Happiness – #MoneyGoals

My Life Goal

Whenever I tell people about my simple life and enthusiastic money saving tactics, they often ask me why? What is the point of saving so much money when I could be driving a new BMW, eating fancy sushi and living in a luxury apartment?

There are a lot of immediate benefits I gain from my daily habits. Walking/biking everywhere keeps me in great shape. Cooking my own food is a skill I take pride in, and helps keep me healthy. Not having unlimited data on my phone helps me stay engaged and present in the world around me.

But the most important reason for all of this is simple:

I want to maximize the amount of time I spend on intrinsically motivated activities and minimize the amount of time I spend on extrinsically motivated activities.

The basic definition of an extrinsically motivated activity is a behavior you engage in for external rewards such as money, admiration, or avoiding punishment, while an intrinsically motivated activity is a behavior you engage in for internal rewards such as personal enjoyment.

I’ve developed a simple test to see if what I’m doing is intrinsically motivated. I ask myself, “Would I still do this if I had to wake up at 7AM on a Saturday, do it for free and no one would ever know about it?” I would answer that question with a “Hell yeah!” for spending time with family and friends, hiking, biking, walking, exercising, spending time outdoors, playing music, playing basketball, traveling and teaching people about things I’m passionate about.

While I love my job and the people I work with, it would be tough to convince me to wake up early on the weekend to work in an office without getting paid or receiving some other reward. Hopefully at some point in my life an office job could be replaced with family time, deep conversations with friends or climbing mountains.

My life goal is not to have the most dollars in my bank account, but to spend the most hours doing things I love.

#MoneyGoals

Pictured: Engaging in an intrinsically motivated activity, kayaking with good friends. Mora, Minnesota / June 2019.

Buying Happiness

For the last four or five years my main goal has been to get good grades and land a solid job. Now that I have accomplished this goal, it feels like I made it past Level 1 – Get a Job and moved up to Level 2 – Enjoy Life. The last few months, I have been listening to podcasts and reading books about how to live a more meaningful, satisfactory and happy life. What I learned has led me to increase spending in a few key areas in an effort to increase life enjoyment and essentially purchase happiness.

1. Rent – I moved to downtown Dallas, where my rent is about double what it was out in the suburbs. That said, I went from a 2-3 hour round trip commute by bus to a 20 minute one with the option to walk, bike, or ride the train. This change was monumental for me, as it meant I got to sleep more and enjoy more free time to work out and socialize, all beneficial for overall life satisfaction.

2. Dining Out – It still pains me to spend 20 dollars on a dish I could have cooked myself for 2, but I’ve come to learn that the time spent with other people is often worth the price. My new policy is whenever someone deliberately asks me if I would like to get food with them, if I’m available I’ll join them.

3. Travel – As with dining out, this one is all about the social connections. All of my travel this year has been to see family and friends all over the world, and the memories I’ve made are priceless.

At the end of the day, my goal isn’t to save as much money as humanly possible, but rather to hone in my spending habits to maximize efficiency and life satisfaction. Stay tuned.

#MoneyGoals

(Pictured: Kayaking with the family in Minnesota, September 2018, courtesy of my increased spending on travel)

If You Know the Good…

Sitting around a campfire one summer on a family camping trip, my aunt told the story of a philosophy professor she encountered in college. This professor would have lengthy debates with his students over the concept that, “If you know The Good, you’ll do The Good.”

The students would argue that they knew that going to a party, getting drunk, and staying up late instead of studying wasn’t “The Good” but they were still going to do it. The philosophy professor would then argue that they did not fully understand the benefits of The Good, and if they did they would do The Good.

This idea of knowing The Good pops into my head whenever I am in need of motivation to improve part of my life.

If I think eating lucky charms for three meals a day (as I did freshman year) isn’t The Good, then I will do some research. Reading that cutting sugar out of your diet can benefit your overall health including giving you clearer skin (as well as more serious stuff like reducing your risk of having heart disease or a stroke) gives me the motivation to improve.

I might even go down a rabbit hole and discover that there are entire cultures that experience no acne whatsoever, which is largely attributable to their non-Western diets, avoiding processed foods and dairy. I’m starting to get a picture of what The Good looks like.

This concept can be used in all areas of life. If you aren’t feeling satisfied with something, try learning all you can about it and let your new-found knowledge guide you toward The Good.

Know The Good. Do The Good. Be The Good.

#MoneyGoals

(Pictured: Flowers in the Brisbane City Botanic Garden. Brisbane, QLD, Australia. May 2017.)

Australia and Balance

A few days ago I got home from Australia, ending a two week period in which I spent as much money as I usually do in two months. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit spending that much hurt a bit.

I’d also be lying if I didn’t admit that it was an incredible experience. The people I met, places I visited, and memories I made will stick with me for the rest of my life.

Now, I was able to afford this trip because I don’t have any debt and I have a sizable financial safety net set up for myself. If you have debt, or don’t have enough savings to cover at least the next 6 months of your life, I would suggest that you work on those before spending hundreds of dollars on traveling. In fact, I would also suggest maxing out your Roth IRA for the year as well (which I did).

But life is all about balance. No one is happy spending 100% of their money, but I don’t think anyone is happy saving 100% of their money either. We all have to find what balance works for us. In the past, I’ve declined experiences with family, friends, or traveling to save money, and my trip to Australia was an interesting look at how the opposite mindset made me feel (declining saving to travel/spend time with friends).

I am still figuring out what the right balance is for myself, but I think it’s healthy to experiment to find what works for you. If you usually spend a lot of money, try cutting back and see if it’s a better balance. If you save all your money, try spending a little bit and see if it’s a better balance.

