Hustle: Preparation
By: Jerry Hernandez
“Where you currently are in life is a product of all the decisions that you and those around you have made thus far.”
I view the first phase of life in general as the preparation phase. This is from the time that you are born until the time that you begin your career. What I define as career is the field or profession where you will spend the majority of your lifetime making money. There are many different people who come from a wide variety of circumstances- whether those are good or bad. With that taken into consideration, this phase may not be able to be as long for some as it is for others but that is not what is important. What’s important is how you spend this time.
One of the keys to successful preparation as far as financial literacy goes is education. No, I don’t mean that you have to get a college degree or you have to be the smartest student in the school. What I mean is that you are spending this time in your life learning and soaking up as much knowledge as you can. While degrees and high GPA’s aren’t a free ticket to financial success, the statistics show that those who do pursue a higher education are compensated substantially higher on average. Below represents weekly average earnings per educational attainment according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
These are the facts. While pursuing further education may not be your top priority, if setting yourself up for a higher paid profession is- then it may be worth it for you. As I mentioned above, even if a formal education is not your cup of tea, it is important to always have an intellectual curiosity. I have always loved the analogy of being a sponge and soaking up all of the knowledge that you can. I believe this applies to all phases of life but especially during this preparation phase. Don’t ever stop learning.
Throughout the different times in your life where you will have a goal, there will always be distractions that try to take you off course. Staying disciplined is being able to keep a laser focus on the goal you set and when it comes to preparation for your career and future financial situation, it is no different. But what all goes into having discipline? It is all about the little things. Making your bed. Cleaning your room. Sticking to your word. Not spending money on going out to eat when you have food at home. Not making a bad decision that could compromise you from reaching your goal. These are all examples of discipline and it is hard, but it is a vital factor in successful preparation.
Lastly, during the preparation phase to your financial success it is important to take advantage of the resources around you. Think to yourself, who has done this before me? Who would be willing to mentor me or give me guidance? Whose mistakes can I learn from? We live in a social age where we are arguably more connected than any other generation in the history of mankind. Use your network, resources, and connections to learn from. Figure out who has crossed this path before and what did they learn from it. Eliminate wasted steps.
Be a sponge. Understand your goals and how a formal education aligns with them.