Why I wish I had more money (but am glad that I don’t)

I wish I had more money so that I could…

1. Go to the South Pole without having to get a corporate sponsor
2. Eat more healthily
3. Make purchases based on a provider’s service, ideals, ethics, location and where they source their materials (rather than just its price)
4. Buy the new Vampire Weekend album (and give them some royalties rather than listen to it on Spotify)
5. Make a bigger dent into my list of big ideas with the time saved from trying to pay bills
6. Dedicate more time to helping other people with their plans
7. Replace the toothbrush I took to Norway, carried through the rest of Scandinavia, used on my £100 adventure and which is still “going strong”
8. Repay the pints and innumerable other courtesies and favours extended to me by friends and strangers
9. Stop writing whining blog posts like this one (and this one)

But I’m glad that I don’t because…

1. Fundraising for an expedition is part of the challenge (and what is an expedition without challenge?)
2. I wouldn’t have hitch-hiked around the country for £100
3. It makes me more resourceful
4. I might not put so much effort into this website and all that comes with it
5. If I do get to the South Pole then it will seem like more of an achievement having raised the funds
6. Having my back against the wall makes me work harder
7. Cycling home from Norway would have been a lot easier and thus a lot less of an experience for me
8. I’ve tried new things as a result like giving school talks, writing more articles and general shameless self-promotion
9. I know the things I have done have not been motivated by money