As the great philosopher Smash Mouth once said, “We could all use a little change.” This next month, I encourage you to try changing something or doing something new to find balance in your life. #MoneyGoals

(Pictured: Sunset in Byron Bay, NSW, Australia. May 21, 2017)

You Deserve Nothing

“You deserve way better than someone who treats you like that!” a supportive best friend says after a rough breakup. Respectfully, I disagree.

We are not deserving of anything. When you come into the world, the world owes you nothing. You are not entitled to a car, a roof over your head, or a job once you graduate. You aren’t entitled to a relationship with someone who treats you the same way you would treat your celebrity crush.

Instead, we earn what we want in life through our actions, and through hard work.

I learned this lesson in my teenage years, when my mom refused to buy me a phone. “All of my friends have one, and I have straight A’s, and I deserve it!” I firmly believed that due to my existence, and doing things I was expected to do anyways, that I was entitled to an iPhone.

“Get a job,” my mom would respond. Although this made me unhappy at the time, I know now that my mom was setting me up for a life of satisfaction.

I learned that if something in life isn’t the way you want it, you are responsible for changing it. Want a phone? Get a job. Think you should get a raise? Work harder, smarter, solve a problem at work, go the extra mile. Want great relationships? Work on yourself, improve your communication, become more patient, understanding, and caring.

Want a better life? Do what you need to do to get there. It’s not anyone’s responsibility but your own. #MoneyGoals

(Pictured: A pile of dirt that I used to fill in holes in my parents’ lawn. Mora, MN. August, 2016)

Four Things You Need to Buy to Be Happy

1. A big house.

Everyone knows that the bigger your house the more happy you’ll be. What easier way to let those around you know that you are a successful and cool person? Whenever anyone comes over to visit, they will ooh and ahh at your expansive living room, multiple guest rooms, and the kids will love the pool out back. Simply take out a 30-year mortgage, and don’t mind adding an extra hour to your commute. It will definitely be worth it once you have that three car garage.

2. The most fashionable clothes.

First impressions are important. Unless you are draped in the newest, trendiest fashion, other people will think you are a failure. One little known fact is that humans are attracted to other humans with expensive clothes, even if they’re jerks. So essentially buying the best clothes will automatically make people love you, while also allowing you to treat other people terribly.

3. A luxury car (or cars if you want to be extra happy).

Ok, you bought your huge house in the suburbs. Now since your commute is longer, you’re going to want a comfortable car to drive in. Consider a new Ford F-150! This vehicle will make you feel like you’re sitting in a La-Z-Boy, you won’t feel a single bump in the road. You will also never have to use your creativity in order to move things, just throw it in the bed of your luxury truck! As a bonus, it gets city MPG in the high teens!

If a truck isn’t your style, maybe you want to opt for a Mercedes Benz coupe. You deserve a 241 horsepower engine to move your less-than-200-pound body around. Think about it, it’s kind of like being a king in the old days whose carriage is pulled by 241 horses! This excessive power will signal to those around you that you are modern royalty. There was actually a scientific study done that reported that horsepower directly correlates with happiness. If you need to take out a loan, don’t hesitate. You can’t compromise when it comes to your vehicle.

Or why not both? And if you have enough available credit, maybe get a third vehicle? Why have a three car garage if you’re not going to have three cars?!

4. Restaurant meals.

Happiness comes from not doing work. This is why we love to go out to eat, so someone does the work for us. Having your food prepared and hand delivered to you, and then not having to do the dishes activates the part of our brain that tells us that we are super cool. I personally spend a lot of my time cooking, and it is a large source of unhappiness for me. Whenever I make food for my friends and family, they tell me how useless of a skill it is, and that I should have taken them to a restaurant. Restaurants are also known for serving the most healthy food, so you will know that you’re getting the most value for your money.

So next time you see someone who seems to be happy, just know that they probably have a gigantic house, multiple luxury cars, a walk-in closet full of brand new clothes, and they have not touched a dish towel in years.

Oh, and April Fools. #MoneyGoals

Why I Want to Live Like I’m in College My Whole Life

If you ask a random 40-year-old in the corporate world what time of their life they had the most fun in, chances are they’ll tell you about the shenanigans they and their friends would get into during college. Their eyes will glaze over imagining the fun and freedom of their early 20’s.

Funny thing is they were probably all broke during college. Those successful 40-year-olds were working part-time jobs, driving crappy cars (or walking in my dad’s case) and eating ramen in their 20’s. All while possibly spending more than they earned, and paying for their education by going into debt.

Yet they were happy! (Read: money doesn’t buy happiness)

And I’m happy as a clam right now. Sure I don’t own any actual property or a car, and I spend well under $10,000 per year. But I love my life! I think a lot of people expect their lives to greatly improve once they make a solid salary, drive a new BMW, and live in a huge luxury apartment.

If you search for happiness in material things or showing off to other people, you’re going to always need more or nicer things. And you’re not gonna find meaningful, long-lasting happiness.

We find happiness in relationships, doing work we are passionate about, helping other people, and being healthy. None of these necessarily require money. Or a BMW.

What is required for these things that make us happy is time. That is why even when I start making a solid yearly salary, I will be saving as much money as I can to be able to have as much time as I need to engage in as many activities as I want to that make me happy.

Money = Time = Freedom to Do Things That Make You Happy

Conversely, if you spend all your money on silly things like cars, restaurant meals, the newest iPhone, or that 12th pair of shoes, then your equation will looks more like this:

Money = Things = Need for More Things = Need for More Money = More Work = Less Time

And less time means less relationships, hobbies, helpfulness, and health. And less happiness. #MoneyGoals

(Pictured: A tree yoga pose where a tree should be. Richardson, Texas, November 2015)