The Superpower We All Possess But Often Ignore

While we initially planned to skip spring break this year, we ultimately ended up booking a house for the week in New Buffalo, Michigan. The idea of staring at a different set of walls seemed like a nice change of pace after spending A LOT of time together in our home over the past year. 

Southwest Michigan has been a regular summer vacation spot for us over the past fifteen years and almost every time we return, my wife and I talk about what owning a lake house there would be like. This conversation usually occurs outside with a cocktail in hand after spending the day at the beach enjoying the lake with our girls. 

This time, our conversation was held inside on a wet and windy evening in early spring after spending the day trying to find enough things to do outside with the girls. 

All of which brings me back to the focus of today’s tale...

Paying attention to our emotions before making big life decisions is a superpower that we all possess — but often forget to use.

After spending a great day on the beach at the lake with your family during the summer, who doesn’t want to buy a lake house? But if you visit that same place in March and realize there’s not nearly as much to do, you might decide to take a pass.

Sticking with the real estate theme, I think it’s fair to say we’ve all spent more time in our own homes than perhaps ever before over the past year. So is it any surprise that the housing market seems to be on fire all across the country? And who among us hasn’t thought about buying a bigger, better home over the past year?

And yet as vaccinations pick up steam and options to do more things outside our homes become available again, it’s a good idea to take stock of our emotions first.

Do we really need a bigger, better home? 

Do we really want a bigger, better home?

Or are we just over being at home, in THIS home, all the time?

Like most decisions related to your life and finances, it’s all about finding the happy medium. 

The best answer is the one that aligns your money with what you and your family personally value. So take a moment to make sure you’re not letting your emotions alone guide your decision making. 

I’m not suggesting that the goal should be to remove all emotion from your decision making, nor do I believe that’s even possible. Instead, simply try to insert some time and space between the emotions you experience and the path you ultimately choose to pursue. 

In my experience, the better we can become at recognizing and implementing this superpower hiding in plain sight, the more likely we are to end up satisfied with our choices both now and in the future.

Get updates like this one delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe to my e-newsletter right here.