For me, living a life of abundance is about recognizing that the world is full of opportunity and focusing on what I do have as opposed to what I don’t. Currently the West Australian government has enforced its version of a lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19. We can only leave home for groceries, exercise and medical reasons. Going to work is still allowed if we can’t work from home but social distancing is pretty much mandated.
In the FFE house we’ve been working from home for the last month, which means we’re stuck in the house at least 23 hours a day. No restaurants; no catching up with friends; and no hilarious chat in the office kitchenette. But even in this grim time we are still lucky enough to be living a life of abundance. Here’s some of the things that we’ve been really enjoying.
Not having to do things for work, outside of work
I’m noticing with my move back to the city how much time I spend doing things for work outside of work; there’s a need to iron shirts; dress up; pack lunch and commute. Working from home has pretty much eliminated the need all of this which has gifted us an additional 2 hours per weekday and around 3 hours on the weekend to spend as we please. This benefit was pretty much realized, and appreciated, immediately after starting to work from home. This means we get to walk the dog more often; exercise in the morning and/or the evening; and I get more time to work on this blog! Time is in abundance.
Saving on transport costs
Transport is one of the largest costs to our household; catching the train costs around $50 per person per week. In addition to this, we’ve only fueled up the car once in the last month which represents an additional saving of around $40 per week. Admittedly, not going out to do social things has contributed to the fuel savings, but having an extra $140 per week to invest is a nice bonus.
Stock market deals in abundance
The stock market is in bear market territory and is probably going to stay depressed for months or even years, who knows? However, because we’re years away from needing to use our portfolio, this current market represents an excellent time to buy more units of our preferred funds at a discounted price.
No alarm wake ups
Ever since I’ve moved back to Perth my sleep quality and quantity has improved dramatically but now, because work starts at 8am (super late compared to site work) and there’s no need to commute I’m able to wake up comfortably without the use of an alarm. Everyday feels like waking up on a weekend, so good!
Feeling grateful
So overall, I recognize that we are very fortunate to be in our current situation and that much of this is not the result of our own action or foresight but just pure luck. I feel fortunate that the Australian government, at all levels has taken swift measures in response to this pandemic. I feel lucky that both of us in the FFE house still have jobs that allow us to work from home.
At the same time, I also recognize that many people are doing it tough out there, so please try to stay safe, stay healthy and take the time to reach out to those around that need a hand. If you can, find things in your life to be grateful for and remember that a life of abundance is a mindset that anyone can choose to have.
Engineer your freedom