First name / Legend, this was me last week.

 

Kicking back on the comfy chair in my nephews nursery room (my current office). A black coffee by my side. A yellow highlighter pen in my hand. 

 

I was re-reading the best-selling personal finance book of all time. 

 

‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ by Robert Kiyosaki.

 

 

If not, do yourself a favour. 

 

Re-reading this classic was a humbling experience.

 

Although I could see how far I’ve come on my money mastery journey since I first read the book, it became blindingly obvious to me how much I still don’t know…

 

I feverishly highlighted all the passages that stood out to me (there were a lot). 

 

That’s when I read a line that b*tch slapped me across the face like Will Smith b*tch slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars!

 

SLAP!!!

 

Why did I feel like I got b*tch slapped across the face?

 

Because ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ held a mirror up to my behaviour. 

 

I could see how I’d let my self-discipline slip causing poor habits to creep into my life.

 

Over the past 12 months our savings have dipped like a rollercoaster accelerating from its peak to the bottom. 

 

I’d justified this dip in my mind because Kaci hasn’t been working and my business income has been inconsistent (which is a reflection of me being inconsistent – another b*tch slap to the face).

 

But that’s BS. 

 

These are excuses. 

 

We’ve been living off a credit card and paying it off at the end of the month.

 

This isn’t a problem in good months (when my business income exceeds the credit card balance). 

 

But in bad months (and there’ve been a few)… I’ve made the decision to dip into our savings to pay the balance.

 

Instead of using our savings to create more money (rich habit), I’ve been using our savings to pay the bills (poor habit).

 

SLAP!!!

 

 

I have a rule that we DO NOT liquidate (sell) our assets under any circumstances to pay our bills – even when finances are tight. 

 

But I don’t have a hard rule around our savings.

 

I’d been taking the easy option of using our hard-earned savings to pay down the credit card balance each month – and this dug a big hole in our savings. 

 

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

 

Most people would: 

 

1) Get rid of the credit card

2) Cut back on expenses

3) Look for a secure higher job to create stable income

 

In the past I probably would’ve done the same.  

 

But I’ve trained myself to think differently. I know getting a job is a band-aid solution. That’s old thinking. That’s lazy thinking. 

 

 

What’s the solution?

 

Robert Kiyosaki talks about the importance of paying yourself first no matter what financial challenges you’re facing.

 

Paying yourself first means taking 10% (or more) of your income and putting it towards growing your asset column (investments) BEFORE you’ve paid your bills.

 

This is a rule I swear by. 

 

Most people pay everyone else first and then have little to nothing leftover to pay themselves. And when they do pay themselves they’re not putting it towards growing their asset column. 

 

Kiyosaki stresses the importance of ALWAYS paying yourself first – even when you have no idea how you will pay your bills. 

 

This achieves three things:

‘External pressure’ is created when you pay yourself first – because now you have less money to pay your bills and you don’t know where the money will come from. 

 

And your creditors will come after you if you don’t ball your bills on time…

 

Instead of cracking under the pressure we can USE the pressure to our advantage (remember – diamonds are created under HUGE pressure). 

 

When things are too comfortable you get lazy.

 

But when you’re under pressure you get a fire lit up your ass!

 

This is how Elon Musk operates his multiple billion dollar businesses. He gives he team ridiculous timelines to complete audacious projects that no one thinks is possible. 

 

 

This is what happens with external pressure and urgency. 

 

You can unlock your hidden creative powers and your inner genius to make more money and find solutions to your problems.

 

Or you can crack under the pressure and quit like most people do… 

 

I’ve made a declaration to RISE to the pressure and STOP taking the easy option of ‘dipping into our savings’ when things get tough.

 

And I want YOU to hold me accountable and give me a metaphorical b*tch slap across the face if I slip (I promise I won’t sue). 

 

If you’re like me and you’ve found yourself ‘dipping into your savings’ to pay off consumer debt or pay your bills – then it’s my time to pay it forward.

 

Let this newsletter be the b*tch slap in the face you need to change your behaviour.