It is always good to be aware of our spending habits, being careful that we are neither too stingy nor getting carried away. We regularly take stock of what we have spent on and whether it was money well spent. However, money is not the only thing that we are spending. How often have we taken a step back and watched our spending habits when spending time and attention with people who matter, giving ourselves experiences, making a difference in someone’s life, and doing things for ourselves we have always wanted to do?

Are we spending enough time with family, friends, and people whom we value in our life, or do we sometimes take for granted that we have enough time? Often before we know it, we realise and sometimes regret that we didn’t spend enough time with them.

Are we spending enough of our attention on giving ourselves experiences in life that not only make us happy but help us grow along the way as well? We may well find that we get so preoccupied that we put off things to experience for later, and when we want to do things we have never done, it may well be too late.

Are we spending enough thought for others and identifying in our circle of influence, people in whose lives we can make a difference? Sometimes we feel our effort and impact are too small and rather than taking that first step, we block the flow internally, defeated by our misconception of being insignificant. It is not how significant we feel, what we don’t realise is how significant we could well be in someone else’s life.

Are we spending enough time nourishing ourselves, physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually? A tree develops its roots with as much effort and commitment as it does its flowers and fruits. When we overspend on doing and underspend on developing, we may find we have many things but may be losing our balance.

Money when spent depletes, whereas the more time we spend on relationships, experiences, making a difference, and growing as a person, makes us wealthier. We will soon discover the wonderful irony of life – the more we spend, the richer our life becomes.

(Picture – Bangkok skyline at night)