The Science of Getting Rich

[moonrambler]

Originally Posted by Natsu

Go for Atlas Shrugged. Definitely. It is exaggerated at some points and utterly merciless at others, but I really think it would do you good to read it.

Another little weirdness, I had recently posted in Steve's forum that Atlas Shrugged is an awesome book although seriously in need of an editor (she should have had more faith in herself to convey her views by simply telling the story). I have not read it in years, though, so perhaps I should dust it off and read it again. I really like the book very much.

I wasn't so much trying to express guilty feelings about the way society is set up as far as work, but the way that my views about money and work got very distorted over time, so that I was constantly insisting that money isn't important and people shouldn't sell their souls to work 40 hours or more doing something they don't like, etc., and in the meantime, I was very stupid about money and relying too much on credit because I always figured someday I would finally make something happen, without my having to go do all this junk I was always protesting about. I was very idealistic for a very, very long time. Right now I'm tired.

[Natsu]

Originally Posted by moonrambler

I wasn't so much trying to express guilty feelings about the way society is set up as far as work, but the way that my views about money and work got very distorted over time, so that I was constantly insisting that money isn't important and people shouldn't sell their souls to work 40 hours or more doing something they don't like, etc.,

Well, I very much agree with you... up to a point. I'd rather work for something I like (I'm trying) and get less money than slave 40 hours a day for much more money. For example, between 1000 euros a month as an illustrator, and 3000 euros a month working at something I hate, I'd get the less money and the happy time. That said, if I don't get paid for doing what I like, I'll have to find a way to get paid for something I don't like so I can make ends meet. I wouldn't choose something that would make me utterly miserable (for example, I couldn't be a prostitute no matter the money involved... I wouldn't work in a slaughterhouse either... there are things that I just can't do no matter the money involved). But, some menial, boring jobs are needed from time to time to make ends meet. And I have always taken one of those when I had to. I always took those jobs as temporary, knowing I didn't want to be there, and making a point of getting out of them the sooner the better.

and in the meantime, I was very stupid about money and relying too much on credit because I always figured someday I would finally make something happen,

Oooops. Huge mistake there. The only credit I have ever endured was the mortgage for my house. Otherwise, my husband and I avoid credit like the plague it is. We even bought used cars, and never bought a new one until we had money to pay it in full (mine is still a 9 years volkswagen). The only reason why you should accept to pay interest is a mortgage, because as a general rule you can't save enough to buy a house in one payment. Nothing else: car, clothing, Christmas expenditure, nothing (well, maybe the exception of medical bills) should drive anyone into credit.
The first rule is saving. And if you aren't getting any money, then the first rule is not spending, much less spending more than you have. If your attempt at what's big fail, at least you are clean. Credit is a shackle... I'd rather spend all my time home buying only food, than spend money I don't have. It's something that makes me extremely nervous... My house mortgage is already a curse.

without my having to go do all this junk I was always protesting about. I was very idealistic for a very, very long time. Right now I'm tired.

Well... You can be both idealistic and realistic. I am very idealistic because I want to live off my illustrations. I am realistic too, so I saved money from my previous lame jobs, and now have a security financial cushion in case something goes wrong. Even if you hadn't been idealistic, and you had been OK with a 9 to 5 job, using credit wouldn't have been a good idea. The rule of saving 10% (minimum) or 20% of your wages each month is one of the greatest economic ideas you'll hear. I find not saving pretty insecure... Spending what you don't have is even worse. But I don't think it has anything to do with idealism, but with a wrong concept of management. It is very good that you have changed your mind about that.

[AttractIt]

Natsu,

Allthough I'm not living as you live (I prefer the living-on-the-edge life style) I find myself reading you, and pretty much agree with what you are saying.

Ptretty starnge to me,

[moonrambler]

Originally Posted by moonrambler

I've thought of this too, but I can't get any answers when I look at the amount -- either yearly, monthly, or per hour. It is a literal blockage, though. It's like when I tell about having my most profitable month last fall followed by my least profitable month in years, when I take the two-month total and divide it in half, voila', it's the standard monthly profit I always get. It's like I could not stand having that big leap in profits so the next month I had to decimate it. And I did not do anything differently that second month. And still, sales plummeted.

I can't even begin to describe how frustrating this is.

Ok. I came un-stuck.

