...and motorcycles. Golden Honda: By the way I made up the title of this thread because I thought this way it was more interesting than: Look, a golden Porsche!"
Yup, I drive a Honda Pilot. Rock solid and peppy. 3 years now with nothing but 6 month oil changes. Boring? Nope, not from my vantage point watching all them young ones with lawnmower exhausts zipping over lanes on the highway. I am happy to have 4600 lbs of steel surrounding me.
I think the point of all this is to control your own vanity. I see nothing wrong with buying an expensive car if you truely enjoy driving and can afford it, or buying a big screen tv because you are a videophile. But buying expensive things just to impress others is something to be avoided, after all it doesnt really bring enjoyment to yourself. One should not be wasteful, but also does not need to live like mother teresa. We only have a very limited existence on earth, for most of that time we work hard to earn money, and if we then try to save every penny and wont even spend money on the things we enjoy/love, then it's not a life well lived.
sweet car ! I tried it 2 times but I wanted the Cab and the metal roof made problems so I decided for the Audi. But the coupe should be fine, the dual turbo motor is first class (though I like a little more noise) and takes only little fuel compared to my Audi. One thing I wanted to add: Several 1000 years ago the Darwin principle created part of what we are today. You can go ahead and fight your instincts (and feel mental superiour) and drive a small car and don't train your muscles to pose and impress woman but - hey - why should I ? I feel way better and easier if I just follow my instincts and don't re-think 1000 times why I made this decision etc. And what people will talk at my grave is something I really don't care about because at this time I will be dead and my existence is over. All I can hope for is that I made most out of it. By the way, one place where you really have to fight your instincts and learn to controll them is the stock market ! Otherwise no money to buy a fency car... Sorry for my english (I am German).
You are contradicting yourself. First you said one should not care what others think about oneself. Then you said one should strive to be remembered and loved by others. If you dont really care what others think about you, then why do you care if they remember/love you or not after you are gone?
I hear you, man. I think I'm still trying to adjust to this new "level" of income that I've been making as a trader. I still live like the days when I was barely making $100k as a management consultant right out of grad school, and that was over 5 years ago now. Yes, I'm saving a lot of money as a result with this relatively frugal living, but at the same time, I'm restricting myself from enjoying the life the way I COULD be living with more toys! Spending 50k on a car just seems too crazy although I can easily afford it right now. I know that I'm not going to take the money with me to my grave, but coming from a very poor, humble environment growing up, I've been always obsessed about saving $$, and that mentality has stuck with me very firmly in my head....
sunggong, first congrats upon your success! Here is a "secret" I will share with you for your consideration. Think of some worthy individual or family that has come to your attention. Perhaps thru your work, perhaps thru relationships at Church or Synagogue, perhaps thru just day to day life. Think of someone who is either in need or who has done something sacrificial for others. Take your time, no need to rush. Make a list and keep it on the back of your desk. When the time is right and if you are willing take an amount of funds that you think is "appropriate" and cut the person or family a check against one of your checking accounts that is not known by anyone. The amount need not be small or large, you will know the proper amount. Print your own checks and put "xyz" foundation and an xyzFoundation gmail address at the top left of the check. Write a letter to the person or family and tell them how much you respect what they have done, what they stand for, or what they sacrificed to do what they have done. Encourage them, a lot. Tell them you wish nothing in return. Say that if they cannot put the funds to good use, that they simply pass them on like you did to someone they think deserves them. Be very specific to them in your encouragement. Sign the letter in a way that is not recognizable, put your "xyz foundation" as the return address (but no street or city address), take a picture of the envelope and now mail them from somewhere not identified with you. Keep mum, never tell anyone what you did or do, ever. Total anonymity is a must. No one must know. If the secret ever gets out, this will not work. Check your xyz foundation email once in a while, and make a scrapbook over the years of the envelope pictures and the emails you receive. Now treasure the feeling you get in your heart everytime you think of the person/family and what they have done to make the world a better place when you look thru your scrapbook of love.
Quote from newguy05: You are contradicting yourself. There is no contradiction. First you said one should not care what others think about oneself. Since you clipped "I much prefer the model of people like Sam Walton. He wore the same overalls and drove his old truck. He didn't give a dang what anyone else thought. " Obviously the point was, he didn't care about the trappings - the "signs you have made it as a trader." He was happy before the money. He was happy after the money. Things and attention are not what made him happy. Then you said one should strive to be remembered and loved by others. If you dont really care what others think about you, then why do you care if they remember/love you or not after you are gone? Since you clipped "As they said on the Wizard of Oz, the measure of a man is not how much you love, but how much you are loved by others. Attention seekers will always crave more and not be satisfied. But it is the Mother Teresas and the Gandhis who will be remembered long after their death." I did not say one should strive to be loved by others. But that this is a better measure of someone's existence. That those who crave toys and attention will never be filled. But those who give of themselves and seek to fill the lives of others will be more so themselves. This is the life well lived.
well spoken. These examples of good people did not mean you have to live like a pauper. It means you should not live like Ebeneezer Scrooge. As his once fiancee said to him, the love he once had for her was replaced with a golden idol in his heart.