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Just eight days ago, I returned from a trip to Washington, D.C. I spent 4 days in Washington, D.C. at a financial conference called FINCON. I have wanted to go for the last three years, but never pulled the trigger. The event occurs over the school year and I just couldn’t pull myself away from my students.

This year, I finally made the decision to go and it was a great decision! I built so many great relationships and learned so many great things about turning this blog that I own into a better business.

There were plenty of things that I learned that will benefit my blog and help with growth of my brand, but the most important part of the entire trip is the knowledge that you get from little nuggets from all the people that have been down the financial blogging world.

Below are FIVE insightful nuggets that reinforced an important message:

Nugget #1: “I know I was addicted to making money.” – Grant Sabatier

This statement was said while Grant was discussing the Playing with FIRE documentary. He talked about how he wasted his 20s just trying to make money. This led to him missing out on relationships with his friends and families. He can never get that time back.

Now, he has more money than he needs. His underlying message was that FI is important, but it is okay for FI to take a little longer. Instead of focusing so much on hitting FI right away, focus on the relationships that are important today.

Nugget #2: “It’s not about the money, but it’s about the time money gives you.” – I can’t remember who said this one

Everyone thinks that Financial Independence and cutting expenses is all about money. It’s not! It’s about the freedom that money can give you. This was the main theme of all the people at the conference pursuing financial independence (FI). They don’t want FI because they want to be rich. No, they want wealth so that they can have the freedom that money affords.

Nugget #3: “Money is connected to everything.” – I can’t remember who said this one either

A byproduct of wanting freedom is the need of money. To live in this life and world, we must use money. It is the language of the world and we all use it for everything from purchasing stuff to saving for the future. Therefore, we must learn how to handle money and learn how to use financial strategies to our advantage.

Nugget #4: “A rich life is lived outside the spreadsheet.” - Ramit Sethi

In this statement, Ramit was focussed on the idea that just focusing on the numbers won’t lead to a rich life. A rich life is lived when people spend money on what’s important to them. The spreadsheet is great, but a huge focus on the spreadsheet can actually damage relationships (connected to Grant’s statement).

Nugget #5: “Spend money frivolously on things that you love, but cut back on things that you don’t love.” - Ramit Sethi

Once again, another great statement from Ramit! This makes you think about what is really important to you. Coffee is not important to me, therefore, I would not consider Starbucks as an important line item in my budget. However, my kids are very important to me and my wife, therefore, we have a lot of spending directly related to our kids. It’s all about what you value!

All of these great nuggets all have an underlying message!

It’s the message of everything should not be just about the money. However, included in those nuggets was that money affects everything. So, it’s the message that you must worry about your money, but not worry too much about it.

You must prepare for retirement, while also maintaining important relationships. You must also keep a keen eye on your spending, while also spending exorbitantly on the things that are important to you. Now, this doesn't mean you just give up on reaching FI or handling your money, but it does mean finding the right balance for your family.

What is your relationship to money? Is it too much of a focus or is it a good balance between focus on money and focus on a rich life?