When It Comes to Your Finances, Don’t Let Excellence Get in the Way.
When you are in debt or living paycheck to paycheck, it is difficult for you to be interested in personal finance. What’s the point in learning to manage money when you don’t have it? It’s easy to completely ignore your situation, but personal finance is not about perfecting your finances; it’s just an improvement on them.
I love the story of Michael Kay, a certified financial planner, told at Forbes . He writes about a couple who approached him concerned after ignoring their finances for the past 40 years. They weren’t where they were supposed to be, and they didn’t know where to start. In short, he told them:
“It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it won’t – never. But your situation will get better and better with practice … “…” better “is better than nothing, it brings you closer to what you really want.
This reminds me of an old aphorism writer J. D. Roth who quoted in the context of personal finance: “The ideal is the enemy of the good.” Trying too hard to achieve perfection can be counterproductive. You research how to create the perfect investment portfolio, then you get paralyzed in decision making and do nothing. You are building a tight budget to pay off debt faster, only to blow it up because you are tired of depriving yourself. By striving for perfection, you are missing out on the opportunity to simply get better. Instead, take this easy first step with investing . Create a more realistic budget .
You won’t be Warren Buffett overnight (or perhaps ever), but you can learn how to manage your debt, improve your budget, or find ways to save money. Personal finance is not just a perfect financial picture; it’s just doing everything in your power to improve your financial situation. Take small steps and don’t let perfection get in the way of the best.
Your Financial Life Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect – It Just Has to Get Better | Forbes