When I looked back at my podcast interview with Pal, I realized that he had done me a great favor. I don't think I can do any better than that with anybody else.
Nevertheless, I don't think it will work between us. We have a different set of values. His value is money while my value is time. He is chasing the rainbow while I am already enjoying my pot of gold. Certainly, it will be retroactive for me to start chasing rainbows again.
What about you Sarah? What makes you tick? Are you going after money or time? Got money no time. Got time no money. You can't have both. It's like squeezing a balloon. It will bulge at a perpendicular angle or if you squeeze too hard, it will pop.
Dr. Laurie Santos mentioned in her lecture that based on research, people who are time affluent are happier than people with money affluent. That's because more things don't make you happy. They get old, they need maintenance and eventually, they become junks. Therefore things are liabilities.
On the contrary, time is life. When you are time affluent, your life is rich. That's because with the time you can create memories and experiences. These don't become liabilities. As a matter of fact, they become better as the years go by, hence the term fond memories.
You need to invest in time. Otherwise, time can be fleeting. However, if you use your time wisely, time is gold. In Malay, we say that Masa itu Emas literally means time is gold!
I don't deny that you need money to carry on living. However, you only need just enough for sustenance. Beyond that, it is just a figure in your bank statement. Just like on this island where wealth is measured in rocks. As the story goes, the wealthiest person is the guy with a very huge rock but the rock is underwater.
Why do you need to hog so much money? Even if you have billions or trillions, you not going to spend all. The money ended in the hands of your heirs. Your kids will be very happy but your generations will be complacent with all the inheritance.
If I am rich, I will spend half on charity and I will live on interest for the remaining half. I think people who hoard money are people who fear poverty. The truly rich are generous givers. Look at Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Not only they live decent lives, but they also give away half of their wealth for altruistic purposes.
Oprah Winfrey asked Dalai Lama, "What do you know for sure?"
He replied, "I know that the key to happiness is in giving."
Now, I don't have much money. Yet, I am still a generous giver. I helped the needy. Not necessarily the poor because I think the poor are a bunch of opportunists.
Brb... Lunch.
Given a choice to make extra money or to spend quality time, I will definitely choose the latter. Nowadays as a retiree I hardly use money. I had paid off my house and car. Therefore I don't have debt. The beautiful thing about being debt-free is even when I only have ten bucks in my pocket, that money is 100% mine. I don't need to share it with the bank.
Most people who have a lavish lifestyle are actually serious debtors. They are able to service their loans because they are still working. Who are they working for? None other than for the things they borrow from the banks. They are the slaves to their material lust. What happens when illness or calamity befall them and they, by the luck of the draw can no longer work? Then they will quickly become poorer than the church's mouse.
When will we learn from the adage that money won't buy happiness? As long as we are consumers, we are forever tied to money to attain instant gratification. It doesn't last. There are people (I included once upon a time) that gets high from buying things, We get caught up with the hype of buying more and more expensive stuff. When we actually own the items, the feeling fizzles. No sooner than using them for a few days, we are already eyeing for the next item to buy. This is known as the Hedonic Adaptation Trap. It is a neverending loop.
I have nothing against money and rich people. Alas, I am not too keen to pursue money and become rich. I subscribe to Voluntary Simplicity; outwardly poor but inwardly rich. Because of this philosophy, I am financially independent. Not because I earn a lot but because I hardly spend my money.
I derive pleasure from listening to songs on the internet (free), reading eBooks (free), watching movies (free), and blogging (absolutely free!). Well, I do pay for the WiFi, electricity, and the PC but these are negligible compare to if I want to follow the herd mentality.
I seriously hope that this COVID 19 pandemic is a wake-up call for many of us who think that money is the end all be all solution to our malaise. Money is a means. Most of us will not get into so much trouble should we choose mindfulness in our spending. The thing that gets us into trouble is not the hard-earned money we make, but our gullibility in borrowing as if there is no tomorrow.
Avoir!
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