Have you ever heard of the phrase or quote " Play now then pay later or Pay now then play later"? or to be more specific "You can pay now and play later OR you can Play now and pay later. Either way you have to pay" as per John Maxwell
This is a very common quote used in any seminars or conference specially related to financials. But what does it really mean? I can associate a word to this quote that for me leans toward "Paying now so i can play later", whats that word? "Delayed Gratification"
As per our trusted Wikipedia "Delayed Gratification" or deferred gratification is the ability to resist temptation for an immediate reward and wait for a later reward. Its the patience to wait for that greater long term reward rater than the small short term ones.
In regards to Financial Freedom, wait whats Financial Freedom?
Again as per Wikipedia Financial Freedom is described as the state of having sufficient personal wealth to live without having to work actively for basic necessities or simply put the capability to buy or spend without looking at the price tag and having the financial security knowing there's more where that came from =) (that's my definition anyways hehe)
Going back, Financial Freedom is the goal or dream of any person and the quote mentioned above directly affects our Financial Freedom. How? Its the choices we make in the process that affect the end goal which is Financial Freedom. Simply put most people would rather "Play it now then Pay it later, for example, buying "stuffs" (gadgets,shoes) taking that vacation, parties and such then Paying for it afterwards with greater Time and effort. While "some" will "Pay it now, then Play later". these are the people who will save and invest now, instead of buying that new phone or taking that short vacation so that in the long run they can get that house or that dream car.
I have met a lot of people who have chosen to "Pay now" and share these characteristics:
- Live on less than they earn
- Choose to invest and save for their long term goals
Because they are "paying now" they are going to be able to play later while those who chose to "Play now" and while the fun lasted when its time to "Pay" its not Fun anymore =(
So how do we get to Financial Freedom? The answer lies in Savings and Investment! Now, most people will say that Savings and Investing is nearly impossible for them as their current income is not even enough. So they will put Savings and Investing on the sides for a later future when they get an "extra income" but how and when will that happen? Rather than looking down on our primary source of income, why not check a solution that's in reach but mostly overlooked.
So how do we get to Financial Freedom? The answer lies in Savings and Investment! Now, most people will say that Savings and Investing is nearly impossible for them as their current income is not even enough. So they will put Savings and Investing on the sides for a later future when they get an "extra income" but how and when will that happen? Rather than looking down on our primary source of income, why not check a solution that's in reach but mostly overlooked.
Whats that? Our lifestyle and spending habits is one factor that we can look into and work on. If you look at our lifestyle and spending habits, its not the amount that's an issue but the "Will to save and invest" is our challenge! When a person has the "Will" to do it, then it can be done!
As i read before "Savings is not proportionate to the amount of money you earn but rather the amount of money you save from your income. As we all know, expenses is directly proportional to the amount of income that we have. The higher it is, the higher our expenses as well. In short, if we want to save, let’s take a look at how we spend our money and look for ways to decrease expenses and increase savings"
Lets look at some examples to illustrate and prove that if we have the "Will to save and invest", look at what will happen
I know most of us drink Starbucks coffee, coming from the BPO industry, the coffee chains have been synonymous to us either for the coffee experience or for some the "status" . Assuming per order is around 200Php and you consume around 5 orders per month or even more. Instead of having this, you can change your spending habits and lets say trim down on the coffee or opt in for a more affordable coffee. Now look at this, most of the BPO employees nowadays earn 10,000 per cut off or roughly 20k in a month (give or take). Now what happens when you spend on that coffee every month that's 1000 as an expense and continue that for 12 months or 1 year that totals to 78,000Php for your coffee, "Play now then Pay Later". Now you might say, really? who drinks that much coffee anyways! Well 9 years in the industry and Yes, people drink that much coffee (for what ever reasons) were not even taking in account those pastries consumed or lets say drinking or vices. Now i'm not saying Coffee is bad, my point is plain and simple, can you imagine what you can save and earn if you used that money wisely instead.
Now, lets say you take part of that 10k salary and instead of spending it, we chose to invest it, looking at a long term goal "Pay Now and Play Later". Lets say that investment cost 8900 and its earns exponentially every month (by the way, the figures onward are the actual figures you can earn) As any, legal and secured business, its a long term plan and as mentioned its exponential so even though the earnings at the start are at minimal in the 1 year sample it doubles, triples and continue to grow even becoming passive from an active income. That's more than 100% returns and by this time you can drink any Starbucks frap or coffee you want even at multiple times, everyday!
I know most of us drink Starbucks coffee, coming from the BPO industry, the coffee chains have been synonymous to us either for the coffee experience or for some the "status" . Assuming per order is around 200Php and you consume around 5 orders per month or even more. Instead of having this, you can change your spending habits and lets say trim down on the coffee or opt in for a more affordable coffee. Now look at this, most of the BPO employees nowadays earn 10,000 per cut off or roughly 20k in a month (give or take). Now what happens when you spend on that coffee every month that's 1000 as an expense and continue that for 12 months or 1 year that totals to 78,000Php for your coffee, "Play now then Pay Later". Now you might say, really? who drinks that much coffee anyways! Well 9 years in the industry and Yes, people drink that much coffee (for what ever reasons) were not even taking in account those pastries consumed or lets say drinking or vices. Now i'm not saying Coffee is bad, my point is plain and simple, can you imagine what you can save and earn if you used that money wisely instead.
Now, lets say you take part of that 10k salary and instead of spending it, we chose to invest it, looking at a long term goal "Pay Now and Play Later". Lets say that investment cost 8900 and its earns exponentially every month (by the way, the figures onward are the actual figures you can earn) As any, legal and secured business, its a long term plan and as mentioned its exponential so even though the earnings at the start are at minimal in the 1 year sample it doubles, triples and continue to grow even becoming passive from an active income. That's more than 100% returns and by this time you can drink any Starbucks frap or coffee you want even at multiple times, everyday!
How about the latest gadgets like phones and cameras? Do you really need that stuff? Is it a necessity or a luxury we try to live by today? Lets say your buying the latest phone every 3 months and it cost around 30,000php (take note that the latest Iphone actually cost around 50k). Thats 120,000php in a year compared if your already earning exponentially! Not to mention that gadgets like all liabilities, there values may go down as time goes by.
The list of samples can go on, from shoes, clothes, bags, vices even unscheduled travels. On the other hand, what if we play it smarter and think long terms. What if think "Pay now then Play later", delayed Gratification, this is what all rich people think and do with. What can happen to you and what can you accomplish 5 or 10 years from now with just 2-3 years of sacrifice and disciple. Will you have that very own house or that fully paid car?
Now nobody said, getting rich and having Financial Freedom will be easy, it requires a lot of hard work and disciple but more importantly it takes "Will"
Can you sacrifice today for a better and brighter tomorrow?
If we only practice the right money and spending habits, live by the "Pay now and Play Later"/Delayed Gratification principle then truly we can live abundantly for the years to come!
>> 3 Years ago, Like most employees i was also financially struggling. Over worked, stressed and with no savings under my belt until i found a Money making Machine called GFI. Not only was i able to resigned from my work because of GFI, it gave me an opportunity to have more quality time with my family and secure my kids future as well.
If your interested to know more about GFI, just visit my Facebook page, add me and send me a PM and let me share to you "possibly" the greatest opportunity you'll ever do
https://www.facebook.com/dondy.gonzales
Cheers!!
