Nette Life

This quote is from the Simple Dollar, my new guru in all things financial and more. Not that finance and numbers are a passion or something that I am even good at, I actually have tried to avoid those two things all my life. But as I get older I realized how it is just as important to have a healthy pocket as it is to have a healthy body. I like the way Trent at the Simple Dollar writes. He writes simply so even I can understand what he’s talking about, and he always writes personally so that everyone can relate. I’ll probably be quoting him quite a bit on this blog even borrowing some of his articles. It’s a good thing he’s made his article available for everyone. That’s how passionate he is in sharing his knowledge.

Today’s feed, that I received via email, is about the Six Permanent Money Myths That Seem to Stick Around. One of those myths is the idea that the rich get richer and the poor gets poorer. I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard that said. Can you? And whether we do it subconciously or not, after so many time hearing it, we start to believe it.

The truth is that if you work hard, work intelligently, and work to continually build value for yourself, you’ll do just fine in life. If you make the choice to just put in your hours at a 9 to 5 job and then play hard on the weekends, you’re also choosing to stay in the same socioeconomic class. If you make the choice to excel at your job and then spend at least part of your off hours starting a side business and/or improving yourself, you’re putting yourself in place to move up.

It’s not about “the man holding you down,” it’s about the choices you make every single day. The next time you sit around with your pals talking about how the system is set up against you, ask yourself if you couldn’t be doing something right now to improve your situation - or improve yourself.

This is true not only in terms of your financial well being but also of life in general. But think about it in terms of life in general. I’ll leave the financial details up to Trent. If you just go to work, come home, eat and sleep, then that’s all you’ll get out of life. Whatever it is that you already have.

If you are bored, lonely and feeling empty, well that’s because your life is boring, lonesome and without meaning. What if you started going walking or running in the afternoons? Better yet, volunteer at the local boys or girls club and go play with young people. You’ll be amazed what it will do for your morale. If kids aren’t your thing, then try old people go visit a senior center. If people aren’t your thing, why not volunteer at the animal shelter? You can always find something to fill your life.

I hear this complaint all the time. My life is so empty. I wish it was more fulfilling. I wish I could do this. I wish I could do that. Well, you can! Just get off the couch and do something. Anything.

There was a time in my life when it was really hard to get off the couch. I was depressed and didn’t even want to move a finger let alone get up and take a shower. If you’ve never reached this state, you’re lucky. It’s an awful and dark place to be. But if you still have a sliver of strengh and sense left to even consider it, get up and take just one step. If you can make it, take two. Before you know it, you could be taking three. You know that old staying about taking it one step at a time? It’s really true in whatever seemingly insurmountable situation you find yourself in. Take it one step at a time.

You can make your pocket and your life richer. It is all a matter of wanting it. If you want something bad enough, you will find the means to get it. Me, I’m still working on it right along with you. It’s a process, I’m learning that too.