Here's a question for you. If you had the choice between being happier, healthier or richer, which would you pick? What if you could pick all three? Sounds great doesn't it? Now usually, when you see something on the internet with such wild claims, you can be pretty sure it is posted by a snake oil salesman, wanting to part you from your cash. I'm not asking for cash, there is no scam here. I am merely sharing this information with you because you have the good taste to read the Barnet Eye blog!
But how can I make such extravagent claims? Am I happy, rich and healthy? Well although many people have the perception that I am a miserable git, I actually have a complete blast most of the time. Like most 62 year olds, life has had its share of challenges, but I wouldn't swap my life for anyones. Am I healthy? Sadly, age has taken its toll. I can no longer play football, due to a life of wear and tear. I have had my prostate removed following a bush with cancer and I've got a list of minor medical issues as long as a Zebra's nose. But apart from the football, none massively interfere with my ability to have fun. And I do work on my health. I thnk I can actually say I am fitter than most men my age.
Am I rich? I'm not in the Elon Musk league, but I have enough money to do all of the things in life that matter to me, so I'd say I am rich enough. If I was the type of person who wanted a Ferrari or a cocaine habit, I'd not consider myself rich, but to me such things are not interesting. I love music, football, food and driunk and I have more than enough to indulge these passions. I've got an OAP pass for the trains and I live in London, so I can't say I miss the Ferrari.
So to sum up, I am happy, I am healthy enough to have fun still and I've got enough cash to do the things I want to do. in life. Yesterday, I was pondering these issues. How did me, a dyslexic with no real talent at anything get to the point where I can make such bold claims? It all dates back to when I was at school. When I was thirteen, I suffered from really bad anxiety. I was actually on medication for it. I didn't realise it at the time, but I think this was partially due to PTSD from watching my mother suffer cancer and the brutal, ravaging effect it had on both her and the family. I felt I was the worst at everything, my mates got better school grades, were better at football, were witty and sharp, better dressed. I was failing at everything and mired in self pity and teenage angst. I am glad I was thirteen then and not now, when we cango online and join suicide pact groups. I don't know if I'd have gone down that route, but it never occurred to me. I do wonder where I'd be if there had been access to such information.
But that was when I was thirteen, by the time I turned fifteen my life had changed completely. I was no longer anxious. In fact, everything had changed. This was not due to medication, medical intervention, counselling or mentoring. It was down to one simple thing, and every good thing I have in life has flowed from that. What was this thing? I discovered a purpose in life, something I wanted to do. If you've followed this blog you will probably know the story, I won't go over it again, but an event happened when I was fourteen. I said to myself "This is what I want to do with my life" and from that moment, everything changed.
So you want to be happier, healthier and richer? Why? My advice to you is to spend five minutes thinking about what really is the most important thing in your life. What is your dream, your ambition, your passion. I speak to a lot of people, who say "I just want to make loads of cash, because then I can do anything". This is a myth. Look at Elon Musk. He is the richest man in the world. However he couldn't persuade Donald Trump to not be Donald Trump! I suspect that the richer you are, the more frustrated you get with what you cannot do. Musk believed that his DOGE team would save the US taxpayer trillions, but he failed. He wants to set up a colony on Mars, but he's so far just managed to get men into near earth orbits, he wants to see us all being driven around in autonomous cars, but sadly it seems that this is a bit too hard even for the worlds best engineers. Now this doesn't mean that in fifteen years time, Musk won't have realised all of them. It just means that even with all the cash in the world, you still need time and a plan, if you have something you want.
But if you had all the cash in the world, what would you do? Just supposed I said "For one day, you can be the richest man in the world, you can spend as much as you like" what would you spend the day doing? There really isn't that much you can do in a day. What about a month? The only rule is that anything you buy you have to give back at the end of the month? Would you go first class on a cruise, or live in a mansion, or buy a Ferrari and hurtle up the M1 getting flashed? Think about it, what would you do?
When I was fourteen, I realised something. We have all been given that ticket, we just don't realise it. Just being alive in this age in a developed, peaceful country, gives us wealth beyond what even a King in the Dark ages could imagine. He couldn't eat strawberries in January, he'd never seen a banana and a chilli. If he wanted to get from London to York, it took days in a rickety stage coach and was uncomfortable even for a King. And even a man as powerful as Henry VIII had problems with his wives.
If you want to be happier, healthier and richer, the answer is actually surprisingly simple. Take a step back and focus.What is the first practical step you can take to acheive your goals. I don't know anyone in the UK who doesn't waste time, money and energy, hand over fist, on things that make them miserable, unhealthy and poorer. Just do a little audit of your life, your spending patterns, your social calendar and possessions. Cancel those subscriptions you don't use. Delete those events in your calendar you don't enjoy. If you are not enjoying work or it isn't delivering the goals you want, make a plan and find a new job. But most of all, decide what you really want. Set yourself a goal. Make it acheiveable. Make it something that will make you happy and fund it with the money from the things you spend money on that don't make you happy. Make the time from the things that you don't enjoy, that you do because you are stuck in a rut. And finally, go out for a walk. Spend time to look at the beautiful things that are all around you, trees, flowers, sunsets, etc.
And me? Yes I thought about this. And there are a couple of things that gave me pause for thought. There are only really two things I could think of, that would make me happier. The first is that I would love to see Boz Scaggs play live. He is only playing in the USA at the moment. The other is that I'd love to get a camper van and tour Europe for a month. So I can't afford to do both right now, so I need to see which is more realiseable and which can be done and when. What cash can be shuffled etc to make it possible? When can I fit it in the diary? How can I persuade my wife that it's a good idea? All of these matters require work on. But if I can do one or both of these, it will make me happy, be good for my mental health and be a sensible use of cash as I will thoroughly enjoy it. Such things inspire me to work hard and earn the cash that pays for them. I've set the goal. Now I have to get a plan to achieve it. I've spent my life organising things in such a manner. If you want something, then organise your life to make it happen. Lets just say for arguments sake, it cost £1,000 to fly to the USA and see Boz Scaggs. That equates to £20 a week for a year. That is four pints a week at most Mill Hill pubs, or five coffees in cafes. How much do I want to see him? So if I knock off an extra day a week in my boozing schedule and go for a walk instead, it will not only pay for the trip, but make me healthier.
Getting healthier is easier when there is a goal at the end. When I played football, I needed no incentive to exercise, but as your life changes, you need new ways to get yourself up and about. You don't need snake oil to be happier, healthier and richer, you just need to spend five minutes thinking about what you want in life, what you are spending your time and money on and whether it is really all being put to the best purpose.
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