Dear Superhero,
A world is in need of your immediate attention.
Things look very bleak and there seems to be a lot of regrets down there. Many wish they could go back in time to change a few things and maybe do other things a lot better. They all seem to have come to the conclusion that more time and attention should have been paid to certain things.
Unlike a video game, there’s no way to start over. That world does not belong to the GTA Universe, unfortunately.
Because of this, the hope of an entire generation now lies on your shoulders. These people believe that you are more than capable of rescuing them from the mess they have found themselves.
An entire generation is looking up to you for a better shot at life. They need you to save them!
Main Dish.
Many Nigerians today live below the poverty line not necessarily because they have low incomes or poor salaries, but perhaps they lack a savings and investment culture.
It’s almost impossible to find contemporary rags-to-riches stories these days, and many people don’t even know what these are, or that such a possibility exists.
Maybe this is why you think you just need that one big break or that introduction to that big man. You just need to get into politics and spend your days uploading videos of you singing beside your brand new Aston Martin or Innoson?
Big breaks do happen - I am not attempting to discount that. There is a place for connections and luck but these things need to meet something in your hands, literally. You can’t really blow up nothing - you need something to blow up and cause a big bang.
The folks waiting on you to save them are crying at the top of their voice to you to stop sitting around and waiting on things to just happen.
But Why Should You Save Anything?
I like to say that saving provides a foundation on which you can go on to build really amazing things. Many people have said “saving cannot make you rich” and even though I might agree in the literal sense, there is a flip side.
Saving can definitely make you rich - maybe not just in the way you expect it to.
The plan is not to keep saving money until you become a millionaire. Saving provides the foundation. Can I ever stress this enough?
Over time, I have come to realize that there is a certain amount of money that grants you a seat at certain tables to hold certain conversations. You can almost compare these things to a funnel, starting from the bottom - the smallest part.
The more your capacity grows, the more you are invited to take on.
If I told you I wanted to embark on a project that would cost me a few million, the returns were going to be amazing, but I’d need some people to contribute a minimum of 1 million, would you be able to get a seat at this table?
What if I need a minimum of five hundred thousand? One hundred thousand? 50?
The truth is, even if I decide to go as low as ten thousand, if you do not have that amount at your disposal at that time, you would miss out on the opportunity. Saving prevents this.
Oh Great! When Do I Start?
One thing I can tell you for free is that you will always be tempted to start later. After all, how much income are you earning right now that you want to start saving from?
Remember that “saving” is “putting money aside for future use.”
Well, one other free fact I can give you is that money is never enough.
If you wake up tomorrow and find yourself earning triple what you currently earn, it still wouldn’t be enough.
You don’t need lots of money to start saving. You need all the discipline in the world. Start now!
Be Smart.
I am a firm believer in the school of thought that encourages you to have your basic needs covered before you think about saving money. These basic needs are your basic needs in every sense of the term and they do not include the 14 Uber rides you take every week - enter Danfo!
The next thing you can do is to decide on the percentage of your income you want to save.
You can either deduct your savings first and live on what’s left, or you can budget for your basic needs first and save what’s left. Either way, you are saving and providing for your basic needs.
Stuff Happens, Stay The Course.
Quite a good number of times, I have gotten out of bed, done a few pushups and decided to go on a bodybuilding journey. I was going to have all the abs and toned muscles I ever dreamed of.
On all these occasions, I have gotten off the train and walked my ass back home. This is why my chest is still as flat as a Drawing Board (don’t attempt to picture it).
You cannot expect a miracle to happen if you are not going to be consistent. It takes discipline to remain consistent.
The game you are attempting to play is not a short term one. It has been termed by many people as “the long game” and you need to understand this.
The quote below was one of my favorite quotes growing up.
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.
So the little moments,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of Eternity.
So the little errors
Lead the soul away
From the paths of virtue
Far in sin to stray.
Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Help to make earth happy,
Like the Heaven above. - Terry Hogan
Without really knowing it, it was probably the foundation on which the majority of my ideas were built.
When you begin to save, it feels like you’re depositing droplets into a bowl. With time, the droplets fill the bowl and then you can empty it into a bigger container. If you quit after a few droplets, you’ll never be able to get to fill the bowl, let alone get into the bigger container.
One other reason why you should save is to have funds available for unforeseen circumstances. These things always happen and putting money aside ahead of time can keep you out of debt as much as possible.
You don’t want to be caught unfresh.
Takeaway.
Saving is like the foundation on which you can build almost anything you can dream of. It prepares the base you need to take off. It is a very simple concept that can be difficult to adhere to without discipline. It is easy to overlook but shouldn’t be overlooked.
These people, in that world we discussed earlier, need you to save them - by saving some money now.
Why?
Because these people are in your future. They have no power over the type of life they will find themselves in, and they are looking up to you to provide the best foundation possible right now.
They need you to make all the right decisions now.
You need you to make all the right decisions now. Yes, your future self is one of those looking up to you to do the right thing. You don’t want to let all these people down.
What do you think?
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Until next time,
Funbi
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