I heard a life/retirement coach recently repeat the concept of:

• If you know your values,
• Does your bank account statement validate your values?
• Do you spend your money in line with your values?

Spend Money

In the moment, I thought, wow, I don’t think I really spend my money on my values.  To be fair, I haven’t dug into what my values are in detail.  I do want to do this, but it seems like a significant amount of effort and reflection.  I think I’d rather just be me and enjoy myself while being/doing some good.

I strive to do these woo-woo exercises because I think they are cool.  The whole Personal Mission Statement concept sounds amazing, but I’m a true slacker at this point.  “I’m too retired for that.”

I also love the concept of what drives you?  Your “drivers” from Don’t Retire, Rewire.  

Do I spend my money on Health, Happiness and Helping?  Are these my values or an alliteration that I created for myself?

I do spend some money on fitness/sports, which may help my health.  I do spend a small amount on healthy foods.  I do spend a small amount on health tests.  I will say a score of A-.  There is some focused spending on health.

Do I spend my money on my Happiness?  I would say in the past few years I have felt freer to spend from the Fun Bucket and Playcheck on things that make me happy.  I have music stuff, bike and scooter stuff, technology stuff, plenty of travel with others, and giving to others.  Could I spend a LOT more on happiness things? Yes.  Should I?  Yes.  Will I…yes, I think I may.  I’m not getting any younger, and I don’t want others getting all my happiness funds for no reason other than my death.

Do I spend money on Helping?  I can say, “yes, I do, and have.”  Somewhat.  I wrote about how I tend to be a rewarder rather than a repairer.  Those rewards and support and recognitions make me feel good, and I believe they help others.  I feel as though I’m considerate and recognize my ability to help how I want to.  Helping is very specific to an individual.  Oh, score B.

Spend Time

As I listened to the above coach, I immediately thought of a different perspective.  Not inverted, but from a side angle (as I love to do). 

Do you SPEND your time in line with your values?

This I thought was so important and especially relevant to those of us who have extra or plenty of time in our current stage of life.

I thought about how our most precious resource is our health, followed closely by our time.  Good health and plenty of (your) time is true wealth.

Poor health really lessens the value of your time.  Not to mention takes a hit at your happiness.

Do I spend my time in line with my values?

This is tough to answer, but honestly, not really.  I don’t spend enough of my time doing what I value most. 

I do prioritize my exercise activity each day.  I love it and am proud of my fitness/health accomplishments over the past 25+ years.

I don’t know if I spend enough time doing things that make me happy.  I do have HUGE amounts of happiness.  Maybe much of my (simple) happiness comes from doing whatever I want.  I wrote about having some selfishness is OK.

I wonder as I type this (using my time typing this shit out) what values or happiness could I be doing right now?  What should I be doing right now that makes me the happiest in the moment?

I have to say, I love my day(s).  I do what I want, when I want, with whom I want.  It’s the best life.

Are there other possibilities?  Yes, I could be in Longmont with the core gang of FI cousins…being way Too much Kevin.  But, I’m at our beach home, hanging out after my morning run along the beach town.  It seems hard to find the desire to improve on my dream life of freedom.

FI Family

Oh, I was at CampFI in Colorado for almost 2 weeks hanging out with almost 200 amazing people, many who think similarly to me on many things…   Money well used for my values.

Less Friction Flying?

I have so many opportunities to say “Hell YES” to things.  I do often say Hell YES.  If I only had access to some private jet time, it may be easier than having so many trips from the main airport each year.  I’m sure I’d have more FI cousins hanging out with me if they could jump on my jet.  I’m not being elitist; I’m just thinking about how to remove the friction from stuff.

*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice.  I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be.  You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice. This post is not a piece of literary mastery, just a random thought I had.