Joan’s Boomer Blog - Bad Economy Might Lead to Following Your Passions in Life
I really think the current economy is offering people a glimpse of a new way to live their lives. Perhaps the economic downturn forced many to cut out eating in restaurants several times a week or shopping for expensive clothing, but I believe people are discovering a certain financial freedom in being able to live on less money and not risk falling into debt again. Eating home cooked meals around the family dinner table, learning to shop sales and find bargains or finding a designer jacket at a yard sale or a Goodwill store creates a satisfaction in people that their lives were missing before in the mindless rush to spend more and more money.
Now the economic downturn is perhaps offering people a second chance to do something fulfilling with their lives. They are taking jobs that pay less but offer more satisfaction like working with non-profits or volunteering. I know of some women who lost their jobs recently and so decided to pursue other, more artistic careers. One woman lost her management job but now knits and crochets baby items to sell on the internet. Another sells things she makes at craft fairs and art shows after losing a better paying job through lay offs. Now that they have learned to live on less through necessity, they are thrilled that they scaled back their lifestyles. This has allowed them to do what they truly love.
Baby boomers have also been forced to rethink their retirement plans, remaining in the workforce for longer. If they find work they love to do, though, this could help them actually live longer, more fulfilling lives. My husband and I have scaled back our retirement plans but we’ve decided we would rather live on less and be financially secure in our senior years.
I know another person who couldn’t find a job, trimmed back his lifestyle to the bare bones and now he is able to work part time and volunteer with local animal shelter groups. Another took a less paying job working with a local non-profit.
Some of these people thought they would scale back temporarily and then go back to their previous way of life once times were better. However, now that they have found more satisfaction in life and the way they manage their finances, most say they would never return to working only for money and finding their life’s satisfaction in spending sprees.
From what I’ve read, economists and businesses don’t really expect people to ever return to the spend, spend, spend lifestyles they had before. To me, this seems like a good thing.
Perhaps the bad economy will spur people to rethink how they live their lives and help them find more satisfaction, both spiritually and financially.









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