"If only I made an extra $10,000 a year, I'd be out of debt, I'd be financially free and I'd be happy"
"If I made six figures all of my problems would be solved"
Sound familiar? I've heard variations of these quotes a thousand times.
The wage slave, with personal loans, car loans, rent, phone bills and a number of other contracts sapping every penny they earn out of their bank account within minutes of receiving their fortnightly pay cheque.
They believe their income are the shackles that have them chained to the desk at the job they hate.
If only they made more.
If only, if only.
Their lucky day strikes, hey bingo!
They get a promotion, their salary rises by 50%.
They celebrate, now it's no longer enough to drive that Chevrolet... they need a late model Mercedes.
They spend more money on food, they extend their personal loans to deck out their upgraded (rental) penthouse with designer furniture.
They're back to square one.
Once again, the foolishness of consumerism and their spending habits have the banks sapping every penny they earn out of their account within minutes of receiving their fortnightly pay cheque.
They're unhappy.
They believe their income are the shackles that have them chained to the desk at the (upgraded) job they hate.
They're on the hedonic treadmill. With every rise in wage comes more extravagance, more luxury... little do they know - real luxury comes from being free. From getting on a plane whenever you want, from saying 'No' when you're asked to do something you don't want to do.
Let them have their Mercedes and their designer furniture.
I'll take the life free of shackles.
Live below your means, don't allow an increase in income or any form of positive gain in your life change the way you live.
Steel handcuffs or golden handcuffs, if you're placing yourself in immense amounts of debt it doesn't matter what colour your handcuffs are or how high your income is.
