I was late to the FIRE movement. I have always been value conscious but didn’t understand the compound effect until I’m late to get the full benefit.
We are not poor. I am teaching my children the importance of saving and not using up all the planets resources.
If I could go back in time I would have put more money into investing earlier. I saved to pay off property and while this has been a good move, more investing would have been even better.
I don’t buy a lot of stuff but our monthly expenses have increased to be double what they were 10 years ago.
One of my favourite bloggers MrMoneyMustache has contributed to a new Netflix show. I haven’t watched it yet. Ideally it will inspire me to re look at our monthly expenses and try things we haven’t for a while.
We slept downstairs so I’ve woken up next to the kitchen. It’s nice, there are lots of windows here.
On waking, I’ve been going for a short bike ride followed by a ‘cool dip’. I can’t say cold plunge because the water is ambient temperature and the lowest has been 19 degrees Celsius so far.
I bought a cheap foldable bath and put it in the garden, the cold water goes on the grass after a week.
Cool plunge is the most energising activity I have come across. Some days I go in twice. If I feel groggy after work, a quick dip and it’s like morning energy again.
I tried a cold shower and it sucked, I hated it, but a cold plunge is another level.
If I could sell the feeling it creates I’d be rich. And you can have it for free.
Wishing you a lovey Saturday, however you get started.
Meditation creates the same feeling that looking at this relaxing scene does
We all know it’s good for us. We know it can calm the mind and heal a heart. Who doesn’t want a bit more peace in this world and it’s there within our grasp. I heard a funny quote that says everyone should meditate for ten minutes and if you haven’t got time you should do it for 20! I just love this, it is such a truism.
My journey into medication has been long and stilted and I am all too aware that one small lifestyle change that impacts my routines frequently knocks it off my list. But as I write this I have been meditating for three weeks solid for either ten or fifteen minutes a day, depends on how much time I have.
I have three children and know how hard it is to get quiet time in the morning when children can be at their peak energy wise.
I know it sounds crazy to deny yourself a few minutes sleep each morning but I tend to wake up and not be able to get back to sleep, so to be quiet I would check my work e mails on my phone – quite possibly the worst start to my day (though this is different for different people). I switched this to running downstairs to lie on the sofa under a heated blanket and enter into a state of bliss for 10 or fifteen minutes each day. What an amazing way to start the day – I feel so blessed. I am then calm when my family arrive in stages.
The rewards of meditation for me are not immediate, it is a subtle change in response to triggers that happens about a consistent daily month in.
I try to get up to give myself 30 minutes, before connecting with anyone else and then I am ready for the challenges the day ahead will bring.
There are many things you can do to change how you feel, sleep, eat, exercise, get outside, connect with people but the least effort way is meditate. It is free – you can download Headspace, Calm, or use one of the thousands that are free through YouTube. You just need a lap top/smart phone (which I assume you have if you’re reading this) and the ability to be still for ten minutes. As a beginner I find it really helps me to have the process explained so I am really enjoying the Waking Up app.
Eitherway, the biggest change you can make to your life write now without it costing you a penny is meditation. You need to stick at it, but even the first go you will feel a relaxed state of calm that you may not have had for some time.
The things that are good for us are not always the things we want to do, sometimes we have to suck it up and stick with it. Meditation is like going ot the gym you never regret it but sometimes it is really hard to get your self their.
Other suggestions to get meditation into your life are:
Start a small group at lunch time at work, 10 minutes in an office when you know you won’t be disturbed.
10 minutes parked in your car on the drive, before you go into the house at the end of the working day.
After your morning shower, sit and meditate while you are drying off.
Ask for 10 minutes from your household, anytime.
Get your family to do it with you – kids learn about this stuff at school you never know they may be better at it than you are!
Good luck and share how you fit meditating in, so that is a regular part of your life. And we’d also like to hear about how meditating has brought benefits to you and others.
Time, what a confounding thing you are, you are not linear; you have a different impact at different ‘times’. In happy times you fly, in sadness the seconds can seem like hours. Without you we can achieve nothing. And yet, so many people think they do not have enough of ‘it’. Let’s take people like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, they all have the same 24 hours in each and everyday as us and yes its true, that they now have a support group of people around them to help them squeeze the most out of every opportunity and everyday, but it wasn’t always like this for them. In the early days they had to make choices, and so, my friends, do you.
Would you rather…
Watch TV for 3 hours every evening, or go out for an evening stroll and get to know your neighbourhood and some of the people in it?
Eat whatever you want whenever you want, or restrict your reliance on high-calorie food for sustenance and have a body that carries ten fewer pounds?
Play Candy Crush, or tick three things off your list to improve your side hustle?
Buy a cup of coffee every day for ten years, or save well over £10,000 in the same timeframe?
Look at Facebook, or talk to a real friend/person?
Buy something, or volunteer to help someone?
Be kind, or be selfish?
Work to build someone’s multi-million-pound empire, or work to build your multi-million-pound empire?
I am not saying that a multi-million-pound empire is a good goal; helping as many others as you can is the better goal. Earning money doing that is the best combination
There is limited time in life, it is not infinite. Sleep well, eat well and move well, everything else is a choice.
I hope you are happy with where you are today, it is the result of all the decisions you have made up to this point. If not, change tack, there is time left, until there isn’t.
