Income and Spending

Plan for things not going according to plan. Start with space. In monetary terms, that boils down to what your income is and what your spending is. In London Underground terms, mind the gap! There needs to be a gap between the two. 

A decent goal is building up to three to six months of what you normally spend in a month. Then you will be able to absord months that are not normal. You can expect unexpected expenses. 

You don’t know when, if, and how much they will be... but that doesn’t mean they need to be the boss of you. If something really big happens, it also buys you some time to adjust the plan. This creates the capacity for life-long learning rather than picking a path and sticking to it doggedly. 

Money is made through the supply and demand of skills and knowledge in containers. Supply and demand change. Once you have picked a path, something might happen that changes everything. You study IT and graduate as the Internet Bubble bursts. You study medicine in Holland, and so do all the smart kids, and then there are too many Dutch Doctors. The world is dynamic. 

You don’t get paid because of what you can do. You get paid because of what people need done, and how many options they have to get it done. 

Price is not value. Change price INTO value. Your value. By listening and responding to price, so that eventually you have the capital not to have to. A gap between your income and spending buys some time to do things at your pace.

Moving Underground