Financial Chaos or Order: the choice is yours
By James Abola
Ever wondered why most high school boys have rooms appearing like a scene in a disaster zone? At the door would probably be a pair of sneakers that were kicked off, as the owner of the room entered; a tennis racquet on a chair or table; and a collection of odd objects stuffed under the bed.
The state of disorder that is exhibited in the high school boy’s room is an example of a fundamental natural law, that the natural state of things is actually chaos and not order. In the biblical account when God begun creating we are told that “the earth was at first a shapeless, chaotic mass.”
What is natural could be in born or in bred. For instance habits are in bred, in other words they become second nature to us as a result of constant training and practice. Through observation as well as personal experience, I have found the natural law of chaos very applicable in matters of life. Without a creative input or force, many things in life will not have the beauty or order that we would like them to have but will instead be shapeless and chaotic.
Take the case of fitness. It is generally accepted that appropriate and regular exercise can contribute tremendously to a person’s health, and yes, wealth too. We are not talking here about exercising to win a marathon but possibly a brisk walk and a few other activities in the gym. If you left it to nature though, the natural order is to cling to the blanket instead of getting out of bed if your exercise regiment is in the morning for instance. You therefore need a creative input to get yourself out of bed and onto the exercise arena.
Food is another of those things that can contribute either positively or negatively to our health, depending on how it is taken. For some people the problem is relating to excessive intake of food that leads to overweight or makes them susceptible to particular health problems. Others suffer from the problem of insufficient food intake leading to say anorexia or bulimia and a general lack of immunity against various kinds of infections.
There are a number of natural personal financial inclinations or experiences we could talk about as well.
Let us start with keeping personal financial records. The natural inclination, at least for the majority, is not to bother about keeping financial records whether of income or expenditure. That is why folks will in most cases throw away the slip that the ATM machine provides whenever they undertake a transaction at a machine. When we lack proper financial records then it becomes difficult to know what our income or expenditure is, and therefore plan poorly when budgeting. In the western countries people maintain better financial records not because it is natural to them but out of fear, or respect, of the tax authorities. Shopping lists, receipts, bank statements, small notepads for financial transactions and about 10 minutes every day are possibly the only tools you need to have good personal financial records.
Another natural financial inclination is focus on meeting immediate needs instead of delaying gratification in order to meet future needs. In the worst case scenario a person will borrow irrespective of the cost to ensure that they can afford to maintain a certain level of current consumption. In another instance a person may not borrow but will not save or invest because all their income is committed to consumption. Whenever I talk to people about saving and investing they will give a million reasons why they would not have any money left to save or invest after meeting all their expenditure. It never occurs to them that they are simply following a natural inclination and could creatively find a way out.
You will be amazed at the various investment opportunities that come your way once you begin to think in terms of investing. It is advisable that folks who have difficulty in saving money undertake mandatory investment plans that require say monthly contributions from their salary account. That is why investing in products like mutual funds or other smart saving schemes available with local banks are a great product for such folks.
And now just one more thing. Most of our natural financial inclinations are what we learnt while growing up. For instance most African families simply never talk about financial issues openly. If any discussion is held at all, then it is between the two adults out of the hearing range of children. Unfortunately even the adult discussion is usually in the form of a radio broadcaster and a listener, so there is really no adequate communication. The natural thing for a person who has grown up through such an environment is to adopt the same attitude when they get a family of their own.
It is true in the matter of finance that if we simply follow our natural inclinations then we are most likely to end up with shapeless and chaotic finances. Whether you will have a natural or creative life is very much your choice.
Ever wondered why most high school boys have rooms appearing like a scene in a disaster zone? At the door would probably be a pair of sneakers that were kicked off, as the owner of the room entered; a tennis racquet on a chair or table; and a collection of odd objects stuffed under the bed.
The state of disorder that is exhibited in the high school boy’s room is an example of a fundamental natural law, that the natural state of things is actually chaos and not order. In the biblical account when God begun creating we are told that “the earth was at first a shapeless, chaotic mass.”
What is natural could be in born or in bred. For instance habits are in bred, in other words they become second nature to us as a result of constant training and practice. Through observation as well as personal experience, I have found the natural law of chaos very applicable in matters of life. Without a creative input or force, many things in life will not have the beauty or order that we would like them to have but will instead be shapeless and chaotic.
Take the case of fitness. It is generally accepted that appropriate and regular exercise can contribute tremendously to a person’s health, and yes, wealth too. We are not talking here about exercising to win a marathon but possibly a brisk walk and a few other activities in the gym. If you left it to nature though, the natural order is to cling to the blanket instead of getting out of bed if your exercise regiment is in the morning for instance. You therefore need a creative input to get yourself out of bed and onto the exercise arena.
Food is another of those things that can contribute either positively or negatively to our health, depending on how it is taken. For some people the problem is relating to excessive intake of food that leads to overweight or makes them susceptible to particular health problems. Others suffer from the problem of insufficient food intake leading to say anorexia or bulimia and a general lack of immunity against various kinds of infections.
There are a number of natural personal financial inclinations or experiences we could talk about as well.
Let us start with keeping personal financial records. The natural inclination, at least for the majority, is not to bother about keeping financial records whether of income or expenditure. That is why folks will in most cases throw away the slip that the ATM machine provides whenever they undertake a transaction at a machine. When we lack proper financial records then it becomes difficult to know what our income or expenditure is, and therefore plan poorly when budgeting. In the western countries people maintain better financial records not because it is natural to them but out of fear, or respect, of the tax authorities. Shopping lists, receipts, bank statements, small notepads for financial transactions and about 10 minutes every day are possibly the only tools you need to have good personal financial records.
Another natural financial inclination is focus on meeting immediate needs instead of delaying gratification in order to meet future needs. In the worst case scenario a person will borrow irrespective of the cost to ensure that they can afford to maintain a certain level of current consumption. In another instance a person may not borrow but will not save or invest because all their income is committed to consumption. Whenever I talk to people about saving and investing they will give a million reasons why they would not have any money left to save or invest after meeting all their expenditure. It never occurs to them that they are simply following a natural inclination and could creatively find a way out.
You will be amazed at the various investment opportunities that come your way once you begin to think in terms of investing. It is advisable that folks who have difficulty in saving money undertake mandatory investment plans that require say monthly contributions from their salary account. That is why investing in products like mutual funds or other smart saving schemes available with local banks are a great product for such folks.
And now just one more thing. Most of our natural financial inclinations are what we learnt while growing up. For instance most African families simply never talk about financial issues openly. If any discussion is held at all, then it is between the two adults out of the hearing range of children. Unfortunately even the adult discussion is usually in the form of a radio broadcaster and a listener, so there is really no adequate communication. The natural thing for a person who has grown up through such an environment is to adopt the same attitude when they get a family of their own.
It is true in the matter of finance that if we simply follow our natural inclinations then we are most likely to end up with shapeless and chaotic finances. Whether you will have a natural or creative life is very much your choice.
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