Our journey to Financial Independence

Tag: Growth

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Are You Successful? 7 Definitions of Success

How do top performers define success?

Are you going to be a success? I wish I could guarantee it. The problem begins when I ask you, how you define success.

By the way… How do you define success?

I’ll be honest, I have no clue. Curious as I am — I couldn’t leave this question unanswered. From Personal Finance to life, in general, it’s an essential question. We measure ourselves comparably to the success of others. Although, ultimately it doesn’t matter we cannot stop ourselves. 

So to be sure I had the best insight I had to look at the best for feedback. At the end of the day, we measure our own success. Yet finding pride from within can be challenging. I’m sure that whatever you believe is a success you will find yourself below!

1. If you're engaged it's a success

When asked about success Richard Branson answers

“My definition of success? The more you’re actively and practically engaged, the more successful you will feel.”

Mr Branson makes no mention of performance. In his eyes, success is a feeling – an emotional reaction. Although this quote might be difficult to apply to investing. It’s perfect when it comes to chasing Financial Independence. As we achieve FI the chase of success becomes an easy one. You have the time to throw yourself into engaging work, despite lower potential returns.

The book “Finding My Virginity” , an autobiography by Richard Branson, was eye-opening for me. Although, he has failed dozens of times and gotten back up. He started with nothing and has built the Virgin Empire by pursuing passion projects. 

We can put it down to luck. But it opens the question: had business been less profitable would he have the same definition of success? 

I feel close to this definition as motivation always runs high when I’m passionate. It certainly explains why “pro-bono” work feels rewarding.

2. Sacrifice is necessary

I didn’t expect to find “it’s easy” among the answers. Yet the way the Dalai Lama puts the value of success in perspective is mind-opening. It’s also a quote that is perfectly at its place on a FI/RE and Personal Finance blog.

“Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.”

If you strive for Financial Freedom – you know the importance of lowering expenses and growing income. Achieving your yearly saving rate is a success in itself as it requires you to sacrifice some comfort.

I talk about the challenge of moving abroad in my article “Should I Live Abroad?”. My move abroad although at the cost of higher pay is in my eyes a success. Sacrificing the comfort from home for personal growth was the right call!

Take time to reflect on what you’ve given up on to reach your current position.

3. Success to the unyielding

How Bad do you want success?

Striking gold is tough. The likelihood of it being on the first throw is minuscule. You will fail. Not once probably, many times. How do you keep your drive? More importantly, how do you find your strength in failure?

Winston Churchill defines “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

I’ll be honest here… If I had given up blogging at my first hiccup. There would be no article. What keeps me relentlessly motivated and wanting more is passion. And maybe, more importantly, the conviction that Cent by Cent will go somewhere. 

Similarly when it comes to investing, “holding” is the only true strategy. Of course, rebalancing occasionally is important. But to reach the coveted million dollars the best tactic is consistent investing. Whether the market drops or rises you stay in the market. The technical term is Dollar Cost Averaging.

Keep your heart and hope high, success will accompany you. Do not let yourself be shot down and keep growing no matter what.

4. Eyes on the Prize

As an ambitious person, I tend to go from idea to idea. I get excited by many different projects, which end up leading to nothing. Expecting dumb luck or some kind of innate talent. Not realizing that concentrating my energy was the answer. Bruce Lee put it best when he said:

“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”

When it comes to investing, set your end goal and thrive for that. When saving feels pointless this month remember that you do it for tomorrow. Keeping a clear goal in mind and focusing all your efforts on it.

Of course, blind loyalty even to yourself is a Damocles sword. With strong focus comes emotional attachment. Sometimes accepting to take a loss is the best decision you can make. The high focus tends to make that difficult. As we saw with Winston Churchill accepting a failure can define your success! 

I dive into this idea in my article “2020 Retrospective: 10 Important Lessons

I’m not special but if I stay concentrated. I might just become successful.

5. Will it even matter?

“Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.”

This quote by Albert Einstein caught me by surprise. I was tunneling on success.

Society has taught me success is all that matters. 

