We all desire to have money because of what it always can potentially do for us. The acquisition of things and settlement of bills will never be possible if we had no money. And we usually do have quite a list of things we want to have or want to do, and money is the center point of most, if not all. So, the trick is pretty simple, isn't it? We need to get as much money as we possibly can so that we don't have to try to explain to our lives why we can't afford our desires and make our stay here on earth comfortable. We just need to be rich.
To be rich, however, means we need to have loads and loads of money, or that we should at least have more money that can overshadow our desires, money that is always available when we are in need. It means that we have to be money magnets, that we have to be rich as much as we possibly can because it is the only way to answer back those constant desires that keep pulling at us endlessly.
But being money magnets isn't ever going to be enough if that's only how we think our money issues are going to be solved. If you're hoping to fill up a bucket with water and you put it under a tap gushing endlessly with unrestrained gusto, you will be guaranteed that in no time the steady flow will hit the tilt of the bucket and possibly overflow. But that, in truth, will only be possible and realistic if there's nothing wrong with the bucket, if the bucket isn't tilted, has no holes or isn't damaged in any way whatsoever. If that can be guaranteed then we are also equally guaranteed that our bucket will be filled with time. However, with us and our money...hmmmm...it's quite a story we all seem to have from time to time.
And why is that so?
Personally, I think it's because we constantly always tend to overlook certain realities about us and our money. Realities that we should stop overlooking and make the concerted efforts to monitor. And below are a few of the realities we must face if we are ever going to have any remote hope of being rich ( at whatever level) in our lifetime. Quite a number of us:
OVERSPEND
Overspending simply means how it sounds. Sometimes we buy more than is necessary or needed. We acquire things we really don't need or get ourselves indulgent in things that at most will leave us with fleeting satisfactions. We long for so much and our desires far outweigh our capacity to meet them and so we are spending on items and things that really may not have any lasting value to our lives but instead will leave our accounts empty and our minds wondering....
HAVE TOO MUCH DEBT
Chasing after things we don't have the capacity to acquire often leads us into borrowing money from others. The moment we borrow, we are indebted to the person we got the money from. Now, borrowing isn't really the problem, over-borrowing with little or no strategic plan to cut down the mounting and crushing weight of that ominous load is. Quite a number of us just seem content in asking for loans here and there under the illusion that our luck will soon change and that when that happens our money problems would be over. Better wake up from whatever fantasy you've walked into and realize that life is real. Debt is serious bad news. And if you're ever going to make any headway with your money, you need to start taking concrete steps to cut down your debt to the barest minimum. Otherwise, you'll possibly be rich, but only in your dreams.
ARE NOT SAVING ENOUGH
You must learn to save. And not just once in a while but constantly. Don't be too fooled to think that the rich only have money wells and money taps that constantly and ceaselessly release money for them without measure. Aside from those who have made it their career to steal what doesn't belong to them by cheating either people or organizations out of their money, the rich actually save part of all that seemingly ceaseless flow of money that they are making. In fact, I dare say that it's because they've mastered the art of savings that it seems like they always never ever run out of money. You will need to save enough and that takes quite some serious effort to attain. But unless you don't consider savings as a vital and veritable means of building a rich portfolio, then you're free not to be serious about it. Take my advice though...be serious.
DON'T HAVE A PLAN
Our money, am sure, would pretty much love it if we could always take out some good time to plan how it should be used or spent. Good planning is more often the best way to direct our money in the right path. Granted, things we like or we consider we like will from time to time pop up into our desire range. But if we always have to allow that to be the norm rather than the exception, then we surely can't be serious about this being rich business or dream. We must learn to lock up our emotions and free our heads. Taking out quality time to plan how best to spend our money often times yields great and glorious rewards. And the satisfaction that comes with that too is inexplicably immense. Planning helps us to curb overspending, reduce our debt and also aid our savings. We should put some good work into planning our money.
PUT ALL OUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET
One of the best ways through which you can start building yourself into the rich level is to never put all your money into one income generating basket. Always look for multiple others. The rich don't only increase their money by simply doing just one thing or having just one source of income, they strive to have others, Yes, you can start with a primary source, maybe like your job or your business, but you must then learn how to gradually diversify what you earn into various other investment possibilities. This is so because as life isn't perfect, so also is the world's economy; and from time to time each possible income generator could have issues or go through a low patch, and when that happens it could adversely affect your money. You can imagine what happened some years ago when the property market crashed almost worldwide. Many people and individuals who had sunk in their life's savings purely and wholly into properties never recovered. Before the bust, they no doubt were making good returns but because they didn't seem it fitting to diversify some of the good money they were making, they paid the terrible price when the unthinkable and unimaginable happened. Always thoughtfully look for different places to put your money where it can steadily grow for you.
DON'T HAVE AN EMERGENCY FUND
An Emergency Fund is like savings but not entirely like it. It demands we consciously put aside some of our money quite right but also demands that we consciously regularly ignore it except there is a serious emergency.
Now, this is very important. While savings are good, they actually are there to take care of certain issues that may be recurrent but that we really need to plan for; like holidays, school fees, wardrobe upgrades, etc. With the Emergency Fund, it's slightly different but equally important. As the name already connotes, it's for emergencies only. What may constitute an emergency may definitely differ from person to person but then it should only be an issue that is so bad and demanding that we will have no choice but to break into our Fund to rescue.
We must plan for our money and an Emergency Fund surely has its merits and positives. And if we are ever going to look at ourselves and say we are rich, we must start using our heads more and our emotions less. We need to stop complaining more about our financial status and start committing more to personally changing it. We need to stop living for today only and start thinking for tomorrow. Being rich really isn't about how better the other person is than me but how well I have arranged my own resources to ensure that what I need is always taken care of by me.
So, the ball is in your court. What are you going to do?
