How much money is enough?

I was chatting with my friend Andy recently about how much you need to be happy.

In the end it comes down to your definition of happiness.

For some it’s having the biggest house and the most expensive car. For others it’s about being present and enjoying the moment.

Horses for courses…

The sad thing is, few people actually know what really makes them happy. So they end up chasing some magic figure they believe will make everything perfect.

Think about this…

Can you remember a moment in your life when you were completely content?

I’m not talking about a lengthy period of time, like a month or a year, I mean a specific time and place where you were at one, where you were present and in flow with yourself and your surroundings.

Think hard. When you find it, what did the moment cost you in monetary terms?

Here’s one of mine: I’m paddling out on my kayak from La Rocque harbour in Jersey. It’s a beautiful spring morning, no wind, and the water is so clear I can see the sand and rocks on the bottom. I can smell the ozone coming from the rising tide as I glide effortlessly towards Seymour Tower about a mile offshore. I have both my fishing rods with me and I know I’m going to catch some Bass for dinner. Everything is perfect and I’m in ‘flow’ and completely at one with my environment.

How much did that cost me? Nothing.

I wasn’t driving a leased Lamborghini in a $1,000 suit, or wearing a Rolex, or sitting on a chartered jet drinking $600 bottles of champagne whilst posting selfies on Insta.

Nope, what I was experiencing on the water was a perfect moment, I was present.

But of course that’s not for everyone…

Some people would turn up their nose at having to put their kayak on wheels, drag it across the road and wade knee deep in cold water before paddling out to catch their dinner.

I wasn’t going out to catch fish because we couldn’t afford to buy food, it was because that type of experience is one that lights me up. The ocean has always done that for me.

At the time we had a small and beautifully renovated home which Jules and I had worked on together, pouring love into every decision we made. We were collectively earning way over 6 figures a year and we had two very nice cars on the driveway.

But that was just stuff. They were nice things that made our lives a little more comfortable.

We didn’t stand out in terms of wealth. You’d have passed us in the street or looked at our home and thought nothing more of it.

Where we did and still do stand out is how happy we are in our lives. Our friends don’t ask us “how did you make your money” instead they ask us “why are you two so damn happy?”

And here’s the thing now, our cost of living is about a third of what it was back then.

Only now we wake up every day in a place we’d always dreamed of and worked towards. This morning we played Padel Tennis which cost us nothing. We then sat out on our terrace in the beautiful Spanish January sun and had breakfast whilst we planned our working day.

So what is the point of all this?

It’s about living life on your terms. It’s about finding out what really makes you happy and how much that will cost you to make it happen.

It’s not about chasing that magical figure for the rest of your life until you’re burned out and unfulfilled.

Going back to my good friend, he’s now training to be a Mountain Leader so he can do what he loves - being in the outdoors up on those hills. He knows it’ll never make him super rich, but he’ll enjoy every day.

So when you’re thinking about starting your own business and leaving your job, think about all of this first.

What are you really looking for and how much will that cost to make you happy?

Then you can start structuring your business idea and how much you need to earn around that.

Building an online business is a blend of art and science. So first of all, paint your perfect day, then I can show you the formula to making it happen.

I’ll leave you with one final thought that I discovered far too late in life:

Those who forever head west chasing the sunset, never reach it. While those who discover that the perfect day can be right here, every day, can be the richest people in the world.

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