- Image by dbz885 via Flickr
I like to look at the way I think about money. I’ve learned, through the process of becoming debt free, that each dollar counts. I can make the choice of what I want to do with it, and those small decisions can change what I experience in life.
Recently I’ve been trying to learn more about what money means to me so I can take my life and business to the next level. I don’t need to be a millionaire, I want to be. But what would that look like?
I tried an exercise called the Prosperity Game. The goal of the exercise is to help you feel more prosperous.
My Prosperity Game
It starts on day one with $100 virtual dollars. You received this money and you must spend all of it on that day. You cannot give it away to friends and family. Each day the sum of money doubles, and you continue to play for 30 days.
Day one, write down exactly what you would do with $100. For instance I bought a new mp3 player for $70 and spent $30 on mp3s. Day two write down what you would do with $200. Day three $400. Every day double the amount.
Find specific things to buy. When I wanted to buy a house, I looked up houses online and choose one to buy. I looked up vacations and found a retreat center in Arizona I would love to go to.
It was a lot of fun to figure out how to spend the money!
My choices included traveling, buying a new wardrobe, retreats, massages, even paying for a PhD. Daydreaming about the choices were fun too.
After day 13 ($409,600), the sums raced upward. Each day I was faced with what else to spend money on, but I felt like I had already bought everything I wanted.
When the sum reached twelve million dollars I bought another helicopter, and another private island. I racked my brain to think of other ideas. I started become an angel investor, and started a non-profit.
Eventually I became frustrated thinking of more ways to spend the virtual money. I stopped the exercise at Day 20 and $52 million.
What I Learned
I want experiences, knowledge and to give.
Even if I could have anything, I only really want a home, sturdy furniture, and reliable cars. The majority of my wants lie in the experience of life.
I want things money cannot buy. I want to speak in front of 2,000 people. I want to go with my husband and children to Spain for a month and experience the culture there. I want to learn everyday.
I can do all of these things without a lot of money.
Letting my imagination run wild really drove home the fact that I don’t need a lot. I don’t need a home that has a library, an art studio and a six car garage. Once my basic needs were met all I could do was get nicer stuff. A nicer TV will still show me the same content.
The Journey is the Fun Part.
I have always said, “I want to be a millionaire, not for the money, but for the woman I’ll become.” When life take a lot of work it’s hard to be thankful. But it’s those experiences that make the journey. If it wasn’t a challenge life wouldn’t be fun.
When I was younger I loved video games. One time I was playing the Sims and I thought the game would be better if I had more money. I didn’t want to do the work, so I found a cheat that would give me an unlimited amount of money.
I was excited. I bought everything I wanted. About 20 minutes later, I realized that the game wasn’t fun anymore because there was no challenge. There was no point.
Each person is different. What is important is finding out what deeply fulfills you. I highly recommend this exercise to really figure out what is important to you, and to see how you manage large amounts of money. It’s a great learning experience plus it’s a ton of fun!
Are you willing to try the exercise?
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Very interesting game to play. I think it is interesting that we find it’s not actually the million dollars we want but the journey. We don’t need a million dollars to have a wonderful life. We have a wonderful life now! But a million dollars is a good goal and the journey leading to that million will be a wonderful experience. Just remember the important things on the way there!
Daniel´s last blog ..Strengthen Your Ankles
Since I was little I wanted to be a millionaire. (who doesn’t?) But once I looked into it deeper I realized I don’t need a million. I can lead a rich life without a ton of money. Then I realized that I can lead a rich life, and it’s still ok to have a goal of a million dollars.
That’s why I started this blog. Thanks so much for reading it.
Nice post. I dream that I want to make €1m per year. But don’t know how I would spend it. We’re probably best served identifying the simple things in life that make us happy. If that leads to lots of money, so be it…
Thanks. Exactly, if you are happy first and then make a lot of money, rejoice!
Very insightful post! What you learned from the Prosperity and Sims games really summed everything up well. If we did have all the money we needed, there is a good chance that buying things would get old fast. “The fun is in the challenge” is something I will always keep in mind. Thanks!
Thanks Chris! I appreciate you reading my blog.
Okay, maybe I’m weird, but that exercise shows me that I want way more than I’ll ever earn. I too enjoy experiences over stuff, but experiences cost a lot too (if one of our 7 day cruises costs $2000, I can only imagine what some of the longer trips I would love to take would cost).
