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Where do you fit on this scale?
There are two ways to financial security - one is to make more money. The other is to spend less. I am an advocate of the later method because spending less allows me to work less and live more.
Like most people, I buy things. But what I buy, mostly, are the basics. Shelter, food, utilities, health care, and transportation. Beyond that in most months I don't buy anything else. What else do I need? The basics are all that are required to set the stage for happiness.
My minimal budget provides me with a comfortable place to live, clean water (some of it heated), a sanitation system (including garbage disposal/recycling), and 24 hour electricity for heating, lighting, cooking, and my computer.
Add to that fresh, wholesome, tasty food, a secure place to store my guitars and bicycle, accessible natural areas, good health, and a public library near by. All of this in a safe, secure community with caring and supportive friends.
What more could a person want? If you can have a good life on a low income, why work more? I would rather live more than work more, and keeping to a modest budget allows me to do just that.
Some think that work/life balance means a 50/50 split. Wrong. In this case, a healthier ratio looks more like 20/80.
I've been reading about the idea of work/life alignment, instead of work life balance. I guess balance kind of implies that you're being pulled in two directions. By contrast, work/life alignment means shaping your work around your life and your life around your work to have a harmonious use of time. I like that idea and I think it fits with a lot of what you're saying about spending less. I recently took a break from working full time to go to grad school -- something I've wanted for nearly a decade. This meant spending less but, I'm getting to live a little more.
ReplyDeleteWork/life alignment sounds much better. If approached with the right attitude work does not have to be a negative thing, but another part of what we do and who we are. Work to live rather than Live to work, as they say. Congrats on grad school - what an adventure.
DeleteOne thing I am enjoying is being more open to opportunities and people who cross your path. When you work all the time, you are locked in to what you will be doing.
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