Business 201 - Save & Invest
This is a sensitive topic, isn’t it?
Especially for those people who just can’t seem to keep money in their pockets (and savings accounts) because they’re “foodies”.
But as much as you would like to spend your money on anything and everything you set your eyes on, you can’t.
You need to save.
You need to invest.
Why?
The real question is, why not?
If you’re reading this article right now, chances are, you’re old enough to have experienced life to some extent.
And anyone who has experienced life knows life isn’t a walk in the park.
Or a bed of roses.
There are ups, and there are downs.
Picture this
You just hit a jackpot. Maybe you won a contract, got a great job, or your business skyrocketed.
Whatever the case may be, now you have more money than you know what to do with.
So, you start spending.
Shawarma here, a new car there, maybe you even rent a fancy 2 bedroom in Lekki.
You’re “living life” to the fullest, and then one day you wake up and…
It’s all come crashing down.
Your shawarma has digested, new car breaks down, rent is due…
You look left, you look right, no one to help you and worst of all…
No savings and no investments.
It’s over.
And just in case you’re thinking “God forbid, that can never happen to me” don’t be so sure about that:
”People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy.“
Ecclesiastes 9:12 NLT
Words of wisdom from God himself through Solomon.
So why take such risks when you can put measures in place to make sure you have some sort of safety net in place.
Even in Genesis 41 where God showed Pharaoh through dreams that there will be 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine, the solution wasn’t to pray the issue away.
The solution was saving!
Even the ants know better
”Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.“ Proverbs 6:6-8 NKJV
Not every harvest is meant to be eaten.
Don’t be stingy, sow into the lives of the people around you.
But just in case you struggle with saving and investing, here are a few tips to help you overcome.
Pray to the almighty Father to help break you free from your unusual spending habits.
Get a disciplined accountability partner.
Download a savings app like PiggyVest and actually use it.
Get an investing app like Bamboo and once again, actually use it.
Cut off temptations:
I’ll spend a bit more time on this tip.
If you’re a foodie, stop following food blogs and pages on social media, and stop going to restaurants. Eat at home, you won’t die.
If you happen to be a fraghead, get your eyes off those new releases or perfumes you’ve never tried before.
One of the best ways to overcome an addiction is to cut off the source of the temptation.
The reason you keep falling is because you keep exposing yourself to these things that stir up your appetite, so you might actually have just yourself to blame, no one else.
”Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.“ James 1:14 NLT
But allow me to show you a more excellent way to overcome addiction, bad spending habits, and no saving/investing culture:
Focus on Jesus
Yes.
The more time you spend with Jesus, the less you will crave these things.
Because the more time you spend with the bread of life, the less time (and money) you’d spend looking for what food to devour next.
What I’m trying to say is this: Jesus is the only One who can truly satisfy you.
Not endless shopping sprees, or the bottom of a bottle.
Jesus, and Jesus alone.
Try it, you’ve got nothing to lose after all.