Wednesday, January 16, 2019

First Aid

I believe in Engine and Buffer building. In snapping the idea that people are productive assets defined by the work we do. A Buffer is some Capital that you have built up, that means that you are no longer living purely hand-to-mouth. It provides breathing space and resilience. It means that bumps don't break you. A sufficiently big Buffer, unused, can start to grow into an Engine. An Engine is a Muse. It earns the money so that you don't *need* to. It doesn't mean the work you do might not still make money, but that money becomes a bonus. You could choose to completely focus on something that doesn't make money. Like raising a family, creating art, or working a country mile from a wallet. Like putting in a chunk of unpaid time, that might one day lead to an opportunity to work in an area you would love to be.



Step One is more pragmatic. Step One is First Aid. You have to stop the bleeding. Apply pressure to the wound. The pumping heart of Financial Security is that your Ins are bigger than your Outs. There is a minimum amount you need to survive. If you don't have that, any idea of putting some aside is a hypothetical campfire story. Far too many people on this shared rock are not even at that point.

We spend a lot of time in Dreamland. Thinking of where we want to end up. I believe it is all about the base. The deep underlying confidence that you will be okay. Some of us are lucky. We come from communities where we know that to be true. The bank of Mom and Dad stands ready to step in. Friends and Family have spare rooms. Spare couches. A web of people care about us and stand ready to pick us up if we fall. There are jobs we could get at the drop of a hat, but don't, because they are "beneath us". We can move to cheaper houses. We can move to cheaper areas. We have options. A lot of people have no options.

Even if you have options. I still believe it is all about the base. Start where you are. Take control of the bleeding. Make sure you can get the Outs less than the Ins. Then start to build a Base. A floor to the worst case scenario. Grounding. Then you can explore. Then you can shoot for anything you want.
1. Stop the Bleeding
2. Build a Buffer
3. Build a Base
4. Build an Engine 

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