How much is enough?

There is a famous story about author Joseph Heller attending a party given by a billionaire. Another illustrious author, Kurt Vonnegut, informed Heller that the host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had ever earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22. Heller responded: "Yes, but I have something he will never have: 'enough'."

What Heller is talking about is knowing what really brings you happiness. No matter how much we accumulate, there will always be someone who has more. We need to be thankful for what we already have - a job, a home, friends, family, and food on the table.

The idea of "enough" is worth thinking about as we go into the festive season. This is a time where we often feel pressure to spend and accumulate more "things". We feel bad if we can't give our loved ones the gifts they want and often feel obliged to buy gifts for other people so we appear generous. Perhaps we should focus more on generosity of spirit, on giving of our time rather than from our credit cards.

In the book How Much is enough? Arun Abey & Andrew Ford talk about the importance of both financial and personal planning.

At some stage in your financial planning, you need to ask yourself how much money is enough, how much time with your family is enough, how much time to pursue your passions is enough and how you can balance all this to achieve a true sense of fulfilment.

This is as important as asking how much you need to be saving because saving is the flip-side of spending. Does all that "stuff" you spend your money on actually bring you happiness? We tend to buy things to fill our home that do not bring us any real joy beyond the few minutes we spend actually buying them. We may find saving for a dream far more emotionally satisfying.

I recently came across an article in Time that really brought the "stuff" we accumulate into perspective. In the article, organizational consultant Peter Walsh says "It's not necessarily about the new pots and pans but the idea of the cosy family meals that they will provide. People are finding that their homes are full of stuff, but their lives are littered with unfulfilled promises."

Take a moment when you are with your family and friends to discuss what exactly it is that brings you happiness, whether you have "enough" and what "enough" means to you. You may be surprised by their answers as well as yours.

Our wish to you this festive season is that you find the time to fulfil your promises and that you start the year with "enough".  Steven Braudo Chief Executive Officer: Liberty Retail SA Liberty Life Communication December 2010

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