I Have My Own Best Life So Don’t Tell Me To Live Yours

I don’t want a life of self-indulgence and excess wealth

You see them on social media. You’re scrolling through your feed on Youtube or Instagram and an Ad comes up.

“Are you living your best life?” they ask.

They’re usually holding some sort of GoPro moving around their 10 car garage or standing in their villa on the Riviera.

“If I can do it, you can do it too,” they say.

Then they attempt to sell you their program, showing you how to achieve the life they have. It’s a life of cars, big homes, vacations, and swank parties.

But why do they believe that we all want to live a life of extravagance and opulence?

I’m a capitalist. I’m all for starting a business and making as much money as you can.

Many of us don’t.

Don’t get me wrong. No one wants to be poor. Living paycheck-to-paycheck is not a goal that anyone aspires to. At a minimum, we want enough money to meet our needs.

Personally, I would like enough money where I don’t have a lack of finances be the reason I don’t act on something. Do you know what I mean?

“I can’t afford it!” “We don’t have enough money!” “We’ll have to wait for payday!”

It would be better if the reasons were non-financial:

“I have another appointment that day!” “No, I don’t want that!” “I don’t have the time right now!”

That’s all I want. I don’t like that I have to look at my budget to see if I can afford a $500 TV. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that I can without looking?

Here’s my good life:

1. As I listed above, I have enough money so a lack of finances is not a reason for anything.

2. I can give to the charities/individuals that I would like to help.

3. I have no debt.

That’s it. That’s what I’m working towards.

There’s nothing wrong with being rich

I don’t fault anyone who wants to live an extravagant life. Life is short and you only get to do it once. I don’t fault Jeff Bezos for spending US$5.5bn to spend 4 minutes in outer space. He probably paid for it in cash. There are plenty of articles online slamming him for misspent funds.

It’s his money. He can spend it how he wants. If he wants to go into space, go.

I wouldn’t. But that’s me.

Money can change your life

They say money changes people. I think you would be hard-pressed to disagree with that. I’ve thought about what would change about me were I to achieve billions. Obviously, my charitable work would increase. I’m talking about extravagance that I now can’t afford that I would change.

Here’s what I came up with:

1. I’d replace my Dodge Journey with a Jaguar F-Pace.

2. I’d stay in the same house because I like the neighbourhood but I would do some upgrades like gas stove/barbecue, hardwood floor in every room, etc.

3. Instead of vacationing in Cuba, I’d summer in my Turks and Caicos.

4. I’d fly first class instead of economy.

I could go on but I don’t want to. It does sound like I’m like the guys I’m ranting about but on a smaller scale, doesn’t it?

Maybe.

I can’t spend a billion dollars. I just can’t. Maybe I’d become a Shark on Shark Tank to help other startups.

I’m sure that many of the successful entrepreneurs in the ads have good intentions. They truly feel that they can help people reach their life goals by following their plans. They know that many of us are stuck in our jobs and dream of getting out. They also know that many of us have a plan but we don’t know to get started.

They believe that they can help.

But does the backdrop to their pitch have to be lavishness? Are they getting people to sign up because they see the indulgences in riches or a lavish lifestyle?

Maybe that says more about us than them.

I guess a day in the life of one who is financially free is not enticing enough.

How’s this:

1. 9 am: Get out of bed after having lain there for a while because you made love to your wife.

2. 10 am: Enjoy a hot shower after having worked out. Long or short, it’s your time.

3. 11 am: After checking how your finances are doing, you and your spouse head to the local café for breakfast.

4. 12:30 pm: You jump in your BMW convertible for a spin to the harbor for an afternoon sail. No 10 car garages or luxury yachts.

5. 4 pm: Return home for a nap. Lovemaking is optional.

6. 6 pm: Order in for a relaxing supper.

7. 8 pm: Pour some wine and enjoy a movie.

8. 10:30 pm: Retire to the bedroom to relax, enjoy a book, or turn in. Make love?

I know that this might be tough to put in an ad. No one wants to see you have sex and you want people to focus on your message and not inundate them with different images.

But this might pique my interest because it’s realistic. All those items are things I do now albeit infrequently. I don’t have a BMW or a sailboat but I drive and I’ve been on a sailboat.

Conclusion

I believe that most of us want more control of our lives. While money can’t buy happiness, more of it can give us more options with our lives if we use it wisely. Those options are not the same for everyone and I wish those ads would reflect that.

Then more of us might sign up and give it a go.