Imagine that you pull up to an NBA arena and valet park your car.
You have to go through the normal ticket line, but as soon as you are through, you are sent down a staircase, and given a wristband.
The wristband gets you access to an exclusive “Social Club” that includes a Vegas-Style buffet that rivals something like Bacchanal at Caesars Palace.
You dine on sushi, as a waitress comes and offers you beverages on the house – whatever you want.
After a quick meal, you dash past the free popcorn and candy stand, and walk out onto the floor to view the teams shooting around.
You walk past the other court-side seats, and settle into your seat: right next to the home team’s bench.
You get lucky, because the home team starts the game on fire and smokes the opponent. They are raining threes, dunks, and having a good time. The crowd is going wild.
The mood on the bench shows it with laughs, high fives, and the casual nonchalance of a mid-season game.
At half-time, you parade back to the social club, to secure a dessert. You dine on freshly baked cookies, scrumptious New York cheesecake, and grab another drink.
On the way out of the club, you secure some candy and popcorn for the latter half of the game.
The home team coasts to a nice victory, and since you are so close to the bench, one of the players tosses someone in your crew their towel and then signs it.
You just had the night of your life. The experience of a lifetime. And you paid nothing. It was all free!
Now imagine, that this scenario is real.
Like really real. Because it happened to me – this week.
I mean it was a bucket list item I didn’t even know I had.
The seats themselves were $1,500 a piece, but I got to go for FREE – my friend took me along for the ride. I didn’t pay a dime.
Beyond the surely excellent price, the amenities and experience was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
It was eye opening in a way to see how the rich live. How celebrities attend games. How companies spend to treat their clients and sometimes employees. It was wild.
And this is coming from someone who has done a variety of really cool things. I’ve attended various sporting events in suites, been treated to $2,000 meals by venture capitalists, and taken some pretty luxurious vacations myself.
This experience was one that I will be forever grateful for – also one I wouldn’t hesitate to do again (especially for the price).
But it’s gotten me thinking a lot about experiences, about luxury, about excess.
I can see how attending games like this can become addicting:
- You feel like you are part of the game.
- You feel spoiled.
- You feel amazed.
- You feel rich.
And so this got me thinking how much luxury is too much luxury?
Where Do You Draw The Line For Enough?
One of the main issues with luxury is that it feels so good to get a taste of it, but it always leaves you wanting more.
This is one of the main reasons why I have never flown first class.
Partly this is due to simply not flying enough to rack up miles or get upgraded. But it’s also a choice.
A choice to budget wisely.
A choice to spend on hotels and experiences over that additional luxury.
And this leads us largely into the conversation of enough.
Where do you draw the line?
There is always someone with a nicer car.
There is always someone with a bigger house.
There is always someone with a more lavish vacation.
In this day and age where excess is everywhere, how do we all draw the line?
The answer is enough.
Enough is about gratitude.
Enough is about contentment.
Enough is about enjoying what you have.
Enough is about making strategic decisions on what to spend your money on, and what to cut back on.
Enough means saying “no” to many societal norms.
Enough means knowing what you aren’t willing to do.
Enough is thinking about what you really want, and not what society wants you to have.
Enough means setting your priorities right.
Enough means leaving things that might need to get done -> undone.
Enough is basically all of this and more.
Find Your Balance
At the end of the day enough is all about finding your balance.
You can still have nice things.
You can still splurge on luxury.
But just make sure it’s your luxury, and not someone else’s.
You can and should indulge in the things you love, but you also must find your balance.
Think long and hard what you really want, what brings you energy, and what brings you joy.
Then cut the rest.
As for me…I Still Want Luxury
Despite knowing my enough, I still want to live a life of luxury at times.
I want to splurge when the moment needs splurging.
And I want to cut back, when the moment calls to cut back.
This is what I am talking about, when I say “find your balance,”
I am just as satisfied sitting around all day in my pajamas as I am going to an NBA game and sitting in court-side seats.
If you indulge too often, the life of luxury becomes the norm.
And when luxury is the norm, then you’ve gone way past enough.
So find your balance.
Enjoy what you have.
But don’t forget to experience life (and a few luxuries) along the way.