Sunday scribbles #12: How do you look at money?

To be honest I thought it would have taken a couple of weeks longer to talk about money. In almost everything you do, money is involved in one way or another. So it is quite normal to talk about it. Lately my views on money have changed quite a lot. Although I am making money with my job and I am trying to make money with my art, it isn't the most important thing anymore. And I can tell you: it is absolutely liberating. Don't get me wrong, I still want to live wealthy. With living wealthy I mean being able to do the things I love without having to be afraid of kickbacks. This includes things as: going on holidays multiple times a year, do more wakeboarding sessions with friends, get a sick virtual reality set up and much more. These are some of the things that popped in my mind instantly, and I like sharing stuff without overthinking. Even though I would love to be able to do all that, I am okay knowing that in order to live that way, I have to make smart choices today. One of these smart choices is postponing my climbing subscription.

For the past years, the main sport I have been doing is bouldering. This is climbing without gear, on a wall which doesn't kill you when you fall. The mats do a pretty good job of keeping you alive, even though I have seen a fair share of people breaking a limb now and then. In my love for the sport, I have one travelled to Mallorca, the European mecca of deep water soloing. In everything I have done in my life, this probably is one of the things where I felt the most free. For this sort of climbing you mainly need soms rocks and water, cause when you fall it's the water which has to keep you alive. I have to say that the sea does a pretty good job in that, especially with heights only up to 14 meters. When I was there I did climb one rock which was 18 meters high, but let's say I will not try to do so again. I love my life a bit too much to get a repeat on that. It is really awesome when you're out there and it's just you, the rocks and the sea. No gear to rely one, no safety rope, no nothing. It can get a bit sketchy from time to time, but hey, what's life without any risks?

I will do my best not too lose myself in stories of climbing, but I wanted to picture to you how important this is for me. Now, I mentioned something about money and something about climbing? Where's the stuff about your art? No worries, it's coming right now. With the rise in prices we are encountering in large parts of Europe, combined with some well spent money in the past (a house, three week Mexico trip, art setup,...) it is necessary to make choices in when to spend the money I have. Yes, I said when to spend the money I have, because the how I already figured out. Without getting too detailed, I have balanced my cash flow so, that the money I can use for whatever I want, I mainly use on investing in myself, be it physical activities, books or other stuff of self-improvement. But, since a lot of costs come in the same month, I have to choose to postpone the ones I can. For September I have to choose wether to renew my climbing subscription, or buy a new batch of paint. Where I would've thought that this choice would have been very difficult, I actually found it quite easy. I chose to postpone my climbing subscription, in order to be able to buy the paint I want.

If you would have told me one year ago, that I would choose paint over climbing, I would have declared you nuts. Does this mean I love painting more than I love climbing? When thinking about my audience, probably future audience, I would have to say yes. But unfortunately that isn't the case. I can't compare the two, but I also cannot say I love them equally. What I can say is that I need both in my life. The choice to postpone my climbing subscription mainly comes from a mindset I hope to have. My art business is the main thing in my life right now, and where possible, all else has to wait. I am thus happy that the choice came easy, and that I don't feel bad about it. When reading all those books about self-development, success, psychology, stoicism, money or happiness I always envy the people who are laser focused on their goal and who seem to make hard choises with ease. Maybe, and just maybe, I am unconsciously following their principles and keeping a steady eye on my goal. I dare to think that this focus is also one of the big reasons why I am genuinely happy right now. Yes, more money would be nice, but in my eyes I am already living wealthy. I love the house my girl and I bought last year, we have the cutest parrot ever, and I am working towards a goal. Often I do the exercise of imagining how I would feel if I were to have loads of money in the bank. And to be honest, my life wouldn't look so different. I would still go climbing, still make art, still go for walks with our parrot, still play Fortnite with the boys and , still join my girl in watching her favorite Belgian soap "Thuis" (and no Laura, I am not admitting I like the show, I like the quality time). I would go for some crazier holidays, but that wouldn't change the way I feel about my life. More money would create more pleasures, but the contentment with my life would be quite the same. The most important things are mine already, so why would I even dare complain?

It sounds cliché, but it is in fact really important to look at what you already have. And if you don't have it yet, don't think about not having the thing you desire, think about how you can get it. This will highly increase your chances of actually getting it. For more info I can advise you the book discussed in the previous sunday scribbles (The Secret by Rhonda Byrne).