Embracing Slow Living: Using Financial Planning To Move Away from Grind Culture

Many of us are rejecting American grind culture these days in favor of a slower-paced lifestyle that allows us to enjoy the things that truly matter. We recognize that killing ourselves for a job or career is just not worth it, and that we would rather focus our precious time on consciously building and living a satisfying life. When we embrace a slower lifestyle, we allow ourselves to direct our energy towards the activities and people whom we cherish most.

Good living for me, for example, hovers snugly among the intersection of an intentional mindset, minimalism and frugality.

• Setting an intentional mindset involves savoring life's simple pleasures, being mindful of my actions, and finding joy in the little things.

• Embracing minimalism is to let go of excess things (both physical and non-physical), reduce distractions and clutter, and enjoy increased clarity and peace.

• Finding joy in frugality means prioritizing quality over quantity and recognizing that true happiness comes from experiences and relationships, not material possessions. If I'm going to spend my resources on something, whether time or money, it had better bring me a commensurate value.

As I talk with others about this, both professionally and personally, I often hear strong agreements with these base values, along with the sentiment that it is unachievable due to ever-pressing responsibilities, financial burdens, and expectations from partners, family, etc.

So, how do we make the intentional transition to a slower living that we so desire? How do we bridge the gap between the life we currently live to the life we crave, all while inflation is high, bills are ever rising, and many feel like we are not far from living paycheck to paycheck?

The simplest way to embrace slow living is to plan accordingly and plan early. This applies to various facets of your life- work, relationships, personal growth- but it is especially key to plan early for your money. As we like to say, time is your best asset. Many folks think they should wait until they're making a "lot" of money (which means completely different things to different people), be close to retirement, or have a financial issue before they contact a financial planner. Please, no!

When we make our money work harder for us today, it means more enjoyment of the things that matters most tomorrow. 

Proactive financial planning empowers you to make informed choices about your money and live a more intentional and fulfilling life. It's easy to get caught up in the cultural belief that we will always just be trying to "catch up", and will have to work until we are in our 60s to have any chance of retiring with any peace of mind. But this is just not true for many people! Most working professionals can buy themselves the flexibility to work less, take sabbaticals, take Fridays off, or retire early when they have an effective financial plan in place.

To best set our future selves up for financial security and success, we have to be proactive with our financial planning. Doing this can help in many ways - to clarify goals, create a balanced and intentional spending plan, and invest savings wisely. Last, but certainly not least, financial planning helps us feel good about the money we work so hard to earn and feel confident that we are making good financial decisions once we learn what works best for us and our individual situation.

One step at a time and before you know it your finances will be set up to give you a delightful sense of freedom to design your life to fit your needs, desires, and goals. Start implementing financial planning best practices and enjoy reduced stress, improved well-being, and a greater sense of happiness, fulfillment, and peace of mind.

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Need help putting together your financial plan? Get in touch.

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