To have and to afford are two very different things. In a world where our education and profession largely determine our lot in life, we often find ourselves limited to a narrow window of affordability. We know what our salaries will be and what our living expenses are, and we could budget the hell out of those numbers and never find a way to move above our economic class.
I find that I am often dreaming of things that I will never, ever be able to buy for myself or my family. Never is a strong word, but we can’t always figure out how to be creative beyond our own means. Rest assured, your woes and weary bones are not alone!
The home, land, vehicles and vacations we desire often feel very out of reach. Are they? Maybe not. With enough positive thinking, we can build our own dreams and devise our ‘picture perfect’ scenario from the opportunities placed in our lives.
The aphorisms below have been hand selected from The Art of Worldly Wisdom written by Baltasar Gracian, a pocket oracle of reflections on the morality of success. I have found these five aphorisms to be ESSENTIAL to focusing on the positives throughout our current journey and the life we are building. As you read them, consider your personal goals, emotional reactions, and family needs. I pray some of these lines resonate with you on a deep level – wherever you may be in life.
The Art of Worldly Wisdom
24: Temper your imagination. you must sometimes rein it in and sometimes encourage it. On imagination all happiness depends: it should be governed by good sense. Sometimes it behaves like a tyrant. It isn’t content to speculate, but swings into action and takes over your life, making it pleasant or unpleasant, and making us unhappy or too satisfied with ourselves. To some it shows only grief: for imagination is a homespun henchman of fools. To others it promises happiness and adventure, gaiety and giddiness. It can do all this as long as it remains unchecked by prudence and common sense.
194: Be realistic about yourself and your own affairs. Even more so when you have just begun to live. Everyone thinks highly of himself, and those who are least think themselves the most. Everyone dreams of his fortune and imagines himself as a prodigy. Hope seizes on something, and experience fails to deliver. A clear version of reality is torture to a vain imagination. Be sensible. Want the best, but expect the worst, so as to accept any outcome with equanimity. It is a good idea to aim a little high, but not so high as to miss the mark. When you begin a job, adjust your expectations. Where experience is lacking, presumptions often go wrong. Intelligence is a panacea for all sorts of foolishness. Know your radius of action and your condition and adjust your imagination to reality.
211: In heaven all is contentment, in hell all is sorrow, and on earth, which is in between, we find both. We live between two extremes and partake of both. Luck changes: not all is happiness and not all is adversity. This life is a zero: by itself it is nothing. Add the heavens, and it is much. Indifference to the world’s variety is prudence; the wise care little for novelty. Our lives fold and unfold like theater, so be careful to end well.
238: Know what piece you are missing. Many would be complete people if they had the piece they needed to reach the height of perfect being. Some would be much if they paid attention to the very little. Some lack seriousness, and this darkens great talents. Others lack gentleness, which is something their friends and family miss very quickly, especially when they hold power. Some lack quick execution, and others the ability to stop and meditate. If they noticed these defects, they could easily make up for them. For care can turn habit into a second nature.
263: Many pleasant things are better when they belong to someone else. You can enjoy them more that way. The first day, pleasure belongs to the owner; after that, to others. When things belong to others, we enjoy them twice as much: without the risk of losing them, and with the pleasure of novelty. Everything tastes better when we are deprived of it; even some else’s water seems like nectar. Having your own things diminishes enjoyment, and increases your annoyance: at having to lend them, or not lend them. When you have things, you are really maintaining them for others, and more enemies will benefit from them than friends.
Beautiful.
My Life?
I have learned that I don’t need 50 acres to be happy, I need just enough for a garden and some chickens because home grown food is my true passion. I have focused for so long on finding an old home to restore back to its original character, but all I actually want is four sturdy walls to add my own character to with deliberate purpose. My household doesn’t need more money each month, it needs to be intentional when it comes to spending and budgeting. Our money and time will bring a purer form of satisfaction when used wisely. Even though my imagination runs a million miles per hour, the world doesn’t. Realistic expectations about my business endeavors and timeline for success are crucial components for finding any enjoyment along the way. I don’t want what someone else has, I want to personalize a version of it to fit my needs. These things don’t belong in one place, at a specific time, or for anyone else’s heart but my own.
Your Life?
The space below is for encouragement, questions, and reflections! If you feel so inspired, drop a comment and share your own thoughts. Carry these words of wisdom with you through the coming days, weeks, and months at a time and see if life can become a little more dreamy- you can have whatever you make of it, not just what you can afford of it.
