Have Less. Do More.

If you woke up this morning and decided you wanted a different life, career, or maybe you felt it was put in your heart to do some volunteering in a different country, how long would it take you to be able to make a switch?

I feel as a nation we are always trying to keep up with the person next to us. I especially feel that way for my generation. We are constantly shown by ads, TV, radio, and social media that we do not have enough, or that there is something or someone out there that is better then you. Today is Valentines day. It seems like there is 387 of the best spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, and lovers out there today. Everything is easy for a day. It is easy to make everything seem great when you get to select what people get to see. Do not compare your life to someone else’s through social media.

We have to be conscious that we do not spend ourselves into a life we do not want. We also have to be aware that a few dumb decisions can send you down a path that you did not want to take. I am talking from experience here. They could write a book on bad decisions on parts of my life. I am blessed that none of them sent me down a path I could not get off of.

Meet John. He just graduated college, he is single and got a job making $45,000 a year! Not bad right? He takes home about $2,500 a month and he only has to worry about himself. So John decides that the car that got him through college is no longer good enough. I mean he is a college grad making great money! So he gets himself a 2 door coupe with a payment of $450. No big deal he takes home $2500. Well his other buddies who just graduated are buying houses right away. The bank has a no money down option and the interest rate is only 5.25%. He can afford $1,300 payment a month! He knows even with the car he has and his monthly bills he is only spending $2,200. He still has $300 extra a month! However if he is going to keep up with his buddies, he needs to go out, buy cool stuff, and get a credit card for anything he cannot afford. Today John woke up and realized he hated his job or let say today he accidentally got someone pregnant, or he gets fired. Now what?

I had a story much like Johns. It was a big hill getting out of it. I was fortunate that I learned from these mistakes early and was able to turn things around. We tend to spend ourselves into a prison in a sense. Now for every John there is a Peter that loves it and it works out for him. This does not apply to everyone.

I have seen a lot of my friends ( my self included) make 1 of 2 mistakes. They either spend themselves into a life that they do not like or they end up starting a family way to early and lose out on the life they desired.

When you make a choice to be a little different. When you decide to stay home from the bars and save that money. When you decide that you want to wait to have kids til you are 100% sure. You start to realize with less stuff, with less bills, with less responsibility it allows you to do more. There is power in that. Yes you may not have the best house, Yes Paul down the street has a nicer car then you, but that is THEIR life. Do not compare it to yours. It is a waste of time. When you have the freedom to live the exact life that you want it is a great feeling.

So today I would encourage you to spend a little less on “stuff”. Spend it on experiences.

So if you have kids, turn that TV off and take them sledding. If you have a girlfriend yes she will love those roses, but she would also love your time, or a great adventure. One of the top 5 regrets for people on their death beds is not doing more stuff when they had time. No one wishes they watched more TV or checked in on Facebook more.

HAVE LESS DO MORE!

RJK