Think It, Plan It, Do It!

You are more likely to run out of time before you are to run out of money. This makes planning what you do with you money and for how long you do it that much more pressing. My short list includes reading, dancing, writing, and meeting with friends for dinner. Identifying what brings you joy, however, is only part of the equation to happiness. The second and more practical component of this action plan is literally making time for it in your life.

Please take 15 minutes to determine if you are devoting time to your happiness. It is often quite revealing that the things that we love to do the most, that enrich us, nurture our spirits, and center our lives are sometimes not given top priority or attention in our daily lives.

Here is my list (weekly)

1. Writing this blog and short stories– 4 hrs. 🙂

2. Hanging out with my husband– 5 hrs. 🙂

3. Reading books at a coffee shop– 2 hrs of reading, 0 hrs of reading in a coffee shop 🙁

4. Dancing– 0 minutes 🙁

5. Meditating/Focusing on my breath– 0 minutes 🙁

6.Exercising- 5 hrs. 🙂

Excuse Me, What Are You Waiting For?

America is very fast paced. But who told you that you had to sprint? There will always be something to do, some agenda to siphon your time, some external catalyst to redirect or divide your attention— something seemingly more important than nurturing your authentic self and aligning your money decisions with what satisfies you the most.

According to CIA statistics, life expectancy for Americans averages 78.14 years, 75.29 years and 81.13 for men and women respectively. We take for granted that there will be time to do everything. But the reality is that we will die eventually. Please make sure that you do not live a life full of regrets because you never identified or devoted time to your happiness.

How Do I Get Started? 

If you want to read more about ways to get your time back, I highly recommend Valorie Burton’s book, “How Did I Get So Busy?” I read it last year and a lot the changes that I made, which included taking all of my vacation time, deciding that someone else’s pace and my pace don’t have to be the same, and regularly scheduling self-care, were in some ways inspired after reading this book.

Frugalistas: Please share what you love and how much time you are dedicating to it.

[info_box type=”alert_box”]If you want to practice self-care, you have to care for your finances.  My book, The Happy Finances Challenge, is designed to help you learn to make money decisions that will lead to long-term financial happiness in just 42 days. [/info_box]