I’m going to share with you the best piece of advice that I’ve received, and it’s what motivates me to keep striving for success. There’s a lot more to learn, but this is the quote that drives me:
“I’d rather live for a few years like most people won’t, to live the rest of my life like most people can’t.”
I heard this quote from a very wealthy presenter in my Entrepreneurship Lecture Series class back at school. It’s probably the one thing that I remember most from my five years in college (certainly not the things from my engineering classes).
Unlike most, I plan on keeping my living expenses as low as possible. It’s far too easy to let your spending habits inflate to the level of your income.
Unlike most, I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to capitalize on in order to increase my income. It’s really easy to become complacent once you’ve landed a “good job” instead of trying to continually push yourself to become better and better.
Unlike most, I’m looking for investments that will provide cash for me to live on. It’s easy to take your paycheck and look for the new car you always wanted, or take the vacation you say you deserve.
I could go on, but there’s a pattern here. I’m not advocating a lifestyle of deprivation, but one of carefully considered priorities. I can be just as happy on a picnic with my wife or watching a movie at home with her as I could be at an upscale restaurant or in a movie theater. I find happiness in spending time with those around me that I care about. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing. It’s the time that matters. That’s why “I’d rather live for a few years like most people won’t”. I want to secure for myself what most people can’t have. And that’s “time freedom”.
Subscribe to Fiscal Musings | Digg This! | Stumble it!
by frugal zeitgeist, on March 27 2007 @ 8:48 pm
Right on.
by Debt Hater, on March 27 2007 @ 9:24 pm
That’s a great quote. I’m going to have to remember that one.
by J.D., on March 28 2007 @ 1:59 pm
That’s pretty much another way of rephrasing Dave Ramsey’s, “If you will live like no one else, you can live like no one else.” (Or however he says it…) And it’s great advice. But it’s hard for most people (including myself) to make that leap of faith…
by Raspberry, on March 28 2007 @ 3:19 pm
It is hard to live like most people won’t in a society that’s focused on instant gratification. But the promise of being able to one day live like most people can’t is a great motivation. Patience is something that I keep learning over and over in my life. Fortunately, there are great quotes like this to remind me that with a little discipline and patience comes great rewards and sucess.
by Jose Anes, on April 10 2007 @ 1:40 pm
It perfectly goes along with my way of thinking. Living below your means is liberating. I express my views along this topic on I will never be the same.
by Fiscal Musings » » What Matters To You?, on February 6 2008 @ 5:29 pm
[...] to another possible priority for a lot of people, free time. I’ve spoken about this before as time freedom. If you value your time above all else, you’ll want to take steps to prepare yourself [...]
by Claudie Nest, on April 22 2011 @ 12:09 am
There are three Disney owned hotels inside the park grounds. They’re not cheap so this is definitely a luxury but they allow guests early entry into the parks on certain days as well as the ability to ride the monorail into the middle of the park.
by Demetrius Burzynski, on April 26 2011 @ 11:15 pm
Premature acceptance of an underlying policy in full settlement of your Michigan motorcycle accident claim could deprive you of the right to collect uninsured coverage. It is not to mention that companies or facilities would prefer to talk to a lawyer.
by Lavern Garufi, on November 15 2011 @ 11:53 pm
I would like to voice my admiration for your kindness giving support to persons who should have guidance on in this subject matter. Your very own dedication to getting the message all-around had become astonishingly invaluable and have frequently helped those like me to achieve their goals. The useful help and advice entails a whole lot to me and even more to my office workers. Thank you; from each one of us.
by Ramiro Valentini, on November 16 2011 @ 12:09 am
It is really a nice and useful piece of info. I’m satisfied that you shared this useful tidbit with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.