FORTY-NINE, FOOD AND (SOCIAL) ENVY

Well, the end of financial year has come and gone, and we are well through the first month of the new financial year. When they say time flies, it’s a different kind of speed now. Dodging COVID and flu, navigating work from home and actually showing up. Crazy weather events and rising interest rates combined with the cost of living going up beyond what we have seen in my lifetime (and I turned 49 last week) life is anything but consistent. Things change quickly now, and we are all pivoting like crazy to keep up and hang on.

It’s actually been nice to see people’s holiday pics over the school holidays on social media. Rather than feel envious, (ok maybe a little) it felt good to see friends enjoying themselves and living life outdoors with their family and friends. We went away for a few days with friends to the coast, and I found myself taking more pics than I normally do (and that’s a lot) trying to savour the moments. The view, the beach, the conversation, the food and wine!

So much so in fact, that I started to notice a disturbing trend on my own social media stories – pic after pic of beautifully focused and in-frame FOOD. Not people, or views, but what I was about to eat. And I looked at it lovingly even after I had eaten it, as if somehow the photo bought back the delicious tastes and sensations of that lovely treat.

I know I am not alone in my food obsession at the moment, I am liking and admiring many of your food pics too. But if I go a little deeper on thinking about my behaviour, I realise that I am now using food as one of my most frequent pleasure sources, which is not good for a whole variety of reasons, especially the fact that I am muffin topping my jeans big time. But it’s a way of coping with change that keeps rewarding me, in a world that is changing on a dime. Think about how you treat yourself now. What is your go to feel good? For many it is gaming, or Netflix, or buying things online. For others it is wine, or endlessly scrolling social media, and looking into other peoples’ lives. (The social version of them anyway.)

I am using my birthday month as a good time to reflect on what and who I am grateful for, and also to look at where I can better put my time and attention to really enjoy all life has to offer, no matter how turbulent the times. I have decided that my goal for this coming year is “Fit by 50”.There, I have now said it out loud, so if you are reading my blog in a year and I am not telling you I did it, you can raise your eyebrows and think I am a terrible example of being goal focused. I find that accountability is a huge part of succeeding in making changes – whether that be with health, money or pretty much anything else.

There is something funny about the older you get, the more you want to mark milestones and acknowledge beginnings and endings more. Kids, holidays, ages, work changes, relationships, health. Perhaps because you really begin to understand that life is a series of moments, to be treasured but never held onto. Time stops for nobody on this planet. And time is precious. We talk about that a lot in the finance industry, when it comes to the power of compounding and long-term investing. The time in the game is what pays off.

So, I am looking to spend my precious time even more carefully over the coming years. Focusing on what matters, where I can make an impact, and what I was put here on this planet to do. I am also looking forward to working on some creative projects with incredible organisations like Ausbiz and Mango Publishing to get the important conversations about money into the world.

May you continue to find ways to spend time with what gives you joy,