanging out with family – whether that’s at home, going on mini adventures to the zoo, watching our kids hang out with their cousins/aunts/uncles/grandparents, or going on our yearly trips to Mohican, Hocking Hills, or the beach.
I’m happiest when I’m working out and competing with friends at the gym (whether or not they know I’m competing with them is up for debate).
I’m happiest seeing friends and playing board games with them for game night or going out and grabbing something to eat.
I’m happiest finding people homes to live in or to invest in and negotiating the best terms for them.
And when I think about all that makes me happy, I realize that I don’t need to always be chasing 💸…life is easier with money, to be sure. But as long as I’m keeping things in perspective and still able to enjoy life while pursuing money, that will be enough for me.
Don’t lose your family, friends, or health chasing money. Because in the end, what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
Don’t go broke trying to look rich.
I saw this post from FinancialSimplified on Instagram and loved it. How many people spend above their means just to try to impress other people?
If you have the “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality, it’s going to take you a really long time to build wealth. And if you’re ok with that, that’s fine. But if you have children, maybe it’s time to shift that mindset. I say this for a few reasons…
1) It is your duty as a parent to live responsibly, and to teach your kids to live responsibly. This goes for health, work ethic, attitude, teaching them about money, etc. If you have bad money habits and idolize material things or trying to impress others with your new clothes, new shoes, new car, etc, what does that teach them?
2) You don’t have to leave your adult children anything. At that point, they should be self-sufficient. I remember my dad saying that when he passed away, he wanted his last check to bounce. I have the complete opposite mentality. When I pass away, I want to leave my kids with millions. As long as I’ve given them the proper financial background so they don’t blow the money, and I’ve raised them to be good human beings (moral, just, etc), I’d be more than happy to relieve any sort of financial burden from their shoulders. If you don’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay your bills, it gives you the freedom and creativity to try new things that can be more fulfilling.
We never know when we’re going to pass away. If you’re not financially set, or if your passing will create hardship for your significant other and your dependents, you need to have life insurance set up. It’s a small cost for you right now, but if you leave this earth without it, the people you love most will suffer the most – not only emotionally, but financially too. If you needed two incomes to pay for your house, child care, food, transportation, and general living, what kind of stress and struggle will your family encounter if you pass away and they’re left with nothing?
3) You owe it to yourself. Why is it that we love ourselves so much, we are all so selfish in a way, but we care about what other people think? Why should other people’s opinions of us matter when they don’t really even know us?
You know yourself. Are you buying that $500 fancy wallet to impress yourself, even if there is no money in it? If I did that, I would feel worse about myself. Why cave into others’ expectations? Why have no money left over to spend on an experience with my wife and kids? And, not only that, but you’ll feel like an imposter too. Sure, you look rich. But you’ll know that you don’t actually have the money to back it up.
Don’t go broke trying to look rich. Don’t try to impress people you don’t know, you don’t like, and who don’t have to deal with your poor financial decisions.
We all have to start somewhere. Live within your means. If people laugh, just know that as long as you keep saving and investing money, trying to increase your income constantly while it increasing your spending, you’ll eventually have the last laugh. You’ll get to retire early when they are still slaving away in their 9-5.