Viva La Vida!? Living 'The Here And Now' vs. Saving Money For The Future 💰💰💰 [A Life Strategy Check]
Live for the moment, because everything else is uncertain. - Louis Tomlinson
Are you sure, Louis?
I mean the expectation for life has increased considerably during the past decades, and there is a high probability that our assets need to feed us for many more years.
Having said that, life is taking place right now. So besides all the cost cuts we still need and want to enjoy the present time.
What is the right balance of saving and spending money?
@surfermarly at a (too?) expensive hotel last weekend
Viva la vida!?
How valuable is the here and now compared to the (rather unknown) future?
First of all, I'm consciously complaining on a high level; there is no doubt about that. Many people don't even have a choice, they live from hand to mouth.
The fact that I'm able to decide on either spending or saving money, turns me into a fortunate person.
Yet we've got all just this one life; one chance to make the best of it.
When I started to grow my first grey hairs, it was clear: I'm not immortal after all 😎
Who knows how much we've got actually?
Theoretically life could be over tomorrow, well even today.
But is this minimum chance of an early passing reason enough to not care sufficiently about tomorrow?
Here's what I believe: we should live life to the fullest but without excess.
Nobody knows if any of the opportunities given to us will knock twice.
However, we need to take care of our resources - both in an economical and in a physical sense.
There won't be a second chance given to live this one life again, but still it's not an 'all or nothing game'.
You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternety in each moment.-
Henry David Thoreau
That's why I'm a defender of 'selective moments of pleasure'.
You have the possibility to go on a nice vacation and spend some money on things that don't necessarily contribute to your retirement provision but to your current emotional state? Then do this!
These little gifts are able to refill your positivity account in an extraordinary way.
They push you forwards and lighten up your daily routine, they make life worth living.
Remember that you work to make a living and not the other way around...
Life is here and now, not forgetting about tomorrow's demands.
It's about balance.
I hope you've found yours as well,
Marly -
Today's album: How I spent the last weekend with one of my best friends 📷
Pool landscape - our home for one weekend.
Hotel with a view - in the back you can see the neighbour island 'Fuerteventura'.
Falling asleep to the rhythm of the Ocean - priceless!
Marly checking the hotel room's terrace.
Having a glass of champagn at the hotel room.
Ladies getting ready for their night out.
Stage moment - dancing my ass off 😆
Original content. Quote found on sayquotable.com and imgrum.org.
A month ago, a 45 year old friend of mine walked into her family doctors office complaining of being bloated. A month later, she had died of Lymphoma.
She always reminded me of @budgetbucketlist. She loved life and loved to travel. She had saved enough money to pay for her rent/food, but all the rest went to travel and enjoying life.
She was disappointed that had to leave this form too early, but everyone would agree that she lived a great life ... even for someone who's only 45.
Work to live, don't live to work.
You never know which day will be your last.
Oh dear that's a very sad story :-( 45 years is definitely too young. I'm sorry to hear that.
But I know what you mean when you say that she lived a great life anyways. It may sound weird but the other day I said the following to my dad: "Daddy you know what, I think I've already experienced more than many other people don't even live in their whole complete life. I'm not saying that I wanna die now, but I guess I'd be ready anyways." Probably I wouldn't think in the same (brave) manner when things would really develop like that. But I'm pretty sure that there is a chance that I would find a way to handle it.
Every second counts.
Maybe you are interested in reading an article I've written in that context a couple of months back:
https://steemit.com/theeverydayproject/@surfermarly/the-flying-donkey-project
Thanks for your amazingly inspiring comment!!! It's much appreciated.
That's a fantastic philosophy!
Aaaaaw that is so cute!!! 😍😍😍 Didn't know that scene yet.
Thanks for sharing it!
Very nice post again! A nice balance between contemplation and fun :)
Why is it so difficult to find balance when it comes to money?
People are either savers or spenders (in very broad strokes..)
Spenders live in the moment and forget about planning for tomorrow, and savers are preoccupied with planning for tomorrow and forget to live now.
Both camps have to become conscious of finding a good balance. Otherwise one will die broke and the other will die rich. And dying rich is not really any better than dying broke, is it. You're still dead, LOL
So I guess the solution is, Remember there's a tomorrow. But have champagne (and a party with new shoes) while you do.
Oh I love this comment!!! Thank you so much.
This is exactly what I believe: yes, there is a tomorrow, but make sure that your way towards this tomorrow is full of joy.
I think you're right, it's hard to find the right mix of being a saver vs. a spender. My parents for example are "hardcore savers" (that may also be a characteristic of their whole generation), while me and my brothers are rather "live embracers" / spenders. We've been nicely educated so don't waste money and live over the top, but still have a completely different lifestyle compared to our mom and dad.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such inspiring thoughts!
Yes this really is a generational issue - I was brought up as a hardcore saver by my parents, too. The baby boomer generation was all about security. Understandably so.
Generation Y is all about experiences now and I'm right in between them as Generation X.
The Generation X wants to live like the Generation Y, while having all the beliefs of the Baby Boomers still engraved in their system.
But JOY, yesss! That should be the only guiding star for anything we do! :)
(You just inspired me to post a money article for savers and spenders ;))
Oh that's an excellent explanation actually and totally makes sense! I'm definitely in-between these two: X and Y :-)
Great to know that you felt inspired and of course will have a look at your article :-)
You know, this is what I value most about this platform...
You have a break, browse through Steemit to see if there's anything interesting, stumble across an article that actually makes you think, then you have a nice meaningful conversation - no matter how long or short - and that inspires you to publish an article you didn't know you were going to write when you got up in the morning.. And bam you made money. No matter how little or much - it's money you didn't have before. It's money you didn't even plan on trying to make that day. But now it's there. Born out of joy and creativity in the moment.
