Source: Dall-E
Life can be complicated
But when life gets complicated it is important to remember a single equation.
A + B = C
Source: Northview Church Service
Note to @emreal it was a good service you might want to check it out
And as with any equation you are given it typically requires explanation.
A = Where you are
C = Is your destination
All that is left is to solve for : B <-- How to get there.
Now that may seem like I'm oversimplifying things and I certainly am. However, when using the above equation it does force a few things.
First: You need to assess where you are at.
That may seem silly because everyone thinks they know where they are. Many people don't though. Many people are dwelling on things in the past. My son was one of them when he broke up with his girlfriend. Some people are so focused on what they don't have that they don't realize what they do. My son's ex-roommate was one of them. He was so focused on trying get money in his divorce that he lost sight of all the important things around him.
An honest evaluation of where you are, what you have, what resources you either have or can get can make a huge difference.
Second: You need to assess where you want to get to!
Again it may seem silly but so many people have no clue what they want to accomplish. Everyone says they want a good job, power, lots of money, gorgeous spouse and so on. Without an end goal though all of those things are useless. What good is a gorgeous spouse if you don't have a goal to share together? What good is money if you don't know how you should spend it? What good is power if you don't know what you will use it to accomplish?
Knowing my goals keep me grounded, give me direction, help me make decisions, and give me purpose.
Of course the real trick is knowing how to get there!
Now there a couple of acronyms that can help you with the process. You can remember to set "S.M.A.R.T. --- G.O.A.L.S."
SMART
- S - Specific: Make your goals clear, well-defined, and specific.
- M - Measurable: Set goals that can be measured, so you can track progress and success.
- A - Achievable: Ensure your goals are realistic and attainable within your capabilities.
- R - Relevant: Set goals that align with your broader objectives and are relevant to your aspirations.
- T - Time-Bound: Set a specific timeframe or deadline for your goals to create a sense of urgency and accountability.
GOALS:
- G - Specific Goals: Make your goals specific and well-defined.
- O - Observable: Ensure your goals are observable and measurable.
- A - Attainable: Set goals that are realistic and achievable.
- L - Long-Term Vision: Align your goals with a long-term vision or purpose.
- S - Steps and Strategies: Break down your goals into actionable steps and develop effective strategies to achieve them.
You may recognize those acronyms from a previous Hive Learner post for new initiates. That was before my time here though although I did remember the acronym 😉
For me I try to set the GOALS for the long term and try to be SMART in the steps and strategies to attain them. Together they make up the B in my equation up above.
But why am I going on and on about this?
For two reasons: First-- @fredaig asked
Second -- #HiveLearners has a post topic for self denial.
So let me tell you a bit about my goals for Hive..... I'm pretty sure that they are not what anyone else on Hive is working towards.
I should thank some people first: To @kronias for making the author of the week post.
https://www.ecency.com/hive-153850/@kronias/hive-learners-author-of-the-week-27
And to
@lightpen
@nkemakonam89
@gwajnberg
for their support in voting.
and congratulations to @jenthoughts for also being voted as co winner (I think).
I mention them because I really appreciate their support and for being chosen as a weekly winner. Even though recognition isn't my main focus on Hive (sorry guys)
But I got distracted.
What are my goals on Hive?
Well if you ask most people there will be some common goals on Hive
1) Make money!
Everyone likes making crypto, right?
2) Make friends!
Some people don't care much about money but friends are great too, right?
3) Power for change!
Have enough staked HP and you can make a difference on the blockchain and possibly much further. Some people want to wield the power!
4) Self Promotion!
Some people want to promote their singing or music techniques. Some people to promote their artwork. Others their video creation skills. Still others their viewpoints on the world or society. Lots of things to promote out there.
But when I told @fredaig I would never become a whale on the platform because its not my goal I got a bewildered reply. Why not?
Because I know my A + B = C
My "A" was absolutely nothing. I started with only my Hive username and ZERO coin. No friends. No contacts. Just some ideas to write about.
