Advice | Money | Debt

Protect your Life Force

There’s no way around the fact that we all need some money to live.

That means that you will sometimes end up doing work that you don’t particularly want to do in order to pay your bills.

The thing about working is that it takes time and energy — Your time and energy and you have a limited amount.

I like to call that energy your Life Force.

It’s like having money in the bank. You decide how to spend it.

There are lots of ways to replenish your life force. Sleep, good food and exercise are several. Walking in nature is another.

It’s different for everyone. You might get energy from dancing in a crowd. Others might recharge by spending time alone. You know what you need.

The point is this: If you spend your Life Force working to pay your bills, you might want to rethink the situation.

If you are in debt because you spend more money than you earn, you are spending your Life Force digging yourself out of the hole that you are digging by spending.

Does that make sense?

Let’s say you’re in debt and still spending. You’re digging a big debt hole.

When you work to pay your debt, you’re trying to fill that hole. The trouble is, you are digging faster than you are filling.

Wouldn’t you rather fill in the debt hole and use your Life Force for more fun?

There are ways to slow down the spending, which will help preserve your life force.

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

10 Ways to Protect your Life Force

1. Track your hours and check them against your paycheck. Even the best employers made mistakes. No one is more interested in your money than you are.
2. Pay attention to your spending. If you spend less than you earn, you will be making progress toward controlling the amount of time you work.
3. Look for ways to make you more valuable as an employee. Ask your employer for their suggestions or search for classes at the local college.
4. Save a little bit of money from every paycheck. This is the pay yourself first principle. After all, if you aren’t working to pay yourself, why are you working?
5. Do something you love every day, even if it is for a short time. This will feed your soul which helps when you are doing work that you don’t enjoy. It gives you something to look forward to.
6. Go back to school and get a Diploma or a Trade. This is connected to #3. You will be more valuable to your current employer, or you will be able to get a better position in a more meaningful line of work.
7. Share your apartment with a roommate. When you cut your living costs in half, you can increase your savings by a huge factor.
8. Pay your bills on time. Late payment fees and penalties are one of the biggest factors that people ignore when they are trying to improve their finances. The easiest way to earn a dollar is to not pend it
9. Don’t carry a balance on your credit card. Credit card interest is the most expensive way to fund debt. Take the Cash Challenge and once you have paid your cards off, don’t use them unless you can pay the balance at the end of the month.
10. Shop in second-hand stores. Reduce, reuse, recycle. We all want to do our best to keep our carbon footprint low. You will find what you need at a much lower cost than if you buy new. There is the fun of the hunt as well.

Try out some of these ideas today.

When you get your spending under control, you’ll feel less pressure and start to enjoy your life more.

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I used to be an accountant in another life and I’m full of advice about money — just ask me.

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