The 3 Questions
Question 1: Did I receive fulfillment in proportion to life energy spent?
Remember the fulfillment curve? When you think about individual expenses, it’s easier to see that money spent on things you enjoy makes you feel good, while some other expenses make you feel not-so-good.
When you view your overall categories with an eye to fulfillment, you’re looking at the general pattern over the entire month:
Did spending that amount of life energy on ______ bring you more or less happiness, contentment, joy, satisfaction ….?
Considering how much of your (limited) life energy you spent to earn that amount of money, do you think that purchase served you well?
If the answers are YES … Well, you’re on the right track… OK!!
If the answers are NO … Just notice it, without judgment. You may want to make some adjustments next month. Will you want to spend more in this category, or less?
Fulfillment isn’t the only factor to consider, however. Some items may cost a lot now, but bring you great results in the future. Other things are cheap now, but will cost you much more in the long run.
And that leads us to the next question…
Remember the fulfillment curve? When you think about individual expenses, it’s easier to see that money spent on things you enjoy makes you feel good, while some other expenses make you feel not-so-good.
When you view your overall categories with an eye to fulfillment, you’re looking at the general pattern over the entire month:
Did spending that amount of life energy on ______ bring you more or less happiness, contentment, joy, satisfaction ….?
Considering how much of your (limited) life energy you spent to earn that amount of money, do you think that purchase served you well?
If the answers are YES … Well, you’re on the right track… OK!!
If the answers are NO … Just notice it, without judgment. You may want to make some adjustments next month. Will you want to spend more in this category, or less?
Fulfillment isn’t the only factor to consider, however. Some items may cost a lot now, but bring you great results in the future. Other things are cheap now, but will cost you much more in the long run.
And that leads us to the next question…
Question 2: Was this in alignment with my values, goals and purpose?
Have you ever tried to steer a grocery cart with misaligned wheels? You have a clear goal of moving down the aisle, you’re firmly steering the cart and pushing it along, but the cart moves you AWAY from your goal, not toward it. On the other hand, your cart may work perfectly but you forgot your grocery list and are wandering down the aisle trying to remember why you came; that isn’t getting you where you want to go either!
In order to achieve something effectively – whether it’s a full grocery cart or a fulfilling life – purpose and action must be in alignment to get the results you want.
Some people have a hard time identifying their personal values, goals, and life purpose. But every action does indeed have some purpose.
Why Are You Doing What You’re Doing? If you look deeply, you’ll find that every action reflects what you value or what you want to create in your life.
Sometimes the answer to these types of questions just doesn’t feel like the whole truth. It may be what we get, but it’s not really what we want. Looking deeply at how you use money can help you identify the motives and values behind your behavior.
Case Study: Jamie’s Friday Night Poker Games
When considering the costs associated with weekly poker games with her work-mates, Question 2 prompted Jamie to ask, “What’s so important about poker?” The question revealed that it’s not the activity that Jamie values – it’s the camaraderie, the chance to develop friendships with her coworkers.
As you will see later, this led to an interesting outcome when Jamie went on to answer the third question…
Have you ever tried to steer a grocery cart with misaligned wheels? You have a clear goal of moving down the aisle, you’re firmly steering the cart and pushing it along, but the cart moves you AWAY from your goal, not toward it. On the other hand, your cart may work perfectly but you forgot your grocery list and are wandering down the aisle trying to remember why you came; that isn’t getting you where you want to go either!
In order to achieve something effectively – whether it’s a full grocery cart or a fulfilling life – purpose and action must be in alignment to get the results you want.
Some people have a hard time identifying their personal values, goals, and life purpose. But every action does indeed have some purpose.
Why Are You Doing What You’re Doing? If you look deeply, you’ll find that every action reflects what you value or what you want to create in your life.
Sometimes the answer to these types of questions just doesn’t feel like the whole truth. It may be what we get, but it’s not really what we want. Looking deeply at how you use money can help you identify the motives and values behind your behavior.
Case Study: Jamie’s Friday Night Poker Games
When considering the costs associated with weekly poker games with her work-mates, Question 2 prompted Jamie to ask, “What’s so important about poker?” The question revealed that it’s not the activity that Jamie values – it’s the camaraderie, the chance to develop friendships with her coworkers.
As you will see later, this led to an interesting outcome when Jamie went on to answer the third question…
Question 3: How would this change if I didn’t have to work for a living?
A job doesn’t just earn income. A job often costs you – and in money as well as your time. You may have recognized this in Step 2 when you calculated your real hourly wage. For example, childcare can cost more per hour than a working parent earns. Office workers often join gyms because they have developed health problems from sitting all day. Home businesses usually increase home energy costs. When looking at your financial life as a whole, you can’t ignore the impact of employment. But, what if a job wasn’t in the picture at all?
Question 2 helps you to clarify why you trade your money; Question 3 helps to clarify why you trade your time. Is your job aligned with your goal to have a clear, stress-free relationship with money? Do you take your identity from your job? When you can step back and know that you are not your job, it gives you space to evaluate your current employment. If your job is leading you to spend more money than you otherwise would, perhaps it’s time to look for other solutions.
Chances are your job is a means to the goal of financial independence, by which we mean having enough – and a little extra. We also talk about financial independence as having an income sufficient for your needs from a source other than your job. So once you achieve that goal, what would your life look like? Would you quit your job? Would you continue to work, but on your own terms? If so, what would those terms be?
Envision… · What your day would be like if you didn’t NEED paid employment
A job doesn’t just earn income. A job often costs you – and in money as well as your time. You may have recognized this in Step 2 when you calculated your real hourly wage. For example, childcare can cost more per hour than a working parent earns. Office workers often join gyms because they have developed health problems from sitting all day. Home businesses usually increase home energy costs. When looking at your financial life as a whole, you can’t ignore the impact of employment. But, what if a job wasn’t in the picture at all?
Question 2 helps you to clarify why you trade your money; Question 3 helps to clarify why you trade your time. Is your job aligned with your goal to have a clear, stress-free relationship with money? Do you take your identity from your job? When you can step back and know that you are not your job, it gives you space to evaluate your current employment. If your job is leading you to spend more money than you otherwise would, perhaps it’s time to look for other solutions.
Chances are your job is a means to the goal of financial independence, by which we mean having enough – and a little extra. We also talk about financial independence as having an income sufficient for your needs from a source other than your job. So once you achieve that goal, what would your life look like? Would you quit your job? Would you continue to work, but on your own terms? If so, what would those terms be?
Envision… · What your day would be like if you didn’t NEED paid employment
- How your spending would be different
- What you would choose to do with your time