A good analogy would be dieting. Going on a diet doesn’t work if you’re trying to get healthier. It’s a short term solution that will never have lasting effects. It’s not until you make a lifestyle change in your eating habits that you actually have the chance to get healthier. While many may complain that they can’t eat everything that they want, making the change is an investment in their future health.
In the same way, temporarily cutting costs isn’t the solution to getting your finances in order. It’s the same mentality as those who are trying to get healthy through the latest diet. It will likely have some short-term benefits, but it won’t deal with the underlying issues that need to be addressed.
Even worse, you will likely hate and complain about having to do it the entire time. You don’t really want to cut the costs, you have to against your will. You have to make this huge sacrifice because you don’t have enough money. Taking this approach to try and better your financial situation is bound to lead to failure.
One of the most important mental changes that you can make is changing your belief system that when you forego something now, it’s not a sacrifice, but instead it’s an investment in the future. Take a moment to let that sink in. You have two ways that you can look at it. Forgoing something you might want at this moment can either be viewed as a sacrifice that you don’t want to make but have to, or it can be viewed as an investment in the future that you do want.
By taking the initiative to see that the choices you make regarding money, and the choice to delay or forego certain things today in order to achieve the greater goals you have for the future, you are working for something positive. You are no longer sacrificing each day. Instead you’re investing in your future day in and day out.
Part of what makes this mental view change possible is the commitment that you really do want to change. If you are seeing everything as a burdensome sacrifice, there’s a good chance that you’re not really committed to making the changes. You’re more likely being forced to make them against your will. Once you have taken the time to find and set your financial goals, and then make the commitment to achieving them because that is what you want, you will find that everything you’re doing isn’t the sacrifice you once thought it was. You’ll see that what you’re truly doing is laying the foundation for your future and investing in it.
(Photo courtesy of Sherry Ezhuthachan)
Well said!
True, just ask the Rich Man of Babylon.
Great article! Delayed gratification is a must for people working towards their eventual financial success.
Exactly!
The important thing as you start taking the baby steps towards your financial goals, don’t despise the days of small beginnings. When I first started setting aside some money to save/invest, it didn’t look like much and it wasn’t much. It was probably only around $25-30. For the most part that is about the same amount that goes into that account still. But the account is growing and my profits at this point are over 30% (with one stock at around double what I bought it at). I’d rather know that I have some savings instead of having spent such ‘minor’ amounts over the last few years and have nothing. Once you get that wheel greased, you don’t want anything to side track you. It doesn’t feel like a sacrifice at all and if more income came into the house we would be saving more.