I understand life gets in the way sometimes and this can’t be help. But we’ve all been there! I remember having to choose between buying food for myself or getting my mum a birthday present... it’s not a good position to be in.
To be completely honest. It sucks.
Because when you’re in that position all you seem to do is focus on your own problems, your own rent, phone bill, house necessities, food for your family. The list goes on. Your ability to help others is diminished, not because you don’t want too but because you can’t. Your happiness falters daily. Relationships suffer because of financial stress.
I don’t believe money itself is going to make you happy or fulfilled. But you know what? Neither will being broke. So, I made a commitment to take the first step towards a better life. I decided I would do whatever it took to stop struggling financially.
I wanted to write this post for those of you who are struggling financially. And I want to help as many of you as possible escape the trap of poverty.
I want to free you from the worry of paying your bills. Because once you have that freedom, you can change the way you live, the way you love, and the way you serve others.
So, let’s get down to my 4 tips to getting where you want to be.
1. Recognise that the struggle can be changed if you are willing to change.
“Life doesn’t get better by chance, it gets better by changes.“
This quote, from the late, great Jim Rohn, rings so true in so many areas of our lives. We want things to get better, yet most people just wait for something to happen. But listen close: Things are unlikely to get better unless you make a change in your life. Reading this post is a good first step, but it can’t end there.
2. Take full responsibility for your past and future financial conditions.
I used to blame my financial situation on my parents splitting up, the pointless degree, the economy, and the credit card companies that gave an 18-year-old more than one credit card—or one of a hundred other things.
Once I stopped blaming others and took full responsibility, I was able to focus my efforts on the things I could do to affect change.
You have the power—for good and for bad.
3. Raise your financial thermostat by connecting with others who don’t struggle.
Are you familiar with how a thermostat works? You set the temperature at a certain level, and if the home cools down too much, the furnace kicks on. But when the temp gets too high, the heat shuts off and maybe the AC starts to cool things. A thermostat’s job is to keep things level—to keep things the same.
Well, in the same way, your financial condition in life is a thermostat. Earn too little, and your mind kicks into overdrive, finding ways to earn a bit more cash. But as soon as you are back in the comfort zone, you ease off the gas, hustle a little less, and coast a little longer. And most of us don’t even know we do this!
If you surround yourself with friends who all eat healthy, you’ll naturally begin to eat healthy. Surround yourself with friends who jog, and you’ll likely eventually start to jog. And if you surround yourself with others who have a high thermostat, you’ll see yours rise to their level. Your mindset will change. You’ll begin to see money in a different light.
Now, let’s get a bit more actionable with getting you more money.
4. Begin working hard to find ways to save or earn more cash.
You can either save your way there, earn your way there, or build your way there.
You can save your way to financial stability by living more frugally. This means having a budget, finding ways not to spend more, and sacrificing. A little sacrifice now can add up to big changes long-term.
This begins with taking an honest inventory of exactly what you are spending your money on now. Print out your bank statement. Once you know where you are spending it, you can set some goals to maximize your savings.
The other way you can get more money is by earning more at your job. This means working overtime, asking for a raise, getting a new job, gaining new skills so you can get a new position, or negotiating for some kind of commission-based incentive that you can grow.
There is a huge problem with finding good employees these days. Like, as a business owner, it’s almost impossible.
If you can be incredible at your job, and I mean incredible, you'll become so necessary that you can make more money.
Another way to make more is by building your way there through a side business or entrepreneurship. This means finding additional ways to generate money on your own.
Now, let me be clear: This is tough.
Entrepreneurship is not an easy or quick way to build wealth. Very few strike it rich quickly. But the good news is, if you are willing to work hard, continually grow, and be absurdly persistent, it can be a great way to generate more income.
The problem is, people don't work side gigs long enough or hard enough. Entrepreneurship requires months and even years of hard work before producing a lot of results. And most people give up, they lose interest.
The final note I want to make on entrepreneurship is this: Pick one thing and stick with it. Stop jumping around from idea to idea. Pick one plan, and stick with it long enough to make it work. Yes, make tweaks—but don’t jump ship. Ideas are mostly worthless because nearly every idea could be a good idea. It’s the implementation over the long run that makes the difference.
Attaining freedom through entrepreneurship is a lot like trying to get a 100-car train moving. It’s slow at first, and it doesn’t feel like you are making progress. But you are, and if every time the train gets up to 20 mph you quit to start something different, you’ll never get up to full speed.
What tips do you have for upping your financial success?
Share them in the comments below!
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