Delayed Gratification
“Pay before you Play.”
You would think once would be enough, but I’ve re-learned this one (as in negative experiences) more than once.? This doesn’t have to apply only to finances but that’s a great place to start.
Save rather than buying on credit.
Larry Burkett, one of my heroes, had a basic principle for purchasing anything of more than a trivial price. It was, approximately:
- For any non-trivial purchase, it has to go onto a list
- It had to remain on the list for at least 30 days before it could be purchased
- The list was never allowed to have more than 3 items on it
Wow! How much different my life might be if I had always followed that advice. But wait, it’s not too late to start today!
?Pleasures are more safely postponed than virtues?greater loss is suffered by missing an opportunity of doing good, than an hour of giddy frolic and noisy merriment.”
— Samuel Johnson
Last Updated: 10/6/2014
If you find these Beginnings posts of interest, you can find a full list here.