Are you familiar with the phrase, “You speak with your wallet?” It means that how you spend your money is an indicator of what is important to you. For instance, if you want to support fair trade coffee companies that provide farmers an escape from poverty through sustainable partnerships, you’re going to buy coffee that has that little “Fair Trade Certified” logo on the package. If you support pet adoption over puppy mills, you’re not going to buy a dog from an unreputable pet shop.
Easy, right? Where you spend your hard-earned dollar is the best way to be “heard” by your favorite (or least favorite) companies. Show me your wallet, and I’ll show you where your loyalties lie.
But what about all those unnecessary purchases you make without even thinking? What do those spending habits say about you and your devotion to your business and your future?
“I don’t have money to spend on my business.”
“I wish I could grow my business, but I don’t have the capital.”
“It’s easy for him! He had money to invest.”
Or, my favorite, “Well, it takes money to make money and I don’t have any.”
Let me ask you this…
Are you spending $20 a week on business cards to hand out at auctions and networking events? Or are you spending $20 a week on morning lattes? And that hundred bucks you used for dinner at Chotchkies last Friday night? You could’ve put that toward bandit signs or a website. What about the long weekend to the theme park with the kids or grand kids? That cash would’ve gone a long way in a starting a rehab project.
I’m not saying you should avoid living your life, but if you want to change your financial landscape, you need to make some tough choices. I read a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad back when I was making $3.90 an hour as a bag boy at a grocery store. It gave me a new perspective on my vision and changed my life’s direction. In it, Robert Kiyosaki said;
“The phrase ‘I can’t afford it’ shuts down your brain and lets you off the hook. It also brings up sadness, a helplessness that leads to despondency and often depression.
‘How can I afford it?’ opens up the brain. It forces you to think and search for answers. It also opens up possibilities, excitement and dreams and created a stronger mind and dynamic spirit.”
By now, maybe you feel that itch to find some money to invest.
Good! But, wait…
There’s a reason why the book Rich Dad Poor Dad has been purchased over 26 million times, yet very few of the people who read the book implement Kiyosaki’s teachings and see financial growth. I believe in truth and preparation over candy-coating, so let’s get real about this for a minute.
Say investing in your business is like trying to drop 20 pounds. You start by implementing manageable changes in your habits, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator. On your ascent up the first flight, you suddenly feel your calves ignite in a fiery blaze while your thighs scream in protest. Do you stop and wonder if you’re climbing the stairs wrong? Do you give up after a few flights because you don’t see any weight loss?
“I tried investing, but it didn’t work for me.”
“I spent money marketing myself once, but no one responded because the method was wrong for me. I won’t waste money like that again.”
When we try anything new—be it investing or exercising or learning a new skill—there’s a level of discomfort that accompanies the change. Instead of viewing the discomfort as in indication that you’re doing something wrong and your efforts aren’t working, lean into the pain and learn from it. By changing your relationship with discomfort, you can go from giving up (trying not to feel the discomfort) to pushing those “muscles” until you grow stronger.
“Whenever you feel ‘short’ or in ‘need’ of something, give what you want first and it will come back in buckets. That is true for money, a smile, love, friendship. I know it is often the last thing a person may want to do, but it has always worked for me. I just trust that the principle of reciprocity is true, and I give what I want.” Robert Kiyosaki
Next time you see an opportunity to invest and that little voice nags you with a shrill lie that it isn’t worth the discomfort of change, disrupt the narrative and take action.
To Your Success;
Lee A. Arnold
CEO
The Lee Arnold System of Real Estate Investing
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