SLOWLY DOES IT:

Motivational books abound telling us how to be successful in life – the main emphasis being that success is equated with how much money we have accumulated. They may endeavour to disguise the base desire to be a millionaire but the suggestion that if we had a million or two all our troubles would be over appeals no end to avid readers. Castles in the air can produce an airy-fairy attitude of let’s get rich quick, hence the popularity of the TAB, lotto, football pools etc..

Money is really only good for what it can do. We need sufficient of it to run our household but it shouldn’t be a main goal just to accumulate riches. Misers are never happy and contented people and they won’t be remembered just for having a lot of money. When a multi--millionaire died someone asked, “How much did he leave?” The answer was, “Everything!” But the great philanthropists are remembered with gratitude for having given this world a legacy that endures. So, if you want to make your mark in this world, you need to learn how to work less and get more done. Most of us work harder than we have to in order to reap the benefits life has to offer. People can lock themselves into circumstances which make it imperative that both partners have to work too hard just to stay afloat.

Mastering our personal finances is the key to succeeding in this life. It’s all very well taking speculative risks but even a minor disaster can tip the scales and lock us into a debt situation. We are all apt to take risks now and then but some people don’t do their homework and try a feasibility study to see what the end result of their action will be. We all hear about and envy the entrepreneurs who take enormous risks, pull them off, and live in the lap of luxury. But seldom do we hear about those who fail and litter the bankruptcy courts.

My advice is to beware of the get-rich-quick syndrome and look for long-term stability that comes with adequate financial planning. To always have a sufficient percentage of unallocated income to cover any future contingencies and to gradually improve the financial position year by year is the best proposition. In this way while we won’t rise to any great financial heights we will not suffer the depression and despondency of those who have bitten off more than they can chew and failed financially.
Discouragement is the one commodity that we cannot afford to live with for any length of time.