What I've been learning about while I've been MIA from Hive

Like many of you, I'm sure, I've spent many years (decades really) aiming to improve my life.

My life is not bad, it's pretty grand when I put it in perspective. And not every day of my life has been rosy.

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While I live in a rich country and have access to safe shelter, plenty of food, heaps of clean water, abundant electricity and as much internet as I could possibly ever need, my life has still had - like my other relatively rich peeps - plenty of challenges to wrestle with.

• I've been hurt by others humans in more ways than I currently choose to recount in this moment 😔

• I've spent years in debt wondering how the hell I can possibly pay off what seemed like sensible investments at the time 😠

• I've had chronic health conditions that have prevented me from working as much as I'd like, socialising as much as I used to and running + travelling as much as my heart would ideally love 😢

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While I really appreciate the many resources and opportunities I have access to in my life (all those above, plus education, many friends, a family who love me, a wide range of work opportunities, etc) I don't believe I should just "settle" because I have it "better than most people".

I believe I'm allowed to enjoy the many things I have now (and have already had the pleasure of experiencing in the past) and also continue to improve my life.

(You could say I'd love to be 'alive and thriving' 😉)

Spending time on Hive has helped me gain a greater appreciation of all the many wonderful things I have. Seeing the lives of my fellow Hiveans who have a very different lifestyle and access to much less than me has helped me see far more clearly just how rich I already am. Even if I'm still struggling with actual dollars in the bank I still have sooooooo many other wonderful resources at my disposal 🤦‍♀️

Yes, it seems Hive has made me a more aware, more grateful woman. Thank God this algorithm here is so very different to the standard echo chambers of social media on Web 2.0. Had it not been for Hive I would have found it really tricky to become friends with people in such a huge number of different countries.

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But I do believe I'm still allowed to be healthier than I am, happier than I am, wealthier than I am. Hence, my willingness to keep learning about different ways to continue to improve my life 🤸‍♂️

I'm reading a book at the moment about financial independence. It's an old book (decades old) and while some of the references are a little dated there is still so much relevant gold in there. The book is called, "Your money or your life" (by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin) 📖

There was a particular idea that jumped out at me just this week (I'm reading it slowly to try and really absorb it) that said something like this (paraphrasing):

Don't aim to be rich. If you're rich that means you have more than others, that you have things that other people don't have. The rich man is trying to be better than others and deliberately collects, or has access to, things that other people don't have or can't get.

Instead, aim to be financially independent. Make your focus about freeing yourself from the consumerist rat race that has you locked in working hard and buying stuff you don't need. Create a lifestyle where you have enough and then focus, with your spare energy and time, on being of service to others.

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I really appreciate this idea. It immediately resonated with me. Because the idea of me having a massive home while millions (billions?) of people around the world don't have stable, safe, secure housing does not make me happy 🏠

The idea of having a wardrobe full of expensive items of brand new clothes while so many people have only the clothes on their back or what they can carry does not make me happy 👗

Likewise, the idea that I could create a "seven-figure business" through my coaching work where I serve only rich white people from countries just like mine while I do nothing to support or help those who will never be able to afford my 1:1 rates does not make me happy 💰

So I think there's a balance to be struck.

The aim is to care enough about myself and my life that I embrace and enjoy the (many) things I have and aim to be truly healthy, truly financially independent and truly happy with the kind of contribution I'm making through my day-to-day actions. But it's also about (for me) staying connected to the rest of the world, thinking about the ways I can, every day, in small or large ways, help other people who don't have all the things I have.

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