A Simple Appreciation Exercise To Give You New Perspective On Paying Monthly Bills

Episode 35 | (00:00):
Hey there, friend. Today, we're gonna be talking about appreciation and I'm going to give you a simple appreciation exercise to give you some new perspective on paying those lovely, wonderful monthly bills. Yes, something we all look forward to, especially now, right?

(00:16):
So let's dive in and start hearing something a little more positive about monthly bills. What do you say? You ready? You ready? I know, I am too. Let's go. Let's do this!

(01:10):
Hey there, Easy Ager. Today, I wanted to open the episode with a review from Apple Podcasts. This was from a person, DD6804, who said, "Michelle's enthusiasm and easy-to-follow suggestions encouraged me to re-evaluate my midlife perspective and have fun doing it."

(01:28):
When I read that, I thought, "Exactly!" This person understands exactly what all of this is about, because a lot of people don't believe you can have fun while you're making midlife changes. They think it has to be hard. You have to struggle. It has to be difficult in order for it to work or be valuable or be worthwhile.

(01:46):
And I'm here to tell you, that is not true. That is not true at all, because anything in life is as hard or as easy as you choose to make it. Once I figured out that I had a choice, that I had an option here, I started choosing easy. I started choosing the big, red, easy button sitting on top of the desk. Isn't it from Staples?

(02:06):
And now, making changes really isn't that big of a deal anymore. I actually have fun in the process, and that's what this is all about. Enjoying the process, enjoying the journey as we move forward.

(02:16):
So thank you, DD6804, for the lovely compliment as well as for really understanding what this podcast is all about.

(02:25):
Today I wanted to talk to you about showing appreciation. Now, if you've been around recently with all the Spark Joy and Marie Kondo-isms that are floating around, one of the big things she suggests is that you say "thank you" to the things that you're releasing from your home, that you're donating or selling or whatever it is.

(02:44):
Say "thank you" to these things that have served you well over the years. This didn't really surprise me all that much because a number of years ago, I read an article about showing appreciation specifically to your vendors when you get their bills.

(02:59):
Now, when I say "vendors," I mean the water company, the electric company, the gas company, your credit card companies, the lender for your mortgage, these types of folks.

(03:09):
When I first heard this, I thought, "Are you serious? Really? Why would I do that? I mean, they're charging me outrageous prices for things. Why would I ever say thank you for that? That's just so silly. So ridiculous."

(03:21):
But somehow the idea got planted in my brain, and I kept thinking about it over and over again. So after a few days, I thought, "Maybe this is a sign that I just need to give this a try. You know, maybe that'll really clarify what exactly this is all about, this saying 'thank you' to my vendors."

(03:39):
I mean, okay, well, whatever. I'm all for experimenting with new things in my life and new ways of thinking and getting new perspective so I thought, "Okay, let's give it a shot." I really had no idea where the article was so I kind of started stumbling my way through it from what I could remember.

(03:54):
So let's say you get a bill from the water company. What I would do is, I'd hold the bill. That was back when you actually physically got your bills, remember those days? I would hold the bill in my hand and I would immediately say, "I am so grateful that I have the money to pay this water bill." And I went, "Eh, okay. Yeah, whatever."

(04:13):
I said, "Okay, let me try a little bit more here." And then I started thinking about the water company in general. Then I would say "I'm so appreciative that the water company brings water directly into my home so all I have to do is turn on a tap to take a hot shower or to wash dishes or do laundry."

(04:30):
Because think about it: If the water company didn't exist, we would be spending big chunks of our days lugging buckets back and forth to the well, right? I started having a new appreciation for the water company.

(04:45):
Then I started thinking about the employees of the water company, and I thought, "Wow, I am really thankful to those people who work at the water company to make sure that I have this water in my home."

(04:54):
And then I took it to another level and I started thinking, "I'm so grateful that I am able to use my money to help these employees take care of their families."

(05:05):
So after doing this for about two or three months, it was kind of funny. I noticed I started getting some new perspective on my vendors and what would happen when I received those bills. I noticed I wasn't grumbling nearly as much about paying bills as I used to.

(05:22):
And I kind of started looking at paying bills as an act of appreciation for the services I received, instead of something that I loathed, something that I procrastinated on, something that I really just did not enjoy doing.

(05:33):
Now today, I don't get bills in the mail anymore. Most of my payments are automatic, but every time I get an email that says "Payment has been confirmed," I stop for a moment and say thank you.

(05:44):
I say thank you to the company. I say thank you to the people who helped me receive the service. I say thank you to God for all these blessings I have and for the money that I have to be able to pay this bill.

(05:55):
For the couple of bills that I do need to pay manually, I put it in my calendar as "APP," which stands for appreciation. I get to show appreciation to these companies who have provided the service for me.

(06:07):
You know, it took me a while to figure out why this gave me such new perspective, why I started really viewing paying my bills as an actual enjoyable act. Then I realized, you can get new perspective when you just stop and pay attention to how much you actually have.

(06:24):
When you see how much you truly have, you can start moving into gratitude and appreciation, not just with your vendors but in other parts of your life. It really just gets down to creating a new habit of saying "thank you" on a regular basis.

(06:37):
Because when you come to life from a place of appreciation and gratitude, life is gonna get easier. Life is going to get lighter, and you're going to have more energy and more vitality than you did before.

(06:48):
Now I know there are some of you out there still shaking your heads going, "Hmm, I don't think so." But I'm gonna challenge you on that. I'm gonna say, "Why don't you take two or three months — give yourself three months max — and start doing this. You may be pleasantly surprised to see how your perspective changes over those three months, okay?

(07:09):
So that's it for today. If you're finding value in this podcast, please go to TheEasyAgingShow.com, scroll down to the bottom and get directions on how to leave a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. I would be so grateful and appreciative if you would do that. Until next time, peace, love, and blessings to you and yours. Take care. Bye-bye!