The Art of Self Discipline
Marketing has taken over the world and our lives.
Billions are spent each year to convince us that we cannot live without the latest gadget or the newest fashion.
The was once a time when shopping was a necessary part of one's life to bring home the things needed to live.
These days shopping never ceases.
People flock to malls to spend money trying to replace and empty existence.
The internet makes spending our money easier than ever and many people blow their entire pay check each month with a few simple clicks of the mouse.
Spending has replaced savings and our economy is now dependent on it.
When the crash of 2007 - 2008 hit us, the experts said it was because Americans no longer save enough.
Once the so called recovery began, the government urged people to go out and spend.
Which is it? Regardless of your personal situation or the state of the economy, the best thing you can do is have self discipline.
It's OK to spend money and buy things and to have fun.
It's not OK to spend recklessly or beyond your means.
Common sense might have left the masses, but on a personal level we can still exercise that long lost trait.
Our incomes have steadily risen while at the same time our quality of life has dropped.
Some people blame inflation and that's partly true.
But perhaps a bigger culprit is our out of control spending habits.
Do you think this doesn't apply to you? Try to remember all the things you purchased in the last year or even the last six months.
How many of those things have you used in the last month? Chances are that you haven't used many of them.
We no longer make purchases because we need something, we make them because we want something or even just because we aren't happy unless we are buying.
In the last two years millions of Americans have gotten a rude wakeup call in the form of unemployment.
Those eBay purchases that ate up their savings no longer seem like such a good idea.
The truth is that savings mean security.
At the heart of self discipline is the concept of delayed gratification.
Many people have no concept of this.
They want it and they want it now; it doesn't matter what "it" is.
By having self discipline, we can save our money and make it grow.
Though we miss out on a few things today, later down the road we will be better off than those who blew their money on the latest gimmick thought up by marketers.
No one is telling you that you have to live like a monk.
But cutting out the frivolous from your life and replacing it with the meaningful will not only make you a better and more interesting person, but it will also make you richer and more secure.
You only live life once and we want to have all the fun we can, but handing the keys to your house over to the bank because you couldn't control your spending is not anyone's idea of fun.
Billions are spent each year to convince us that we cannot live without the latest gadget or the newest fashion.
The was once a time when shopping was a necessary part of one's life to bring home the things needed to live.
These days shopping never ceases.
People flock to malls to spend money trying to replace and empty existence.
The internet makes spending our money easier than ever and many people blow their entire pay check each month with a few simple clicks of the mouse.
Spending has replaced savings and our economy is now dependent on it.
When the crash of 2007 - 2008 hit us, the experts said it was because Americans no longer save enough.
Once the so called recovery began, the government urged people to go out and spend.
Which is it? Regardless of your personal situation or the state of the economy, the best thing you can do is have self discipline.
It's OK to spend money and buy things and to have fun.
It's not OK to spend recklessly or beyond your means.
Common sense might have left the masses, but on a personal level we can still exercise that long lost trait.
Our incomes have steadily risen while at the same time our quality of life has dropped.
Some people blame inflation and that's partly true.
But perhaps a bigger culprit is our out of control spending habits.
Do you think this doesn't apply to you? Try to remember all the things you purchased in the last year or even the last six months.
How many of those things have you used in the last month? Chances are that you haven't used many of them.
We no longer make purchases because we need something, we make them because we want something or even just because we aren't happy unless we are buying.
In the last two years millions of Americans have gotten a rude wakeup call in the form of unemployment.
Those eBay purchases that ate up their savings no longer seem like such a good idea.
The truth is that savings mean security.
At the heart of self discipline is the concept of delayed gratification.
Many people have no concept of this.
They want it and they want it now; it doesn't matter what "it" is.
By having self discipline, we can save our money and make it grow.
Though we miss out on a few things today, later down the road we will be better off than those who blew their money on the latest gimmick thought up by marketers.
No one is telling you that you have to live like a monk.
But cutting out the frivolous from your life and replacing it with the meaningful will not only make you a better and more interesting person, but it will also make you richer and more secure.
You only live life once and we want to have all the fun we can, but handing the keys to your house over to the bank because you couldn't control your spending is not anyone's idea of fun.
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