Should I live life according to the money I earn, or the things that I want to do? -

please do not be clear-cut, i would like many details. As in linking this to the meaning of life+ personal satisfaction+ practicality+people s opinions etc etc. Thank you. : )|::::|Everyone has a particular quot;constitutionquot; which lends itself towards a particular comfort level of risk / reward in life. Thusly, man (not money) is the measure of all things. In some cases, this is measured quantitatively and objectively for all evenly. In other cases, we choose our own path on a case by case basis. Your desire to know an answer to THIS question lies within the case-by-case realm. There, within your own heart, you will find your answer.|::::|There is no question, that it is better to live according to your financial means, or very close to it, and if you have to borrow, it has to a manageable amount repayable without having to change your life style. The objective has to be financial stability, for without it then you could embark yourself in a life centered on continued financial worries, surely if you exceeded in your outlays and debt you would perhaps think that you are at least enjoying life better, buying objects or pleasures, that otherwise you would never have tried. But that is a false perception, for the cost of credit diminish your financial possibilities not expand them. So treat money with respect live according to what you can afford, or very close to it, and your life will be a lot more serene, and in the end you will have experienced a better life style.|::::|Basically, you earn the money so you can afford to do the things you want to do. In order to earn money, you have to focus on the desires of other people, because money essentially comes from other people (whether you sell them things you have produced, or you produce labor in exchange for pay). Thus, in order to earn, you have to subjugate yourself to the larger quot;society.quot; You need to earn some amount, because the mere act of living involves using resources (food, shelter, etc.) that you have to pay for. But when you are subject to an authority other than your own, it undermines your will. You reinforce your will by doing things that you want to do. Yet you can t do what you want unless you can afford it. Thus you ned to strike a balance. You have to subjugate some of your desires so that you can pursue some of your desires. People often have a hard time with this, because they get too caugt up in one extreme or the other -- focusing so much on earning money that they never take time to enjoy it, or focusing so much on hedonic pleasure that they don t do the work that s necessary to survive in a material world. [This balance is reflected in the Qabalah by the pillars of Severity amp; Mercy, and the quot;Middle Pillarquot; path to godhead. It s also in the concept of masculine amp; feminine energies. Typically the feminine is nurturing while masculine is more restrictive and rule-giving. You can see this in the pagan concepts of the Earth Mother and the Sky Father.] Anyway, we can also look at it sociologically, in terms of power structures. Families, companies, governments, etc. are all basically power structures. In order to maintain their positions, those at the top of the power structure need submission from those below. Therefore they try to ensure that individuals spend a lot of time focusing on the quot;making moneyquot; side of things. Why? Because in order to make money, you have to subjugate yourself to higher authority, bacisally doing what you re told in order to get paid. Since those in power are able to set the rules, you find strong social, legal, and religious pressure to tow the line and do what you re told. Obeying the laws, following the rules, and working hard, are all considered to be the quot;rightquot; way to live. That s why there was such upheval in the 1960 s when young people began to reject those values. That s also why there are laws to prevent quot;vicequot; crimes, even though there may be no victim, and the crime may be totally consentual. People who ignore these social mores and live according to their own will are considered outlaws. Society in general is afraid of such people; but they re also strangely attracted to them, because they represent an empowered way of living that has the romantic sense of being carefree. This issue is at the heart of a lot of philosophy as well: either trying to legitimize the idea of a quot;higher authority,quot; and thereby justify the power structure and it s rules, or trying to legitimize the idea of subjective reality and moral relativism, and thereby justify individual authority. This can be extended to the idea of Good vs. Evil, as well as to several mythological figures, like Prometheus, Loki, Eris, Satan, etc. So basically all the important questions of life can be said to revolve around this single issue. It really is about the meaning of life. Nice question.|::::|Absolutely the things you want to do! My aim in live is too never miss an opportunity especially because of money! A great example is music concerts as soon as you are in that gig you know that you made the right cjhopice in buying the tickets when it would have been easy to say no because of money, etc. This is the reason that although im quite skint, Iv got tickets for oasis, coldplay and jay z next year and cannot wait! What good is sitting on an intangible asset like money goin=g to do? at the end of the day experiences are real money is paper or 00000000000 s on a computer screen|::::|YOUR life should be a personal journey for you, not cookie cut from what someone else things is or isn t right for you. March to the beat of your own drum ;) Cheers!|::::|live life as you want it, any way its your life not theirs.fail or succeed noone to blame but yourself.dont be a slave of money-use it! goodluck!