Day 7: Live well–Living a more experiential and purposeful life
You are at the finish line! Welcome to Day 7 of the 7-Day Financial Wellness Kickstart series!
If you haven’t read Day 6, click here to review it.
| Day 7 Money mantra | I am a wealth creator. |
You are a wealth creator.
Did you know wealth comes from an older word, “wela” to describe a state of happiness and well-being? So, to be wealthy originally meant to be living well.
In the final lesson, you’ll learn how financial health helps you do more of the things that bring joy and happiness into your life.
So, what does it mean to live well?
It’s about finding meaning in the moments we create, aligning our actions with our core values, and making financial choices that support our true purpose.
Let’s dive into how your financial health can profoundly impact your life.
To live a life of purpose requires aligning your financial decision with what truly matters.
Are you spending on what truly matters to you? Or have you been influenced by marketing or keeping up with other people’s lifestyles?
Are you setting goals that reflect your core values: family, community, personal growth, travel, and service? Or something else that ignites your spirit?
Knowing your values is essential to wellness. It helps align your spending to your financial and life goals. It ensures every dollar you spend and save is done with intention and purpose.
So, would you choose experiences over material possessions?
Experiences and material possessions can both have a price tag. But there is more value to experiences.
I’m a big proponent of buying experiences over things because experiences have the chance of becoming a memory. And memories appreciate over time. They are the “things” you own that can be cherished privately or shared with others.
I want you to ponder this question: are you choosing things that take space on a shelf or choosing things that take space in your heart?
Consider spending on travel, taking a course to learn a skill, and paying for a meaningful activity with friends. These experiences can fuel personal growth, broaden your horizon and, deepen connections, instill a sense of gratitude for the moments that matter.
It really is about mindful spending.
I’m not here to tell you how to spend your money. It is your money. You earned it. And it’s yours to spend as you wish. I only ask you to spend money mindfully. It leads to purchasing things that honor your time.
Ultimately, living well is about owning your time.
Your time is the most valuable resource you possess.
Time is finite. Once time is spent, it can’t be earned back. Managing your time can have a profound impact on bettering your life. And you can better manage your time by improving your financial health.
And when you’re financially healthy, you have more opportunities to give back and support causes. You can contribute your time and money to charities and organizations that align with your values and serve your purpose.
Living a more experiential and purposeful life is not just a lofty ideal. It’s a conscious decision we can make today. And you’ve made that decision the moment you began this Kickstart series.
By aligning your actions with your values, choosing experiences over possessions, striving for financial freedom, embracing mindful spending, and engaging in philanthropy, you unlock the power to live well–a life of meaning and purpose.
Your financial health empowers you to create moments, make a difference and enables you to embrace the fullness of life’s possibilities.
Day 7 Exercise
For today’s assignment, I want you to think about what it means to live well by creating a vision statement.
A personal vision statement will emphasize your ideal life and help focus your time and money.
- Write down your vision statement in your workbook. It can be 1 sentence or 1-3 paragraphs. How do you envision spending your time? What does living well look like to you?
| My Vision Statement |
| Breathwork exercise: Intentional breathing |
| This is your final breathwork practice for the series, but hopefully, not your last. Today’s practice is intentional breathwork you learned on the first day. You’re going to sit and focus on your breath. 1. Take a comfortable seated position. 2. Place a hand on your chest. 3. Close your eyes. 4. Simply pay attention to your breath without manipulating it. 5. Notice and feel the subtle movements of your chest and belly. 6. And count 10 breaths (an inhale and exhale count as one breath). |
Progress check-in
In this lesson, you learned how financial health leads to living a life filled with experiences and purpose.
And that’s it for today and this series! Congratulations!!!
With you on the journey,
Jason
Author of Happy Money Happy Life and Founder of The Smile Money
Additional reading
Chapter 11, Living Mindfully, in You Only Live Once
Chapter 12, Happy Spirit, in Happy Money Happy Life
Helpful resources
Access more articles at thesmilemoney.com. Dive deeper into areas you need help in right away.
And find the best financial tools on phroogal.com.
Get a copy of Happy Money Happy Life to learn how money affects your 8 wellness dimensions and how to use financial health for a healthier and happier life.
Congratulations!
You did it! You’ve just completed the 7-Day Financial Wellness Kickstart Series. I want you to be proud of yourself. Download this image and share it on your social network. And let me know by tagging me using @jasonvitug.
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