Understanding the energy of money... Or the value of the dollar.
I set out to write about the energy of money.
But my experience has showed me, that talking metaphysically about money and its place in the larger scheme, only makes people nod their heads in agreement, but does NOT help them put it into practice in their daily lives.
I remember a book I've read years ago, called: "The trick to money is having some..."
So I will start at the beginning and continue exploring it in phases, over a few notes.
Please forgive me if I will not start by analyzing money in larger terms.
My goal is to help you HAVE SOME..... (that is if you are unhappy with your financial situation)
In order to have something in your life, or to be good at it, you need to first understand it.
Think of it as an art form, or a skill you must develop.
To be good at your craft or art, you need to explore it, practice it often, find out what others are doing right, and learn what to do, what are your pitfalls and how to overcome them.
It is the same with money.
In order to have some... You need to understand it.
Many people who do not have money, also do not understand it.
I once asked some of my friends, who have no money at all, what would they do IF they came upon money.... If they won a million dollars.
Not ONE of them suggested a plan that will allow them to create financial independence for themselves.
All of them talked about how they will spend the money.
But financial independence should be a realistic and achievable goal.
Financial independence allows you to enjoy a peace of mind, as long as you perceive yourself as living in a materialistic world.
It gives you a sense of empowerment and it is so pleasant to feel financially secure.....not needing to rely on a monthly income.... not fearing losing your house..... Or constantly having unrealized material dreams or feeling lack....
And best of all, financial independence, allows you to choose your career and allows you time to pursue your passions and life's work.
Like every journey, you have to start with where you are.
You need to asses where you are with honesty and to clearly define your goals.
"Goals" is a concept that has been misused often.
Essentially it requires that you sit and define just how much you realistically need and desire and where you can cut back, or earn more, to straighten yourself up.
I cannot begin to tell you how many people think that they need millions, in order to be financially independent.
But it actually requires SO MUCH LESS than this.
You will have to do your own math.
So we've established that you have to start with looking around, evaluating, and analyzing what places you can cut back and save money, and what is essential for your business, job or for your happy state of mind.
Some things you may be able to cut completely out of your life, in order to save money, while others you may choose to keep, because they are your little indulgences, and they are good for your "self spoiling."
Wealthy people know very well, the importance of saving money and not being wasteful where it does not matter.
I once sat for a dinner with a couple, who are real-estate developers and some of the wealthiest couples in Miami.
For over an hour, they excitedly told me about the difference between using 'Skype' and 'Vonage,' instead of paying for a primary house phone line.
You had to see the spark in their eyes, when they mentioned how they switched and were able to save $25 a month in service fees.
People with no money, do not respect money or try to save it the same way.
They tend to think that rich people spend money carelessly.
This is very far from the truth.
Wealthy people know the value of accumulated and accrued money.
They understand the energy required for earning it, and for investing it..... and they are not happy to waste it away, when it is possible to practice restraint and to save.
What I am sharing here, is not just what I do in my own life, but also what other people who own yachts and helicopters do, to save money and not be wasteful.
I will give you an examples:
My husband and I eliminated our mobile phones monthly services.
You may think that it is tiny amount of saving that does not amount to much, but allow me to 'show you the money....'
We used to pay monthly for his Blackberry, (phone and data), and for my own mobile phone. (I must admit that mine was mostly used for playing Bejeweled Blitz, or taking low quality photos.)
One year, our phone bill with roaming overseas, reached $2000.
Now, we own ONE prepaid mobile phone which we share.
We load it with $100 a year, and we do not even use that amount in phone calls.
In fact, we need to top it up, once a year, or we lose the remaining balance.
Most of us, use our mobile phones too often, just to chat aimlessly with friends.
Those who do not actually need it for their jobs, (like real-estate agents etc,) should look into that money saving option.
Artists and poets, definitely do NOT need mobile phones. (Collectors, or publishers, can leave you a message on your home phone...)
Many years ago, before mobile phones were available, parents and friends, still managed to pick up their kids and arrange their lives, without mobile phones.
I cringe at the thought of how much money we have spent during the years, for this useless device....
If we count it at an average of $1500 a year, times the last 15 years or more, that we've paid for this silly service, it amounts to $22,500 PLUS the accrued interest.
Believe it or not, but if we did not own a mobile phone, we would have saved around $37,000 - or.......... a down payment on a house.
(The calculation is based on saving $1,500.00 per year at a rate of return of 5.00% per annum. These savings amounts are adjusted for inflation. You will have saved $37,693.53 after 15 years.)
Which brings me to my MOST IMPORTANT POINT....
The true value of money IS NOT, what it can buy you today at the store.
If allowed to be invested and accrued, it will be your ticket out of struggle tomorrow.
Yes, you will need to save it monthly.
Yes, you will need to trust the Universe to keep you alive for another 15 years.
Yes, you will need to be disciplined and NOT to take it out of savings or blow it away on a whim.
But if you'll let it, it WILL be your ticket to financial independence.
Now think of all the money you could have saved and invested by giving up other useless items like cigarets.... Or a couple of beers drunk every night in the pub...... a blow job.... Sorry.... A blow dry.... at the hair salon....
