Money can be a great tool.
When used wisely, it affords us the opportunity to see, do, and experience a lot of things.
Each “0” we add to our net worth can increase our feeling of comfort, peace of mind, and hope.
Most of us work 40-70+ hours a week for 40-50 years of our lives in the pursuit of it. And many dedicate their entire being to the pursuit of more.
But as much as your employer, peers, the government, banks, corporations, and the media may try to convince you otherwise, money and its pursuit can be quite insignificant when compared to a number of life’s pleasures.
It would be a healthy thing to remind yourself of that at times. I find myself having to do so quite often as the topic of money tends to creep up around me in more conversation than any one person should have to endure.
To help with that, I decided to create an appreciation list of 50 things (could have easily grown to 100+, but decided to stop at 50) that render money and its constant pursuit relatively insignificant.
Time- Freedom
- Passion
- Family
- Friends
- Spending quality time with family and friends
- Love
- Helping a person or animal in need
- Coming together with others to solve a problem
- Learning
- Teaching
- Watching a sunset
- Going for a long bike ride or walk
- Feeling like you gave it your all after a workout
- Seeing yourself become more fit
- Your health
- The health of loved ones
- Spending time with pets
- Taking your dog for a walk
- Great food
- Great drink
- Sharing a meal with others
- Physical affection
- Verbal affection
- Spiritual growth
- Building or creating something from scratch
- Giving it your all
- Failure, followed by success
- Feeling proud about an accomplishment
- Having others feel proud about your accomplishment
- Feeling proud for others accomplishments
- Exploring a new location
- Planting a tree & seeing it grow over time
- Growing food in a garden
- Seeing rare wildlife
- Clean air
- Clean water
- Clean soil
- Reducing your impact on the environment
- Selling or giving away your stuff
- Taking a vacation
- Feeling like part of a community
- Becoming more self reliant
- Losing yourself in an activity
- Laughing uncontrollably
- Becoming the first person in your family to achieve something
- Raising children
- Having a good relationship with neighbors
- Having a boss you like and respect
- Enjoying what you do with your time
Ironically, few of these things actually require money.
What makes your list?
Related Posts:
- Money Can’t Buy Happiness, but it Can Buy..
- The Consumption & Happiness Paradox
- Is Personal Finance a Legit Reason to Not have Kids or Pets?
- Wealth Alone Does Not Make a Hero
I’m forgetful, so I make checklists before bed or when I wake up to keep track of things I want to accomplish throughout the day. Finishing a checklist feels satisfying, and it probably falls under “feeling proud of an accomplishment,” but finishing a checklist is somewhat different, because it involves several accomplishments.
I also like the smell of the air when a storm is approaching, and watching the storm when it arrives. Sometimes I sit on the porch with a book or newspaper during thunderstorms.
Finishing a list is closely tied to the “Feeling proud about an accomplishment” sentiment. A list allows us to see how far we’ve come and remind ourselves of our accomplishments.
This is a nice list. One can easily come up w/ 100 if one tried.
This is a nice post. There is such an overbearing weight on the idea of money and not having enough/making enough. There are so many activities and wonders of the world that can be accessed without the need for money. Granted, it is one thing to have money and be able to do whatever it is you would like and another to not have any at all and possibly be hindered by it. This is a great list, one that can be added onto every day. When it all comes down to it, its all about health, family, love, music, friendship and nature. So many ideas can be branched out from these core concepts. It would be a beautiful synergy if one could combine all those great aspects of life into a working environment. That is the ultimate dream…
I say money is satisfaction generator. If you have money you can satisfy yourself and fulfill all kind of wish. Some people thought money make happy in life. I do not fully agree with it. Lots of people who have lots of money but no happiness in their life. Anyway great 50 list :)
This post inspires me to want a make a list like it that applies directly to my life. Too often, I think only about the financials of everything. I’m reminded that I need to often think about the other things in life that money has no control over, and as this post shows, there are many. Thanks for reminding me of that.