IF I HAD A THOUSAND DOLLARS...

One of my personal favorites, Mr. Gene Monterastelli, has come up with a game I find rather interesting. It's the exploration of becoming comfortable with abundance and just what we, as individuals, find as our spending priorities. In an excerpt from a page on his website devoted to the game, he explains:

"Many of us are not comfortable with money and/or abundance.

We feel guilty because we have too much, because others have less than us.

We feel powerless because others have too much.

We feel like we can't have what we need for happiness because we don't have the money to get the education, experiences, or stuff to provide that happiness.

We feel like we are compared to others by how much we have.

We feel bad talking about it, but feel victimized when we aren't paid what we are worth."

"The idea is simple. Everyday you spend time pretending to spending money. Each day to start the exercise you make deposit into an imaginary checking account (filling out a bank ledger). Then you find what you want, you write checks for it, and you see what it feels like to have it.

The first day you spend $1000. On the second day you spend $1000 (for a total of $2000 on day 2). On the third day you spend $1000 more (for a total of $3000 on day 3). On the 365th day you spend $365,000, making the grand total almost $6.7 million dollars.

All of this is not to say that money and material possessions are the end all be all of existence or happiness. If we are not careful we can make them our God and have them control our lives. This does not mean it is bad. Money and stuff are just tools. If we have it we can do and help in ways we couldn't without it. [This paragraph was written because 1) I think it is an important point and 2) it is rooted in the desire to not come across as a money-grubber. Again, there is my fear of what others will think.]"

I find the idea one of such interest, I feel the desire to complete a similar exercise of my own, utilizing most of Mr. Monterastelli's rules/guidelines. His rules are as follows:

"The Rules
1) Each day I will spend $1000 more than the day before.
2) I can't buy the same thing twice.
3) I can't buy multiples of the same items unless it is reasonable to own more than one. (Ex: I can't buy 7 speed boats, but I could buy 6 chairs for my kitchen)
4) I must give away 10% each day.
5) I can give to an organization only once.
6) I must spend 95% of the money for the day, with the remanding money carrying over to the next day.
7) I must write a check for each purchase and write what the check is for on the memo line.
8) I will have fun."

Sounds interesting, right?
Right.