I asked a friend this question:
“How much of my money should I invest and how much to keep on hand?
Seeing how it depends on the context, he answered with a question of his own:
“How much money can you invest without losing your sleep at night?”
Sneaky bastard, forcing me to think on my own!
Anyway, I thanked him for the question and went over into the metaphorical mountains to mull over it.
How much am I willing to invest? My mind soon left the world of investing and began thinking about everything that causes me to lose sleep at night. Sleep is for me the first victim in any stressful situation. I imagine some of you are nodding in agreement.
I feel your pain, sister.
Anyway, back to the mountain. While I braved the winds and the wolves, this idea of sleep changed. A peaceful mind sleeps at night. A restless mind tosses, turns, sweats, and scrolls the phone.
Will my desires ruin my peace of mind?
Would buying a car ruin your peace of mind? Would taking out a loan? A lousy friendship? Changing the workplace or going back to school? How much is your peace of mind worth compared to status, money, respect, sex appeal, or whatever else you might desire?
“If you worship money and things — if they are where you tap real meaning in life — then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you. […] Worship power — you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart — you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on.” - David Foster Wallace
It’s crucial to value the right thing, and peace of mind is one of them.
So, if something threatens to ruin it, then you know:
It is too expensive.