Have you embarked on the long road to financial freedom? It takes dedication. Perseverance. Grit. You can be plagued by self-doubt. You might not get much support from family and friends – and certainly not from bosses. While people may be impressed that you’ve saved a lot of money – some up to a million or more – they are not impressed that you choose to stop at enough. All of this takes maturity. Where do you turn to stay the course?
Goldilocks: Remember how she samples the bears’ porridge bowls. One is too hot, one is too cold and one is just right. She reminds me of that peak of fulfillment called “enough”. Not too much, not too little, just right. It can be hard to stop at enough, especially when more is very available. There are 4 really good thrift stores within 5 miles of my home. When price is no object, it’s easy to accumulate gazingus pins… which for me would be leggings or shoes or kitchen gear. Sometimes I have a gazingus color. Currently that’s gray to match my hair, and it’s so easy to have too many tops. Goldilocks reminds me that I have enough and don’t need more, that I can feast my eyes on the shelves and racks and bring home nothing. Underneath that desire for more I find a fear of not enough, which deeper seems to be a fear of impermanence. Goldilocks reminds me to enjoy what I have when I have it.
The Old Gambler of Kenny Roger’s song: He sings “You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, Know when to walk away and know when to run….Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin’, Is knowin’ what to throw away and knowing what to keep.” He tells us an important truth about discernment, when to say yes, when no, when to close the door, when to open a window.
Horton, from Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr Seuss: When we hear him saying, I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent.” we remember to keep our promise to ourselves even when the going gets rough.
Nursery Rhymes can be wise companions. When you think of the baby poem “ten little fingers and ten little toes”, think that if you only have one way or two ways to solve a problem, you have another problem. Play!
Charlotte of Charlotte’s Web reminds us to look for patterns, interconnections and hidden messages. To know that the smallest things are speaking to us. Now.
Joe Friday from Dragnet in the good old days of television said, “Just the facts, m’am, just the facts.” He reminds us to look at the unadorned truth square in the face and the whole mystery will begin to be solved.
The Life of Brian, Monty Python’s masterpiece, reminds us that even when we are nailed to our personal cross, we can, as Eric Idle sang, “Always look on the bright side of life.” Positivity isn’t just to feel better. From a positive frame of mind solutions appear that are hidden by our own clouds of gloom.
Joe the Motorcycle Mechanic (that would be Joe Dominguez) taught me when we were out dirt biking in the desert that when your bike breaks down the first thing you do is hunker down, light a cigarette (okay, it was YEARS ago), look around, crack some jokes, don’t even look at the bike. The problems usually are not ‘things’ – the problems are usually in the connections between things – a loose wire, a loose screw, a blown gasket. Joe reminds us to stop, look and listen before acting, and when acting, assume that the smallest connection, not a crack in your head (engine), could be the source of the problem.