I found an article that I felt was pretty good. The reason I'm posting this article here is that this is not the real world; fellow friends here won't affect my interests. Moreover, there are few people here, and the fewer who know about things like this, the better. For example, in real life, if someone asked me, 'Do you know Li Zongwu?' I would definitely say I don't know... not even mention it. \Why do people who spend more money seem wealthier, while those who are reluctant to spend tend to be poorer…\ “Take a serious look at the people around you. Those who, from a young age, spent lavishly inviting friends to meals or spending money, still have the means to spend freely today. Meanwhile, those who, every time it comes to paying, can't lock their bicycle or forget their wallet, even after many years, still live a frugal life!” \More than half a year ago, while listening to a lecture on Chinese studies by Master Zhai Hongsheng, I was deeply struck by these words. I seriously looked from my childhood to my current friends and found it indeed true: it seems that people who spend more money actually become wealthier, while friends who are reluctant to spend end up poorer! \This realization startled me. How could it be? Since ancient times, we have been educated with the belief that only by saving can you accumulate wealth; the more frugal you are, the more you can save; regardless of how much you earn, only what you save truly belongs to you, and so on. Could all these ideas be wrong? \This question began to trouble me, pushing me to seriously examine this conclusion. I also started reading a large number of books about the secrets of wealth, the Jewish perspective on money, and other money-related topics to test this conclusion—whether it's true that the more someone can spend, the wealthier they are, and the more reluctant someone is to spend, the poorer they become. Recently, I finally found the answer and am sharing it here. \A friend told me this story which puzzled him: \He used to have a colleague who was extremely frugal. How frugal was he?He almost never buys breakfast in the morning; if he can get it from a colleague, he will, and if not, he just doesn't eat. He is a smoker but almost never brings his own cigarettes, seeing if he can get some from colleagues instead. As for borrowing money, he doesn't pay it back. By this pattern, he should be a typical 'frugal' person who lives frugally to get rich; according to conventional wisdom, saving can lead to wealth. In other words, he should be able to become rich and accumulate a lot of money. However, a few years later, his son fell ill, and from that point on, all the money he had saved without daring to spend was completely used up. He had borrowed money from almost every friend and relative he could, but due to his previous habits, only relatives were willing to lend him money, and naturally very few friends were willing to help. Most regrettably, despite being heavily in debt, his son still passed away in the end.
As for his life? From then on, it still required him to be even more frugal, and he bore an even greater emotional burden. Truly, the mindset you have and your spending habits seem to attract a matching external environment; it seems that the more unwilling you are to spend money, the poorer you end up.
In Beijing, thanks to some connections, I was able to frequently attend various gatherings and naturally met many friends whose net worth was at least over a hundred million. Naturally, we often dined together. Since I had just started out, almost always the friends would pay. During nearly a year in Beijing, I went to quite a number of high-end consumption places. For example, Beijing Hotel, Shenzhen Mansion, various specialty Korean and Japanese restaurants, friends' luxurious countryside villas, etc. As for the drinks, I'm talking about Moutai and Wuliangye—the regular, top-tier, collectors' edition, and limited editions, countless of which cost several hundred, thousands, and many were internal liquors that are nearly impossible to buy. Each time, the spending was thousands or tens of thousands of yuan. Luxurious? Of course, some might say, 'Is this really considered luxurious? You haven't even seen more luxurious things yet.' Yes, I admit it, and surely, the more luxurious ones are the life I intend to enjoy in the future. I cite these examples not just to recount personal stories, but to illustrate a point. One thing I believe everyone would agree with is that this kind of life is at least many, many times more extravagant than the typical frugal, stable lifestyle, where dining out costs only a couple of hundred yuan.Logically speaking, people like them should be spending less and less as they spend more, but in reality, even those with assets of hundreds of millions, or even tens of billions, are spending more and more. It seems this confirms once again: the more money people spend, the wealthier they become.
