realpersonalfinance.com

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I’m sure if you’re into your financial health, at some point you have read a book or article promoting the power of giving up small everyday expenses that accumulate into large wealth. I read a blog recently that stated if only you’d give up that latte or dinner out once a week, when you retire, your account will thank you. There are also those that promote the idea of every extra dollar needs to go towards debt or saving.

This may be true and has merit, however depriving yourself to achieve a goal that is way off in the distance and one that we are not promised to ever get to is one that I have started to feel needs some balance. As you get older and experience loss, your mortality becomes absolute and you realize that yes, I do have to save for retirement and be responsible, but I also want to balance that with enjoying time and experiences while I am still able to do so. After all, at the rate that diabetes, cancer and heart failure occur in this country, none of us should take our lives for granted. I have a friend that I learned recently has a rare form of cancer and he is only in his late 30s.

What am I getting at? Focus on and enjoy today, don’t put off enjoying life and gaining experiences that will impact your life or health for the better, just so in 10, 20, 30 years your account reads a couple extra thousand for doing so. Your kids are only kids once. Your youth is fleeting and life moves by so fast. If we spend it slaving away at a job to pad an account, we lost out on all the opportunities to enjoy life experiences and relationships that could alter the future of our lives.

These are just my thoughts on my own personal life. I can tell you from first hand experience that I was much more focused on what was in my bank account earlier in my life. I wish I had learned to enjoy life sooner, so I could have given my wife a proper honeymoon. So I didn’t stress out so much and not enjoy experiences that I was out having because I was dreading the total cost and not having the money in my account. Is there wisdom in handling your finances, yes, and I am in no way advocating through this that you throw all caution to the wind, but I have realized that enjoying life’s opportunities, that may only come along once has much value and can contribute to a life well lived. I hope everyone takes care and lives a full life, maybe starting today!