Simple Is Not Easy
One of my friends reached out to me. He was frustrated with me and wanted to vent. He said he regularly reads the blog and listens to the podcast, and wants to call us out on something. In short, according to him, we mislead people when we tell them that living these meaning over money principles is easy.
I shared with him that, to my knowledge, I've never used the word "easy." He rebutted, insisting that one of my favorite words is "simple." Ah, yes, now we're getting somewhere! This is where the rubber meets the road. Living a meaningover money lifestyle is very, very simple, but there's nothing easy about it! In fact, I'd argue it's one of the hardest things in the world.
Simple does not mean easy. In the case of aggressively pursuing meaning, it's brutally difficult......sometimes feeling nearly impossible. But it's indeed simple. Here's a short list of meaning over money concepts that are both quite simple and tremendously difficult:
Pursuing work that matters, even if it pays less than an alternative, less meaningful job option.
Getting out of debt and staying out of debt.
Intentionally NOT keeping up with the Joneses.
Living on a budget, but not being afraid to spend on things that truly add value to your life.
Leaning hard into generosity.
Cease caring about what others think.
Practicing delayed gratification by saving for future needs.
Patiently investing in the broad U.S. stock market and NOT making adjustments/changes when times get weird (such as now!).
Focusing on building impact instead of building wealth.
All simple. All extraordinarily difficult. Simple is not easy. Whenever I meet with a potential client, I promise them three things if they decide to pursue this counter-cultural way of living: 1) It's so simple, 2) it's so hard, and 3) it will be worth it far more than they will ever know.
I make those three promises to you as well! Simple is not easy. In fact, it might be the hardest thing you try to do. However, it will most certainly be a beautiful journey.
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