Life is a continual balancing act. Save money for tomorrow, do things today. At the end of the day, you have to live your life in a way that’s appropriate for you, and have no regrets. For me, it means a lot of things, that reflect my own nature.
Live Life With No Regrets Following These Simple Rules
- Treat others the way you’d want to be treated. It’s the golden rule- do unto others. For me, I feel badly if I try to take advantage of someone, or if I hurt someone unnecessarily. I have to listen to the voice in my head, and I have to live with it, so I try to not piss it off.
- Live Like You Were Dying- to a Point. Let’s face it- there are a lot of fun things you can do now that you probably won’t be inclined to do when you’re 80. So, go out dancing, go skydiving, go bungee jumping or whatever it is that is on your bucket list. Of course, you should make sure you do this and still have money saved for retirement. It’s about balance.
- Start Saving Early. It is much easier to save money while you’re young, have no kids, and no major bills. Take advantage of the effects of compounding, and drop a little bit in savings early on. I worked on a mathematical model with my younger daughter showing her how saving money now, at the age of 12, she could be independently wealthy quite young.
- Work Hard Early. Get the education, get a great job, or start a business, but do it early. Don’t put it off until “later”, because later may never come. If you work hard early, you can set yourself up for later, and that’s pretty cool. You’ll be able to do more stuff on your bucket list.
- Have a Bucket List. Make a list of the things you’d like to do. Have some goals. Take the time out to do them. One of the items on my bucket list is to go to the Galapagos- and I’ll be doing that in the next few months.
My parents spent so much of their lives saving, saving, saving, that they spent very few years actually living. It has only been as my dad is approaching the end stages of Parkinson’s that he’s actually gone on his first cruise. The reason wasn’t money. They just didn’t do it. My parents had dreams of going places, and doing things, and those were cut off by my mom’s MS. The best memories they had were of the years we spent in Brazil, and really living. They went to Carnival, they danced, laughed, went to parties, and had a great time. Those were the stories I heard growing up. Those were only about 3.5 years of their lives, out of over 70 for my dad. I’m sure that there were other fun times, but still, it seems like a waste in some ways. They waited until “later” for so many things. That later never happened. Yet, they did so many things right, like saving for retirement. So, it’s about balance, and finding that balance.
No Regrets.
