My father, walking the talk, used to highlight the concept of living a simple life where ethical values outweigh monetary quest. For him, financial growth was not the benchmark for counting degree of success in life but setting an example of a strong and spotless character.
Truly embracing his teachings, I grew up, hardly having any interest for monetary success and focusing more on general excellence. However, this disinterest in making money, in my case, went to such an extent that I could never realize the importance of saving a part of my earnings.
Truly amazing, as it appears now: how could I, a married person with two daughters to look after, be so ignorant about basic money management skill? I mean, saving a part of income for rainy days! Earning a lot but spending recklessly, I, not so long ago, realised the importance of a balanced cash flow when recession suddenly and unexpectedly dried up my source of income.
Struggling through mother of all difficulties for more than two years, I realized, how important is -- not just earning money but, more than that, saving a part of it.
Money still doesn't excite me, but the thought of not having enough of it sends chills down my spine. Human values are still much more important to me, mainly because it's impossible to change my upbringing induced belief system, but achieving financial freedom has definitely taken a front seat in the show of life.
Money can't buy us happiness, but lack of a bare minimum can surely makes us extremely unhappy. Who knows it better than me? And that bare minimum, even though varies according to individual lifestyle, should never go skyrocketing!
Earn as much as you can, without sacrificing your social life; spend as less as you can, without sacrificing a decent living; save as much as you can, without sacrificing the pleasures you can afford to provide to your family members -- but never let money take driver's seat in your life!
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