MY "B" is to write the best content I can on a regular basis. Invest what crypto I receive into HBD or staked HP... Also to learn about frugal living and get ideas on how to spend less.
My "C" is to be an inspiration to people who have nothing. My goal is to stake enough HBD to support ONE person in a sustainable lifestyle. To learn about ways to lead a frugal lifestyle so I don't have to stake so much. To learn about what is the minimum requirement for a comfortable life.
Why will I never be a whale?
Right now that goal is to make somewhere between 5,000 - 10,000 HBD and get a yearly income of 1,000 - 2,000 HBD. Then outline a lifestyle that would allow someone to live an OK (albeit frugal) lifestyle on that amount. Then find someone to give the money to in return for them blogging about what that lifestyle is like.
The reason?
HOPE
So many poor people have no hope. They have no roadmap to a better life. Faced with a world that gives them no value and no pathway to a better future.
If I can take a HIVE account with nothing and turn it into a decent net zero lifestyle I can hopefully be a source of inspiration to others. To show that there IS hope and there IS a way up. Not only for someone who has nothing but also for a world where we aren't polluting and ravaging nature.
Sure it is a boost to my ego when I get voted author of the week.
Sure I like getting more followers and upvotes
Sure I like receiving those nice boosts from @OCD or @lazy-panda
Sure I like making new friends (looking at you @monica-ene, @jjmusa2004 and the rest of the #Frugal crew)
But those aren't my goals. My one overarching goal is to make a light of hope showing that Hive is a possible way to financial self sufficiency and a better life. To provide a possible pathway for others less fortunate than myself.
But how does that relate to the Self-Denial post topic?
I'm not truly sure that it does.
I don't truly believe in Self-Denial. I believe in making wise choices.
There are many paths that a person can take... but if you look in the picture above only one of them leads to the house. If your destination is the house there is only one right choice to make. Another other choice is taking you somewhere you don't want to go!
A firm goal makes for easy decisions!
Example: I love my wife and my goal is to be married until I die.
When I have choices to make in life I'll choose
- not to flirt with other women,
- not to spend all my time on myself
- to clean up the house without being asked
- Look for ways I can be a good husband
Example: I have a goal to retire early and enjoy my senior years
When I have choices to make in life I'll choose
- not to spend on things I don't need
- not to get into long term debt
- to invest in income producing assets (rather than capital gain producing assets) as income helps fund retirement
- to protect my health by not over eating and by exercising regularly.
Now it would be quite possible in saying that I'm practicing Self-Denial in my future goals on Hive as I honestly have no desire to achieve anything for myself on Hive. My goals are to help someone I may not even have met yet.
I don't personally think I'd call it Self Denial though. I am absolutely making my own choices, on a path I choose, for the Goal I wish. It just happens that my Goal isn't ultimately for me
Looking at my life there are many things I could call "Self Denial".
Getting up at 4:45am to wake up my son?
Not eating Ice Cream while watching movies with my wife?
Not buying a nice, expensive Tesla and E-Bike,
Walking a dog that I never even wanted
But I'd rather think that I'm just pursuing other goals.
- I want to help my son succeed and will do anything to help his progress
- I want to be healthy when I get older so I can travel and see the world. Being fat makes that much harder.
- I want to retire early and more expenses mean I have to work that much harder.
- I love my wife and will help her look after the dog while she works and tries to achieve her goals.
I'm just making decisions to get to my "C" and not getting distracted by other things along the way.
Thanks for reading and feel free to disagree or leave comments
Thank you @terganftp and congrats does you too.
For today's blog you said it very well. Having specific goals will really guide us what to act towards reaching that goals.
Absolutely. Can't get where you going if you don't know where you are going!
After reading it, I asked myself where I am going and I am looking at the space.. 🥺
Hehe.... I did say figuring out where you are going is easy to say but hard to actually do. Most people don't really know where they are going and just follow where the day takes them.
As a housewife and mother, seems I belong to it. All I know is to support my son and my husband.
