Being a rancher my dad often needed to make purchases for our place. The list included cattle, horses, feed and often used equipment. His motto was “What’s mine is mine and what’s your’s is negotiable.” I’ve also seen other members of my family drive a hard bargain. That hasn’t been my strength.
However, long ago I did develop a talent for a type of transaction summed up in a quote by Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, “It is essential for you to remember that the attention you give to any action should be in due proportion to its worth.” I’m down right stingy with my time, physical and emotional energy.
Before I start almost anything a calculator goes off in my head figuring out the effort something will take and how that will fit into the rest of the day. I naturally budget myself, thinking, what’s this going to take and is it worth it. I hate overpaying, especially for something minor. In my Shoot First post I discussed relationships and why I put them first. When I’m rationing my energy I make sure I always have enough for them.
I use an allocation process when it applies to events that happen to me also. If something occurs during a day that I don’t like, I limit how much of me it’s going to get emotionally. I go bargain hunting by not paying with emotional angst.
I equate it to a broken water pipe in a house. Fixing the pipe is usually a small problem. The real damage comes from the water that leaks.
When a situation comes up I focus on fixing the problem instead of letting it spill over into my emotional life. I believe in being a miser with that part of me. I elaborated more on this in my 5 x 5 post.
I have a few less dollars by not paying the minimum for things. I’m happy instead to be a penny pincher when it comes to my time, energy and emotional wear and tear. Nothing more complicated than perception.
May you have enough today, one moment at a time.
THIS HELPED ME 