Look around your life for other areas where you spend money unnecessarily....
Do you really need a separate studio space?
Artists lived in lofts and slept in their working spaces for hundreds of years.
Years ago, when I moved out of my country of birth, I came to live with my sister in NYC.
She was a jewelry designer, and kept a showroom in the Garment Centre in the middle of Manhattan.
She had known some good financial times, but when I came to live with her, she was hardly pulling enough money to pay for her monthly expenses.
She was living off her savings.
Yet...... she kept the showroom and two employees.
I suggested that we give up the showroom, work from home and let the employees go......and do the labor ourselves.
She insisted on not giving up the showroom, with many perfectly "justified" excuses, but reluctantly gave up the employees.
We worked together in the large room that was located at the back of the showroom.
Nobody came to the showroom, and the phone hardly rang.....Yet she would not give up the showroom and she was barely able to pay for its rent.
She only agreed to give up the idea of a separate studio/ showroom, and work from home, when we decided to move to Florida.
Working from home, in a spare bedroom in her apartment in Florida, her business grew up to a million dollar business.(But not knowing how to save, choose good people and manage them or understand money, she quickly run that business too into the ground.)
Despite having money, I no longer employ a house keeper, but share the cleaning of my own homes with my husband.
We drive older, but very good cars.
We do enjoy indulgences and we spend money often, but only on things that we value, like helping people, fun and traveling.... We do not piss it away.
I remember the time when we rearranged our spendings.
We changed accountants and got rid of the guy who was our accountant for many years.
Yes, we were his clients for many years, but as our income and saving rose, so were his fees...
In fact, he charged us such an a astronomical fee, that nobody believed us when we mentioned just how much our accountant charges us.
We also shopped for a great rate for home and car insurances, and were able to reduce them to half of what we've paid, for the exact same coverage, in previous years.
I even had my insurance broker tell me, that deals like that do not exist.
I searched the internet and found some great rates, emailed them to her, and she was able to get them for us.
We do not give a damn about status symbols and we love the privacy and physical exercise that comes with doing our own gardening and work.
I could never envision having a cook or a driver, even thought I could employ both.
Of course if you do have a business, you could and should, put your attention on growing your business and marketing your skills.
But saving money is Just as important as earning it.
Every dollar saved and invested, becomes a worker, working FOR YOU and promoting your financial independence.
Remember that the value of a dollar is NOT what it can buy you today, but what it can do for you, if you save it, allow it to accumulate, to grow, to be compounded with interest and become your worker.
Please NEVER believe that it is too late to start.
No matter how old you are, you can always start again...
But my experience has showed me, that talking metaphysically about money and its place in the larger scheme, only makes people nod their heads in agreement, but does NOT help them put it into practice in their daily lives.
I remember a book I've read years ago, called: "The trick to money is having some..."
So I will start at the beginning and continue exploring it in phases, over a few notes.
Please forgive me if I will not start by analyzing money in larger terms.
My goal is to help you HAVE SOME..... (that is if you are unhappy with your financial situation)
In order to have something in your life, or to be good at it, you need to first understand it.
Think of it as an art form, or a skill you must develop.
To be good at your craft or art, you need to explore it, practice it often, find out what others are doing right, and learn what to do, what are your pitfalls and how to overcome them.
It is the same with money.
In order to have some... You need to understand it.
Many people who do not have money, also do not understand it.
I once asked some of my friends, who have no money at all, what would they do IF they came upon money.... If they won a million dollars.
Not ONE of them suggested a plan that will allow them to create financial independence for themselves.
All of them talked about how they will spend the money.
But financial independence should be a realistic and achievable goal.
Financial independence allows you to enjoy a peace of mind, as long as you perceive yourself as living in a materialistic world.
It gives you a sense of empowerment and it is so pleasant to feel financially secure.....not needing to rely on a monthly income.... not fearing losing your house..... Or constantly having unrealized material dreams or feeling lack....
And best of all, financial independence, allows you to choose your career and allows you time to pursue your passions and life's work.
Like every journey, you have to start with where you are.
You need to asses where you are with honesty and to clearly define your goals.
"Goals" is a concept that has been misused often.
Essentially it requires that you sit and define just how much you realistically need and desire and where you can cut back, or earn more, to straighten yourself up.
I cannot begin to tell you how many people think that they need millions, in order to be financially independent.
But it actually requires SO MUCH LESS than this.
You will have to do your own math.
So we've established that you have to start with looking around, evaluating, and analyzing what places you can cut back and save money, and what is essential for your business, job or for your happy state of mind.
Some things you may be able to cut completely out of your life, in order to save money, while others you may choose to keep, because they are your little indulgences, and they are good for your "self spoiling."
Wealthy people know very well, the importance of saving money and not being wasteful where it does not matter.
I once sat for a dinner with a couple, who are real-estate developers and some of the wealthiest couples in Miami.
For over an hour, they excitedly told me about the difference between using 'Skype' and 'Vonage,' instead of paying for a primary house phone line.
You had to see the spark in their eyes, when they mentioned how they switched and were able to save $25 a month in service fees.
