What is the real question? The FU money or The FU mindset. 

I had an interesting conversation with a dear friend yesterday, which transpired in this post. We talked about many things: life, family, travel, and more; I guess it is part of growing. Interestingly, We both spend a good chunk of our time discussing money, which is unusual for us.

We asked each other if we had FU money and how we even knew we possessed FU money. 

I thought about it for a very, very long minute.

Let’s define our definition of money.

FU money is when you don’t think about spending on anything. You go to stores without considering the price and pick any piece you want. You buy a car because you like it; you don’t need it. You purchase homes or condos and never even stay there. You have a crew, and the chef travels to keep you comfortable. You go on vacations to exotic islands and parties where money is not even an object. Sounds interesting! Gold is not gold, and It is just a color, Yacht, and vacations in Monaco don’t even count. 

Maybe I am completely delusional, but as an experiment, I agreed to put myself in that situation and visualize myself surrounded by that kind of wealth. Only one thing came to my mind ‘freedom.’ What money buys for me is freedom. Freedom to do whatever you want, do crazy stuff or give. So it is not about the amount of money; it is about ‘zen-space’ when I don’t concern about tomorrow. I do whatever I feel right at that moment. I thought harder; well, material possessions do come with liabilities. I must adhere to certain social norms and behave in a certain way. It will change people’s expectations of me as well as my expectations of myself. Sounds interesting. Yeah, I said it earlier; it was a very long minute. 

So for me to enjoy FU, money is far more important; for that, I need an FU mindset. But how? That is a billion $ question. I have many friends who successfully run multi-billion dollar companies; some even live in multi-million $ homes, own jets, drive the most exotic cars and have the lifestyle described above. They are unique, some of the most exceptional human beings I have ever met. Most are looking for ways to give back and create a better world. Maybe the answer lies in What are they seeking? Well, I asked them, and they agreed on freedom, i.e., the FU mindset. I am not proposing that having financial freedom doesn’t matter or that money is evil. Money is a resource to do things you want and need to fulfill your dreams, desires, and fantasies.

Money is critical but is money enough or even matter for the FU mindset? 

FU Mindset

What is a FU mindset; FU mindset is a state where you push yourself to achieve everything and anything you want, but you don’t become a slave to your dreams. It is like you are bewildered by everything but enjoying every moment you got. You don’t stop living and enjoying moments and don’t have destination addiction. You make everything count, even cooking meals for your kids or making tea. Yeah, even billionaires make tea for their friends. You do have fun with everything; laugh at your silly entices and always be in a state of awe. 

How did you achieve that state? Isn’t it a secret or riches? Once you accomplish the FU mindset. You are invincible. It is not about contentment. If we all become content, we all must move back to caves. Humanity exists in our sheer pursuit of the exploration of the better. Everything in the universe has been evolving or changing, every single rock or leaf. That is the nature of the universe; we can’t be any different. So evolution is critical but finding joy in everything is the FU mindset. I am not talking about mindfulness and other zen concepts. FU mindset is when you are in a zen state all the time, and your actions bring you closer to your aspirations. But, you don’t attach your joy to it. Whenever or wherever or whatever becomes your mantra. You enjoy the journey and are not worried about the destination or get addicted to being happy when you get there. Your joyousness almost becomes contagious.

You are joyful in the process of getting there. It is like you get up in the morning even with a piece of terrible news; you acknowledge, smile, and make even that day count. Failures aren’t failures for you. You feel like going through these curves in a fast-racing car, treating it like an exhilarating ride, maybe the best ride of your life. Perhaps the FU mindset is a roller coaster ride. It may mean different to different people.

To me, the FU mindset is total freedom and acceptance of whomever I am and wherever I am. 

Notes:

How much money is enough when you feel like you have enough? An interesting age-old question.

I decided to google money and found some interesting stats. 

• More than half of Americans feel embarrassed talking to others about their finances, according to new research.
• Avaricious is greedy or grasping, concerned with gaining wealth. There is a word in the English dictionary for that. I bet in every single language; there is a demeaning word for that. 
• Google pulled About 230,000,000 results for ‘FU Money.’
• There are 9,220,000 videos on youtube for ‘FU Money.’
• There are close to 500,000 books on ‘Money.’ I was expecting even more. 

I got intrigued by the question of what FU money is. Every single author has their flavor of it. I necessarily don’t agree or disagree with either one. You can decide for yourself, and I have only one recommendation: do find the definition of your FU mindset.