Artist Math
I've begun to work on a new book tentatively titled Artist Math. It gives insight to what it really takes to survive as an artist on the quest to achieve dreams and goals. But truthfully the same principles within the book can be applied to anyone no matter what their situation is in life or business. (You can sign up for my free newsletter to get a notice when the book is completed).
One of the major issues I deal with in the book is on confronting the reality of finances. It is a major hot button for the great majority of people in the world. We live on credit way beyond our means, buying things that we don't need or even in truth want. We are subject to the whims of the media, impulse buying and what we "think" it means to be cool or successful when in actually we can't even afford to pay the rent. Many people would rather have "nice things" than actually finically solvent. It's an epidemic.
The cold hard truth is that your finances will determine your ability to stably shoot for your dreams and goals and successfully care for yourself and your family. If you are constantly worried about making ends meet, paying bills, paying off credit cards then you won't be able to focus on the real task at hand which is what your inner truth is, what your goals are. And you'll have nothing for the future and the future of your family. You're living day to day and in fact probably paying last months bills with this months income.
Right, I know what you're saying, "Easier said than done." Here are some of the things people bring to me as objections to what I've stated above.
- I've got student loans to pay off.
- I've got a mortgage.
- I've got car payments.
- My job doesn't pay enough.
- I'm a single parent and can't make ends meet.
- I lost my job.
- The cost of living is too high.
You get the picture. Well here's the cold hard truth. If something doesn't change and you continue down the same path you're on...the end result ain't gonna be pretty. You need to change how you think about money and the status quo. I understand that everyone is in a different and unique situation and that people face real hardships. It's another sad fact about the world we live in but it can also all turn around with the blink of an eye. The solution...DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
“The man who became of his understanding of the laws of wealth, acquireth a growing surplus, should give thought to those future days. He should plan certain investments or provisions that may endure safely for many years, yet will be available when the time arrives which he has so wisely anticipated.”
Start looking at how you're spending money, cut out things that you don't need. There's a great book called The Richest Man in Babylon written by George S. Clason which I referenced in the quote above. It's a quick read and I would encourage you to do so. In it Clason tells the tale of a man moving from poverty (slavery actually) to wealth and freedom and there are principles in it which you can apply to yourself today.
“We are weary of being without gold in the midst of plenty. We wish to become men of means.”
Confronting your financial situation can be daunting and we often push it under the rug to deal with at a later date...but then the debt grows and grows and grows. You MUST take a cold hard look at your situation for only then can you actually DO something about it.
One of the first steps is to PAY YOURSELF FIRST. No matter what your income, what your debts are, pay yourself 10% of what you take home each week. Your creditors may cry, they may call and you will have to deal with them. You created the debt and therefore it's your responsibility to get out of it. But you can actually handle this with a little work and dedication. You can negotiate with creditors to lessen the burden that you're under by settling on a different payment scale. Most of them will work with you because it's better for them to get some money rather than no money and if you can't afford to pay them it's in their interest to work with you to some sort of solution.
But you must, must, MUST change your operating basis. Cut out all necessary spending. No Starbucks, no extraneous purchases and then...MAKE MORE MONEY. You can. You really can. If you focus on what you want to accomplish, set your mind to the task and look for opportunities to increase your income, you can and will work your way out of any bad financial situation you're in.
It's you're responsibility to handle these things, there is no white knight to come in a sweep away the debt or sweep you into a new job. YOU have to do these things, you have to take advantage of the opportunities and more so CREATE opportunities for yourself.
“Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared." "You”
― George S. Clason, The Richest Man in Babylon
Bottom line is there is hope and there is a way out. Take one step at a time and eventually those steps will lead you out of the dark woods and into the light where you can live the way you've always wanted to live. It's up to you. So go out and create the life you've always wanted!
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