Plus, if you can donate to anyone but friends and family, there’s just not such a thing as too much…I can name off 20 charities that I’d love to fully fund right this second (my top five are Meals on Wheels, Houston SPCA, Pughearts, Alzheimer’s research, and cancer research).
I understand the overall point. I’m living the overall point. We are very happy with what we have and what we do with what we have. BUT, I would definitely not be the sad story example if I won the lottery tomorrow…
That might be the reason why. You are so happy right now, all of those fun experiences are the icing on the cake. Instead of it BEING the cake.
That’s also the reason why I still have a goal to be a millionaire, because why not?
Ah, I think I remember that game from some Law of Attraction book – maybe Abraham Hicks? I know how you feel. Once you have enough and your options seem fairly unlimited, you realize that you don’t really value a lot of the stuff that you always thought you would once you got to that point.
At this point in my life, I just want to have TIME more than anything. Time to pursue stuff that I’m interested in without having to earn a single penny in doing it.
Single Mom Rich Mom´s last blog ..How to Get Out of Debt Part 3 – Ditch Deprivation with a Super Simple Budget
I think you are right, though I can’t for the life of me remember where I got it. (I was trying to post a link to it but couldn’t find it)
I think you summed up with word freedom.
I agree completely.
Jaime,
You are an inspiration to many! You have discovered the essence of having the right attitude about money and wealth (two very different things). Thank you for teaching others what you have learned through your own experience.
Thanks so much Daniel. You made my day.
Jaime, How clever-I love the game. I already have the life that I want….. and I am always going for greater challenges-that’s what makes things fun! Wonderful writing, Barb
Barb Friedberg´s last blog ..Catfight Update; Help, I Can’t Control my Husband
Thanks so much Barb. It’s so cool to already have the life you want? (That’s probably why you are teaching others through a blog too!)
[...] the Prosperity Game to find out what your REALLY want. It goes like this, day one you get a million virtual dollars. [...]
I know what I want: experiences and knowledge. After a little house somewhere, that’s about it. I wouldn’t really know what to spend thousands of dollars on a day or even millions. Clothes, tv’s , video games, and cars don’t inspire me. Instead, I’d prefer to travel to exotic places, go white water rafting, visit family, hike the Grand Canyon again, go camping every other weekend, write children’s books, figure out how to increase the reading and math proficiency levels in our education system. Thanks for making me think about this, I’m doing many of these things now.
Little House´s last blog ..Rent Across the Nation
You’re welcome. I had the same realization. Those things that you want to do sound so attainable and/or you must be doing them now. It’s a great thing to be living the life you would choose if you could choose anything.
[...] from Eventual Millionaire presents What I Learned from the Prosperity Game. I don’t know what it was about this that really caught my eye. I think it was the idea of [...]
Yeah, I always say that I want to become a millionaire not because I want a lot of stuff, but because it’s a nice goal to have.
It’ll take a lot of work, saving, investing, and diligence. If it happens, I’ll be able to look back at all the steps and decisions I made with joy and a sense of accomplishment.
Darren´s last blog ..Coverdell Education Savings Accounts – What Are They And How Do They Work
I agree. If you put too much weight in it, that’s not good! I like how you said, it’s a nice goal to have. That’s it. It shouldn’t be much more than that.
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[...] What I Learned from the Prosperity Game Whenever I participate in games like this, I usually discover that the one thing I wish I had more of is time. (@ eventual millionaire) [...]
I’ve also played the prosperity game a couple of times now and came to the same realizations you have. I LOVE your quote… “I want to become a millionaire, not for the money, but for the woman I’ll become.” That sums my thoughts up brilliantly! I had become bored with the game this 2nd time around, but think I’m going to start all over again just to get the creative juices flowing again. We’ll see what new abundance starts flowing this way again!
Blessings to you,
Joy
Thank you Joy! Have fun with it and I would love to hear what happens with it.
[...] What I Learned from the Prosperity Game Whenever I participate in games like this, I usually discover that the one thing I wish I had more of is time. (@ eventual millionaire) [...]
[...] What I Learned from the Prosperity Game Whenever I participate in games like this, I usually discover that the one thing I wish I had more of is time. (@ eventual millionaire) [...]
[...] What I Learned from the Prosperity Game Whenever I participate in games like this, I usually discover that the one thing I wish I had more of is time. (@ eventual millionaire) [...]
This is fantastic idea. I think I will do the same.
Thanks so much.