Sunday, September 24, 2017

What I Learned I Could Live Without

Some Things Matter, Others Dont


A home of my own
I live in a rented apartment. It is not new. It is not big.  It does not have a fancy address. But it is comfortable and I feel secure living in it.  And that is enough.

A 4-year college education
I am a college drop-out.  My lack of a college education has kept me out of some companies and jobs. But I was able to find interesting work and paying work.  And that is enough.

A regular paycheck
Since becoming a Commissions Consultant, I have not had a regular paycheck. I get paid different amounts from week to week and I do not get paid on public holidays, or days off. But I get to work in many different companies, get to work on a variety of different assignments, get to meet many cool bosses and teams, and get paid for every hour of time worked.  And that is enough.

A significant other
I have family.  I have friends. And I have interesting things to do, and to think about.  And that is enough.

Alcohol
I meditate, I exercise, I try to take it easy.  These are my forms of relaxation. It is more than enough.

Health Insurance
When I became a self-employed commissions consultant in 2010, I bought cheap catastrophic health insurance. Then Obamacare was launched and my health plan provider cancelled my plan. I said no to paying more than 3 times more for an Obamacare plan I didn’t expect to use much. I chose to go without health insurance, and look after my health as best I could, instead.  And it worked for me.  Adding a Christian health care sharing plan boosted my confidence further in the choice I had made.

Network TV
I have Netflix. I have Amazon Prime.  And that is enough.

A landline
I replaced my AT&T line with a Vonage line.  Then I gave up even that. Now I have just an Ooma box, and a cellphone.  And that is enough.

New Cars
So far, I have only bought used cars. I try to keep on top of maintaining them, so I feel safe riding in them.  And that is enough.

Windfalls
I know people who have made out like bandits on their stock options.  I have not had any windfalls like that, but I have savings for down times and lean times.  And that is enough.

Expert Tax Help
Come April 15th, I log on to Turbo Tax and file my taxes the best I can.  And that is enough.

Idlis, Dosas and Biryani
I never thought the day would come when I would need to give up foods like idlis or dosas or biryani.  But then the day came when I had to choose – between letting my pre-diabetes progress to diabetes- and giving up foods that the blood sugar meter clearly told me were bad for me. Now I eat the carbs that I can eat.  And what I can eat doesn’t include yummy things like idlis and dosas and biryani. But I have decided that is enough.

Starbucks Coffee
Because of my low carb diet, all those wonderful Starbucks concoctions, such as mochas and macchiatos, no longer hold any attraction for me.  I drink instant coffee with heavy whipping cream and sugar-free syrup at home, instead. And that is enough.

Wanting My Writing to Be Popular
Some of the most popular posts on my blog were not written by me.  They were contributed by guest posters such as Ajay Sachdev and John Paraskevopoulos and Jacinta Correa and Anita Saran, all of whom were kind enough to let me publish their writing on my blog.  And I am fine with that. I do not need the most popular posts on my blog to be the ones I have written. In fact, next week, I will publish a guest post by Sanchita Lobo, which is so special, I predict it will become one of the most popular posts on my blog, like some of the other guest posts on my blog. 

Yes, what you learn you can live without will define you as much as what you think you absolutely need.

It will be different for you than it is for me.

It will be different for different people.

Even rich, successful people, who can have anything in the world, surprise us, and surprise themselves, by learning what they can live without.

For Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger:  Fancy houses and new cars are things they can live without.

For Suze Orman:  California weather is something she learned she could live without when she moved to Florida.

For Michael Lewis: A Wall Street paycheck is something he learned he could live without, when he gave up his Wall Street job to become a writer.

When you decide you can live without something, you will no longer have to worry about that thing. You can focus your dreams and desires and thoughts elsewhere.

If you have lived your life on auto-pilot, it may be worth thinking about what you can and what you can’t live without.

It is sure to open up your eyes and your life.

As always, thanks for sharing my Journey to Wisdom, Meaning and a Better Life.  Like you I am trying to find my way through this complex maze we call life, and I am honored to have you share my journey, as I continue to seek the wisdom hidden in plain sight.

Thanks to Ajay for his compliments on my last post, and thanks to the rest of you for your likes, pins, shares, tweets and votes…..much appreciated….M ……a Pearl Seeker like you. 

Happy Birthday to those with September birthdays.  Hope you use your birthday month to birth something new and wonderful in your life.  

Other Posts You Might Enjoy Reading:

Friendships
The United States of Friendship – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12
Family
Pets
Nature

Hobbies
Managing Your Money
Simplifying Your Life
Getting Over Your Self-Consciousness
Learning to Laugh
Learning to Relax
Health

Pursuing A Dream

What’s Next For You? The Element of The First Step and Its Hope for Getting Big Things Started In Our Lives, She Victories

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Well said, Minoo...its all about deciding what you need in life, what you really want out of it, what s good for you...Happiness truly comes from contentment ...The grass is always greener...another well thought out blog with apt links to your previous blogs!
Ajay