In planning our life path, we identify how to improve ourselves and our life station (our ‘yes’es). We identify what to avoid (our ‘no’s). As a result, your ‘yes’es may be : Education, fitness, positive relationships. Neighborhood, house, community. Peace of mind, optimism, a sense of abundance.
Yet, every day we are bombarded with lifestyle choices that can pull us away from our ‘yes’es . Eating out. Travel. Entertainment. Kitchen and bathroom remodels. These are things that can be quite edifying and immediately pleasurable. We can even make a compelling argument that purchasing these things contribute to your ‘yes’es.
They do contribute, but not always in a positive way.
They can be very, very hard things to say ‘no’ to.
A dinner out with friends can help further bond that friendship. This rationale can be extended to travel. Entertainment. Extended to a kitchen or bathroom remodel. ‘If I remodel my kitchen, I will want to eat at home more often. This will lead to healthier eating.’ Perhaps.
But confusing our lifestyle spending choices with our bigger life ‘yes’es actually leads to us sabotaging our ‘yes’es.
I propose to you this challenge:
In a left column, list your ‘yes’es.
In a right column, list your lifestyle spending choices. (A lifestyle spending choice is every item that is not a necessary expense).
Next, connect your lifestyle spending choices with your ‘yes’es by drawing a line to them (a lifestyle spending choice might correlate to more than one ‘yes’).
Now, challenge yourself to be very honest regarding this exercise.
Which of your lifestyle spending choices is delaying, if not outright sabotaging, your ‘yes’es?
Now look at your ‘yes’es. How precious are these to you? What is your response when you consider how you are risking them?
The goal of this exercise is not to make you neurotic; the goal is to crystallize what is truly valuable to improving and enriching your life.
Put another way, it is to equip you to successfully say ‘no’ to lifestyle spending choices by giving more power to your ‘yes’es.
Your ‘No’ requires a bigger ‘Yes’.
Mastering this exercise empowers you to set off and continue down the life path you have chosen for yourself and those you love.
It won’t be easy; changing our lifestyle never is. When you stumble, keep going. You will get there and, in every good way, your life will never be the same.