#260
“When a man begins to think seriously of saving for a rainy day, it’s probably a rainy day.”
—Anonymous
The savings rate in the United States has been on a downward trend for many years, even during times of a robust economy. U.S. households save far less than those in most other industrialized countries. Here are the savings rates from recent years:
South Korea 18.0%
France 13.6
Italy 11.7
Japan 11.2
Germany 11.0
Britain 10.8
United States 3.8
People neglect to save because we wait until the end of the month when we’ve spent all the money to try to save. Then we vow we’ll save next month. And then next month. And so it goes. The habit of spending is entrenched and the habit of saving never gets a chance.
Save money. SAVE MONEY. S-a-v-e M-o-n-e-y. Hold on to a portion of all the money that comes to you. Save and invest a measly 10 percent and spend all the rest. Live on 90 percent of your income. Follow this simple plan every day, every week, every year. Teach your children to do it, too, by the example you set. Do it now.
I know, it doesn’t look like there will be enough money to do everything else you have to do. But magic happens when you make a commitment to your financial fitness. Take the right action, even when you don’t know how it will all work out, and, as they kept repeating in the movie Shakespeare in Love: “Somehow it will all work out. I don’t know how. It’s a mystery.”
Start with a baby step, but take a step today. Whatever money you get today, save 10 percent of it. If you can’t do 10 percent right now, start with 5 percent. Or twenty bucks. But start. It’s a habit waiting to happen. One day at a time.
Today’s Affirmation:
“I pay myself promptly and profitably, and therefore I prosper!”
I have been so grateful that this book “The Wealthy Spirit” has helped people. I spoke with a woman who said she bought it in 2006, when she heard me speak at a group in Orange County called the Inside Edge. When she finished the book after the year of daily pages, she put it away for awhile, but found she missed the messages. So she pulled it out again and has been reading it every day since.
A while ago, I was at a networking meeting here in Los Angeles. Each of us got to stand an introduce ourselves to the group, and then give a testimonial to someone in the room whose services you had used. A young woman stood in the front of the room and cried as she spoke about how my book “Zero to Zillionaire” had given her faith, purpose, and direction when she was at a really low point in her life.
I never imagined that people would respond to my writings in this way. It is very humbling, and I feel so blessed to have been able to help people I have never met whether the storms of their lives and move forward towards happiness and prosperity. I hope my latest book “From Worry to Wealthy: A Woman’s Guide to Financial Success Without the Stress” will be helpful to many people, too.
This is the major reason I say I’m not going to retire. Because if you are doing work you love, that inspires and drive you, you aren’t looking forward to not doing it. Being able to help people is such a fine thing you don’t ever want to give that up.
I thank God for letting me be of service.
