What Do You Value?
What Do You Value?
Seriously, have you ever really thought about it? I’m not necessarily talking about your core personal values (though those might help), but rather: what actually brings value to your life?
What brings you joy and makes your life worth living? What things are neutral? Neither adding nor subtracting from your life, just kind of… there? And what things actively make your life worse?
These are the questions I want to explore with you. But first, a little backstory.
A Mindset of Cutting What Doesn’t Serve You
I’ve always been someone who doesn’t like keeping things that don’t bring me value. That applies to physical items, but also to relationships and habits that don’t make my life better.
Since high school, I’ve been pretty aggressive about cutting things that no longer serve me. Most of my high school friends, alcohol, soda, caffeine—even most of my old habits, have all been trimmed away.
A few months ago, I revisited this mindset with fresh eyes. I started evaluating everything in my life, sorting things into three simple categories: positive, neutral, and negative.
What I found was shocking. Even after all the cutting I’d already done, I still had plenty of things that weren’t actively pushing me toward my ultimate goal of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early).
FIRE Doesn’t Happen By Accident
If you truly want to achieve FIRE, it’s not going to happen by accident. You have to be deliberate and intentional with every decision in your life—not just financial ones.
Which brings us back to what we’re talking about: value.
If you’re not on a FIRE journey, your values may look completely different. But FIRE changes how you view what you value. It forces you to look at what truly matters, and what doesn’t.
What Has FIRE Changed for Me?
The main question that runs through my mind every day is this: “Does this bring me closer to my goal, or does it set me back?”
One thing I’m currently working on is fast food. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed it. I wouldn’t say I overindulged, just once or twice a week, three times on rare occasions. I have averaged just under $100 per month on fast food.
Sounds pretty normal, right?
However, I realized my goals require a higher level of commitment. When I calculated that $100/month could potentially become $40,000 by the time I want to FIRE, it really made me question how much I actually value eating out.
Looking back over the past 10 years, I’ve spent thousands on fast food… but I can only remember maybe five meals. That’s it. Thousands of dollars—and almost zero memorable experiences to show for it.
That realization gave me an opportunity to re-evaluate my values.
Fast food might be tasty in the moment. It scratches that itch for instant gratification. But long-term? It adds nothing of lasting value to my life.
Now I try to imagine “Future Sam” 15 years from now. Will he look back and say:
“Wow, I spent so much money on fast food…”
or
“I’m so glad I cut that out when I did—saved money, improved my health, and stayed on track.”
The Tough Part
Fast food was easy to cut once I saw the numbers and recognized it didn’t matter to me. But what happens when something does bring you a lot of joy but doesn’t align with your ultimate goals?
Then you’ve got a real choice to make.
You have to ask: Where do your values really lie—and can you compromise?
My Expensive Weakness: Cars
I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m addicted to cars.
I’ve loved them since I got my first car at 16. Unfortunately, cars are one of the worst things for your finances out there. They depreciate, they guzzle money, and they don’t align well with the FIRE lifestyle.
But I still value them. Honestly, I might value cars as much or more than my desire for FIRE. So what do I do?
Compromise.
I’m a little embarrassed to say this as someone pursuing FIRE… but I own three Ford Mustangs. Yes, they’re old. Yes, they’re bad on gas. Yes, they’re loud. But man—I love them.
So how do I figure out what to do?
The Value Equation
When I’m stuck or considering what to do, I use what I call the Value Equation:
Value → Opportunity Cost → Compounded → Commit
Let’s break it down using my car dilemma.
Value
Ask yourself: Do I value this thing? Does it make my life better or worse?
For me, the answer is easy. My cars bring me genuine joy. I drive them daily and even take longer routes home just for the experience. So yes, they add value to my life.
Opportunity Cost
Now, what’s the cost of having this “thing”?
In my case, owning each fun car costs around $250–$300 per month (maintenance, insurance, etc.). That means I’m giving up other experiences and the opportunity to invest that money.
So I ask: Is there anything I’d rather do with $300/month?
That could include saving, investing, or reallocating that money to other goals.
Compounded
Here’s where the math slaps you in the face.
Let’s say I keep two of my fun cars for the next 15 years. That $300/month per car, plus the resale value, could potentially grow to $364,000 if invested.
Let me say that again—$364,000.
That’s almost 10 years of working income for me. For two old Mustangs.
Suddenly, they don’t feel quite so valuable.
Commit
By this point, you may realize you don’t value your “thing” as much as you thought.
That was true for me.
When I saw that keeping these two cars could cost me nearly $400k—and delay my FIRE goal, it forced me to think hard. Do I sell both and go all in? Keep both and delay FIRE? Or sell one and meet somewhere in the middle?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. But now, at least, the tradeoff is clear.
Final Thoughts
This isn’t a foolproof method—but it’s been life-changing for me.
Every time I remove something that doesn’t truly bring value, I realize… my life doesn’t really change that much. At least, not for the worse.
If you want to try this in your own life, start small. Look at your calendar, your budget, your daily habits. Ask yourself: Does this align with my goals?
And when in doubt, imagine your future self.
Will they thank you for cutting this thing out?