We’ve hit January 2nd and around us is the leftovers of the festive season. In our household that usually means the plain biscuits in the bottom of a tin, the “funny” cheeses, straggly turkey bits that no one wants in a sandwich, and a ton of toffees from boxes of chocolates.
Why toffees are put in boxes of CHOCOLATES, I’ve no idea. They are not even chocolate covered. They are just toffee! Does anyone know if you can buy boxes of toffees that have solid chocolate pieces in the box?
I digress. It is easy to get distracted at this time of year. We have suddenly got used to having time off work doing little but eating – and now we are going to have to pay for it.
In some sense, this is literal. We are going to have to pay off the credit cards and pay for our festive indulgences. But in another sense, we have to regain focus and evaluate where we are currently and what we hope to move onto at the start of 2023.
I was interested to discover that my son had buyer’s remorse at the age of 3. He had 4 pennies worth of coins and wanted a fudge chocolate. As these cost 25p nowadays (I remember them being 10p) and I want him to learn the value of money, we had a chat in the shop about the value of chocolate being higher than the money he had.
I offered a deal. He could exchange his 4p for my 25p, which would be enough to buy the fudge. After much reassurance that silver coins are better than brown ones, Noah decided to give me his brown coins and have two silver ones instead. With that, he purchased the fudge chocolate.
Later on, the chocolate having been consumed and the silver coins spent, he let out a big sigh and said, “I wish I still had my brown coins.”
It’s a hard lesson to learn. But in teaching Noah the value of things, he had to also learn that when you have spent your money on something you believe to be valuable, you don’t get to have both money and goods. He spent money on something that didn’t last. And this is something we all usually do around Christmas time.
January 2nd is often around the time we have a touch of buyer’s remorse. We have indulged in fancy foods and drinks – but now the good treats are gone and the only thing we have to show for it is the credit card bill and waistbands at max capacity.
What do we do?
We rush to buy gym membership to get into shape ready to spend more money on summer holidays.
How to invest in yourself and make it count.
Here is an interesting fact. When people consider career coaching services, they have normally struggled for many months (even years) trying to figure things out on their own. It is only when that doesn’t work do they consider investing in themselves.
Even then, some people walk away and continue to be stuck unable to find the right path because they don’t want to invest. But the fact is, we invest in ourselves ALL THE TIME on things that never really last.
We did not ignore the Christmas goodies this year. We had treats because we wanted them.
We did not stop going out to see friends and family. We invested time and fuel expenses.
We did not deny ourselves of gifts – or deny others. We invested in those around us, and ourselves.
- What did you buy for yourself as a Christmas treat in 2021?
- What food did you buy as a treat?
- Do you remember?
I don’t.
We all buy things all the time because we want something – and often it is not even something we NEED. My son could have kept his 4p and not had a fudge chocolate. But he wanted it and felt the remorse only once he realised his spending was not productive.
So, what are you going to invest in during 2023 that will be a lasting and productive purchase?
Finding a new career path with expert guidance so you are no longer stuck – or staying stuck in 2023 as you have been in 2022, buying more treats – and a bigger pair of trousers?
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