English was always my toughest subject in school. My struggle wasn’t really with the language, but with interpretation of what we read. I always missed the subtle meanings of an author’s words that teachers loved putting on tests. I would love to go back in time to ask classic authors (and artists) about our interpretations.
I understand there are many things we are supposed to learn from these writers. However, I doubt they would mind readers having different experiences while reading their work. After all, having differing opinions is one of the things that makes humanity awesome, right? Please keep your disagreements civil. A punch won’t change someone’s mind and most authors just care that you buy their book!
Napoleon Hill’s, Think and Grow Rich, is basically required reading for anyone interested in business. There are many great lessons in the book, but the greatest eye-opener for me wasn’t as much about money or business, it was about love. Hill noticed many of the men had two things in common.
First, men experienced their success later in life. This was interesting to me because we tend to take less life-changing risks after we reach the age of 40. For some reason we believe we “waited too long” to pursue that dream or we’re “too old to change careers.” Hill basically proves this is wrong in an era where they had shorter life spans.
Also, Hill discovered that many of these men experienced their success after they were married. He suggested marriage allowed the men to focus on their goals instead of pursuing companionship. I’m not saying we shouldn’t pursue love. If you’ve read my book, then you know I’m a romantic and believe we all need companionship. However, we must be careful not to let our pursuit of love interfere with our goals. Financial planning is not just about hoarding money away; it is a lifestyle change. When we live with a purpose by pursuing our goals, we have a better chance of achieving success.
Think about it. If we spend every moment in a bar buying drinks and looking for love, usually only one person gets rich…the bartender. That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, we just need to find a balance between enjoying our current life and preparing for our future. Having a good financial foundation is vital here. We must not fall into the trap of believing companionship will solve our problems as we’ll have more money with two incomes. If both people struggle with financial management, we could face a disaster. Celebrities can have outstanding wealth, but still go broke if they struggle with financial management.
If you’re single this Valentine’s Day don’t stress. The right person will be a bonus to your life as you both pursue your goals. Instead of wasting your money and time in desperation for love, perhaps a financial plan can help you build your foundation in financial management. I think it’s a great gift for yourself and your loved ones!
