Once upon a time, there was a woman who was 33 years old. She had a good job and occasionally went out with her friends. She had a clear plan: she was saving up for an apartment. She put aside a significant portion of her salary because she was sure that she would definitely be happy in her own apartment. That's when she believed she would find a man, travel for leisure, and do whatever she wanted. However, on the eve of her birthday, she was diagnosed with cancer and was told she had only six months to live.
This left her in shock. She didn't know what to do; she didn't believe in treatments, and what was the point of spending her last six months hooked to an IV?
So, she made a decision. With only half a year to live, she decided to live life to the fullest! She went to the bank, took out a large loan, added her savings meant for the apartment, and began to enjoy herself.
She embarked on a round-the-world trip, felt the freedom, and had a burning desire to live. She even met "the one". She was happy - genuinely happy for the first time, and for the first time, she felt she was truly living her life.
After six months, she decided to return home. Continuing to feel joy and satisfaction, she went to the doctor and discovered that the diagnosis was wrong. Her life wasn't in danger, and she could continue to be happy...
Of course, this story is fictional. But it has many illustrative points. Whether to save all the money you earn or to live as if it's your last day is up to each individual. The question is: do you like living the way you do?
Do you enjoy saving every last penny and not relishing the present moment? Avoiding restaurants, not buying anything new for yourself, constantly counting and believing that once you've saved enough, you'll relax? What do you feel - relaxation or a sense of a race and stress? Do you have opportunities for rest and enjoyment? Do you have time for yourself?
Or perhaps this isn't your mindset? Maybe you already have enough money to live by? Maybe it's a mindset inherited from your parents who struggled to earn in challenging times? Perhaps in childhood, you lived in scarcity, and to feel at peace now, you need to have money in the bank or under the mattress, and you find joy in counting it repeatedly. If you feel free, happy, relaxed, and calm only when you have savings, then, of course, it's essential to have them.
It all depends on the "context" of your life. If your parents worked hard and always told you that without effort you can't achieve much, or you've had many challenges in life, then for your psyche, it's easier when there are savings. But if you're saving just because you've been told to and aren't enjoying the present, then it might be worth considering reducing that amount and doing something for yourself.
You need to understand that the most important thing is you. You can always earn money!
On the other hand, living life to the fullest as if it's your last day is also a kind of destructive scenario. It means you're not thinking about the future, relying on luck, and hoping that everything will work out. When a person doesn't take responsibility for their life and hopes someone else will make decisions for them, this scenario leads to living in anxiety. Hormonal balance shifts, making it hard to achieve happiness and experience pleasure.
I generally don't like extremes. Both options are inadequate and only lead to anxiety and stress.
According to the rules of financial literacy, you should have savings for six months of peaceful life – if something happens, you'll have time to find a new job and not worry. You can set aside ten to twenty percent of your income, or you can invest it. Everyone chooses this amount for themselves: some start with one dollar, and some immediately set aside twenty percent. The main thing is to understand what suits you.
In the story, I showed that the girl didn't live at all and only started living when she had just six months left. She allowed herself to desire and get what she wanted. She admitted to herself what she wanted. Let's say you want to save because you want to live. But when to live? Later? When is later? This is the effect of "deferred" life: someday I will become a happy person, I will do what I want.
The strategy I give my clients is to first find their "wants", their desires, and start giving themselves these things now. So the brain understands that we live now, not later. Then – we integrate investments to free up more time. It turns out, the person lives now, enjoys now, and at the same time builds a strategy on how to increase what they have and how to get what they don't have yet.
And if you are interested in looking at your scenarios and understanding what suits you, I invite you to transformational games where you can see what no longer works in your life and what can be changed. I am waiting for you and believe in you!
