Let us say I received an extra bonus from my work, which is mostly online. A large portion of it is going toward my savings. The bonus could come in the form of an immediate client who wants to get a task done quickly. Another thought that comes to mind is getting big returns on the investment itself. Whatever the case may be, I am mostly inclined toward saving the money.
I have come to realize that a big part of me that wanted to do things was to grind for aspects I like. An example of starting online was to work for myself or create ventures of my own. I do not work well with others. That seems good at first, but the problems arise when, no matter what you do, eventually you work for someone. It can be negated, but that comes with independence. A core part of independence is that you do not care about how much you get out of it.
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I once heard that freelancers, in particular, should keep almost seven to eight months of expenses set aside. This usually prevents people from investing heavily, because if work is lost, it hurts to cash out investments at a loss.
This kind of mindset makes me take work that I actually enjoy most of the time. The major drawback of freelance work is that there is no one to take care of you. If a medical condition arises and you cannot work for a while, there is no safety net.
That $1000 will push me closer to that goal. Another option I have been considering for a while is buying a laptop. I already have an old laptop that works well for simple day to day tasks, but editing software is a hassle on it.
Many times in my life, I have bought things I never really needed. But this has been a concern for quite some time. I have delayed the satisfaction of buying a new one, telling myself, “I will buy a luxury one later.”
So half of the bonus will eventually go toward savings, and the other half toward a laptop.
Desires and working toward them are what move us. It is not as if getting a new laptop will change my life that much, but it is the way our mind works. It rewards us for sticking to a goal.
As for overall stress, this would not be too much of a factor in reducing it.
I have fallen many times into the trope of increasing my income, believing that it will ensure much more freedom. The work is strenuous, and eventually the results appear, but the journey of aspiration that led you there, the movement toward the apex, is the only thing that is truly appealing.
