Money gives you freedom
I’ve been seeing stories where people have put life blood into achieving a goal, but crossing the goal they doesn’t give the satisfaction they’ve expected. There are stories about marathon runners, who planned and prepared for a particular marathon for months. They wake up before dawn, run great lengths to keep the goal moving, eat healthy and portioned meals, all for the greatest marathon. Yet, the moment they cross the line, no fireworks go off, no change in lifestyle from next day, no extra money flowing into their bank accounts. The day seems to be same as always. No goal seemed like a super power, apart from one. Money.
Don’t get me wrong. Eating healthy, exercising everyday are needed for a healthier lifestyle. But, I want to look at the goal at which you feel a super power had been bestowed upon you. This I felt when I earned my first salary.
The first hard earned money
We all look forward to this day our whole childhoods. We dream of what we can buy, where we can go, and the freedom to spend it wherever we like to. That happens the moment you see money in your bank account. The first credit for your month long work, makes you invincible. However small or big the number is, the fact that the number unlocked you from needing permission to spend feels like ultimate power.
Not running behind money, sounds cool. But, money is the only super power I’ve seen unlocking people from their brittle pasts. You can say you are the best person in the whole town, but sending a hundred when your parent needs it makes you feel you are above the world.
Money isn’t everything, yes. But, do remember money can buy to a lot of things. I used to be the guy who thought money isn’t the ultimate goal. I accept the same now too. But money is part of the goal. You can have a million in your account and plan not to spend it on dumb stuff. Your life unlocks as the number in your account grows. You can’t even comprehend the ways you become stress free from it.
Spend it wisely
The other side of the coin is sensible spending of that same money. I’ve been talking about how to grow the number, not how to spend it. Cause, even I don’t know how to. I just know the fact that the more money you have, the happier you are not from the things you buy, but from the things you can buy. Both have a subtle distinction.
The moment you spend it, you are moving away from freedom. Let me explain this. Lets say you have Rs.10Lakh in your account. You can either spend it on an LV bag, or invest it in FD. The moment you spend it on the bag, you’ve lost the freedom to spend it on the diamond necklace you want to buy. Our problem with planning our spends are that we save a specified amount and plan to buy everything with that fixed amount. With Rs.10Lakh, you plan to buy the LV bag, a diamond set, a brand new car, you forever loved BMW bike; But only have that one lump sum to spend on one item, not all at once. That isn’t how capitalism works. You buy one, you lose the entire list.
Unlock the list
But moving it to FD unlocks the list. You can look at the LV bag while roaming in the mall, smile at it thinking you could easily buy it, and move on. Moving on from the items which doesn’t add much value to your goals gives you freedom like no other. The more you are worth in your bank account, the more you can smile because you have the absolute power to buy anything yet you chose to walk away. That’s freedom.