Author Topic: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?  (Read 3831 times)

gpyros85

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Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« on: June 08, 2018, 09:36:18 AM »
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« Last Edit: June 10, 2018, 08:25:04 AM by gpyros85 »

mbl

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2018, 09:44:00 AM »
really?.....I would suggest you review the "why" in all this.
Being happy with what you're doing.  What type of a life are you striving for and in balance, what kind of a life do you want to live while you're on that path?
Also consider that tomorrow isn't guaranteed.   

Comparing to others is inevitably a losing proposition.
There will ALWAYS be those that earn more, save more, have larger and multiple income streams, have much more invested, much more in real estate and other goods.....fill in the blank....whatever.

You might consider looking at yourself and the improvements you've made to reach your goals.
Isn't there something to feel good about there?
If this in any way is making you unhappy, ask yourself why.

It probably has more to do with self-esteem than anything else.
Do you compare yourself to people in many others aspects of life?

It's a shame when someone who appears to be visibly successful at an undertaking cannot view any of it with satisfaction.


BrightFIRE

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2018, 10:46:05 AM »
Comparison is the thief of joy. Seriously. Stop comparing yourself to others. If you want to be competitive, compare yourself to yourself. Yay, you are saving 3.4x what you used to!

Be thrilled and grateful that you found out about this path when you did, instead of complaining and being envious of those ahead of you. There is nothing to be gained from that.

mathlete

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #3 on: June 08, 2018, 10:55:13 AM »
Super-saving is driven mostly by super-high incomes. The personal finance space has been inundated with people rehashing the same information with a new coat of paint that simply serves to obfuscate the fact that they make a lot of money. Within this community, savings rates are mostly a reflection of your income, no matter how much profiteers might like you to think otherwise.

Rich people live very cool lives. One of the cool lives they can choose to spend their money on is early retirement. If you wouldn't feel bad looking at your neighbor's Lamborghini, don't feel bad about this. It is the same thing.

You're doing fantastic.


Bateaux

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2018, 10:56:14 AM »
There are people here from all over the economic spectrum.   Most of us passed along similar paths.   You're doing it right.  It's going to get better and better from here.  Don't feel you have to compete with high income people that can save more than you actually make.  Just do your best and stay the course.   You're headed towards freedom.

FIRE@50

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #5 on: June 08, 2018, 10:56:20 AM »
I was putting about $1100/mo into my 401k before discovering MMM this year and I haven't changed that. The difference that MMM made in my life is "The shockingly simply math..." Getting away from the idea of needing to replace a certain percentage of my income to retire and moving to the I need a certain size stache to retire has been the revelation for me. It actually makes me feel silly for not seeing it sooner.

jlcnuke

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #6 on: June 08, 2018, 10:57:44 AM »
The desire for more is a desire which can never be sated, as there will always be more. Find a more attainable goal and be happy with making progress towards that.
really?.....I would suggest you review the "why" in all this.
Being happy with what you're doing.  What type of a life are you striving for and in balance, what kind of a life do you want to live while you're on that path?
Also consider that tomorrow isn't guaranteed.   

Comparing to others is inevitably a losing proposition.
There will ALWAYS be those that earn more, save more, have larger and multiple income streams, have much more invested, much more in real estate and other goods.....fill in the blank....whatever.

You might consider looking at yourself and the improvements you've made to reach your goals.
Isn't there something to feel good about there?
If this in any way is making you unhappy, ask yourself why.

It probably has more to do with self-esteem than anything else.
Do you compare yourself to people in many others aspects of life?

It's a shame when someone who appears to be visibly successful at an undertaking cannot view any of it with satisfaction.

I wouldn't go that deep into it, it is more of a push for money.... Initially I thought the $1,000/month was awesome! Then I got knocked to "reality of the FIers" and it wasn't no where close to being enough...

It's more of the push for more which is killing me...

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk


Warlord1986

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #7 on: June 08, 2018, 11:07:59 AM »
Sacred bovine, I don't make $3,400 a month.

bcbaseballman

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #8 on: June 08, 2018, 11:18:06 AM »
Sacred bovine, I don't make $3,400 a month.