All while you were taking a break.
Wow.
Thank you @surfermarly :)
And Dan.
And Satoshi :)
And the Big Bang. Or something. ;)
Oh this was just the best comment I've ever read on steemit. You're so right - that's it. That's the essence! THANK YOU!!!
Have a wonderful, inspiring weekend :-)
PS: Are you at steemit.chat? I need to ask you something.
Yes I am, but under my German account name @followyourjoy - I'm almost never there but I will get your message :)
Nobody knows what gonna happen tomorrow! That's what I always say, when people making plans for the next decade! It's like they are making the whole illusion world of future in their heads, planning everything in advance, spending their energy on creating this illusion, something that probably never happen! I am trying to enjoy the moment, I wouldn't say I have any obstacles for this:) The Teacher from the Doi Suthep Temple I've written about, was always saying: "Feel the power of now, you only exist now, this second, this moment". It's a kind of technique as well, you try to feel yourself in every small part of your body, in the tips of the toes, in fingers, feel your skin, and realise that you exist right now, not tomorrow, not even in 10 minutes! :) It gives a nice boost for meditation practices as well.
Really nice photos, the view is overwhelming! Happy for you getting your positive batteries recharged! :)Peace!
Do you know this quote from Woody Allen?
Well I couldn't agree more with your point of view. A lot of people spend their whole lives making plans of things that won't ever happen.
These meditation practices bring you to the essence of life, and you realize that most of the problems only exist in your head. The here and now is often much better than anything else to come, and most of the fear we feel with regards to the future is unreal.
Thanks for stopping by, Luke. I always enjoy your comments VERY much :-)
Peace and happy Friday (I guess it's Friday at your place already)...
Hakuna Matata !
Oh I LOVE that!!!!!!!!!!! 😍😍😍
I'm ill in bed suffering a flu and this just came at the perfect point of time.
Thaaaaaaaanks.
In all things balance @surfermarly... seems to me to be the way to go.
I remember my cousin moved from Denmark to Australia when I was about 22 and we all thought it was a little nuts... but he wanted to do something new. At 36-- while perfectly healthy-- he died from an unexpected stroke. It reminded me that we should never take anything for granted.
But yes, we live longer and longer... and many of us are barely making it, so the idea of "saving for old age" is perhaps more of a dream than a reality. One of the things I love about a venue like Steemit... is that I can do something I really enjoy (writing) and at the same time the rewards for my efforts become a savings account of sorts... maybe something for the future.
Most of my family got to be quite old, mostly thanks to the idea of "all things in moderation." I hope I take after them... they stayed in good health to their 90s. Even if I can't "work" for the rest of my life, perhaps I will still be able to use a keyboard... and maybe there will still be places like this.
Oh I'm so sorry about your cousin. I'm 36 right now, so there is no guarantee as you said!
Oh YES, isn't that a wonderful opportunity? I was actually thinking about it when writing this article. Many of my adventures during the past months were paid with money I earned on steemit. It's definitely a great chance to improve one's financial situation and lifestyle.
I'm pretty sure there will be lots of places like steemit in the future. Maybe steemit will be the leading brand then and all the others just bad copies aiming to become as big as steemit :-) Who knows.
Cheers to that long and pleasant life, many written stories to come and a decent amount of crypto for our retirements :-)
Happy weekend @denmarkguy!!
Full 100% and resteemed :-)
Thank you so much!!! :-) Have a wonderful day!
Balance of now verses later is key indeed.
I've spent far too much of my time here thinking about the future, it's time to shift towards the now, now! :D
I don't believe that it's wrong to think a while about the future. There is a big chance that we're going to have one, so just living in the here and now might be very expensive in a couple of years..:-)
It's the balance - as you said. Yeah!
Yeah! :D
'selective moments of pleasure' sounds great!
thinking about it, the only thing we're saving for is new camera equipment 😅
we're not that good at saving for retirement in our family 😆
Haha - me neither. But I always try to force myself...
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your point of view @anna-redhead (cool nickname btw!).
haha, thanks, your nickname is cool too! :D
Very great thoughts to live in the present moment. Dear one thing I can say that the profession you have is one of the methods to be pratised to be in present moment. While we ride the bike on high speed, on a roller coaster, on the skating and skiing these are all activites which bring our mind to the present moment and I am happy you have chosen such job. " The Power Of Now" By Ekhart Tolle is one of the best books to read for this understanding.
Oh thanks for the book recommendation, I haven't read this one so far. Will definitely have a look at it!!
The present time is soooo valuable. The past only exists in our memories and the future isn't written yet. So I believe that there is nothing more important than NOW.
Thanks for your ongoing support and for sharing once more your point of view!!!
Feeling vs Thinking...the quotation favors the feeling as the leading element in life's decisions. In my opinion, life is all about balance. If you keep using your thinking factor in each and everything of your life, it would be colorless. There are situations when one must stop thinking and go with the flow of feelings. However, thinking must dominate the life decisions most of the times.
I couldn't agree more, @ugetfunded! Very nice comment, thank you.
This. I don't think that we shouldn't "go with the flow of feelings" (as you called it) all the time. There might be a moment in time when we regret. However, life is now - and it would be less fun if we always followed the rules...
Thanks for your valuable addings!
Well said @ugetfunded.
Very important insights in your post. You are right, balance is the key. Learning to enjoy the little things and celebrate the big moments with the people most important to you seems ultimate to me.
I couldn't agree more!
My friend actually didn't know anything about our weekend plan. She arrived at the airport of my island and didn't even know where we were going. It wasn't her birthday and neither mine - but it feels incredibly good to surprise your best friends in such way from time to time.