Enough already?

When I was a much younger man, I was on an airline flight, seated all the way back in the very last row. After meals had been served and eaten, cabin staff commenced to clear away the trays and trash, starting from the front. Once the cabin steward reached my aisle, I thanked her as she took away the aftermath of my meal. She looked, oddly, a little surprised. She leant over and said “Do you know, you are the very first person that thanked me on this plane?” A little later, I ordered a can of beer. As the steward went to collect it, I took out my wallet ready to pay. Upon return, she placed the can on my tray then kept on moving, clearly not willing to entertain the notion of any payment.

This is only a trivial little story, but one I told to my kids often to highlight how saying “please” and “thank you” and showing a little gratitude could help someone else, and yourself, more than you might imagine.

As an older man, I’ve really come to embrace gratitude as a means to living a happier, calmer and more contented life. For several years now I have kept a journal with three things daily that I’m grateful for. Sorry if this sounds like a bit of pop-psychology nonsense, but I really do find the act of having to think about three things that I appreciate and value has a positive affect. Sometimes it’s large and grand – having had the opportunity for an enjoyable and pretty successful career, or small and fleeting – an unexpected but truly pleasant interaction with a stranger.

From a personal finance perspective, I think it also helps answer the eternal question of “enough”. When some daily reflection includes being grateful for a warm, dry, comfortable house, then needing a larger and more expensive house seems unnecessary. A healthy family, stable and supportive relationships, reliable transportation all make the list from time to time. So a new car and larger retirement account seem less important.

I certainly won’t say that I have my “enough” pinned down completely, but forcing myself to contemplate all the things that I’m truly lucky to have is a very good step towards that answer.