*PSA = Public Service Announcement
So. I just want you all to know that I am still all about meeting money goals, crushing it at work and being an overall badass, but if there is something you really truly want to do, don’t wait until it is too late.
(Hah! Another catchy phrase – don’t wait until it is too late)
…. Because it might actually be too late.
A lot of people talk about their dreams, and how once they work hard and get their debt cleared, or house paid, or $1M banked, they will finally relax and enjoy it all, dreaming of their plans to do this and that.
However, recently I’ve been thinking a lot about joy and I want everyone to reconsider if they have enough balance in their life.
Don’t go to the point where you postpone everything, waiting for retirement or until the kids are out of the home, or you’re debt free.
There are just so many stories of people who did all the “right” things, only to lose their loved ones and with regret or not, wish they hadn’t spent so much time working to hustle and make money / clear so much debt.
I have met people, and have had messages written to me about people saying they had waited their whole lives to hustle, clear that debt and/or make $300K a year, working like crazy, only to have one of them die unexpectedly, and their whole world fall apart.
They planned trips.
They had mapped out all of Europe to travel, where they would go, what they would eat, what they would see, and all the memories they would have together.
Now? All of that is gone.
I know a colleague who recently was talking about going back to visit his mother as she was ill.
He was so dedicated to the project, and worked 80+ hour weeks and didn’t go back for a long time (about 3 years) because he kept working and didn’t feel like he could leave the project to go see her. He was so dedicated and didn’t plan to go back at all, even though the project had a break coming up, he wanted so badly to deliver results.
2 weeks later, she died.
I mean, I like doing a good job and working hard but this is not worth it.
NO JOB and NO CONTRACT is worth it. NO ONE WILL CARE about this project years down the road, but you will always remember what you regret and miss in life.
Give yourselves a break if you can.
Instead of paying it off in 3 years and breaking your backs, do it in 4 years, or 5.
Have a little fun. Life isn’t just about numbers – your life isn’t the sum of your bank account, your weight, whatever.
It is the reason why I’m working half my career, not only because I can with my job as a freelancer, but because I CHOOSE not to take on more contracts and burn out, and I CHOOSE to say “No” when the contract has a long commute or a low rate per hour — all of this means I’m choosing to not be richer sooner and I’m okay with that.
I designed my life so I work part-time in a sort of semi-retired on/off mode – taking contracts, then a break, then taking a contract again when I get antsy.
Not everyone can do this, but everyone can decide to not work longer at the office, to say “No”, to come home earlier for dinners together, to not work extra hours for overtime pay, and to enjoy life a little more.
People can also decide to not postpone that trip to Europe and save up for that on the side to do it on a budget while paying debt off.
I know it sounds so crazy and counterintuitive to all of this intense gazelle-ing, and hustling and crazy work-work-work life, but I just fear for the day that you’ll have regrets and wish you had done this or that sooner.
Don’t say no to dinners out with a great friend just because you have food at home and brown bag it daily, so you’re refusing to spend a single penny outside.
Save for it, pinch elsewhere, and create those memories of being there in that ambience with them and enjoying a lovely night.
Obviously, don’t do this nightly and call it a joyful experience, everything has to be done in moderation!
Or if you really love a certain body cream or perfume, buy it. Wear it. Enjoy it. Don’t save it for a special occasion and watch it evaporate or go bad. Enjoy these things.
My only message is to think about this a little more critically the next time you say “No” to something because of money that you do have but feel like you can’t spend because of your crazy hustling:
Lastly, some real direct messages:
This one made me tear up:
Here is another one:
