I got married to a woman with three young children when I was 19 and spent the majority of the following 25 years focused on work and money. I learned how to make the best out of things and try to find some “fun” in the things that I was doing either for work or family. It wasn’t until just a few years ago that I was actually able to do some things solely because I just wanted to do them.
Do you get to plan and do things that you want to do or are you just making the best of things that you get to do?
Golfing, going hiking, going fishing, hanging out with friends and family and traveling are some of the things I really like to do.
For some, golfing can be very expensive. A good set of clubs, shoes and accessories can easily run over $2000, nice golf courses are $100+ per round to play and some golf balls are over $4 each. I enjoy just being outside, enjoying the landscaping, being with friends and the challenge of the game. I have a mixed collection of clubs including an awesome new driver and shoes I got for my birthday, used clubs I’ve gathered over the years and a putter my dad bought me in 1981. Whenever I have the opportunity I scour the woods and hazards and collect up other peoples lost balls. I never buy golf balls, and have used the same glove and tee for over a year now. Rates at the golf courses are higher on the weekends and if you shop for deals they are out there and I’ve managed to keep my average round of golf at about $40.
I practice the same methods with hiking, camping and fishing gear. For traveling I’m lucky to have Michele. We couldn’t travel like we do without the deals she gets.
The biggest struggle is the balance between time and money. There are very few things you can do without money and there are very few ways to make money without using up your time. So, if you don’t want to be the homeless freebird or the workaholic what do you do?
Everyone’s answer to that, for those that have an answer, is going to look different. I’m trying to make up for lost years so my answer gives more weight to personal time while someone else may have enjoyed themselves too much when they were younger and now they are focused more on other responsibilities.
Where are you at? How is your balance? Can you answer these questions?
The first tip I would give you is to take some time with yourself to really sit down and work on this. I see too many who never find the balance and end up never really getting to experience life or some who experienced too much and end up in a bad way because of it.
If you need help with this, find someone or some group or organization that can help you. I am constantly looking at my plan and I get a lot of help sitting around the table with WAM members sorting it all out. Their feedback, experience and ideas are invaluable!
Have a great week and do something for you this week.