I have been spending more money than I am really used to spending as of late. Why? Well, as you may or may not know, I am studying abroad right now in Hong Kong. While school here is important (and actually not that easy), I am heavily invested in traveling as much as possible.
Over the next 2.5 months, I am traveling nearly every weekend (all across Asia). I realize I am super lucky and fortunate to be able to do that. I am super lucky and fortune to even be here in the first place.
So I am sure to make the most of it.
I generally do not like spending money. I have never been a huge spender, but while I am here, I am trying to make the most out of each and every week.
A thought I had the other day, though, as it hurts every time I type in my credit card number to purchase a flight. It is the idea that my time and money today is as cheap and inexpensive as it will ever be. If all goes well, my time and money will only compound in value over the years and it will only become more expensive for me to travel around the world.
In other words, I should travel now. And I should not feel bad about spending a few hundred dollars to go to an extra country, given that fits my criteria of expanding upon unique experiences, because it will in fact never be cheaper for me to travel the world ever again.
Is that a clear thought? I actually think so…but it also pertains to a number of other tangential things.
For instance, building a company now is actually the least risky time to ever build a company (if you are 20 years old like me).
In the future, I will have 10x responsibilities, people I care about, etc. This will only make it more costly to do things.
So why not do them now?
I think we tend to have a poor perception of risk (as humans). I definitely always used to procrastinate big moves / decisions / choices to a future version of myself because I figured then, years from now, an adult me would a) have the time/money to make the right choice and b) I would know the right answer.
I was wrong in both cases.
Future me will only be busier.
Future me will only have less time for these types of things. I should do all that I can now as a favor to my future self so I can do whatever I want later on.
(And to clarify, I am paying for this all myself – no award needed but just wanted to say that I am not taking this from someone else).