Quote:
Originally Posted by ///MPhatic
I want to add one more bit of fuel to the fire of this thread. Something I've found to be true later in life.
When I was a young man I assumed that the things I wanted then would be things I would always want. No one told me this, it was just an assumption, a human assumption that the vast majority of us make.
But that's not how life works. Yes, it's true, some things you want as a young person you'll still desire when you're older, but the invisible truth for most people is that many things they desire when they are younger they will NO LONGER WANT when they are older.
So once you figure this out you'll stop thinking there is so much time to do or say or feel this or that, because there really isn't. You must try to get the things that you want, the things that will make you happy NOW, or you'll miss the opportunity for them to ever make you happy because at some point they will not mean to you what they mean to you NOW.
I recently made a similar post in the "you know you're old when" thread.
Yes, you're old when you can no longer do the things that young people can do, but you're also old when you NO LONGER WANT TO.
The hidden truth of this thread, to me, is a reminder to get what you want while you still want it, because it may not always be so, and that's a missed opportunity at a happiness you can't define. But having said that, you also have to dial it back and be smart as well, you can't just blindly get everything you want now and sacrifice your future (like much of the new generation is doing). So you must choose, and that comes down to the individual and how they feel about the things they want. It's not an answer you can get from someone else's self, it can only come from your self.
Choose wisely.
|
This is very similar to what I was thinking. I was a teen when Fast and the Furious first came out, and that tipped me over the edge of loving all things cars. Fast forward almost 25 years, I still like cars, but I don't appreciate them as much and not in the same way. I used to be big into drag racing and didn't love road courses/circuits, but now I'm all about track racing on a circuit - the pursuit of perfect laps.
Having owned 6 cars from brand new, I've seen all of them come to me "factory perfect" and then watch them get rock chips, dings, and rattles, and I come to dislike them usually after about 2 years into ownership. It's gotten to the point where I want to finish my current lease, pay out the car and then either keep it long term or find something else, used. I have become so critical and anal about new cars and finding their flaws that I just can't appreciate them and enjoy them fully for what they are.
Having said the above, the obvious best scenario for me would be to buy a track car, and a DD as well, both of which are paid off. At this stage of my life, I think that's what I would be happiest with. Hopefully in the next 3 years I can make it happen. Stage 1 is keep saving bit by bit so hopefully I can drop the cash against the residual on my lease at end of term and get away from payments.
All things are relative to the time. I say pursue what makes you happy at the time. Spend smart, but don't necessarily be cheap. You hear stories of marathon runners dying of a heart attack in their 30's, and you'd think they'd be in peak health. Nothing is guaranteed, and you can't spend when you're gone. Set your goals, make sure you keep to them, and enjoy the rest. I'm overleveraged with my car payment making up 22% of my net income which professionals would say is way too much, but we don't have children, I'm putting away 12% per month for retirement into RRSPs, saving here and there, may end up seeing inheritance, and should have our house paid off when I'm 51. I'll probably work until 65 because I don't know what I will do with myself having no work to do. As long as you have a plan in place that works long term, don't cheap out today hoping that you can enjoy tomorrow.