Maximize your life enjoyment rather than maximizing your wealth.  Of course, having money will help you achieve the more important goal of enjoying your life.  But trying to maximize your money will, if you’re not careful, get in the way of enjoying your life because you’ll put off spending the money on yourself in order to increase the size of the pile of money you have.  I know you’re not getting the most out of your life.  Start spending.

Now, I made that point in my book, South, so I don’t see the need to repeat it here, but it leads to the point of this essay:  Your ultimate goal should be to die with nothing left.

Your life, in the end, will be the sum of your experiences.  If you’re not spending your money on the experiences which mean the most to you, you’re depriving yourself of your best possible life.  Why would you do this?  Spend your money enjoying your life.  Live, on your terms, the best possible life.  And die with no money left.

I don’t understand this obsession with leaving money or an estate when you die.  Why?  Why would you want to leave your money — the money you worked hard to earn so you could enjoy your life — to your children?  Did you raise children who are incapable of looking after themselves?  That’s pathetic.  Are you trying to buy your children’s love?  That’s even more pathetic.

I will accept that you may want to give money to a charity or good cause.  Using your money to help others is one of the true joys of life.  So what are you waiting for?  If you want to give money to your children or a worthy charity, do it today.  Surely your hopeless children and the good causes you support could use the money today.  Why make them wait until you die?  You’re only creating an incentive for them to kill you.

So give money to your children and favorite charities, and then go back to spending your remaining money on yourself, living the best life you can, and dying with nothing in your wallet.

It’s actually a hard thing to do, but by aiming to die the minute you’re broke, you’ll change your focus from earning and wealth accumulation to living the best life you can.  With the right goal in mind — dying broke — you’re sure to get more out of your life than you otherwise would.

As you breathe your last breath before killing yourself by slamming into a tree while skiing down Coronet Peak, your last thought will be:  I’m so glad we learned to ski, and so glad we spent our last remaining money to fly here to New Zealand and ski Coronet Peak.  That’s a lot better than dying at home in your bed filled with regrets and under a large pile of unspent money.

So go spend every penny you’ve got on the best life you can have.