Dealing with Obsession

Be who you are and say what you feel….
Because those that matter… don’t mind…
And those that mind… don’t matter.”

Today, I urge you to chill out. Give me five minutes of your time. What have you done with your day so far? What have you got planned?

Chances are, you are like the rest of the world and have something crammed into every last minute of the day; from when you woke up this morning to when you lie back down in bed; you are constantly on the go. I woke up this morning, leaving myself just enough time to get dressed and ride into work on my motorbike, to be sitting at my desk just after 8am. I then proceeded to eat breakfast while sifting through emails at my desk and attended an array of morning meetings. I then ate my lunch at my desk to put in some final preparation for a 12:30 meeting and didn’t stop until I left the office at 18:45. I got back on my bike, returned home, made dinner (reheated a precooked frozen meal), all in time for Mrs Scot’s arrival and ate dinner and got ready for bed. I haven’t stopped all day. This is not a typical day for me; I normally have the discipline to spend half an hour in the restaurant at work to eat lunch and to take an hour out for the gym in the afternoon to break it up – but tomorrow is the weekend and I have a lot to finish this week. I know that I am not alone in this lifestyle – and what for? To earn enough money to eat and put a roof over our heads to do it all again? To earn enough money for a promotion to eat fancier food and drive on a better bike/better car and live under a bigger roof? Not Me.

Slow down for a few minutes and have a think about this quote:

“Go out in the world and work like money doesn’t matter, Sing as if no one is listening, Love as if you have never been hurt, and Dance as if no one is watching”

Read it again – this time really think about what it means.

‘Go out in the world and work like money doesn’t matter’ – This is paramount! The bottom line is that you have to enjoy what you do for a living. If you don’t – change it. Immediately. While my day may sound pretty hectic, I actually enjoy what I do for a living – more and more everyday. I have a lot of ownership in my role and can use my own initiative. I work with great people and I am challenged. My day is long and hardworking, but fulfilling. – Is yours?

‘Sing as if no one is listening’ / ‘Dance if no one is watching’ – Simple – Be true to yourself, Be who you want to be, Be who you are, Don’t change for anyone; AND Let the haters hate!

‘Love as if you have never been hurt’ – Don’t let the past dictate the future. While you can learn from your mistakes and let experience influence decisions, don’t hold back with fear. You will regret it.

Have a look at your life and realise how good it is when you follow these simple philosophies. While we all share a common interest in personal finance and wealth, don’t let it become an obsession. It is all to easy to become fixated on making enough money to retire or meet personal goals – but it all has to have reason. Find your reason and make the very best of what you have. :D. Remember,

We can’t change the cards we have been dealt, but we can change how we play them.