There Are No Shortcuts: Why You Should Stop Trying To Take The Easy Way To Becoming Wealthy
Unless you are anticipating a large inheritance or you have romanticized the idea of being a hungry artist, the thought of becoming a successful and at least semi-well-off individual has likely crossed your mind.
There are exceptions to this statement, but for the most part, I have found that the majority of 20-somethings around me are looking to gain an above-average income, to travel well and to be able to indulge as they please.
There are plenty of hardworking, self-motivated and resourceful people out there looking to find success and obtain all of life’s luxuries; however, there are also many who would say they have these attributes but still try to cut every corner they see.
If you can whole-heartedly say that you are the former, continue along the path you’re paving and success will follow. However, at any position of your life, you may be faced with people trying to find “the next big thing” or come up with a “get rich quick” scheme.
People want to be the next Mark Zuckerberg or J.K. Rowling, but without putting in the work. Some people just want a great idea thrust upon them.
I see college students all around me trying to write books and create mobile applications, which all seem like great ideas, but, by and large, their intentions are not to do something about which they are passionate. Rather, they hope and wait for something to ignite a flame, attract attention and gain money fast.
The worst attempt at living a wealthy lifestyle that I have seen in my short life thus far has been the tendency among college students to lock down a future spouse who has a lucrative career. There are even websites available to match younger people with older, wealthy individuals.
Seems a bit depraved to me.
If you are attempting to become a wealthy individual by taking an easy way out, there are so many reasons why it’s a bad idea.
Although admittedly a cliché, the easier things are to obtain, the easier they are to lose. Think back to everything in your life that you worked hard to achieve and ultimately succeeded at doing.
Was it an overnight victory? Was it a breeze? Sure, you may have wished for it to be at the time, but how do you feel, now that you accomplished it? It was well worth the wait, probably. You may even still be living off of the bliss you attained in the process.
Goals in life should be based on passions and successes, not money. Your motives and goals are your own, but if money is your only objective, you may easily fall into the practice of trying to find it at every turn in life.
You could easily end up spending the same amount of time looking for a quick way to get rich as you would spending it working hard on improving yourself, on your education, on your community outreach and on your career goals.
The rewards gleaned from working hard are almost always more worthwhile than accepting easy money.
Photo credit: Wolf Of Wall St
