Dull and boring were the exact words running through my head as I lay there on the empty carpet of my newly rented, barely furnished studio apartment. It was nicely located on the 4th floor of a modern apartment building, overlooking the bustling city avenue, but in that moment I could hardly see or hear any of it. I was neck deep in my own thoughts; to sign or not to sign?
The retail installment contract for the brand new Honda Civic was sitting right there, in the corner beside me. I wanted that car badly! And why not? All my friends had cars, and in fact, even better models. At least with this one, I could proudly join the cruise hangouts, or even get a chance to chauffeur the ladies. I was merely a quick signature away from living my dream, so why am I overthinking this…
Bzzz Bzzz
I picked up my phone, answered the call and it was my dad. What mysterious timing it was to receive a call from him, of all people, in that very moment. Only a few weeks back, he had not been excited about my decision to take up my new job against his wish, yet I would never forget the one great piece of advice he left me with that day.
“Whatever you do, save copiously.”
Whenever I remember that day, I sometimes wonder what made me embrace his advice so wholeheartedly. Fortunately, I did and saved as much as I could. A few years later when good investment opportunities came up, I was able to take advantage of them and make the most of those opportunities. Admittedly, saving all that money, month after month, felt like a huge punishment and truly, it was extremely boring, but as the returns on those investments began to trickle back, it all started to feel worthwhile.
The practical money lesson I learned was that good opportunities may be rare, but they certainly will come your way in due time. The truth is, you rarely have control over when those opportunities will arise. Your best chance of success is to just do the boring stuff and keep saving consistently in preparation for the golden opportunities.
Wouldn’t you rather do the boring bit and save consistently now so that you can eventually enjoy a financially free and exciting life?