Art is a physical representation of the value of someone’s time. How can you know what you are worth if you never make an audit? The value of shares, bonds and NFTs depends on many complicated factors. This blog aims to help you improve your overall life, not just your financial life, so I will not bore you with the details.
To simplify, all three of these assets are inventions that represent our belief in something.
- Shares: believing in a company
- Bonds: believing that a debt will be repaid with interest
- NFT: believing that a work of digital art will increase in value over time.
With the invention of all things digital, we are moving away from a society based on physical assets toward one based on digital ones. An idea is now the most valuable thing a company can invest in. Faith is the only thing that gives value to these intangible assets.
Faith that they have an intrinsic value and that their value will grow over time. When I bought a few Book NFTs, I was investing in the idea that as web3 becomes a reality, these tokens will gain importance and value.
The source of wealth
Eckhart Tolle once wrote:
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
Eckhart Tolle
To see the possible value of something, you must appreciate what you already have. The inherent value of an NFT is zero, and it is very likely that as this industry ripens – many once valuable – tokens become worthless. How much they are worth will depend on their ability to stay relevant.
Like an NFT, your ability to adapt to the changing world will determine your position in that order. Your lifestyle will define your value as you age. Spending habits that drive you deep into credit card debt will keep you endlessly making payments. Conversely, healthy saving habits and well-placed investments will increase your value over time and help you take advantage of the compound effect.
The 100-Year Life by Lynda Gratton and Andrew J. Scott shows that you cannot expect the same life as your grandparents. They outlined what will happen to you financially based on your ability to adapt to a rapidly changing system.
Previous generations could be carried to retirement with basic education and a good work ethic; that does not cut it anymore. Anyone entering the labour field, regardless of their domain, must be able and willing to change their life trajectory should conditions warrant it. Those who resist this change will most likely struggle to catch up later.
To stay relevant, you must develop habits that will help you change and adapt. By adapting to the changing tides, you can take advantage of it to build a better foundation rather than be left behind without a lifeboat. The first step in preparing for this change is to be mindful of your assets and appreciate them.
Longevity habits
There are three types of habits that you must consider when thinking about longevity: mental, physical, and financial. When assessing these three aspects of your life, ask yourself:
“Are my habits sustainable?”
For habits to be sustainable, you must be able to do them without adverse effects ad infinitum. Generally speaking, these are the ones that are moderately unpleasant such as: running, cold showers, and fasting. You can learn to enjoy them and someday maybe even crave them, but first, you must learn to tolerate them.
Conversely, unsustainable habits are those that are subject to the fallacy of consumerism. These habits are easy to pick up but hard to put down; they are unsustainable because you are always left craving more.
Let’s use coffee as an example. The more coffee you have, the more you crave, but the less satisfied you are with it. Eventually, this leads to a tolerance where instead of the coffee giving you a caffeine high when you have it, you feel low when you don’t.
Your mindset matters
Developing sustainable habits is theoretically accessible all you need is to learn to focus your attention. This is hard, especially with an internet connection providing you with an endless stream of cat videos and goats jumping on trampolines. But it is possible to get much more enjoyment from a cup of tea than from singing along to baby shark; all you need is the focus.
Your world is defined by where to focus your attention. If you focus on the good things happening to you, you will realize how lucky you are. Sadly, the law of attraction, as described by Rhonda Byrne in The Secret, also goes the other way. If you focus on what is going wrong, you will realize how unlucky you are.
Your mindset concerning longevity is essential; thinking that something is inevitable will make it so. As you focus on the symptoms of aging, you will feel older, making you age faster. There are definitive biological changes in our bodies as we age. These should act as warning signs of things we must be more attentive to, not as a punishment for aging.
Pain happens for a reason; sometimes, it goes away quickly, and other times it stays for a while. But if you notice it and nurture the injured area, the source of that pain might disappear or become more bearable. Just like a mechanic can know precisely what is wrong with a car and how to fix it, it is up to you to realize what you need to do to heal yourself.
Rather than only noticing the pain when it is there, try to appreciate the lack of something hurting when it is gone. How many times have you woken up pain-free and said:
“Wow, I feel great today.”
Becoming grateful
Most of us don’t; we either wake up and complain or say nothing if there is no pain – we are biased to negativity. We must learn to notice the good more than the bad. In practice, the three methods you can use to be more grateful are:
- Journaling
- Meditation
- Savour the moment
Journaling for gratitude
Journaling is the easiest gratitude habit to develop. You can either incorporate it into your regular journaling or develop a journaling habit which has ample benefits on its own.
To do this, simply find something to write on and start listing things you are grateful for. This is usually done at night while reflecting on all the good things that have happened throughout the day.
Regularly keeping a gratitude journal will make it for you to recognize the boons that come your way throughout the day. Furthermore, noticing these boons will then cause you to become a more optimistic person. Try it and let me know how it goes in the comment section.
Gratitude meditation
Meditating can help you be more attentive to the good things happening to you and provide you with myriad other benefits. But this could be the easiest way to start if you are struggling to develop a meditation routine.
Your object of focus for this practice is all the good things in your life. This could be: things that have happened to you, current bodily experiences, an appreciation for the taste of ice cream, how great your partner is or whatever you want to be grateful for.
This type of meditation tends to be easier and more rewarding, especially for those new to the practice. It is easier to focus your attention when you are actively thinking and remembering. Furthermore, the practice rewards you with a “gratitude high” making it easy to return to it.
Savouring the moment
This one is more reactive than reflective; you enjoy the moment while it is still happening. Let’s go back to that cup of tea. When was the last time you savoured a cup of tea, coffee or even a piece of chocolate?
These are the things we take for granted every day that become so much better when we take the time to slow down and enjoy them. Being present when you are doing or having something you want will help you enjoy it even more.
Your financial, mental and physical habits all impact your quality of life. This takes time, but the earlier you focus on living a sustainable lifestyle, the more you will get to appreciate your life. For help on your path, reach out to me.
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