Everything You Need To Know About Marriage, Business and Finances
Ok, so before you get mad and claim “click bait” on me for that title let me first say that I truly believe what I’m about to share is absolutely everything you need to know about life in general. And yes, I am going to cover the basics on Marriage, Business and Finances. These are some super simple rules that if you put them into practice, you will have success in these areas.
Some backstory… Over the past year I’ve seen really good friends of mine go down horrible roads of divorce, bankruptcy, and even suicide. And, when it comes to suicide — the top 3 causes are Marriage, Business and/or Financial troubles. That’s why I’m writing this article.
So, this is the real deal. I hope this helps you or someone you love.
Finances: How to generate wealth
Here’s the #1 rule that will save you a lifetime of headaches… Never finance anything that loses value.
Pay cash. If you don’t have the cash — wait.
All too often, especially in the United States, we get impatient. We want what we want and we want it now. This make you a servant to the lending company. They own you.
There’s a false truth, an illusion out there that says “If I want to be rich, I have to make more money.” — nothing can be further from the truth. More money will actually amplify your bad habits and get you into more trouble than it’s worth.
The key to wealth, generational, life changing wealth is to SAVE. Then, you can look at how to invest that savings. But, if you finance everything — you’ll never get there. I promise.
Business: The key to success
Let’s take the rule you just learned about personal finances and apply that logic to business. Never finance anything that loses value!
For example: If your business requires some sort of automobile — look into leasing it, or pay cash. Leasing vehicles allows you to write off the entire payment (minus tax)! That’s usually a heck of a lot more than mileage. Plus, you’ll get a new car every 3–4 years for your business. Lastly, your autos will always be under warranty. So, it’s a smart play.
Now, the KEY to a successful business…
For every decision — play the tape all the way through.
Example: Let’s say you’ve got a tough decision to make. Like firing a client (heaven forbid). Take the emotion out of it by playing the tape all the way through… imagine you’ve fired them already and go through all the pros and cons that can happen. Maybe they are a huge revenue stream — if you lose that stream, what happens? Can you still pay your bills? Ask yourself all the tough questions and then you’ll be making an educated decision.
In business, knowledge is ok — but what you really want/need is wisdom. Wisdom is knowing the outcome of a decision. Being wise means thinking things through.
Don’t get me wrong, we still need to execute and get stuff done. But, stop making emotional decisions and start playing the tape all the way through.
Lastly, get a mentor. I don’t care if you have to hire an advisor. Let someone who’s been there and done that guide you around the tricky parts of business. Stop trying to do it all yourself.
Marriage: The secret to a successful relationship
This one is so simple you might not believe it, but the #1 rule to a successful marriage is realizing that LOVE is a choice. It’s not a feeling. LUST is a feeling. Anger is a feeling. Sadness is a feeling. But Love, love is not a feeling — it’s a choice. You can absolutely choose to love, in spite of anything else.
Take family for example… I don’t always like my family, sometimes they get on your nerves, but I’ll always love them. My brother and I fought like cats and dogs growing up — but shit hit the fan, we were always there for each other.
Another thing I want to point out is character. Character isn’t created when you start things. Character comes from seeing things through. It’s created and made stronger when you ‘do what you say you’re going to do’.
When we get married, we take an oath that says “…for better or worse, till death do us part.”
Now, try and tell me you’ve fallen out of love. Impossible. Because you make the decision to either love or not.
So, your “feelings” have nothing to do with it. Maybe you’re going through one of those ‘worse’ parts… if you’re a person of good Character — you can and should chose to stay and do all you can to make it work.
Marriage is sacred. Stop letting the media influence your beliefs.
Divorce seems so common these days that there’s companies that actually specialize in fast, cheap divorce! WTF is wrong with us? As a society… since when did it become ok to disregard an oath and throw your character out the window? It’s not ok. Never has been, never will be.
SIDE NOTE: There are times when divorce is the only option. If you’re in an abusive relationship, been cheated on, maybe your heart was absolutely broken. I get it. And, there are grounds for divorce. There’s exceptions to every rule. But, I would argue that far to many people run to divorce and use it as an out instead of dealing with their faults and becoming a better partner.
To break it down into one simple thing that can make your marriage amazing — do what you say, own what you do. Be dependable. Be accountable. When you take it seriously and realize that you’ve taken an oath, and that it’s your choice to love or not — then you can’t use excuses anymore. It’s 100% up to you.
I hope this helps. Is it simple? Yes. Is it easy? No. But someone needs to say this stuff. The rate of decline of morals in our world today is scary. Let’s bring back character.
Let’s remind the world that there are still real people out there that take what they say seriously. Thanks for reading.
