Monday, March 11, 2013

On Feeling Wealthy

I struggle with the uneven path of finances like a great percentage of the population does.

I live from paycheck to paycheck and have learned how to stretch each dollar into three.

There are periods in my life when I seem to have more than enough money and am able to relax; not concerned about how I’m going to pay my bills. But there have been other times when I’ve had to take a little from Peter to pay Paul, so that I could come up with my rent.

I’ve become a financial juggler.

Yet to be perfectly honest with you, this is how I’ve lived most of my life so I’m used to it, because I have always been drawn to professions that are not considered 'stable' when it comes to making money. But for as unstable as they can be at times, I like the freedom they give me to not conform to any set schedule.

As I kid, I was told to select a career that would give me security and longevity, so I would have a guarantee that my job would always be in demand.

Well guess what? In today’s world and economy, no one has a 100% guarantee with their jobs. I’ve heard countless stories of people who have worked over 25 years for a company, yet they were let go without so much as a two week notice. They were suddenly banished as if they never existed.

So, as unsettling as my career choices have been throughout my life, they have given me the perfect training that I will never be secure in ANY job.

This brings me to the topic of my post.

Feeling wealthy.

Before going on, I would like to share that many people have told me that because I’m single, I have it easier because I only have myself to worry about. True, I only have myself to worry about, but that also means I only have myself to support myself. I don’t have a partner who I can share expenses with. All my bills are paid by me.

There are also a lot of single mothers and fathers, who in addition, have children to support. Therefore, it’s an even bigger challenge for them.

So it’s not any easier being single.

Through all the ups and downs of my careers and financial status, I’ve learned something.

Even in the lowest times of struggle and worry, I have always been wealthy.

My finances will vacillate because that’s just how life is. But that doesn’t define my true sense of wealth.

The first thing most of us do when we hit a low in our finances is that we end up getting depressed about our lives, which makes us go deeper into a dark funk because we feel like we’re never going to pull out of it, which in turn makes us feel even LESS wealthy.

Also, struggling with finances makes us feel scared because we’re so vulnerable; not knowing where the money is going to come from.

And trust me, I’ve been there; not even knowing if I would have enough money left over to buy food.

But as corny as this may sound, I’ve had to closely examine myself in times of financial struggle and FIND the wealth in my life. The wealth that is always there. In spite of how financially secure I was.

The thing that helped me most during those times was to focus my attention on the things in my life for which I had to be grateful, because somehow it filled me with confidence and hope that things would turn around. And ironically, they did. And they always have.

For me, even at times when I'm struggling financially, if I can sustain some sort of creativity in my life, whether it be photography, writing on my blog, or learning something new, it gives me a sense of wealth. Because it keeps me passionate about my life.

We currently live at time in which financial security is about as certain as to whether Santa Claus exists.

Hence, I choose to feel wealthy.

Regardless.

Happy Monday everyone!