I was never rich. And I’d probably never be (except if I win the Euromillions!).
My family was never rich. My dad had two jobs since he was 20, even before he met my mum and my mum worked occasionally. I haven’t travelled abroad until I was 19.
But we were never poor either. My amazing parents always tried their best to provide for us and they did. And I owe them a LOT.
Does it really matter though? I had an amazing childhood, raised with love and affection, I had the best uni years, going out with friends and just having fun and that for me is much more important.
I think been raised with not having much makes you a better person. You learn to appreciate people and life more, you learn to stick together through difficult times and care no matter what, you learn how to enjoy the little things.
Money and money worries came up in conversations with friends recently and we all agreed that at the end of the day worrying about money is just waste of time.
Yes, of course we all work to make a living, pay our bills, improve our quality of life. And dealing with financial difficulties is not easy.
But we spend 8 hours a day with our colleagues, who of course we get along with (most of the time) to then spend 2 hours a day and the weekends with the people we love or go on holiday 22 days a year.
I might not afford a brand new car, or 10 holidays a year (although I’d love to, who wouldn’t?) but spending time with the people I love, doing things I enjoy, visiting new places when I can afford to is enough for me.
I just had the most amazing time with friends and family and I wouldn’t change that with anything.
Money is important but can’t buy you friends or love or happiness. What if I could afford to buy a mansion if I were to live there on my own? What if I could travel the world but had no one to share this with?
This is happiness! Your grandpa asking you if he looked alright on the selfie you just took!
I’ll leave you with a quote from one of my favourite children books, the Little Prince. I think adults will benefit if they have a read!
“Grown-ups love figures… When you tell them you’ve made a new friend they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you “What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies? ” Instead they demand “How old is he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make? ” Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.”
Lessons I learned after I turned 30 