The value of PATIENCE in today's crazy society.
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Guest Post: Carrie from Fantastic Sarcastic. One of my all-time favorite non-pf bloggers EVER. Seriously, i love her blog. Clever, funny, and just so freakin' refreshing! She also happens to be another of my writing twins ;) Take it away girl...
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While Mr. & Mrs. Budgets Are Sexy are, um…I presume getting sexy on their honeymoon, I have been invited to guest post. I’m Carrie from Fantastic Sarcastic – although not a Personal Finance Blogger, I am a fan of the PF Blog world and Mr. J. Savings in particular. I mean, how can you NOT like a blog named Budgets Are Sexy?
In these times of $4/gallon gas, rising food prices, and that scary word recession floating around, I've been thinking a lot about the value of PATIENCE.
I consider myself a fairly patient person, yet I constantly have to remind myself to slow down, wait it out, etc. Our culture is so programmed for immediate gratification that practicing patience can be difficult at times.
For example: I keep reading that once your car passes 60 miles an hour, your fuel efficiency decreases. Although the speed limit on the freeway in Seattle is 60, of course that means I usually drive 65-70 miles an hour. But when I think about it, do I really NEED to go that fast? Will shaving a couple minutes off my morning commute make that much of a difference? Not really.
So lately I’ve been telling myself that it’s okay to stay in the slow lane for a few miles. There’s no need to curse at the old dude in front of me, to huff and puff at the minivan taking its time on the onramp, or especially to scream “Oh my God! Speed up, already!” at the semi truck in the fast lane.
Instead I keep telling myself to have some patience, chill out, and reap the benefits of fuel efficiency and more money in my pocket.
The same can be said in a multitude of other financial situations. Instead of “I NEED to go see Indiana Jones in the theater NOW!” you can wait until it’s released on DVD.* Instead of buying a hot new electronic gadget immediately when it comes out, wait a few months – or longer – until the price goes down.
The waiting game and nurturing our patient sides isn’t always very fun (or sexy!), but in the long run, it’s usually worth it.
*Full disclosure: The Indy example was completely hypocritical. I just saw it in the theater and it was AWESOME. But you get my point.
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Yours truly is honeymooning in the Caribbean and wishes you a very sexy day.
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Guest Post: Carrie from Fantastic Sarcastic. One of my all-time favorite non-pf bloggers EVER. Seriously, i love her blog. Clever, funny, and just so freakin' refreshing! She also happens to be another of my writing twins ;) Take it away girl...
********************************************************************************************************************
While Mr. & Mrs. Budgets Are Sexy are, um…I presume getting sexy on their honeymoon, I have been invited to guest post. I’m Carrie from Fantastic Sarcastic – although not a Personal Finance Blogger, I am a fan of the PF Blog world and Mr. J. Savings in particular. I mean, how can you NOT like a blog named Budgets Are Sexy?
In these times of $4/gallon gas, rising food prices, and that scary word recession floating around, I've been thinking a lot about the value of PATIENCE.
I consider myself a fairly patient person, yet I constantly have to remind myself to slow down, wait it out, etc. Our culture is so programmed for immediate gratification that practicing patience can be difficult at times.
For example: I keep reading that once your car passes 60 miles an hour, your fuel efficiency decreases. Although the speed limit on the freeway in Seattle is 60, of course that means I usually drive 65-70 miles an hour. But when I think about it, do I really NEED to go that fast? Will shaving a couple minutes off my morning commute make that much of a difference? Not really.
So lately I’ve been telling myself that it’s okay to stay in the slow lane for a few miles. There’s no need to curse at the old dude in front of me, to huff and puff at the minivan taking its time on the onramp, or especially to scream “Oh my God! Speed up, already!” at the semi truck in the fast lane.
Instead I keep telling myself to have some patience, chill out, and reap the benefits of fuel efficiency and more money in my pocket.
The same can be said in a multitude of other financial situations. Instead of “I NEED to go see Indiana Jones in the theater NOW!” you can wait until it’s released on DVD.* Instead of buying a hot new electronic gadget immediately when it comes out, wait a few months – or longer – until the price goes down.
The waiting game and nurturing our patient sides isn’t always very fun (or sexy!), but in the long run, it’s usually worth it.
*Full disclosure: The Indy example was completely hypocritical. I just saw it in the theater and it was AWESOME. But you get my point.
********************************************************************************************************************
Yours truly is honeymooning in the Caribbean and wishes you a very sexy day.
Labels: car stuff, guest post
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posted by J. Money at
9:15 AM
3 Comments:
I agree with this point, considerably. I do the Everett-Bellevue commute every day (omg, 405S sucks), and every day, I wonder why I'm getting so stressed out over that idiot in front of me who keeps stopping and starting and stopping and starting because people don't know how to merge in this town (ha, mini-rant!).
In truth, it only kills about five minutes off my drive time. With proper planning and execution, I'm still at work on time.
For drivers out there who are chronic solo commuters like myself (ie: can't use the HOV lane), I give this advice: Turn the radio onto your favorite morning show, have a cup of coffee in your car, and take a few moments to think about the day ahead and what needs to be done.
When you're done with that, start counting your blessings: a decent wage, a happy family, full tummies, a strong roof, a reliable car, a safe community, drivers who are polite enough to let others in, your dog Spot and his ability to wee outside....
Etc. :)
Dude, I think waiting over a decade for Indy was plenty patient enough. DVD was not an option, though I do totally agree with your overall point. Few things are truly urgent. I think gas, milk, and cereal are pretty much the only things that merit special trips for me.
I'm SO glad i take mass transit during rush hour to avoid all those fools out there...but if i didn't, the coffee + "day thinking" would totally be the right way to go.
And Hooray for Indy!!! Although i must admit i haven't seen it yet myself...it'll be on Demand soon enough ;)
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