Buying-In to Things That Are Important
How many subscriptions do you have? How many memberships? How much is pulled out of your bank account on a regular monthly basis?
You probably have Netflix, maybe Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime. You may have a monthly gym membership or a cable subscription. You might belong to a book of the month club.
I have zero subscriptions. I don’t have any memberships I pay for on a regular basis.
That’s not to say I don’t use other people’s. I use my girlfriend’s Netflix account, I use my sister’s Hulu login, I’ve used another’s Amazon Prime. But I don’t pay for anything myself. You probably think that’s because I’m cheap, and, you’re probably right. You might also think it’s because I have commitment issues, which is another good theory.
Both of these things are true. I don’t like to buy stuff, and I don’t like to commit to things, but that is because I don’t want to have unnecessary stuff.
For example, I don’t have Amazon Prime because it wouldn’t be worth the cost for me. I don’t order many things online, and I don’t think I should start getting in the habit of doing so.
That is logical.
However, there comes the point when my avoidance into things gets in the way of my interests and values.
Another example: I used to read articles on Medium all the time. I found interesting and valuable content here, but when it became something you paid for, I didn’t pay, so I didn’t use it. It’s not that I couldn’t afford it, it’s only $5, but because of the new need to buy in, I told myself I didn’t really need Medium in my life. That meant there was no reason to pay for it.
The truth? I didn’t really need it. Just like I don’t really need to spend my Sundays logged into my sister’s Hulu account bingeing Grey’s Anatomy. But, the thing is, by sitting down and watching Grey’s I was buying in. I wasn’t spending money, but I was spending something just as valuable — time.
Do you ever find yourself wasting your money or your time on things that do not really add value to your life? We all do it, which is why we need to bring more awareness into how we spend our lives.
For me, as an avid reader and writer, paying for Medium is something I could benefit from. But I didn’t buy-in. Until now, I’ve been hesitant to buy into things — even things that are good for me. And, sometimes, because I don’t buy-in, I don’t do something that could really add value to my life.
It is essential to your happiness and fulfillment that you buy-in to things that interest and excite you, whether you have to pay for them or not. You could buy-in with your time, your energy, your sweat, or your dollar. You could buy-in to your health by going for a run every day. You could buy-in to your relationships by spending quality time with people without outside distractions.
But, if you don’t buy-in to the things that really add value to your life, you’ll be spending your time and energy on things that don’t.
The Universal Take-a-way Or the Reason You Might Have Made It This Far Into the Article
Don’t hesitate to buy-in to things that add value to your life.
Whether you have a million subscriptions or one, make sure you are spending time on stuff that really matters to you. Buy an online course for something you’re really interested in, or give up Netflix for a couple months to work on your novel.
Think about your dreams, goals, and what makes you happy and spend your time, money, and energy on those things. Make sure your money and your time are working toward making yourself a happier and more fulfilled person. Because that’s what it is all about.
It’s easy to plop down on the couch every day after work. It’s harder to write something meaningful, learn something, or move your body.
Every day we buy-in to things whether we are conscious of it or not. Today, be conscious of it and be sure to put your money and your time where your happiness is.
Buying-in doesn’t have to mean spending money, it could just mean spending time and energy, but sometimes spending money will prove to yourself that something is essential to your world.
