Meaningful Returns

So many parents complain about “participation trophies” and how spoiled kids are and how this will teach them that no matter what happens they will always be the best. But you know what? It’s the parents who not only pay for those trophies, but would actually make a huge fuss if their kids didn’t get them. The irony is just incredible. My high school basketball coach would always say in his deep southern drawl, “Now listen, when you point a finger at someone else, how many you got pointing right back at you?” Then he would uncurl his middle, ring, and pinky fingers and say, “One, two, three. That’s how many.”

But I digress.

When you choose to live well within your means, I promise you no one will give you a pat on the back, much less a trophy. The key is just to get to a point where the life you live is the only reward you need. Of course that’s really really hard, but it’s worth it.