Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich,
and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life.
Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.
People often ask me how I've managed to get by while only making as little as seven
to ten thousand dollars a year for more than a decade? In fact, just the other day someone
asked me what I spent my money on? And I instinctively said "Dude, I don't spend money,
"I invest it." And only then did I realize how that simple switch in perspective
has significantly and directly impacted my lifestyle so deeply. When we start looking at
our expenses as us making investments rather than spending money, we introduce
a deep breath between our impulse to buy something and actually buying it. When we
take that deep breath between our impulse to buy something and actually buying it,
it gives us time to calculate whether something is worth its price or if we're simply
throwing money at a problem, so to speak, like laziness, for example. Take what's called
a Convenience Fee, like when you buy theater tickets online instead of at the theater.
This so-called Convenience Fee counts on you taking what initially appears to be
an easy way out, but it buries you deeper into debt if you're already in it. Not so
convenient after all, is it? There's actually an old saying that when you spend money
you don't have, you're stealing from yourself. But when you see it as an investment,
you can actually pay it with joy. Like when I pay my electric bill every month, I do it
with a huge smile on my face, because I never wanna take for granted the fact that I can
use that electricity to access the internet and share the message that has enriched my life
so much with people all over the world. All thanks to electricity and Wi-Fi... it's magic,
and I don't mind paying for it at all. It's an investment in the well-being of many.
I used to manage an online art gallery, and I quickly realized it wasn't up to the artist
to determine the value of a painting. Its value was determined by how much people were
willing to pay for it. We are the ones who give things their value. I couldn't imagine paying
someone to cut my hair, for example, when I could do it myself for free. But someone else
spends my monthly food budget on hair products, and there isn't a single rule
that applies to everyone. We each decide the value of something and how much we think
it's worth, and there's no right or wrong answer. To find your answer, simply ask
yourself if you're spending money or if you're investing it? Are you comfortable
with your answer? We all make our own choices, and we all pay our own prices.
And this isn't only true for money, I also do this with time, which, to me, at least,
is actually more valuable than money. Am I spending time, or am I investing it?
And when you think about getting a return on investment, it's important to look at the
ripple effect of those investments: time and money, to ensure the greatest benefit
to the causes closest and dearest to you. Be it an investment in friendships or local farmers.
Again, we each choose what to do with our time and money.
Do you have spending habits or investment habits? Your discipline conveys
your priorities. As a result of thinking this way, I've realized that less clutter means
more space. Less attachment, more freedom. Less work, more life, and so on.
I'm not bragging. Trust me, there is nothing glamorous about living well below
the poverty line. But I also don't think of it as a sacrifice, I see it as an exchange,
I guess I don't aspire for glamour. In fact, I regularly go kayaking around the marina
and a friend asked me if it's really hard to live the simple life when I'm surrounded
by other people's expensive homes, yachts, and jets skis? And I think it's actually easier
because when I see those mansions, sports cars, and Apple watches, I see a 40 to 70-hour
work week, stress, ulcers, headaches, and I want none of it. Kinda like my friend Dwayne
says that drunk people made him stop drinking, and church people made him stop
going to church, I guess rich people made me stop chasing money. Again I don't recommend
you live on the streets like I used to in order to appreciate how far you can stretch a dollar,
only that you acknowledge how far a single dollar can go. So when my dad wanted to see
what my life was like, after years of hearing me talk about being a minimalist
and simplifying my life, I told him that to truly understand it, he would have to come live
with me for a month. So, he did. He is very much the materialistic consumer,
so when he first walked into my little place, he said, "Oh my God, you don't have anything!"
But after living with me for a month, preparing my meals with me,
going for long walks every day, reading, writing, meeting with people one-on-one,
and truly tasting the simplicity of my life, he looked me in the eyes before boarding
his flight back home and said, "There is nothing missing from your life." It brought
tears to my eyes because he actually got it. Both of his statements were true: I don't have
anything in the materialistic sense, yet there is nothing missing from my life.
Working part-time so I can live full-time is probably one of the best decisions
I've ever made. I don't feel like I've sacrificed a life of luxury, I simply exchange material
goods and the illusion of abundance for actual, true, bliss. That's why I still
don't charge for any of my speaking engagements, and I don't ask all of you
supporters on Patreon to fork over a hundred dollars a month. I truly believe that if enough
patrons offer just a dollar a month, it would cover all the cost of the podcast hosting
on multiple platforms, pay for the printing and shipping of free books to prisons
and schools around the country, and help me continue spreading this message, which has
enriched my own life so profoundly, I believe many others can benefit from hearing
it as well. All thanks to you INVESTING, not spending, just a dollar a month.
How cool is that?! I bet you can even do it with a smile.
Timber Hawkeye is the bestselling author of Faithfully Religionless
and Buddhist Boot Camp.
For additional information, please visit BuddhistBootCamp.com,
where you can order autographed books to support the Prison Library Project,
watch Timber's inspiring TED Talk, and join our monthly mailing list.
We hope you have enjoyed this episode
and invite you to subscribe for more thought-provoking discussions.
Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love. 🙏