We've become obsessed with showing off our best side, filtering out negativity, getting instant gratification and wanting results immediately. The problem is while it might be fun when engaged in social media it is the polar opposite to how wealth is created. It is a mindset that is hard to change.
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Canadians are saving less as a percentage of income than ever before. Many have nothing set aside for retirement. Meanwhile, credit card debt, student loans, and mortgage responsibilities are rising. We don’t want to wait. We want it now. We have become a world of "insta-gratification". This is wreaking havoc on our lives.
Our modern consumer-driven society puts value on instant reward. Consider the rise of overnight shipping, instant downloads, and one-click ordering. We take a pill if we’re sleepless, exhausted, sad, or need to concentrate. Delays, uncertainty, suffering, and discomfort are all unwelcome impositions.
The challenge we face is that wealth creation isn't instant. We may want it now and act like we have it now but it takes time and slow and steady often wins the race. It’s about doing a lot of little things right - not one big thing. Of course the exception to this is winning the lottery and there will be some believing that is how they will fund their retirement. But for the rest of us wealth accumulation, comes down to hard work and delaying gratification. There are no filters to make it pretty and appear idealistic.
We need to change our spending habits, looks for ways to save and live below our means. Here are a few tips:
1. Be mindful: If you are spending money you don't have put the credit card out of sight. See something you desperately want - walk away and use the 24 hour rule. If you still want it 24 hours later, it may be worthy of consideration if you have the money. This simple act takes willpower and helps to create a mindful spending habit.
2. Relive your bad decisions: How did you feel the last time your credit card bill came in the mail and you couldn't afford the minimum monthly payment? Or what about how you felt after wearing the really expensive outfit you purchased for one event? Did you feel guilt knowing you should have just said no?
3. Awareness: Mindless spending happens when there really isn't an agenda and you end up spending for no reason at all, much like mindless snacking.
I tend to write in the afternoons and one day I sat down and figured out how many calories I consumed between 2:00 to 4:00 on any given afternoon and it totalled more than my whole day combined. Total up what you spend in a day without giving it much thought and take that money and use it to pay down debt, start an emergency fund or tuck some money away for retirement.
I recognize these are small changes in spending behaviour and likely won't result in instant gratification for you. But what they will do is help you take back control and build your wealth, and that long-term feeling has to trump instant short-term euphoria.
