My responses in this thread have been defensive and smug. I apologize for this. I have found some feedback provocative but I appreciate that all the more.
I have changed my thinking considerably over the past week or two. I am feeling more balanced. Reading "Practicing Stoic" is helping.
I am more accepting of my job. I have a pleasant day-to-day existence. What more can I ask for, really? I don't have the option to drop to part-time, and it's possible that my work-life balance will lead to conflict and departure in the future, but I am not attaching emotion to these facts.
There is a voice telling me that I should be pursuing my own independent ideas and marching to the beat of my own drum. I am not indulging these thoughts. I have done a lot of that before and I'm sure that I will do plenty more of it in the future. In truth it is not so very different ("wherever you go, there you are") and it is better to appreciate the now.
I am very thankful that my living costs are modest compared with my savings and income. I have already halved my living costs, five years ago, and I am more satisfied with life on this lower cost basis. Just for the moment I am convinced of the Stoic notion that the only thing better than having a luxury is to not want it. (I appreciate the provocative suggestion to "exercise my spending muscle" though!)
Money: I used to measure it in dollars, or multiples of living costs, or percentages of invested assets, but I am excited to try counting it as simply "more than enough." That is, to keep living my current lifestyle, with gentle efforts to increase satisfaction by reducing wants, and not concern myself with portfolio size. (Just an annual pass/fail review to make sure I'm still living according to safe boglehead principles.)
I have a "win" already this week. My accountant tells me that I might have to pay tens of thousands of dollars on unexpected taxes related to some assets accumulated while living overseas. I quickly did the arithmetic ("more than enough, minus tens of thousands of dollars, still equals more than enough") and went onward with my day.
I have changed my thinking considerably over the past week or two. I am feeling more balanced. Reading "Practicing Stoic" is helping.
I am more accepting of my job. I have a pleasant day-to-day existence. What more can I ask for, really? I don't have the option to drop to part-time, and it's possible that my work-life balance will lead to conflict and departure in the future, but I am not attaching emotion to these facts.
There is a voice telling me that I should be pursuing my own independent ideas and marching to the beat of my own drum. I am not indulging these thoughts. I have done a lot of that before and I'm sure that I will do plenty more of it in the future. In truth it is not so very different ("wherever you go, there you are") and it is better to appreciate the now.
I am very thankful that my living costs are modest compared with my savings and income. I have already halved my living costs, five years ago, and I am more satisfied with life on this lower cost basis. Just for the moment I am convinced of the Stoic notion that the only thing better than having a luxury is to not want it. (I appreciate the provocative suggestion to "exercise my spending muscle" though!)
Money: I used to measure it in dollars, or multiples of living costs, or percentages of invested assets, but I am excited to try counting it as simply "more than enough." That is, to keep living my current lifestyle, with gentle efforts to increase satisfaction by reducing wants, and not concern myself with portfolio size. (Just an annual pass/fail review to make sure I'm still living according to safe boglehead principles.)
I have a "win" already this week. My accountant tells me that I might have to pay tens of thousands of dollars on unexpected taxes related to some assets accumulated while living overseas. I quickly did the arithmetic ("more than enough, minus tens of thousands of dollars, still equals more than enough") and went onward with my day.
Statistics: Posted by eurobogle — Fri Jun 14, 2024 3:01 am — Replies 38 — Views 6763
