Today is one of those days where I allowed myself to sit around for a while and daydream. This typically happens any time I read an article by J. Money. He posted a question that one of his readers asked him, and it really struck a chord with me.
The question was basically “I read about spending less and saving money, and know I should but I don’t know why I haven’t yet“.
His response was that we have to find out what motivates us. Why do we want to save money? There has to be some kind of motivator. I, like j.money, save money so that I can have freedom – freedom to just live however I see fit. He advised him to think about what he would do this weekend if he had a million dollars in the bank and didn’t have to worry about work or money. This got me thinking about what I would do. My list was pretty intense:
- I would finish my garden that has been half done for a week.
- I would spend time with my daughter making sugar cookies that she saw in a magazine.
- I would train to run a marathon.
- I would teach classes for free in my community that helped people deal with medical emergencies – something that would give them the ability to save someones life when the ambulance was seconds too late.
- I would spend more time with my family.
- I would have my grandparents teach me everything they knew about gardening, hunting, canning, and all the other old fashioned secrets that only they could teach me. Who knows how much longer I have with them.
- I would take the time to do something unexpected for my boyfriend, who spoils me so much.
- I would help build houses for the homeless.
- I would raise money and go to 3rd world countries to give them much needed medical supplies and checkups.
- I would travel the world and experience the things that I know I am incredibly naive about.
- I would immerse myself in other cultures and learn their language and way of life.
- I would hike the Appalachian trail with my dad from beginning to end.
Just sitting here imagining all of the things I could do made me feel excited and passionate again. It made me want to increase my retirement contributions even more than they already are. I felt motivated again. I felt passionate about life again. My point in all of this is to find out what makes you tick. What would you do if money weren’t an issue. How would you spend your life. For me, it’s being able to spend time with my loved ones and help others. We only get one life. How would you spend yours?
“I would spend more time with my family” is probably one of the best motivations to save money. Your family is your life and you save money for the future of all.