"A horse, a horse. My kingdom for a horse." These were the words that Richard the III says in Shakespeare's play (Richard III). King Richard is in a war, his horse is killed, and that is the basis for this statement.

So why I am using a Shakespeare quote about a horse?

I was invited last January to attend a museum exhibit of carousel animals in Coos Bay, Oregon. How cool is that?   The local artist has been carving carousel animals for over 20 years, and his work is remarkable. Of course there are horses, but also a rabbit perpetually chased by a wolf, giraffes with attitude, a bear on the prowl, a dragon, a lion, a Mr. Toad-like frog...so many whimsical and wonderful creatures. (You can check out his work at: www.kenmeanscarousel.com, under the gallery section.)

And, Coos Bay being a small town, the artist was on hand...even cooler. I was enraptured with the work and had the chance to talk with him. It turned out that he's very concerned that the skills involved with carving large pieces like these animals may be lost in coming generations. With this in mind, he teaches animal carving in a three-week class each summer.

Since I'm always looking for fun and rewarding activities that I can carry into retirement (when I'm ready), I thought this class sounded great. I had no idea what to expect, but a friend and I signed up anyway, at least for one week of it.

What a trip! Most of the attendees had been there numerous times before - like 12-18 times before. People were carving all sorts of creatures, like tigers, a dog, and a gargoyle. There were three newbies, including myself and my friend, and all three of us were carving horses.

The week was completely captivating. Who knew? It was so amazing finding a horse in a block of wood. Michelangelo might have seen angels in marble, but our teacher can see animals in blocks of wood.   With a great deal of help, we got as far as these pictures show. We will continue with the project until the rocking horse (for my friend's granddaughter) is completed, having fun all the while.

I would have never thought of carving as a potential hobby, but I followed my heart and it didn't lead me astray.

So what does this have to do with money? I got to thinking about the definition of "wealth" and "richness." Is it really about money or is it about the depth of passion in one's life and the freedom to pursue it?   That's the subject of the article below.

Do you spend your time and money in a way that brings value to your life?

Until next time,

Susan

sb  

In Shakespeare's play Richard III, King Richard cries out "My kingdom for his horse," because his had just been killed. In that moment, the most important thing to King Richard III was to get a horse under him to continue fighting. He doesn't really want to give up his kingdom for that horse, but he sure feels like it in the moment.

Have you ever had a moment when you wanted something so badly that you would spend anything on it, whether it fit into your finances or not? Have you ever regretted that decision later or had to deal with the roller coaster ride that your decision caused in your cash flow?

It's human nature to be intrigued and fantasize about something we don't have. It's a gift and curse of the frontal lobe of our brain. We're the only animals that can imagine something that we don't have and create a desire for it so strong that it can override our senses.

And that's not a bad thing. What can trip you up, though, is not putting that individual desire into the bigger picture. The question is: Is this something that will bring us the greatest value for our money when we consider everything else?

Money isn't a goal in itself. It is what we trade our time, our life energy, and our skills, experience and education for.   (You can explore this concept in more depth in the book, Your Money or Your Life by Robin, Domiguez and Tilford.)

Likewise, work isn't a goal in itself. Its purpose is to give us the forum in which to trade those items and get money in return.

So if money is an item of exchange that involves sacrifice to us, doesn't it seem like we would need to show it great respect? We are literally sacrificing a great deal in order to obtain it. We can show respect for money and honor our sacrifice by using it toward those things that bring us the most real value in our lives. Certainly it needs to cover the necessities of living, but also those things that make our heart sing.

Getting clear on just which experiences and expenditures are most important to us is an important task. We have so many conflicting desires and such bombardment of suggestions from society at large that this is a tougher proposition that it might seem at first.

If you were to make a list of the most important things to you, and compare it to how you're currently spending your money, how would it compare? Are you truly showing your money the respect and honoring it deserves for all the sacrifices you make to get it?

If you haven't done this exercise before, its value is in giving you an overview and priority list of how to spend your money. If you are part of a couple or family, certainly there is negotiation among all of you about what this list would look like.

Each of you might claim one thing from the list as the item worth "fighting" for and plan your spending around it. At a juncture in an economy such as our recent one, it might be as mundane as choosing ownership of a home and/or paying for your children's education.

The importance of the list becomes the basis of future decisions when money becomes available. What's the next most important thing to spend that money on?

None of us can operate without an overview or template because in any one moment an individual spending decision can absolutely seem like the right thing to do. But put into the overview, it might lose its importance by comparison.

Richard III wouldn't have given up his kingdom, for which he was fighting so hard, for a horse. But in that moment, a horse seemed like the most important thing to obtain.

Are you having moments - or weeks or months - where financial priorities are confusing? Having an overview will help you gain the clarity you need. When you're ready, for some help with that, please email me (or call me at 415-479-1290). I've helped individuals and couples for over 20 years bring their finances into perspective and fine-tune their process so that their money is going to those things that bring the most value to them and their families.

I can do the same for you, so please take me up on my offer of a free hour consultation. Together we can explore your objectives, potential obstacles, and true motivations for change. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be clear on the future you desire AND know what your next steps are? Email me for an appointment so you can start to see a stress free future today!