LIGHTEN UP:
LIGHTEN UP: LOVE WHAT YOU HAVE, HAVE WHAT YOU NEED, BE HAPPIER WITH LESS BY PETER WALSH
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1: The Life You Imagine for Yourself The Ups and Downs
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1: The Life You Imagine for Yourself Less Is More Complete the following statements:
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1: The Life You Imagine for Yourself Less Is More Take your time here. Don’t be hesitant or afraid. Go for it. Describe for me your best, reasonable lifestyle (and don’t factor in winning the lottery!). You can use full sentences or just words, terms, descriptors, and lists. Think about your life in all its dimensions: financial goals, career/business goals, free time/family time, health/appearance goals, relationship goals, personal growth, and making a difference. I recommend writing down at least three goals in each of these categories. If you’re in a relationship, it helps to do this exercise with your partner.
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1: The Life You Imagine for Yourself For Life or From Life? In the previous exercise, I gave you some big categories under which to think about the vision you have for yourself. With those in mind, ask yourself what you want from each of those critical areas in your life:
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2: What Makes You Happy? Where Do You Derive Happiness?
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3: The Personal Audit: Your Life Personal Audit
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See if you can identify the top five sources of tension and write them down here:
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3: The Personal Audit: Your Life Chasing Happiness
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4: Create Space for What Really Matters Your Personal Life Is Multidimensional
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5: The Financial Audit: Your Money First Things First
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5: The Financial Audit: Your Money Get Everyone On Board Today (If You Haven’t Already!)
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5: The Financial Audit: Your Money Let’s Go Digging Divide all of your statements into two piles and tally them up:
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Pretend that there’s another column in the chart where you list your big ticket purchases for the last year—electronics, designer brand clothing, shoes, furniture, sporting equipment, motor vehicles. You get the idea. List all those expensive items that you bought but cannot sell for what you paid. Take one room at a time and add up the cost of these unused or seldom-used items.
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5: The Financial Audit: Your Money Track Your Expenses
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Looking at your tracking record now in conjunction with the inventory you took of what you owe and your financial resources, ask yourself the following questions:
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6: Face the Financials Take a Look at That Financial Vision Again
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6: Face the Financials Attitude Adjustment
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6: Face the Financials Confront Your Excuses
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6: Face the Financials Make Specific Commitments
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6: Face the Financials Ripping Off the Band-Aid—For Good!
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7: The Home Audit: Your Stuff Why We Collect
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7: The Home Audit: Your Stuff The Cost of Your Debt
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8: Change the Way You and Your Family Measure Happiness Be United: Make It a Team Effort! Try a simple exercise now. If you’re single, do this yourself. If you’re in a relationship, sit down with your partner. Make a list of five money rules that make sense for your family:
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8: Change the Way You and Your Family Measure Happiness Take the Seven-Day Challenge If you’re not sure if your family could use the Stripped Down Challenge, answer the following questions. If you answer YES to seven or more of these questions, then you’re a prime candidate for the Stripped Down Challenge!
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1
1: The Life You Imagine for Yourself The Ups and Downs
2
3
4
1: The Life You Imagine for Yourself Less Is More Complete the following statements:
5
1: The Life You Imagine for Yourself Less Is More Take your time here. Don’t be hesitant or afraid. Go for it. Describe for me your best, reasonable lifestyle (and don’t factor in winning the lottery!). You can use full sentences or just words, terms, descriptors, and lists. Think about your life in all its dimensions: financial goals, career/business goals, free time/family time, health/appearance goals, relationship goals, personal growth, and making a difference. I recommend writing down at least three goals in each of these categories. If you’re in a relationship, it helps to do this exercise with your partner.
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1: The Life You Imagine for Yourself For Life or From Life? In the previous exercise, I gave you some big categories under which to think about the vision you have for yourself. With those in mind, ask yourself what you want from each of those critical areas in your life:
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2: What Makes You Happy? Where Do You Derive Happiness?
8
3: The Personal Audit: Your Life Personal Audit
9
10
11
12
See if you can identify the top five sources of tension and write them down here:
13
14
3: The Personal Audit: Your Life Chasing Happiness
15
4: Create Space for What Really Matters Your Personal Life Is Multidimensional
16
5: The Financial Audit: Your Money First Things First
17
5: The Financial Audit: Your Money Get Everyone On Board Today (If You Haven’t Already!)
18
19
5: The Financial Audit: Your Money Let’s Go Digging Divide all of your statements into two piles and tally them up:
20
Pretend that there’s another column in the chart where you list your big ticket purchases for the last year—electronics, designer brand clothing, shoes, furniture, sporting equipment, motor vehicles. You get the idea. List all those expensive items that you bought but cannot sell for what you paid. Take one room at a time and add up the cost of these unused or seldom-used items.
21
5: The Financial Audit: Your Money Track Your Expenses
22
23
24
25
26
Looking at your tracking record now in conjunction with the inventory you took of what you owe and your financial resources, ask yourself the following questions:
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6: Face the Financials Take a Look at That Financial Vision Again
28
29
6: Face the Financials Attitude Adjustment
30
31
32
6: Face the Financials Confront Your Excuses
33
6: Face the Financials Make Specific Commitments
34
35
6: Face the Financials Ripping Off the Band-Aid—For Good!
36
7: The Home Audit: Your Stuff Why We Collect
37
7: The Home Audit: Your Stuff The Cost of Your Debt
38
8: Change the Way You and Your Family Measure Happiness Be United: Make It a Team Effort! Try a simple exercise now. If you’re single, do this yourself. If you’re in a relationship, sit down with your partner. Make a list of five money rules that make sense for your family:
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8: Change the Way You and Your Family Measure Happiness Take the Seven-Day Challenge If you’re not sure if your family could use the Stripped Down Challenge, answer the following questions. If you answer YES to seven or more of these questions, then you’re a prime candidate for the Stripped Down Challenge!
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