At this point, I'm sure some friends are thinking: 'Obviously, if I had assets worth hundreds of millions, even tens of millions, I would spend that way too.' This is exactly what I thought during my student days—imagining what I would do once I became wealthy: having a private yacht, a personal luxury villa over a thousand square meters, a Cadillac, a Mercedes... However, in reality, is it that lavish spending habits and mindset come first, and then one becomes wealthy, or is it that one needs to have money first to afford lavish entertaining?
If it is the latter, then frugality leading to wealth is correct, because we would only be able to save more money through diligent frugality and should spend less money. That way, we could become wealthy sooner. But if the conclusion is the former, then are we to say that consistent frugality is wrong? Or is there some other mystery here? Let's think about this more deeply.
If it is the latter, then in our society, there are far too many frugal people—over 80% of people are constantly trying to save, cutting every possible expense, and saving as much as possible in the bank. Money in the bank can account for over 80% of their wealth. (Of course, due to the stock market boom in recent years, some aggressive individuals hoping to change their fortunes through stocks may have already lost all their savings or had them tied up. What I want to tell you is that, no matter whether your money is in securities or in the bank, the essence is actually similar. I want you to just assume your money is in the bank, because today's topic is not to explain why their essence is the same. At least up until two years ago, before you invested in stocks, your savings accounted for over 80% of your assets.)
But what about the wealthy?What I want to tell you today is that the deposits of wealthy people in banks are often only around a few hundred thousand yuan at most (here, wealthy people refer to those with a net worth of over a hundred million, and this amount accounts for less than 1% of their total wealth). And this money is just for their short-term extravagant expenses. The rest of their money will definitely not be kept in the bank. Not only will they not keep it in the bank, but they will also find ways to borrow money from banks to circulate. What is a bank? 'A bank is a place that gathers the money of people who don't like to spend and gives it to friends who like to spend.' This is something my friend, a bank vice president, shared with me. And the reality is just like that: the money of the 80% of people who advocate frugality and spending less is spent by those who enjoy spending extravagantly. And the most detestable thing is, the more they spend, the more money they have? Haha, do you see it? If you don't like to spend, the result is only one: your money is spent by others. And why is it that people who spend more become wealthier, while those who dislike spending become poorer? The essence lies in the difference in mindset: a frugal person's thinking pattern is always: when buying something, they always think, 'It's better to be cheap if possible, save money for other uses, and buy it later when I have more.' For example, when buying clothes, seeing an item that costs thousands of yuan, they may admire it: 'Wow, such good clothes, so beautiful, and the quality is great,' but then think, 'Forget it, I'll buy it when I have more money.' The same goes for buying shoes or a car: 'I don't have enough money; if I buy it now, it will be troublesome for my child's schooling,' etc. In short, they are always thinking about what to do in the future when they have money. But how do wealthy people think? When it comes to things they like, they always consider: 'How can I buy it? How can I earn enough money to get it?' Have you noticed? Because they focus on how to make money, rather than thinking ‘I'll do this when I have money,' this one difference leads to more and more ways, methods, and opportunities for the wealthy to make money. And these methods grow along with their desires and ambitions. Today they make money and buy a Santana; tomorrow they like a Buick and start thinking that the money they are circulating now is too little, and how to earn even more money.Quickly adjust your work, adjust your career, and thereby buy the things you like, living a life that others find incredible.
Additionally, if we consider from the perspective of the universe's energy, we find that whatever we long for in our hearts for a long time, the energy will come to realize it. Just as some people feel: why did a thought I had just a while ago become reality today? This is the law of attraction of the universe. Thoughts become reality! Seriously reflect on your life, and see if it really matches what you consistently thought before, the results of your thoughts. Our today is the outcome of our past thoughts, so the results of tomorrow will inevitably be the outcome of today's thoughts! Now, let's seriously rethink: the conclusion that those who spend more become richer, and those who are reluctant to spend become poorer.
Let's summarize why this happens. Long ago, one of the Hollywood giants, who also started from scratch, Lewis Seitznick, warned his son David (the producer of the movie 'Gone with the Wind'): live a luxurious life! Spend money generously! Always remember, do not live according to your income; this can make you confident!