I believe in the power of thoughts. I believe in the law of attraction. I believe in coincidences. I believe in magic.
I don’t believe you can think yourself to (your definition of) success.
Only action, consistent, daily steps, little bits of progression, get you where you want to go.
The only thing blocking your path now, is clarity and action.
Today I tidied my desk so I can start work straight away tomorrow. I threw out some stuff so my space is free-er of clutter. I meditated and took a relaxing dip in the hot tub. I have one job, no side hustle, no clear path to ‘freedom’. I love what I do at work, I learn and help others. I am where I want to be.
Hope is not a strategy. Gratitude for opportunities and making the most of what you have in front of you, is.
I’ve been thinking about character. I read that good character is important and as an emotionally driven person my feelings can impose on my actions. I ruminated on character being driven by a set of principles or rules. Looking for a set of rules to live by? Try these:
Obtain everything ‘new’ to you by borrowing or getting second hand from someone else.
Minimise buying food that requires a reliance on single use anything.
Do one thing for someone else’s benefit everyday, look for the opportunity without seeking thanks.
Be kind to every person you look at, smile first, say hello, be courteous, move out of their way when walking, let a child press the button etc…
Live frugally, save at least 50% of your income per year.
When you regularly save 50% per year, donate money to charity increasing 1% each year to 10%.
Eat mainly plant based foods and limit meat and dairy to a maximum of once per day.
Read books and apply the knowledge.
Be compassionate.
Find your tribe and help them.
In all endeavours bring your full energy.
Say thank you as frequently as possible.
Don’t throw food away, buy mindfully and use it all. Take all leftovers from restaurants/meals out/home meals with you.
Think kind thoughts about yourself and develop positive self talk. Speak in your head with the same kindness you talk to loved ones.
Be as honest as possible while prioritising kindness.
Commit to being, feeling and expressing unending happiness each minute of every day.
Meditate daily.
Move your body daily.
Sleep well and ensure you pay as much attention to sleep as you do to what you eat.
Purposefully balance time and energy for your mind, body, emotions, career, finances, relationships and fun.
Tidy your living space for 10 minutes everyday.
Remove one thing per day from your stuff.
Know your calorie intake and expenditure, ensure your weight is set in the direction you intend. You are where are because of the last three months of eating habits.
Strive to adhere to the rules and keep a sense of perspective.
I do daily affirmations and as part of that read my annual goals. I wonder if I added my life rules would that lead to better days?
Only one way to find out.
What rules would you write? Would you add more or take some away?
Mornings are a magical time. Quiet, still, empty and full of promise.
I love to lie in bed and appreciate the day ahead. I listen to the sounds. I listen out for sounds. I take in the day and let it welcome me into it, we agree to be friends each and every morning.
I have areas of my life that I focus on to keep balance. Each area is stored as a project in the Todoist app and each project has a list of actions.
Mind – I complete the 5 minute journal in app form and feel gratitude for the day and reminisce over the brilliant things that happened the day before and add one photo for the day.
Body – I do an early morning walk on my own, it clears my head and allows some time to listen to pod casts.
Emotions – I visualise my day ahead and see me in it experiencing true joy despite the set backs and challenges, in fact, because of them.
Career – I review my daily affirmations and review my annual and monthly goals. To help focus on the important actions.
Finances – I don’t do anything specific in the morning but do make frugal choices all day.
Fun – I have a list of suggested fun things to do with my family. I review when I will fit them in and remind myself that this is a very important part of life knowing I am naturally not very good at it.
Relationships – A list of people, work and personal I should contact, the goal is 3 per day. I have a reminder to book one time slot per week with a friend. Again this gets pushed so it is a helpful reminder.
I love the morning, the bit before the current of life picks up and you are still in control.
Keeping a list of areas of focus and actions verbs assigned to each one has increased my sense of balance.
I don’t know about you but since the Covid lockdown I have spent many hours in Zoom meetings.
An amazing piece of tech that many more of us may have been furloughed without access to it. Thank you Zoom!
It is a bit more tiring than physical meetings though. I find I tend to sit down and don’t get up again until being driven to through a bio break. I get very distracted looking at myself and other people.
Two things that have helped with this is switching off the video for 4 minutes in an hour and doing a Radio Taiso (you can find this on You Tube), it is a set of gentle movements that get blood flowing and lift the energy level. 4 minutes seems very reasonable in an hour. I also always click the speaker only view (not gallery) so I am only distracted by the behaviour of one person at a time, as the speaker they tend to have the most energy and this lifts rather than drains the batteries.
My energy is very impacted by what I am doing with my body and what my mind is focussing on. Home working is not the best in an impromptu working from home situation.
I feel very blessed to be gainfully employed during this Covid time.
Yes this period has required significant adaptability and resilience, but it has also provided the space and room for some serious self reflection.
Being more aware of your own energy is a helpful tool and an area of life that gives great rewards.
I’ve been thinking about character. I read that good character is important and as an emotionally driven person my feelings can impose on my actions. I ruminated on character being driven by a set of principles or rules. Looking for a set of rules to live by? Try these:
Mornings are a magical time. Quiet, still, empty and full of promise.
I don’t know about you but since the Covid lockdown I have spent many hours in Zoom meetings.
MrsSlimmer 