Since money was invented as a concept, probably as early as 5,000 B.C., it has been the most important thing that we, as human beings, fight for.
Making money is the top priority of many people and probably several times a day we think about how much we have and how much we need.
In many cases, pursuing money is just about survival and nobody can really criticize this. We need to bring food on our table, and in this complex society it will not happen unless we have money. However, in other cases, pursuing money is nothing more than a highly addictive game. The more we have the more we want.
In both cases, what happens is that our decisions are heavily influenced by the amount of money that is at stake. Let’s hypothesize that I would offer these two options: a well-paid job in a corporate company and a poorly paid job for a charity organization. I bet that the majority would choose the first option. What about you?
Let’s be honest, we all want to minimize the time we spend on working while maximizing the profit. We are lazy but we just don’t want to admit it!
Being lazy is technically not a sin and there is actually nothing bad in the idea of working less while earning more. The real problem subsists when in order to achieve this, we take advantage of other people’s weaknesses and believe me, nowadays this happens way too often and in such subtle ways so that it is really difficult to even recognize it!
Think about it, is there really anyone who never lie in order to make money? How many people do you know that are really transparent and honest in the word they say? How many times have you heard a car-dealer giving you a list of cons about the car they are selling?
Here, I propose a two-step plan to help you live a fulfilled life by respecting other people and without having to deny that you are actually lazy:
- Pursuing minimalism and sharing
- Use common sense to find purpose
- Pursuing minimalism and sharing
The first step is to avoid being trapped into being greedy for money. To do this you should always pursue minimalism and sharing what we have.
Regarding the minimalism concept, let’s ask ourselves the question: what do we really need for living? Do we need all the comforts that are advertised by magazines of by the television?
The obvious answer is no! The things that we really need in order to live decently are food, clothes, shelter and some essential technology.
Hence, let’s remind us from time to time that we really don’t need a Bentley to go to work, we really don’t need the last iPhone to send text messages, we really don’t need a house with 20 rooms for a family of 4 people.
Regarding the sharing concept, we should ask ourselves how many times a day or a week we really need an object. Can we actually share with somebody else if we do not need it everyday? I am not saying that we should share things with everybody, but at least with people that we know, like neighbors and relatives.
Hence, let’s remind us from time to time that we don’t really need to have our own barbecue grill, camping set or car washing set!
- Use common sense to find purpose
The second step is to consciously avoid making actions driven by money and to do this you should always use common sense.
Some people may say here: why should we use common sense when there are laws that regulate what we can and what we can’t do?
The answer is that laws are written by a few selected people and they are always subject to interpretation and circumstances. Laws are not always right or updated and they try to regulate things in the best knowledge of the legislator. If you think about it, new laws are created only after something bad happens and not before.
Hence, whenever you have to make a decision, do not interrogate your law book, but interrogate yourself by asking the question: what is the best thing to do so that I do not damage not only me but also others?
Let’s not wait for the laws to dictate what we can and what we can’t do. Let’s make our actions driven by common sense. Of course, it is more challenging to this, because we will have to exclude a set of options which would have probably been very convenient. However, being wise and fair in this world pays in the long-term always.
Take-home message
In conclusion, remember that minimalism and sharing will help you saving money and make you feel you can survive even without it and common sense will help you make the right decisions that are not money-driven.
I hope this method will help you have a fulfilling relationship with others as well as being lazy and relax whenever you want to!
