If you could use one word to describe today’s culture, what would it be?
I would use the word ‘More.’
Think Oliver Twist, where he is asking for more food (I prefer the Family Guy version of this scene).
It seems everyone has become like Oliver Twist and is always asking for more.
You go to work, and your boss asks for more sales or output.
You go home, and your spouse and kids ask for more time or money.
Your friends want to hang out with you more.
You go to your sporting club, and they want you to volunteer more.
You go to your doctor, and they say you need to do more exercise.
You go to your financial planner, and they say you need to save more (yes I will likely be saying that to you as well!)
Everyone seems to be asking for more.
Is this necessarily a bad thing? I would argue no, to a point. I think we can all use our time better and make better daily decisions to work smarter, eat healthier and spend quality time with our loved ones (not gazing at our TV or phones). We can all do more simply by working hard and smarter.
But there becomes a point where it just becomes too much. There is a point where you cannot give more to work before it impacts your family and vice versa. There is a point where you become so engrossed in your physical health it impacts our relationships and vice versa.
And when we live in a society that demands we become smarter, healthier, slimmer and spend more through a constant advertising stream on our TVs and phones, there is no doubt that we have had enough of people asking us for more. It is quite likely this is the cause of a lot of our mental health issues.
When it comes to investing there is a few things that you need. You need to have a good team around you, you need to have a plan, and you need to take action.
But there is one thing you do not need more of. Fair warning it is countercultural to say this especially in this day and age, but those who have Mastered their Money know this is true.
The one thing you do not need more of is … information!
You do not need more information to Master Your Money!
The thing with finances is that you are never going to get ‘all of the facts.’ You can spend all of the time on google learning how to become wealthy. Heaven knows I have, but funnily enough, it didn’t make me wealthy…
Don’t get we wrong I don’t want you to be uninformed when making financial decisions, that is a bad idea. But what is just as bad, if not worse, is studying and analyzing every piece of information looking for that ‘golden nugget’ that will make them rich. At best they won’t find the ‘golden nugget,’ at worst they will find that their ‘golden nugget’ is a giant scam.
Ponder this. We are living in the ‘Information Age.’ We are smarter and more knowledgeable than any previous generation before us. Someone told me that an eight-year-old would absorb more information than their 80-year-old grandparents.
But if we are so “informed,” why isn’t everyone wealthy?
If we are so “informed,” why do we have the highest levels of obesity and health issues?
If we are so “informed,” why do we have some of the highest levels of mental health problems than ever before?
Because despite what we have been lead to believe, information is not the key to success in any area of your life. The smartest guy rarely wins in life – there is no link between financial wealth and IQ. If there was, our university professors would be the healthiest and wealthiest people on the planet (ask Isaac Newton, and he would tell you that is not true!).
There are three keys to success:
The First Key
Advice – Someone said the key to knowledge is knowing how little we know. The smartest people on this planet know they cannot know or do anything, that is why they hire smarter people than them so they can do it for them.
People are arguing that technology helps people make decisions themselves and thus the need for experts (especially financial planners) is dwindling. I would argue that is the first phase of knowledge only. The second phase of knowledge is realizing how complicated it is to know about every subject and that it is smarter, faster and cheaper in the long term to hire experts to do the work for you.
The Second Key
Accountability – Every successful person I know has a mentor. A mentor is there for knowledge and wisdom, but ultimately they are there for accountability. Their primary purpose is to ensure that you follow through on what you set out to achieve and you finish what you have started.
Did you set some New Years resolutions this year? If so, have you completed them? If you haven’t then I would suggest that it is because you haven’t been accountable to someone who will ensure you will achieve what you set out to achieve.
Jordan Belfort says it best “The only things stopping you from going from where you are now to where you want to be the bullshit story you keep telling yourself!”
All of us need a kick up the backside occasionally, who is kicking yours?
There is one final thing you need. But before I say this, I want to point out something. You see the first two things require you to connect with other people who will help you with the process, i.e. they can be outsourced. But you cannot outsource this third step.
For example, I can go to my trainer who can provide me with advice and accountability, but if I do not follow through with step three, then I will never be successful.
The Third Key
Action – You must get off your backside and take action to be successful. It will not be given to you; it will not fall into your lap. You must take action.
This is where a lot of people who suffer from ‘analysis paralysis’ and ‘information overload’ fall over. They try to absorb more information to try and solve their “problem” but what they need to do is take action.
If you have read this blog post or been following me for a while, you know what you need to know. You know you need to boost your income, get into the housing market, supercharge your super, have a Plan B in place and get involved with a good community of people around you.
You have all of the information you need.
You need to use it.
You need to take action.
People are so scared to take action because it means taking a risk. But I would argue it is more of a risk to do nothing than it is to take action.
For example, it is better to buy a property that is “not perfect” than to continue renting. It is better to have “an expensive insurance policy” than to have no insurance at all. It is better to boost your income by a little bit rather than not trying at all and complaining as to how expensive everything is becoming.
It is better to take imperfect action than it is to take no action at all.
Take action now.
Firstly, you need to get advice from a Master Your Money Now financial planner. Then you need to be held accountable by your Master Your Money Now financial planner.
But your financial planner can’t do the ‘action’ for you. Neither can your spouse, family, government, colleagues, friends or your pet guinea pig.
The only person who can take action is you.
If this is a topic that you would like to discuss in more detail, please go to www.MasterYourMoneyNow.com.au/getstarted to book in your complimentary 30 minute strategy session.
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Disclaimer: This information is general information only. You should consider the appropriateness of this information with regards to your objectives, financial situation and needs. Past performance does not guarantee future returns.
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