That is just want I was thinking. I make just barely over  this a month.

Bicycle_B

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #9 on: June 08, 2018, 04:35:07 PM »
The human mind's ability to use to positive data as a basis for negative feelings is very powerful.

OP, welcome to the paradox that achieving a goal does not guarantee happiness. You seem to be doing well in the savings area. Hopefully over time you'll get better at being happy too, though that's a tricker target.

A creative person could criticize themselves simply because they're not happy, making themselves unhappier. An endless loop.

Should you somehow overcome this, congratulations!!

deborah

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #10 on: June 08, 2018, 05:01:26 PM »
The nest egg you need in retirement is probably about 25 x yearly expenses. If you want to compare anything with someone else it's what percentage of this amount they have against what percentage you have. Most people who save a lot each month also have humongous expenses.

jlcnuke

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #11 on: June 08, 2018, 05:33:40 PM »
The desire for more is a desire which can never be sated, as there will always be more. Find a more attainable goal and be happy with making progress towards that.
really?.....I would suggest you review the "why" in all this.
Being happy with what you're doing.  What type of a life are you striving for and in balance, what kind of a life do you want to live while you're on that path?
Also consider that tomorrow isn't guaranteed.   

Comparing to others is inevitably a losing proposition.
There will ALWAYS be those that earn more, save more, have larger and multiple income streams, have much more invested, much more in real estate and other goods.....fill in the blank....whatever.

You might consider looking at yourself and the improvements you've made to reach your goals.
Isn't there something to feel good about there?
If this in any way is making you unhappy, ask yourself why.

It probably has more to do with self-esteem than anything else.
Do you compare yourself to people in many others aspects of life?

It's a shame when someone who appears to be visibly successful at an undertaking cannot view any of it with satisfaction.

I wouldn't go that deep into it, it is more of a push for money.... Initially I thought the $1,000/month was awesome! Then I got knocked to "reality of the FIers" and it wasn't no where close to being enough...

It's more of the push for more which is killing me...

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

This is my problem, I removed the desire for more fancy things in life. I have 0 desire for expensive truck or expensive car as I call them unpractical, however. I have just shifted my desires of things to move savings....
Shift the desire to concrete goals. Figure out what you need to reach a goal (FI, early retirement, whatever) and aim for that instead of the unreachable "more".

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk


Duke03

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #12 on: June 08, 2018, 06:21:48 PM »
It's easy to get lost in the numbers and the people that you think are rich think of themselves as just getting by.  Remember this and please don't compare yourself to others.  It's a useless waste of time.


Case in point.  I know a very smart guy that works in the world of private hedge funds.  He easily makes over 1 million a year.  I was having a beer with him when he declared he felt poor.  After I almost spit my beer out I was about to slap him.  He then opened my eyes to something I had never thought about.  He explained that him and several other guys we run with make very good money, but he constantly runs with guys in different circles that make 10 to 20 million a year and those guys run with guys that make 50 to 100 million a year.  So it's easy for a guy that only makes a million a year to feel poor when half your friends can lease a private jet for an awesome family vacation several times a year and the other half own a private jet.

facepalm

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #13 on: June 08, 2018, 06:44:16 PM »
Stop comparing yourself to other people. It will only result in unhappiness.

Problem solved.

rdaneel0

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #14 on: June 08, 2018, 07:34:59 PM »
This is silly! You're losing out on part of the message if you feel this way. Mustachianism isn't just about saving money it's also about realizing your place in the world and in history, appreciating the opportunities you have, making yourself tougher and more adaptable, and doing things that add real value to your life. I'm on the lower earning side for this forum and when I started here I was minimum wage. I didn't find it depressing that some people could save double or triple what my entire household made in a year, I found it encouraging that I found this information in the first place!

When people are unhappy due to comparisons I find they are only comparing themselves to people with more, not people with less. Maybe bounce around the low income thread and do some reading?

Hargrove

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Re: Mustache made me less grateful/rich?
« Reply #15 on: June 10, 2018, 10:04:09 AM »
You're saving money like a score in a game.

Money is a tool. You need to know what you're saving it for. When you have it, you're done stockpiling.