How to educate yourself financially
I recently attended an online financial education course and from there I chose 3 ideas that caught my attention, ideas that I think are worth considering. And I want to share with you the 3 most important lessons I took on how to educate yourself financially:
Action always has the last word
Thoughts and desires that are not accompanied by action are worth (almost) nothing. The film The Secret by Rhonda Byrne has become very popular with us. The principles were seductive: you just need to want something, to want this intensely and those things will appear in your life.
Coincidentally, there’s a shred of truth there. But – in my opinion – it doesn’t work that way. Think of a Ferrari you want tomorrow morning in front of the house. Then go to bed and early in the morning, guess what you will have in front of the house?
Most likely what you had yesterday. I mean, no Ferrari.
In our society, people understood that it is enough to wish and you got rid of work. But that’s not what it was about: the action, the willingness to work every day, little by little, is what makes you finally have everything you want.
This does not mean that you no longer want, that you do not visualize your desires. It seems important to me to believe in what you want to exist in your life, to visualize those things. Then roll up your sleeves and do something to make it happen.
As you begin to progress, even a little, you will notice that opportunities begin to appear, people, events and resources that seem to support you, to help you.
But only if you are willing to help yourself… because you have to do, apply what you learn.
Do you know clearly what you want?
An important principle of financial education is that you need to know what you want. It is also related to the previous one, a continuation of it.
And there are two aspects here:
- What do you want? What lifestyle do you want to live in the future?
- How much does this cost?
You need to define what lifestyle you will live in the future. As specific as possible, in detail. And be sure it’s what you really want. For this it helps to use the technique of the 3 “why?”:
Ask yourself why you want to live life in a certain way? Why do you want to have a certain schedule, to live in a certain country, to spend time with certain people? Don’t think about money now, about costs. Just say what you want.
And when you answered, ask yourself again: why do you want that answer. It’s as if you put aside the superficial layers to get to the core and try to really understand yourself: what is your motivation? What do you really want?
Are you sure this is important to you and not just the opinion of others?
What financial needs do you have to ensure your desired lifestyle?
And one last aspect, once you have chosen what lifestyle you want for the future, is the cost: you need to make a cost estimate. How much does it cost you to live life the way you dream? What income do you need to live it?
For example, if you want to always live on cruise ships and change them from month to month, visiting the entire planet, how much will it cost you annually?
Here are people who say they need a certain amount for life. For example, “when I have 1 million euros in the bank I will be able to live life the way I want it to”. Without knowing what the real costs are, without taking into account that from year to year inflation occurs and without making a 20-30-40 year plan.
By estimating a periodic cost – monthly or annually – you get better clarity.
Therefore
- Learn and apply what you have learned,
- Choose what’s important to you,
- Find out what the costs are.
I said at the beginning of the article that I had just taken a financial education course. And I’m glad there are such materials. Because I think it’s an added value and – more importantly – such a course personalizes the information and helps you better visualize the success you can have in the future.
I hope you found this article helpful. If so, please like and share it! If you feel it, you can leave a comment, otherwise you can contact me!
