The basics of personal finance are not hard. You want to spend less than you earn, save for the future, etc.
It becomes hard when those principles intersect with life events. An emergency fund is great until you have a problem with your car AND a cut back in hours at work AND pipe leak in your house AND…
It becomes even harder when it collides with problems that cannot be solved with money alone. Like serious medical emergencies.
But what keeps us going through those times is a sense of purpose. It’s the key message in Viktor Frankl’s book “Man’s Search for Meaning.”
Today’s Apex will be all about finding purpose.
An Unproductive life [Go Curry Cracker] – “A couple of centuries ago some people were thinking the industrial revolution would lead to the end of toil and strife. Automation would bring shorter workdays, fewer work weeks, and an abundance of free time. Email would allow people to attend fewer meetings and spend more time outside the office. It would be a new golden age. Alas, in practice most of the advances just resulted in more work. Culturally, we traded greater productivity for a higher material standard of living rather than greater freedom. We do more for the sake of more.” Unproductive is the part that should be in quotes!
Financial Independence Will Not Set You Free [Darius Foroux] – “For the longest time, I chased empty goals. An empty goal is something that doesn’t make you feel any different once you achieve it. Can you relate to that?”
7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose [Mark Manson] – “Most of us have no clue what we want to do with our lives. Even after we finish school. Even after we get a job. Even after we’re making money. Between ages 18 and 25, I changed career aspirations more often than I changed my underwear. And even after I had a business, it took another four years to clearly define what I wanted for my life.” The questions may seem strange until you read why you should ask them… then they are not strange at all.
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life Might Just Help You Live a More Fulfilling Life [Thomas Oppong on Medium] – “What’s your reason for getting up in the morning? The Japanese island of Okinawa, where ikigai has its origins, is said to be home to the largest population of centenarians in the world.”