Why I ❤️ Paying Taxes
An Unexpected Pathway to Gratitude
A million thanks 🙏🏼 to Dr. Lindsay, PhD of The Unicorn Chronicles™ for recommending Lucra(tive) and sending so many of you lovely people over here. (And congrats on your new Substack, Dr. Lindsay, PhD!)
Why I ❤️ Paying Taxes
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Tax season always reminds me of when I was starting out as a coach. It was 2008, and I had just gone through every cent I had. I didn’t know anything about running a business back then, that sales & marketing should have been my top priority, and that cashflow is the lifeblood of a company.
Come tax time, I did what I did in everything regarding money: I stuck my head in the sand.
While the Financial Crisis was going on around me, my personal financial crisis was so overwhelming that I didn’t even want to know how bad it had gotten. I stopped opening my mail (bills that I couldn’t pay) and answering my phone (collectors that I couldn’t pay). Somehow I was under the illusion that if I just ignored it, it would miraculously resolve itself. (Not a strategy I recommend.) 🤔
I didn’t pay my taxes for two years, but that was the least of my concerns… I didn’t have enough money to eat or pay rent.
Cleaning up that mess took a long time, but having had that experience also influences how I feel about taxes now.
These days, I’m so grateful that I can pay my taxes. I may not agree with how much I’m being taxed or how the government spends money, but these things are, for the most part, outside of my control.
One of the tenets of true wealth (well-being) is focusing on what you can control.
If I got angry every time I thought of paying taxes, that would be more detrimental to me—both psychologically and physiologically—and it wouldn’t do anything to change the situation.
This reminds me of something the Buddha said:
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal and intending to throw it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
Instead, I say a prayer of “thank you” when I send money out, remembering all too well the days when I couldn’t.
When you come from a place of gratitude, even (and especially) about the things that irritate or frustrate you, life brings you much more to be grateful for.
Mindie Kniss, MFA, PhD is a Certified High Performance & Mindset Coach. Fund Manager. Bestselling author and publisher. Resources to help you create a more Lucra(tive) life are available at her website: Lucra.com