People with no money, do not respect money or try to save it the same way.
They tend to think that rich people spend money carelessly.
This is very far from the truth.
Wealthy people know the value of accumulated and accrued money.
They understand the energy required for earning it, and for investing it..... and they are not happy to waste it away, when it is possible to practice restraint and to save.
What I am sharing here, is not just what I do in my own life, but also what other people who own yachts and helicopters do, to save money and not be wasteful.
I will give you an examples:
My husband and I eliminated our mobile phones monthly services.
You may think that it is tiny amount of saving that does not amount to much, but allow me to 'show you the money....'
We used to pay monthly for his Blackberry, (phone and data), and for my own mobile phone. (I must admit that mine was mostly used for playing Bejeweled Blitz, or taking low quality photos.)
One year, our phone bill with roaming overseas, reached $2000.
Now, we own ONE prepaid mobile phone which we share.
We load it with $100 a year, and we do not even use that amount in phone calls.
In fact, we need to top it up, once a year, or we lose the remaining balance.
Most of us, use our mobile phones too often, just to chat aimlessly with friends.
Those who do not actually need it for their jobs, (like real-estate agents etc,) should look into that money saving option.
Artists and poets, definitely do NOT need mobile phones. (Collectors, or publishers, can leave you a message on your home phone...)
Many years ago, before mobile phones were available, parents and friends, still managed to pick up their kids and arrange their lives, without mobile phones.
I cringe at the thought of how much money we have spent during the years, for this useless device....
If we count it at an average of $1500 a year, times the last 15 years or more, that we've paid for this silly service, it amounts to $22,500 PLUS the accrued interest.
Believe it or not, but if we did not own a mobile phone, we would have saved around $37,000 - or.......... a down payment on a house.
(The calculation is based on saving $1,500.00 per year at a rate of return of 5.00% per annum. These savings amounts are adjusted for inflation. You will have saved $37,693.53 after 15 years.)
Which brings me to my MOST IMPORTANT POINT....
The true value of money IS NOT, what it can buy you today at the store.
If allowed to be invested and accrued, it will be your ticket out of struggle tomorrow.
Yes, you will need to save it monthly.
Yes, you will need to trust the Universe to keep you alive for another 15 years.
Yes, you will need to be disciplined and NOT to take it out of savings or blow it away on a whim.
But if you'll let it, it WILL be your ticket to financial independence.
Now think of all the money you could have saved and invested by giving up other useless items like cigarets.... Or a couple of beers drunk every night in the pub...... a blow job.... Sorry.... A blow dry.... at the hair salon....
Look around your life for other areas where you spend money unnecessarily....
Do you really need a separate studio space?
Artists lived in lofts and slept in their working spaces for hundreds of years.
Years ago, when I moved out of my country of birth, I came to live with my sister in NYC.
She was a jewelry designer, and kept a showroom in the Garment Centre in the middle of Manhattan.
She had known some good financial times, but when I came to live with her, she was hardly pulling enough money to pay for her monthly expenses.
She was living off her savings.
Yet...... she kept the showroom and two employees.
I suggested that we give up the showroom, work from home and let the employees go......and do the labor ourselves.
She insisted on not giving up the showroom, with many perfectly "justified" excuses, but reluctantly gave up the employees.
We worked together in the large room that was located at the back of the showroom.
Nobody came to the showroom, and the phone hardly rang.....Yet she would not give up the showroom and she was barely able to pay for its rent.
She only agreed to give up the idea of a separate studio/ showroom, and work from home, when we decided to move to Florida.
Working from home, in a spare bedroom in her apartment in Florida, her business grew up to a million dollar business.(But not knowing how to save, choose good people and manage them or understand money, she quickly run that business too into the ground.)
Despite having money, I no longer employ a house keeper, but share the cleaning of my own homes with my husband.
We drive older, but very good cars.
We do enjoy indulgences and we spend money often, but only on things that we value, like helping people, fun and traveling.... We do not piss it away.
I remember the time when we rearranged our spendings.
We changed accountants and got rid of the guy who was our accountant for many years.
Yes, we were his clients for many years, but as our income and saving rose, so were his fees...
In fact, he charged us such an a astronomical fee, that nobody believed us when we mentioned just how much our accountant charges us.
We also shopped for a great rate for home and car insurances, and were able to reduce them to half of what we've paid, for the exact same coverage, in previous years.
I even had my insurance broker tell me, that deals like that do not exist.
I searched the internet and found some great rates, emailed them to her, and she was able to get them for us.
We do not give a damn about status symbols and we love the privacy and physical exercise that comes with doing our own gardening and work.
I could never envision having a cook or a driver, even thought I could employ both.
Of course if you do have a business, you could and should, put your attention on growing your business and marketing your skills.
But saving money is Just as important as earning it.
Every dollar saved and invested, becomes a worker, working FOR YOU and promoting your financial independence.
Remember that the value of a dollar is NOT what it can buy you today, but what it can do for you, if you save it, allow it to accumulate, to grow, to be compounded with interest and become your worker.
Please NEVER believe that it is too late to start.
No matter how old you are, you can always start again...
