Meanwhile, Everyone Else Is Spinning
I received THE best follow-up message from my recent 'Our Eyes Deceive Us' post about the importance of proper context. To summarize, I highlighted how my family's $1,000/month travel spending allocation ruffles a lot of feathers......often the same feathers that unknowingly actually spend far more than that in their own lives.
This reader commented that their monthly travel budget is $1,500, and each time they take a fun trip, people in their life respond with, "Must be nice." Oh, you know how much I love the phrase, "Must be nice."
Is this blog reader outlandishly rich and just throwing money around like it's going out of style? My understanding of this family tells me they don't. Instead, I get the sense that this family simply prioritizes the things that matter most to them in life......and disregards the rest. In fact, in the e-mail, they pointed out that if they were forced to reduce spending in their budget, travel "would be one of the last things we cut." Again, more than anything, this tells me that this family understands who they are, what they value, and successfully shuts out the noise. It's beautiful!
Meanwhile, everyone else is spinning in circles. Most of the "must be nice" people around us are so busy spending money on things that don't actually matter to them that they don't leave margin to invest in things that do. This isn't some provocative theory; it's a recurring theme I've observed in countless families. It's so easy to fall into this trap!
The car payments, the inflated mortgage payments, the constant credit card churn......all these items lead to a leaky bucket that prevents us from being able to actually live the life we desire. We may think we want the big houses, fancy cars, and high-end lifestyles, but the data says otherwise. You wouldn't believe the number of people who rock out $1,000/month vehicle payments and have no emotional attachment to their vehicles. Or the people who decided to purchase houses that far exceed their needs and budgets, who are secretly living house-poor. Or the people who are busy living a status-boosting lifestyle, but would actually prefer more peace. This isn't me casting judgment on people....I've been there!
To the reader who graciously sent me that e-mail, I hope it is nice! I hope it's nice to travel. I hope it's nice to live in accordance with your values. And I hope it's nice to block out all the noise! I hope people continue to watch the example you set, and ultimately decide to follow in your footsteps.
____
Did someone forward you this post? We're glad you're here! If you'd like to subscribe to The Daily Meaning to receive these posts directly in your inbox (for free!), just CLICK THIS LINK. It only takes 10 seconds.