During our trips south of the 49th we often engage into conversations about the “American Dream.”
Invariably, the atmosphere gets political. Back on home soil the tone is more philosophical when discussing the “Canadian Dream.”
Defining the Canadian Dream depends on your perspective. To some, it may have meant an opportunity to raise a family free from tyranny.
Others may have been drawn to the luxury of being able to speak freely or being free from religious persecution.
Interestingly, the Canadian Dream discussion rarely focuses on the accumulation of wealth. That’s a good clue to where our deeper motivations lie.
Although our true motivators are rarely financial, we often need to be reminded of that.
We are living in an environment of unprecedented abundance and I feel it is always a good idea to do a little gratitude focus on how far we have come before trying to move forward.
For example, I wake every day to a house with running hot and cold water, flush toilets, central heat, brush my teeth with an electric toothbrush, and shave with not one but five razor blades!
Our security system keeps unwanted prowlers at bay, and other alarms will alert us in event of smoke, fire or gas hazards.
Almost all residents of our house have their own cars that they drive through a sophisticated transportation network, and frequent transit will quickly take us to anywhere in Metro Vancouver for just a few dollars.
Each of us have smartphones that allow us to speak, text, email, message or share pictures or video with others instantly.
We can do more with them than the computers that sent men to the moon!
When we get sick, our medical system covers us, our legal system protects our rights and freedoms, and we have heroes on standby when disaster strikes.
This is something that the wealthiest families in the world could not have experienced a century ago.
These experiences are also out of reach of many.
And yet, we continue to strive. This is a good thing.
However, many are not achieving their dreams because the things we want have become so abundant that we feel we need to have them at a pace that far exceeds our ability to pay for them.
Are you wondering when I will get around to the financial aspect of all of this? Fear not!
Like this article, I feel that our financial plans need to focus less on the money and far more on establishing our deeper “why?” motivations based on a foundation of gratitude for what we have and where we have been.
Only then can we build a financial framework that will give us capabilities and confidence in fulfilling the goals we strive for.
Richard Vetter is a certified financial planner and owner of WealthSmart Financial Group in Richmond.
