In life there are no short cuts and you have to understand this in order to pursue the life you want. What drives you in life? IS it to travel the world? IS it to have luxurious things? OR maybe it is to attain a business one day. Whatever it may be, it takes sacrifice and dedication to achieve all of those probable dreams. You cannot reach the finish line in 1st place without first putting in the work. Same applies to life; you can’t expect a free retirement without saving for it. Just like you can’t magically whip up a brand new Lexus without thinking how you will be able to afford it. That’s why I want to stress in life there are no shortcuts. Unless you just want to get by doling the minimum.
In life everything has a cost associated to it whether an action or non-action is taken. The fancy car that might bring you joy today will probably set you back 14 thousand dollars a year for 5 years. (70,000+ dollars less for retirement all due to a luxurious transportation choice) Because of this 1 choice you now have to work for 4 extra years and in the process delaying the trip around the world you desired to take.
Now I’m not knocking car purchases, but it is a simple example to illustrate why you must not take short cuts and realize the choices you make have consequences. I bet you can find examples of those choices in life which will set you back or push you forward every day. Like for example the daily $10 dollar lottery habit, that if saved may potentially turn into a 200 thousand dollar portfolio at age 59. What is the cost trade off for mistakes we make? It is a big cost and it will only hurt you in the future.
In Life There are no Shortcuts
Do you now understand that in life we don’t have any shortcuts? The sacrifice today is a real spring board to allow you the experience to really enjoy life when you reach that stage you desire. The mistake you made to go into debt is showing you discipline today, and one day will help you have more margin in life. Instead of wasting all of that paycheck, you now are trained to live on less. Now the debt free future you can automatically invest the same amount you gave towards debt in the past. Because of this debt can function as a training tool to show how to live on less. Can you say a lose-lose turned into a win win. Now I am not recommending you go into debt to show you how to live on less. It just is part of the whole scenario as debt takes away from cash flow.
Take the time now to learn, to do more, and to think before acting in a financially irresponsible manner. I enjoy the now, but I think long and hard before digging myself in a hole. I feel we all should be more balanced with a mix of fun today and saving for any goals as well. Putting things off and planning will only set you up later to win.
Tweet ThisFinding that path to get things done today and accomplish goals day by day is the right way to live. Instead of the non-planning, rush to buy things on debt, and dig a hole path. It’s just not worth it in the end. Every day I find more freedom and it’s by saying no to impulse things and debt. Find Motivation by reading some great blogs that inspired me to do better financially.
Comment if you agree with the saying in Life There are no Shortcuts.
Rich Uncle EL
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I agree, there are no short cuts. When we decided to get out of debt. I looked for a get out of debt quick fix, but only found common sense, sacrifice and hard work would do it. We are teaching our three kids the same so they get get off to the best head start as possible.
In a sense you are correct. There are no shortcuts. A phrase like that kind of reminds me of other sayings like "good things come to those who wait" and "patience is a virtue." Unfortunately the way we are wired is for instant gratification as well as being shortsighted. It can be difficult to go against our own nature but it is possible. Something to think about.