It’s been two years since I found my budgeting rhythm and achieved the goal of tracking and planning expenses. That’s why I had tax payment as an item in my annual budget planned and ready to go. Like every April, I filed my taxes for last year a couple of weeks ago, only to discover that my due tax amount doubled compared to the previous year because my income improved and, of course, due to the crazy local tax jumps we have.

At first, I was mortified; I felt it was unfair for a third-world resident like myself to pay this much tax. Then I remembered a reading from the Daily Stoic; which said:

“You think you’re so special? People have been complaining about their taxes for thousands of years, and now they’re dead. Get over it. This is a good problem to have. Far better than, say, making so little there is nothing left to pay the government.

Income taxes are not the only taxes you pay in life. They are just the financial form. Everything we do has a toll attached to it. Waiting around is a tax on traveling. Rumors and gossip are the taxes that come from acquiring a public persona. Disagreements and occasional frustration are taxes placed on even the happiest of relationships. Theft is a tax on abundance and having things that other people want. Stress and problems are tariffs that come attached to success.”

I also felt grateful (it took a while) for the idea that more taxes means more income. I get to pay taxes. Just like I improved my income last year, I can do it again. This year, however, I will be smarter, keep a tax calculator handy, and budget better for next April.

My favorite sentence in the quote I shared from the book is, “Tax is a good problem to have.” Jon Acuff reminded me of the same idea in one of his courses: Sometimes, we avoid starting a goal because we are worried we will be unable to handle the “problems” resulting from our success. 

Examples of good problems to have:

• Clothes that get too loose after you lose weight.
• You’re in high demand to speak at events because you’re excellent at public speaking.
• Your shop stock might sell out because of the outstanding quality and marketing, and you would apologize to potential buyers.

Yes, you may still need to gain a new skill set to handle your anticipated great success, but you are also growing, learning, and changing every day and acquiring knowledge and experience that will help you solve anything you might face.

Don’t let worrying about the good problems be an excuse for not starting goals. Having good problems means you have succeeded in achieving your goals. Most importantly, trust yourself. You can handle good problems just as you can handle bad ones.