It was the moment I realized the final fundamental way I was operating my business out of a fear of lack, and dealt with it, that things really took off. There were a lot of things to learn about myself psychologically and to handle before this, but once I did, I began seeing marvelous results.

Now, though, the weirdness similar to last fall is starting up again, where just when I make brilliant strides forward, it starts to collapse upon itself, for no logical reason whatsoever. I did not want this to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, yet I keep hearing myself think, "I knew this was going to happen."

It isn't like I feared it was going to, or that I was attracting it because I was thinking about it. It was like I knew it was going to happen . . . because that's what I do. Because I watched it happen last fall, and now I am absolutely determined to not have it happen that way again.

I want to head this off at the pass this time. I'm sitting on the crested butte with a rifle waiting for this evil conspirator to come riding up and once again create all the havoc I experienced the last time I had a record profit. This time I'm going to make it stop.

I need some tools.

[sleon]

Way back in your first post you mentioned something about it being "fake" to live like the Nearings did, but to have a million bucks in the bank. So I thought I'd give a concrete example:

A musician named Rich Mullins, very successful Christian singer-songwriter (wrote some songs that are considered modern Christian classics), died in 1997. During his lifetime he undoubtedly made millions of dollars from his work as a musician. But he didn't want to live the lifestyle of a millionaire; he chose, instead, to live in a trailer on a Navajo reservation and have his church pay him the average American income (believe it was around $40k) while they distributed the rest of his income to charities. He was a financially rich man who lived a very rich life with constant music and many friends, and blessed a lot of people, and yet his lifestyle had little to do with money. He was so laid-back and easy with himself that he habitually didn't even wear shoes when he was doing concerts.

Doesn't sound fake to me.

Have you thought about what being more financially abundant will allow you to do for the environment, for peace, for whatever charitable effort warms your heart? If you had the money, could you convert your house to all solar energy and get off the fossil fuel grid--perhaps even sell energy back to your electric company? If you had the money, could you upgrade to an electric car? If you had the money, could you take more time off from work to volunteer for community and environmental projects? Just some suggestions for possibilities.

I recall reading in "The Millionaire Next Door" that people with a great quantity of true wealth (not just high income) do give large proportions of income to charities. Having more is an opportunity to give more.

It's not "virtuous" to be poor...though I agree with you that spending $10k on a hotel room is wasteful and isn't something that I personally would do. But those are not the only two possibilities, are they?

[nightdiamond]

Hello Everyone, great discussion..this one that makes you want to give your opinion...

Annnd mine is....

First, everyone please, if you have some type of job and are making at least reasonable to great money at it, please think twice times 3 about quiting it because you rather do something you resonate with? Joking a little, but not much...
Jobs are valuable can't be taken for granted......

But here's a way of looking at it, I've posted this idea before, and that's the extreme belief about too much money, ascetism- What far eastern gurus have said about money;

One extreme view I've read about is where one devotee said that a person could not achieve enlightment as long as they lived in a city, in a house, or basically owned things; this person spent most of his time in a cave meditating and yet still admitted he had a hard time achieving enlightment...

And then you have the pictures and images of the traditional guru; always wearing just nothing more than a loin cloth, sitting on the bare ground, meditating, contemplating...

The problem is that maybe their approach does work, but maybe it's because that's the technique they particularly followed. They were probably following the tradition of ascetism or something but erroneously applied it to all endeavors of seeking enlightment...

Here's the exact opposite scenario; that it may be that much easier to seek enlightment and even become enlightened when one is wealthier or just plain wealthy because one can afford to meditate in peace; no worries about finding the time,a nice quiet place, paying bills or fixing the cars to interfere with meditations...

Take care everyone...

[moonrambler]

I may be off base, but what I mean by tools right now feels more like a Joseph Campbell slaying-the-dragon mythic quest. A warrior vision. Because what's happening feels like it's outside of me, like I am embattled with some exterior force that is determined not to allow me to get away from it. I need powerful affirmations. A powerful vision. Something.

You know what it feels like? It's that moment near the end of movies like Fatal Attraction, where Michael and Anne are exhausted and relieved beyond words that the evil witch is gone for good, and POW, she comes screaming through the doorway with a gigantic knife.

This is what I meant when I say I knew this would happen. It feels archetypal. Like it has to happen, to get rid of it once and for all. Doubly and for good.

Does any of this hit home for anybody else here?