It didn’t concern me too much when the water starting rising but as we sat on the porch and talked, the water level continued to slowly increase. There was no room for any more without flooding the upper part of the yard. Just as we were wondering how high it might get, the water began to quickly descend. It looked as if someone had pulled the plug of a giant bathtub. For several hours it continued to drain until finally all the water disappeared. We had witnessed a great influx of water only to see it mysteriously disappear. It was as if nothing had ever happened. Fast forward six hours and the whole process repeated itself. This cycle occurred every day we were on vacation. Come to find out this happens twice every day. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
Our income is like that water. It comes into our control and just as quickly seems to leave. What’s left is nothing. We are right back where we started. It is as if nothing had ever happened. For some this cycle occurs daily but for others it happens weekly, bi-weekly, every two weeks or once a month. What comes in goes right back out. This is so normal it isn’t considered anything out of the ordinary.
Our finances don’t have to be like that marsh! After the water drained, it left behind a muddy, quicksand-like surface. Who could walk on that? When the tide was out, the dock was stuck in the mud. At high tide, the dock found itself loosed from the mud. It was floating freely on the surface. Our finances are muddy when we have no money. In fact, the lack of money can keep us stuck in financial mud. When we save even a little bit, it provides the ability to stay afloat. Remember what Ben Franklin wrote as Poor Richard, “Small leaks sink great ships.” Begin to patch the holes in your financial life. Just because a marsh is designed to fill and drain doesn’t mean your money has to do the same. The side effect would be a flood you would welcome. A flood of money. It could happen if you plug the holes before all the money runs out.
What ways can you find to plug the holes that cause your finances to drain?
