On Having Enough

It has been a few weeks since my last post. The reason being is that I hadn’t come across anything that really inspired me to write. One of my friends reminded me though that blogging shouldn’t feel forced, and that I should write when I feel like it. So, even if my posts aren’t the most consistent, I hope that they are authentic and interesting. I also know that my readers are busy too and aren’t on the edge of their seats waiting for me to write something new, haha.

Anyways, one of my friends here recently said something that struck me as pretty funny and also thought-provoking. He said “I aim to make less than 20,000 dollars a year,” and he wasn’t kidding. I found it funny simply because it’s the opposite of what I’m used to hearing.

I think this friend believes that excess money can be more harmful than helpful, and also relates to a belief that the professions that are paid the best don’t always tie back to those that benefit society the most. That is an entire debate in and of itself, but my thoughts for today relate to how my views of money have changed since being in Thailand.

A quote that comes to mind that I first heard in yoga is “you are enough, you have enough, you know enough”. I think that this can be applied to any facet of life: what you know, what you do, and also how much money you have. Now more than ever, I know how flexible “having enough” money-wise can be depending on place.

I was actually making about 5 times more money at my job in the US than I am right now, yet it feels like I have more money here. Because the cost of living here is so much lower, I still have everything I need to be able to have a comfortable lifestyle on a fraction of what it would cost in the US. The main time when I wish I was making more money (because I’m still not immune to the materialism of society, haha) is when I go for a weekend in Bangkok, where there are numerous high end malls, fancy restaurants, and glamorous hotels. My salary doesn’t afford me this lifestyle, but 90% of the time that’s completely fine.

I have realized that money is so relative to where you are, and that there are so many different ways to create the lifestyle you want regardless of how much money you are making.

Based on this, my mindset when considering different jobs has shifted from thinking about a dollar value on a paycheck to thinking about the cost of living in a place, the flexibility and free time I will have, and most importantly if it is something that will take me in the direction I want to go. After all, there are plenty of people around the world living on a fraction of the amount that I once thought was necessary. To return to the idea of being “enough”, I now believe that regardless of whether your goal is to make $100k per year or $20k per year, there is a way to create the life you want.