When Will Your Start Living Phase of Life Begin?

We all have that vision and goal that one day, after so much hard work and time spent, we will be able to start living our dreams. More often than not, we tend to skip the entire planning stage of how to get there. We continue working and dreaming without ever knowing when is enough, when to start living.

We never know when to get off the hamster wheel, never know when will the rat race end. I'm not saying not to work hard. I'm saying that we should know when is our enough. We should know that we are at our destination when we get there and not  continue going another round around the world just to find yourself staring at your coffin.

You will most likely fall into one of the two categories of people. The first are those that are living today. They are those that enjoying their life to the fullest now whilst at the same time working. They are at jobs they enjoy and have a good work life balance.Perfect. However most of the people I know belong to the other group.The work first enjoy later bunch. It's perfectly fine to have this mindset as long as you know when the race is done.

To be able to know when enough is enough, as with all things, we must have plans and goals. Whether or not the plan changes in future does not matter. What matters is that we have a plan. In that plan, we must set our goals. What do we want in life, what are our passions, how old do you want to be before you retire, how much money you need to retire and other stuff like that.

It works better when you write it down. Write them down big and bold. Seeing it written down makes your goals and plans more concrete, more real. You will of course have to make them realistic, otherwise you might as well say that you want a trillion gazillion dollars.

Examples of knowing when is enough are statements like theses (applies to everything in life):

• When my passive income covers all my expenses plus holidays.
• When I reach XX Kg in weight.
• When I have worked for XX years.
• When I have amassed XX dollars.

You get my drift. I know that it's easier said then done. Many a times, even after we realize that we have reached our goal, we are too afraid to stop. We tell ourselves that we should go that bit more, strive that bit harder, work that bit longer so as to give ourselves a bigger safety net. I mean  fine by any means do it, but WHEN and HOW will you even start living if you always have to worry about that bit more. I'm very sure that your initial plan already HAS that bit more included. You don't need another bit and another bit and then another bit only realizing in the end that you have forgotten to live.

The secret is to plan well and once you have reached your destination, stop and enjoy the view around you. Take in the fresh air and give the people around you warm hugs and kisses. Don't continue climbing the never ending mountain. Take pleasure in all you have achieved and start living.

I hope this little post get you thinking on when is enough enough especially here in Singapore where the majority believe that enough is never enough. Where we want more than everyone else, we must win everyone else. It's good to be competitive on a small scale, but let's not let it possess our lives to the point of not being able to live a happy life.

My friends, life is short..stop putting it on hold. Make a plan, execute it and stop when you have arrived at your destination.

As always save more, spend less and invest wisely.
P.