Imagine if you are now wearing clothes you like, shoes you like, carrying a bag you like. How does it feel? At least you would definitely feel many times more confident than now! And the value that confidence brings? It multiplies your abilities many times over because the power of confidence is the greatest. Once a person has confidence, they will accomplish things that others think are impossible. Once a person has confidence, they will accomplish things that they themselves thought were impossible when they were not confident. Confidence allows a person to be more willing to interact with others, more willing to express themselves, thus gaining a better mindset and a more positive external environment. Consequently, more friends will be willing to interact with you, to share good projects and profitable opportunities with you, which will then lead to better income, thus entering a virtuous cycle.Breaking habits is very difficult, especially breaking decades-long ingrained thinking. But I believe, if you have read this article up to this point, it means you are definitely someone who aspires to high-quality income and to change your life. So, what I want to tell you is: change! Immediately get rid of your old habit of being reluctant to spend money. Start thinking about problems in terms of how to make money to fulfill your desires. Go to the mall and buy the clothes, accessories, etc., that you have always wanted but never dared to buy before (of course, buy things you can afford). For example, one of my friends has shoes that cost around three thousand yuan, but he has been wearing them for three years. If you think about it, in the past two or three years, the total amount spent on shoes may have exceeded this number. Moreover, the shoes he has worn for over three years have not deformed at all, still feeling like they were just bought a month ago. What does this mean? Buying good things, high-quality and durable items, not only brings enjoyment but is also the best form of saving. Remember, I consistently advocate spending money and daring to surpass your limitations to gradually live a rich and fulfilling life you long for, rather than advocating wasting money. Earning money is for spending, not for wasting, and there is an art to spending. How should one spend? According to the philosophy of the wealthy: as long as money is not wasted, all spending is reasonable. For example, spending fifty thousand yuan on a meal for a project, losing tens or hundreds of thousands in a mahjong game and feeling happy, or spending hundreds of thousands on a trip to Europe or Egypt, can all give great enjoyment. But, as mentioned above, once you buy high-quality shoes, if they are comfortable, you can wear them for years without replacing them. Of course, the initial intention of buying should be not only to boost self-confidence and social status but also for durability because this is an investment mindset. I have a friend who loves calligraphy and drives a car worth nearly two million yuan. When we go out together, we stay in the most luxurious suites. However, every time he practices calligraphy, a piece of practice paper costing less than a dime can be reused dozens of times. Why? Because he doesn't waste! Once you grasp and understand this point, regarding the idea that the more you spend wisely, the richer you become, and the more reluctant you are to spend, the poorer you get, I believe you will have a thorough understanding.Next, imagine which friends can bring surprises to yourself. It's been a long time since you had a meal together, so generously and heartily invite them for a meal.
Little stories with big truths: remember, countless facts around you have proven that the more unwilling someone is to spend money, the poorer they are. In other words, stinginess leads to poverty. So never be stingy; when it's time to spend money, spend it generously. If you don't even have the generosity to treat others well, how can you earn big money? A person's vision and mindset are developed through cultivation. Perhaps you haven't paid attention to this lesson before; then now, become a completely new version of yourself. Believe that starting from this moment, you are on the path to a more colorful and abundant life.
Finally, let's end today's topic with a little story: One day, an American mathematician was walking through a crowded supermarket and, while resting in the café, saw someone nearby smoking a cigar. The cigar looked unique, and combined with his sensitivity to numbers, he casually asked the person, “How much is the cigar you're smoking?” The person replied, “One cigar costs 80 dollars.”
The mathematician immediately straightened up and asked, “What? 80 dollars for one? How many do you smoke a day?”
“It depends, but on average at least five a day.”
“How many years have you been smoking cigars like this?”
“About thirty years.”
After hearing this, the mathematician instinctively started calculating. A moment later, he seemed moved and said to the cigar smoker, “I did a rough calculation. If you hadn't smoked these cigars for thirty years and saved that money instead, you could have bought this entire supermarket. Ah!”
The mathematician was deeply impressed, but the cigar smoker gave a slight smile and looked at him, saying, “It's precisely because I smoked such cigars that now I own this large supermarket myself.”
