Another new year is upon us and everyone has expectations and anticipations as to what 2016 will bring. Many of us will make resolutions in the hope of making changes to our lives and we will try to stick to them, at least, for a few months!
My resolution is unchanged from last year – I guess like a renewal of my old resolution. Why? Because for once I chose a resolution that worked, that I stuck at and that I loved. A resolution that was both strategic, took dedication, planning and thought, but also, ensured that life will never be the same because of it.
My resolution: Use money for making memories, not materialism.
Initially it sounds relatively simple and some of you may already believe you do this, but when you actually make a conscious effort to invest in making memories every single day, I promise that you won’t regret it!
Changing the mindset.
When you’re in the shops do you think – do I really need this new item of clothing, gadget, perfume…? or do you get it out of instant want? The initial buzz of having something new because:
A) It’s on trend – you’ve seen Estee Lalonde wear it (I do love Estee!) and now you need it (AKA marketing)
B) You think you need it to complete you and make you happy (AKA marketing)
C) It will give you status, make people think you’re happy and successful (AKA marketing)
We live in a society where we believe we NEED everything that marketing tells us is new and exciting – and we need it now! But how long does the satisfaction last? Well, it’s questionable and of course, different for everyone. For someone that has lots of money, the thrill of a new iPhone is probably momentary (likely they’ve even had one before) compared to someone who has worked and saved up for one.
However, are will still talking about our new iPhones 6/12/18/24 months down the line… probably not. This is the sad thing about materialism; the initial hit is not enough to sustain us and we end up wanting (or feeling that we need) more.
Okay, so some stuff we really do need like clothes on our back and food in our fridges, and some stuff is just genuinely nice and we know we’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of it and will keep it for a long time. I’m not saying to never treat yourself, I’m saying that as a society we should adjust the way we see money and materialism.
Money for memories.
Let’s now flip this around and look at what happens when we invest our money in making memories. Here I’m talking about taking someone to a fancy restaurant, going for a day out, having a weekend away, going on holiday, traveling, spending a birthday with family at a hotel rather than giving gifts… you get the idea.
No, you don’t get anything tangible that you can hold onto forever and yes, sooner or later you have to go home BUT what you do get is a lifetime memory.
When meeting with friends it is likely that you’ll chat about the day to day memories that surround every day life: that holiday you went on, that restaurant you enjoyed, those new friends you made, the smile on your grandma’s face when you took her out for the day, that party you hosted. You have photos to show and stories to tell.
How often do you talk about that new dress you got in 2014? Probably not very often…. but that holiday to Mexico where this funny story about such-and-such happened; lots!
Even a bad memory can make a good story!
If you’re still not convinced (and view your iPhone as an old friend) then let’s take a look at the psychology…
Matthew Killingsworth from Harvard co-authored a paper for Science in 2010 with psychology professor Daniel Gilbert. The findings:
Happiness is in the content of moment-to-moment experiences.
‘Nothing material is intrinsically valuable, except in whatever promise of happiness it carries. Satisfaction in owning a thing does not have to come during the moment it’s acquired, of course. It can come as anticipation or nostalgic longing. Overall, though, the achievement of the human brain to contemplate events past and future at great, tedious length has, these psychologists believe, come at the expense of happiness. Minds tend to wander to dark, not whimsical, places. Unless that mind has something exciting to anticipate or sweet to remember.’
Taking this as our resolution for 2015, we packed our bags and literally used the majority of the money we had to take both a road trip around Europe and then to backpack around the world for 4 months. This may be an extreme example of living out our resolution but it was honestly one of the best decisions we’ve ever made!
This year, 2016 might not have as much travel in store – although we already have trips to Jersey and Rome planned, but we are just as much invested in using money to make memories. Whether it’s treating yourself to a new experience or whether it’s giving away the money to someone that needs it more than you so that they too can make their own memories.
New Year’s resolutions aren’t always easy to stick to, but when you get the hang of this one, you’ll look at life in a new way and realise that ‘things’ don’t make you happy but making memories with those you love will.
Happy New Year!
1 Comment
#moneyformemories ??