Yet, does it matter if I must betray my beliefs? 

When making a big decision I always come back to this quote. I ask “what is the cost of this success?”.

From investing to lifestyle decisions, realize your values are what define you. Without them you are but a dragon hoarding money and accolades. Working aimlessly towards growth is an illusion.

The only true measure of your success is how much you grow towards your values. As a way to stay true to my values, I read the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling weekly.  Alternatively, I explore the idea of setting goals in line with my values in my article “Financial Goals: Why I was Wrong”.

6. Where to start?

Whether it comes to storytelling, launching a company, or buying a house. We all get started with an idea. Pablo Picasso tells us to take a step back:

“You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.”

This resonates strongly with me. Of course, having objectives is important. On the other hand, being too specific can feel limiting. When I set off to write a new article I decide on a general topic and let it take me. The more free reign I give myself the more creative I get. 

Similarly when it comes to investments having rigid targets is taxing. I personally am aiming to save 5 digits this year. But I refuse to give myself an objective on returns. No one can control the market and when you are in it in the long run… one year’s returns is a drop in the ocean.

7. Success is accepting imperfection

Success won’t come easy. That’s a given. Success eludes many as they define it as reaching perfection. Perfectly mastering a skill, a perfect recipe or creation are but dreams. 

Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.

Salvador Dali

I find this quote relaxing. It reminds me that although quality is important – perfection is fiction. When I started Cent by Cent, I would refuse to publish an article if it wasn’t perfect. It took me a month to understand I’ll always find flaws in my work. It’s better to publish and grow than to stagnate and wait for perfection.

The same goes with Personal Finance, I’ve accepted I’ll never rid myself of all unnecessary expenses. It’s impossible simply because sometimes “treating” yourself is a necessity. I try to keep my mistakes to a minimum but accept that I can’t completely avoid them.

So What is success?

No Idea…

Really None.. but isn’t that the beauty of it? 

You are able to create your own definition of success. One thing that seems to be in common is to never back down. Whether it’s in life or in finance, hold your positions and give yourself the time to grow. 

The biggest cause of failure is giving up. On the other hand, I try to remember to not be stubborn. Sometimes, giving up is the best thing you can do. As long as you grow from every endeavour whether it ends in success or failure doesn’t matter.

We must strive to create our own measure of success and to live according to our values!

I would love to hear what you define success as and how you apply it to your everyday life.

2020 in the rear mirror

2020 Retrospective: 10 Important Lessons

The time has come to say goodby to this awful year. Finishing the year with a retrospective is a great way to appreciate our growth. Yet at the same time… Saying the past year was tough is an understatement.

Like many, I was determined not to let 2020 go to waste. It would be easy to wallow and think that we wasted 365 days. Inaction is always the easy route. This year especially required creativity to grow and improve. 

On the other hand, despite all its flaws 2020 was an amazing learning opportunity from self-improvement to personal finance. Never has my life changed this much. This article is an opportunity for introspection and a window into my mind.

Embrace uncertainty

If I had to take 1 thing away it uncertainty is unavoidable. I always thought I could design my future. 2020 showed me you must make the most of the cards you are given. 

It was liberating as it taught me to be more laidback. I take things as they come and enjoy the moment.

Better late than never

Before 2020 my investment portfolio was all of £200. I had tiptoed into using a roboinvestor but it had never really stuck as a habit. That was until I discovered the power of compounding interest. 

When I realized that £500 per month for 20 years would be worth £312k with an interest gain of £173.7k. I became impatient and had to start that instant. If you want to get into investing check out my article on “Investing with Vanguard.”

It would’ve been easier to think why not wait an extra year? As I had already lost the first 2 years of my career. On the other hand, I could start today and reap bigger rewards. 

It was a no brainer

coins in front of a clock money is time

Just start

As I grew up, I had a flawed idea – I believed in perfect timing. There was no point starting something if all the stars didn’t align. If I wanted to work out my body needed to be in top shape. 

