‘Most people think they have plenty of time in which to create wealth.’
So what happened to my lifestyle?
Was there ever a time during your childhood when life was full of learning, where each day was one adventure after another and new experiences were eagerly sought? A time when as long as your parents knew where you were, and your activities were considered safe, you had the freedom to do as you chose. If your answer is yes, ask yourself what happened between then and now? Where did that lifestyle go?
Like a seed that has all the potential to grow and blossom, you have all the potential you need to achieve what you truly desire. Like a seed, to achieve your potential, all you need to do is to insert yourself into a fertile environment where learning can take place. As soon as you do, you start attracting to yourself all the knowledge you need to successfully navigate your journey of change.
Success must be possible.
You must know that success is possible because thousands of people have taken the journey before you and are now living a life of choice and financial freedom. Deep down, most people know they need to do something about their financial health because time is running out. Intellectually they know it and emotionally they know it. While the statistics for males and females vary slightly, if you take an average life of eighty years, or four thousand one hundred and sixty weeks, and subtract your current age, then you could assume that the remaining years represent the time you have left to improve your financial circumstances.
How much time do we have?
Most people think they have plenty of time in which to create wealth. However, unless you start immediately, you might be in danger of making a grave mistake. Let’s say you are forty years of age now: it is only natural to assume you have another forty years left to get your financial house in order. Forty years, or 2080 weeks, seems like a generous amount of time, and so there will be a tendency towards thinking you have plenty. Let us consider that you wish to stop working at age sixty. If this is the case you now you only have twenty years, or 1040 weeks, left. But wait, there’s more!
Do the math.
If you are not constructively making effective financial changes at the moment you must subtract a third of your remaining years because they represent the amount of time you would normally spend sleeping. Unless you can make money in your sleep, you
now only have thirteen and a third years of free time, or 696.8 weeks left in which to create wealth. As most people like to play or relax on weekends and holidays, for now I will assume you are the same. Accordingly you must subtract a further third of the years between forty and retirement at age sixty because you have allocated this time to play and rest. Now you have the equivalent of six years and seven months or 350.48 weeks of free time left in which to create wealth.
Let’s assume you have a job but have not started on your wealth quest and you are not planning to immediately move in that direction. You must now subtract the amount of time you spend in your job going nowhere. If you work eight hours a day, five days a week for forty-eight weeks of the year, you need to subtract the equivalent of another four and a third years or 228.5 weeks, which means you now only have two and a third years, or 121.9 weeks of free time left in which to create your wealth. Normally this time is sandwiched between getting out of bed and preparing for work, driving to and from work or recovering after work.
No mystery, just take action!
Ask yourself if you effectively use this time reading, attending courses and acquiring wealth knowledge. If not, then the 121.9 weeks of unallocated time is being used ineffectively and you are wasting it by going nowhere. Just as there is no mystery in being a financial underachiever, there is no mystery in the lack of effective use of time.
ACTION: Work out how many hours you have available to you in an average week after you allow for sleeping, eating, grooming and commitments. Of those hours, how many are being used effectively towards the outcomes that you seek? Is there room to improve? Share your thoughts.