Lately, I've been looking for ways to spend my money.

In the past, I believed that saving money was the ultimate virtue.

I thought smartphone bills should be as cheap as possible, even by a single yen.
I also tried to keep food expenses to a minimum.

In any case, I believed that not spending money was the right thing to do.

Of course, I still don't waste money today.

I don't want to pay even a single yen for things I don't need.

However, now that I'm in my late 30s, my values regarding money have changed significantly.

Recently, I've started thinking not about "how to increase my money," but rather about "how to turn money into value."I've started thinking about this.

Take smartphones, for example.

I used to look only at the cost.

But because it's something I use every day, choosing a provider that offers a stress-free connection, even if it's a bit more expensive, actually leads to higher daily satisfaction.

Even if my smartphone bill were to increase by 1,000 yen, if it eliminates that constant feeling of "Ugh! It's not connecting... (frustration)," then that is surely worth more than 1,000 yen.

The same goes for food.

I used to look only at how cheap things were.

Now, I've started spending money on things with fewer additives and organic ingredients.

I don't consider that luxury; I see it as an investment in my own health.

There are two reasons why my values have changed this much.

One is that I realized money only creates value when it is spent.

If it just sits in the bank, it is nothing more than a number.

Another thing is my own experience.

When I was 35, I went to the hospital due to sudden abdominal pain.

Up until then, I had never had a major illness, and I was healthy enough that I barely caught a cold once every three years.

So, I had never even imagined that I would ever have a serious illness.

However, the diagnosis was immediate surgery.

Even though I had been living a normal life just hours before, life can change in an instant.

Fortunately, my life was not in danger.

But that event changed my values significantly.

Before that, when I was just past 30, I had an experience where I broke a bone in my lower back in an accident.

At the hospital, they pinched my toes many times and asked, 'Can you feel this?'

It seems there was a possibility that I could have become unable to walk if the nerves had been damaged as well.

When you have experiences like this, you realize deeply that being healthy is by no means something to be taken for granted.

Furthermore, when watching the news, it is not rare to hear stories of people younger than me complaining of physical pain, going to the hospital, and being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

It is not uncommon to hear that they passed away just a few months later.

There is no guarantee anywhere that I will be alive and well in five or ten years.

That is what I thought when I considered it.

I realized that if I just saved and saved, and ended my life without enjoying the value of that money, I would surely regret it.

Being obsessed only with saving, holding back on what I want to do, not eating what I want to eat, and not meeting the people I want to see.

A life of just hoarding money alone, without contributing to those around me or to society.

If my life were to be suddenly taken by an accident or something similar while living like that...

Rather than regretting that I should have saved more, I would likely think that I should have done more of what I wanted to do, or that I should have used my money to bring a smile to someone's face.

Thinking about things like that, I have come to believe that I should properly spend money on things that have value.

My health.

My learning and daily comfort.

Gifts for people who are important to me.

Things that make those around me happy.

And, small contributions to society.

Recently, I also contributed to a crowdfunding campaign for the reconstruction of "Azumaya" in Motomachi, Kobe.

They put my company name on a plaque, but what made me even happier was that my money was used to connect the local scenery and memories to the future.

Of course, I cannot donate large sums of money to these kinds of activities every time.

I don't know what will happen to prices in the future, and I cannot say that my own old age is 100% secure.

That is why savings are also necessary.

However, I have started to think that it is not just about saving everything, but about turning a portion of it into value.

I have come to believe that this balance is important.

Money like 50,000 or 100,000 yen can sometimes be worth even more to someone else.

If I use it for the sake of others or society rather than just for myself, it might lead to greater joy than if I used it alone.

That money holds a meaning beyond just the numbers.

It is not that I have stopped saving.

I do not waste money either.

But I spend it generously where it should be spent.

It is even better if it is a way of spending that makes someone happy.

That is how I relate to money now.

Money has no value if you just hold onto it.

Depending on how you use it, you can make your own life, and someone else's life, a little richer.

Now that I am in my late thirties, I have finally arrived at that set of values.

That is why, lately, I am constantly thinking about what I can spend money on to turn it into value, rather than how to increase it.

Increasing money is not the goal.

Turning money into value to increase the total amount of joy is my goal now.

▼Continue reading here