I have a terrible habit of saving things for a sunny day. But I’ve decided that’s a broken strategy. After all, that sunny day may never come…or I might not be alive when the clouds part.
Maybe you can relate.
Or maybe you are thinking, “Save for a sunny day? I thought the adage was to save for a rainy day.”
You are right, but some people save for a sunny day. Let me explain.
Saving for a Rainy Day
The advice to “save for a rainy day” typically is applied to money. A rainy day represents some adverse circumstance. You save money for emergencies, loss of income, and unexpected expenses.
This advice assumes you won’t have the necessary money if you don’t save for a rainy day. In other words, you won’t make enough money or invest money that grows your income to be financially okay if something financially straining happens. Thus, it’s based in lack consciousness.
Additionally, saving for a rainy day is advice based on a belief that a time will come—a rainy day—when you need that money. It’s negative thinking. And, since thoughts are creative, a focus on saving for a rainy day eventually will bring about a downpour—a time when you need money for some emergency or situation.
Saving for a Sunny Day
It is possible to save other things besides money for a rainy day. I have known people who save rubber bands, used tin foil, and clothing they don’t fit into…just in case they need them.
And others—like me—save for a sunny day. We save things for the right time, special occasions, or appropriate circumstances. This is like only using the china dinnerware when company comes or on holidays. The rest of the year, it’s off-limits. It’s not for ordinary use.
I treat some jewelry, clothes, shoes, and jackets like sacred objects. They are only allowed out in public on the most special of occasions…and sometimes not even then. They definitely are not for ordinary use.
I love to purchase these items because they make me feel fabulous to wear them. Yet, I only wear them if someone is around to see them or for special occasions.
That’s not because I want compliments or to show them off. I think of them as “special” and shouldn’t be worn around the house on an ordinary or regular day…and just for me.
Love Yourself Enough to Use the Good China
But I have decided to stop doing that. After all, if I don’t believe I am worthy of sporting my finery—just for myself, that’s an issue I need to work on. I need to love myself enough to eat off the good china…and wear my special earrings and clothes for no other reason than that I want to, they make me feel good, and doing so makes me happy.
But, until recently, I’ve had a lot of reasons to save things for a sunny day. Let me run through a few.
I’ll ruin them.
If I always wear my favorite clothing items, something will happen to them—and then I won’t have them to wear, or they won’t look good any longer. For instance, I might stain them, they might shrink when washed, the dog might tear them, or I might wear them out.
These things have happened to my favorite clothes, and I hate it when it does.
As for jewelry, I worry I’ll lose an earring or necklace or break a bracelet or stone. Again, this has happened to me, much to my dismay. I simply don’t want it to happen again…especially to the pieces I love the most or that have sentimental value. And this has happened to me, too.
I won’t be able to replace them.
I have spent countless hours searching for replacements for lost jewelry and ruined clothes. I sometimes buy two of the same pieces of clothing I like for this reason…and then don’t wear either one because I am keeping them for a special occasion.
I have a ton of crystal jewelry because I adore crystals and wear them for their beauty and powerful healing qualities.
Supposedly, when a crystal breaks, it releases energy. So, no biggie…right? Just let it go.
Well, not in my book. That’s a reason to find another one just like it! But that rarely happens, and I’m left scrolling the internet to find a replacement—especially if the piece matches some other piece of jewelry or clothing.
They are for special occasions.
I’m typically a discount shopper; I learned this from my mother. But there are one or two brands of expensive clothes I love and treat myself to from time to time.
The same is true for jewelry. I am a collector, but much of what I own is not valuable. Every once in a while, though, I buy a pair of earrings or a bracelet, ring, or pendant that is more expensive.
And then what happens? You guessed it. I save them for a special occasion. I deem them “too good or expensive” to wear for a typical day. I reason that, since I paid a lot for them, I should save them for times when wearing something more expensive is appropriate.
Saving for a Sunny Day is a Broken Strategy
There is a powerful reason why saving for a sunny day represents a broken strategy. Your fears create the circumstances you trying to avoid.
Your fears are thoughts focused on what you do not want to occur. Your attention is on an unwanted circumstance.
Thoughts are creative. What you think about or focus upon, you bring about.
For example, being afraid that I’ll ruin my favorite clothes or lose my jewelry becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. If I think about ruining my clothes or losing jewelry, that’s what I will create.
I’d be better off thinking about how lucky I am to have these items and how grateful I am to wear them…anytime I please. Additionally, I can focus my thoughts on getting to wear them for a long, long time to come.
Make Every Day a Sunny Day
You can save things for a sunny day, but what if that sunny day never arrives? What if you aren’t around to experience the sun coming through the clouds? What if you never get to enjoy whatever it is you’ve been keeping safe for all this time?
That’s a possibility.
Instead, why not make every day a sunny day? Live your life as if each moment is a special occasion worthy of your finery. Wake up each morning affirming that you love yourself enough to eat your meals off the good china. Value yourself enough to drive your classic car to work each day.
Whatever you have been saving for a sunny day, use, wear, show it now. As first-century BCE Jewish leader Hillel the Elder said, “If not now, when?”
What have you been saving for a sunny day, and will you continue with this broken strategy? Tell me in a comment below, and share this post with someone who might benefit from reading it.
Image courtesy of mujahidmalik.
