Recently I was speaking with a client just back from a business trip to Las Vegas. We shared stories about what a bizarre place Vegas is with its over the top hotels, restaurants, and shops; of how the bright lights, incessant sounds and endless choices of experiences lull you into a false sense of reality. Being in Vegas is like stepping into a parallel universe.

But, then I thought, isn’t Vegas a microcosm of the money world we live in every day?  Isn’t it our world on steroids?  Neon signs beckon you to spend more, indulge more so that you forget that there is more to life than what money can buy. And before you know it, financially speaking, you find yourself feeling what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

It’s no different when we buy into the money messages fed to us every day through internet, TV, radio and print ads.  Sure it’s not as concentrated as the Vegas strip, but the message is still calling us to spend, spend, spend. We find ourselves with things we don’t really need (or really want) and add financial pressure to our already stressed lives.

So what do we do?  We remember beautiful Red Rock Canyon right outside the lights of Las Vegas.  Within a split second of entering the majestic beauty of this national conservation area we remember who we are and what feeds our soul. Turning from man-made trinkets to the natural treasures around us can save us financially from making decisions based on society’s definition of what we need and want.  Nature costs nothing and delivers so much – we just need to remember it’s waiting for us every day.

I know it’s cold, but get out and enjoy.  You won’t regret it—and it’s free!

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