by Tricia
A big thanks to Sarah and Chris for sending me a link to the following article. It really fits in with what I was discussing the other day about why it took so long for us to decide that it was time to pay off our debt).
New York Times: It Might Pay to Follow Your Bliss.
I was trying to figure out a portion to quote from the article, but the whole thing is great. I’ll just quote the opening paragraph since it adequately sets the mood for the piece:
REMEMBER the fable about the ant and the grasshopper? The ant works hard all summer, socking away provisions for the winter; the grasshopper frolics away each day. The ant warns the grasshopper that he’s being hedonistic and short-sighted. The grasshopper ignores the ant, and continues on his merry way — only to perish when winter sets in.
If you have a chance, click on the link and read it. It’s a great article.
Good to see that fiscal prudence can lead to contentment, but the right attitude has to be there. You have to tune out the media bombardment of us with the “more, more, more” message. Sometimes a hard bump into reality (in our case, a major layoff) is what it takes to change our grasshopper perspective into the ant’s.