Most people, when I ask them this question — "What do you consider as an emergency?" — they immediately start listing things like:
- Health emergency for themselves
- Health emergency for parents
- Sudden hospitalization
- Accident
Which is fair. But here is where I usually pause and tell them something that feels uncomfortable at first:
If you can already imagine an expense happening, then it is not an emergency.
For example, if someone tells me, "My parents might need cataract surgery in the next 10 months." That is not an emergency. That is a planned upcoming expense. We already know it may happen. So we should plan for it, budget for it, and create provisions for it.
Emergency is something we cannot foresee at all.
The Businessman Who Redefined Emergency
Recently, I had a discussion with a businessman. He runs multiple businesses and is probably a second or third generation entrepreneur.
I asked him the same question: "What do you consider as an emergency?"
Without hesitation, he replied: "Going to vacation is my emergency."
I was honestly shocked. But then he explained.
Five to six years ago, he was completely consumed by work. Always expanding the business, always negotiating with suppliers, always chasing new customers. He believed that personal time, family time, vacations, and health breaks were distractions from growth.
Then COVID happened.
He was one of those who got severely affected and had to be hospitalized during that terrifying phase — when hospital beds were scarce and oxygen itself was uncertain.
Financially, everything was sorted — health insurance, life insurance, land, gold, financial assets, a strong business. There was no panic about money.
But lying on that hospital bed, he realized something uncomfortable: despite building strong wealth, he had built very little memories. Limited experiences. Very little life outside work.
Post COVID, in his mid-40s, after years of burnout, he decided to slow down. That is when vacations stopped being "luxury" for him. They became non-negotiable. Hence his answer: Vacation is my emergency.
Money Is the Vehicle, Not the Destination
We often hear this analogy: money is a vehicle to reach our desired life.
Think about it. If you drive fast, you are forced to focus only on the road ahead — it is stressful, you don't notice anything around. But if you slow down — or even better, have a driver — you can notice the greenery, the small cafes, the sunset views, and even take peaceful pit stops.
Life is not a race.
Money is important. Money is powerful. Money is necessary. But money is not the goal.
The real goal is balance:
- Earning
- Saving
- Investing
- Spending
- Living
If this feels overwhelming, that itself is a signal to take professional guidance. That's exactly what we do at TMOTRAC — help people build strong finances without sacrificing life. Stay on right financial track, with TMOTRAC.