Oh hello darling and welcome back to benpechey.com! It’s a brand new month, and August brings with it happiness for me on a personal level. I’m a Leo, and it’s my birthday month, and so for me, August has always been full of joy throughout my life. I thought this month would be great to focus on desires and explore the things we all want in life.
To kick things off this month I wanted to explore money with you. Growing up I was lucky enough that my parents always ensured that my sister and I always cushioned from the world - and we never really went without. I don’t think that we were well off, but Mum always made the money work. So I come from a background of semi-comfort.
Money as an adult has been more elusive. Growing up in a recession, and a changing work market - created a unique environment. Coupled with me being a freelancer, money has always been something that has caused me to worry.
The last eighteen months have been revolutionary for me, and I finally feel settled in my world of work. The first chance I got, I started to save, and the comfort I feel having a reserve in the bank is something that helps me sleep at night. The saying goes, that you save up for a rainy day.
That got me thinking - as always - what’s the point of being prepared for a rainy day, if you cannot comfort yourself when it is cloudy? I do think that being fiscally responsible in the climate we live in makes a lot of sense - irrespective of your situation. But if we constantly live in a prepared sense of impending doom, are we suffering twice?
Worrying about future problems causes us anguish, and then if those things actually happen - we end up worrying all over again! That is twice the amount of unhappiness, sleepless nights and Thursday afternoons feeling sick with anxiety. That can be related to money in just the same sense.
Now I am not for one minute suggesting that you run to the bank or banking app of your choice and empty your accounts. Instead, I am simply suggesting that we exercise some flexibility with our funds, and use it wisely to inject some pleasure into our everyday existences.
One thing I love to do is to mark momentous life events (or small ones if I’m particularly anxious) with gifts to myself from my bank account. This isn’t because things have higher importance to me, but instead every time I see that item - I am reminded of my success, journey and personal achievements. You can do this in small or large ways too!
Sometimes spending money, instead of saving it can be a good way to boost your mental health and productivity in the here and now!
A well-prepared life doesn’t only mean looking after your future self but it is also about taking the time to nourish your current self. I take the view that the chance of me getting to a point in my life where I need my savings to live on, relies heavily on my current health. That requires a deviation of funds to ensure that my life right now is enriched and full of pleasure. So living and spending now is actually the most responsible thing to do, both for our health, but also for our enjoyment on this planet!
I hope you have seen a way to prepare for a rainy day, but also worked out how to keep yourself nourished through the cloudy days too!
Thank you so much for joining me, as always, I love you lots like jelly tots, until next time, uh buh bye.
Shot by Rachel Pechey
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