Yet as I spent most of the year on furlough. I realized that appetite comes as we eat. The first minutes of exercise, writing, or cooking might feel dreadful. But as it goes on the result feels more rewarding and empowering. 

All I need to do is get going.

Define yourself

I grew up in a family of very hard-workers. Coupled with the societal belief that your work defines your identity. As I was sent home for the foreseeable future in March – I felt directionless. 

My goals and purpose had been solidly tied to my job and before that to my studies. For the first time, I had no given path. It left me with an empty feeling. Until my partner helped me wake up and showed me life had more to give. 

As 2020 went by I rediscovered what mattered to me and how I would build myself. This lead to Cent by Cent and countless memories!

Remain true to your values

values Strong like an oak

My own mortality

I was always aware that I will die. Luckily, I’ve always been in good health. Never had the thought will this be my last breath crossed my mind before 2020. As I was struggling to breathe in March – the thought dawned on me. 

“I might not wake up tomorrow”

The hospitals were full… people were dying and the UK was in crisis. I was laying there wondering how I would draw air in. There were no regrets to be had but I was lost. The situation only truly became apparent as I looked into my partner’s eyes. She was sharing my pain. 

I have lived a life that leaves me with no regrets. Every decision has led me to where I am today and for that I’m thankful. Yet one thought kept ringing in my mind.

It’s too early I still have so much to do, see, and create.

Creativity is within us all

My talent for the arts is close to none. I can’t draw or paint and you most definitely do not want to hear me sing. On the other hand, I’ve always been drawn to art – the need to create was buried within. 

The game-changer was writing. As I started publishing on Medium I found my voice and strived to help people on their Personal Finance Journey. Do my early articles make me cringe? Undoubtedly but they are a sign of progress.

Unlimited

It was easy to think that I wasn’t:

  • Talented enough
  • Creative enough
  • Funny enough

2020 is the year I realized. I create my own limitations. It’s up to me to set my limits and break them. There is no limit to my personal growth. The only way I stop growing is when I stop learning. 

A lifelong learner is unstoppable.

Agility is key

This year was a nightmare for all control freaks. Everything went out the window. Rules society relied on for decades were gone. Some reacted by closing themselves up and throwing up the white flag. Others used 2020 as a catalyst and put down the fight of their lives. 

A situation although immovable is what you make of it. 2020 could have been a lost year but I decided to make it mine. 

Was it perfect?

Far from it. 

But I adapted to this ever-changing world and made the most of it. My friend the Financial Imagineer shared this bit of wisdom: 

“When the wind of change blows, some build walls, some build windmills.”

An old Chinese saying

money in a tissue box

Money isn’t important

Sorry for misleading you. It is. But not as much as we think. Money is a tool. It allows us to purchase freedom and peace of mind. On the other hand, money isn’t the key to happiness. 

Have you ever tried hugging a stack of banknotes?

It’s cold and probably feels very lonely. Wealth is important as it allows you to focus on your true values. Falling in love with money is greed personified and a slippery slope to loneliness.

I explore this more in-depth in my article “Financial Goals: Why I Was Wrong”.

Never Alone

The grind is often sold as a 1 player game. Work as hard as you can neglect your relationships and build your wealth. On the other hand, you’ll reap the rewards down the road they say.

I have a simple question what is the point?

Throughout this year I was lucky enough to move in with my Significant Other, spend time with family and friends. After all, I found a community of like-minded people online that I’m excited to grow with. 

2020 might’ve been the year we were all a part but for me, it shone a bright light on my relationships. Don’t give up building meaningful relationships in pursuit of wealth. Life isn’t made to be lived in isolation.

If unfortunately, you had to spend the Holidays in isolation or alone. Please know that you are loved and valued whoever you are.

2020 retrospective

This year was full of surprises good or bad. But looking back, never have I grown and learned this much. Although, it came with its load of troubles 2020 counted double in many cases. 

The end of the year doesn’t mean the end of the pandemic, unfortunately. Yet it’s a great time to reflect and learn. What have you drawn from 2020 and how will you apply it in the future?

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