I am currently suffering a bout of upper respiratory track infection and thus went to see the doctor after urging by the Wife. The doctor prescribed me the medicines to treat my symptoms of phlegm and cough and also a dose of anti-biotics to clear up the infection.

The bill for the clinic was $81.70 partly because I went on boxing day evening (Saturday evening) and the doctor prescribed “original” antibiotics. OEM stuff generally works but costs much less.

Other than feeling slightly ripped off, I realised that money is not everything especially when I am hit with bouts of minor illness.

This post is triggered by La Pappillon’s related post “Christmas Day Reflections” that really money is not everything and we use money to transform into experiences.

Money Makes the World Go Round

Money is needed to live in today’s world. Denizens of Singapore Inc. know this by heart. As the chinese saying goes, “Money is not everything. But everything is money!”

The more I travel along this route towards financial freedom, the more I come to realise that really money is energy that is transferred from one form to another. We expend lots of energy, effort and our life-force to earn money. And then we spend it away sometimes without thinking much about how the spending makes our life more meaningful, gives us value and satisfaction.

How we achieve this balance of spending our life-force to earn money and maintain some of it for other things beyond work and business to earn that money lies the answer to happiness.

Money by itself doesn’t buy happiness. In reality, happiness and money are not closely correlated once your basic needs are met. Once you get beyond worrying about your shelter, your next meal i.e. safety and security needs, happiness lies more in the experiences in your life. How you enjoy each moment while at work, at play and at home.

Your Money and Your Experience

One of the great break-throughs I’ve discovered in my journey towards financial freedom is to break free from a fixed mindset. The paradox is that even as I focus on living within my means, saving and investing and growing my means, I start to discover that the closer you are to your goal, other possibilities emerge.

For instance, I used to be against car ownership because of the high costs and that in general, it’s not a value-for-money proposition IF you can navigate with public transport.

Car – Necessity or Luxury?

After the birth of my daughter, my perspective changed totally in that I realised the usefulness of a car to run errands, bring my daughter comfortably and safely from point A to point B.

So that $56,000 that I spend on the car transformed my experience of travelling with my family on weekends. We are able to get to parks and gardens in relative ease and comfort, adding much value and fulfilment in our weekend experiences.

Now I am again looking at properties but not from a investment angle but more from a new home angle. My current place has served my family and I well but we want to move to a quieter neighbourhood.

After doing my sums, I realise there is a possibility of moving to a nicer neighbourhood and a bit more equidistant between both sets of parents that it makes sense. Of course, that involves additional capital and would result in my goal of financial freedom taking a few more years to achieve.

But I can live with that. It is because I realise that it’s not about just having investible net worth churning out passive income, it is also about transforming one’s experiences within one’s means.

I realise I do want to work even beyond 62 to keep mentally active and also to generate earned income. I also focus on increasing my investible net worth. It’s just that I’ll be taken a longer route to reach my goal but I get to enjoy some nice views while doing so.

How do you think your money allows you to transform your experiences?

Share with Panzer in the comments section.

Be well and prosper.

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