I would never underestimate the influence of a wife and mother. If it wasn't for the encouragement (and prodding) of my wife to accomplish more I would never have done nearly as much as I have. If it wasn't for my wife helping me with the children they would never have become who they are.
You signed up for a hard job when you said "I Do" but there are still goals and purpose even its hard to see sometimes with all the housework, chores, and so on.
Good luck ;)
Thank you for these kind words.
I believe you've answered the prompt rightly as you've denied yourself so as to attain the comfort of those around you and perhaps, someone you may not have even met.
Your kind is rare. Life is generally a give and/or take but you willing to give especially without expecting is rare. You're right, many are here to make the money (perhaps not a bad idea) but beyond the money we make, how are we able to impact on those struggling or less privileged? Do we have in mind others to impact? Are the less privileged or poor on our To-Help list?
Personally, my heart is open to help but resources are limited yet you've opened my mind to a more positive reasoning of focusing on C through B while realizing A.
Thank you dear friend
In the Philippines they have a term they call 'Lobster Mentality'. They say that everyone in the Country is a Lobster. They are all in the pot being boiled. Some try to escape only to be brought back down by others. They say that if only one person could escape they could help the others out!
Well... I want to be the one to escape! Then reach down and help another out. Who in turn helps another and so on. In that way everyone wins!
However, I can only do what I am doing because I've worked diligently to be financially secure. I have enough and at this point I have two options: Try to be richer (what most people do) or enjoy what I have and try to help others become richer (what I dream to do).
The problem is this:
Which is why I want to be an example of how someone can work themselves.
As a Christian I believe we are supposed to be an example for others. That's my goal and God willing I'll attain it.
Or I could crash and burn.
I'm really not cut out to be a blogger....but I keep trying anyways 🙃
Necessity is the mother of invention. The need to blog pass your message through blogging will only make you a better blogger.
It's good to establish a chain that works to pull others up but like you said, you have two options, running dry or getting richer (what others do versus your dream) and unfortunately, your dream could run you down with the heart of gold you own to help as many people.
Perhaps we'll go back to the chain, a friend of mine, @takhar recently wrote a post on the Flywheel structure in Business see post here
Perhaps you just need to identify that fulcrum that'll bring about the dream you desire.
Thank you for always
Thanks for the mention bro! It seems like a hard decision to make between running dry and getting richer. But I think it will be good to prioritize ourselves first, walk the path of getting wealthy, achieve it and then talk about helping other people also walk the path or something else related to that.
For me, running dry is really not an option. Because I could see it turning into a vicious cycle where it becomes hard to get out of. It's could also be at the detriment of my own self.
This is an interesting topic that many people face at some stage in their life journey.
Awesome view. One option is definitely a no go area
Hehe... I specifically won't let myself be drawn down. That's why I like HBD. If I was to have 10,000HBD the interest would be about 2000HBD yearly. In Naira about 1.5M Naira/year. That amount would be over 100,000 Naira monthly. Far more than minimum wage and what I'm hoping would be a marginally liveable wage for one person.
I could hire a person forever without touching the principal and dragging myself down.
Now if I can get that person working making some money to re-invest in more HBD (or other investment) then there comes a time when I can help a second person and then continue the chain.
I'm using HIVE because I can have my investment and use it too :)
I will look at the Flywheel structure of business later tonight though. Off to a movie with friends tonight.
Interesting thoughts
Enjoy your night out sir
Hello @terganftp :)
I think that's a great strategy you have here with HBD. One could literally retire from work in the traditional sense and earn passive income from the 20% APR when enough HBD is saved.
And the snowball effect could begin from their in which the interest could be used to build other investments and passive income streams until you have more funds coming your way. I think that's a standard path that the wealthy use and it's a bit mind blowing that we could also do it now on another scale with HBD.
Hive is truly a great opportunity that many have realised the impact it could have on their lives if they stick with it for some years. I see blogging as the gateway or entry point. But the Hive ecosystem is really much bigger than that.
HIVE is so much bigger! However my first goal is crazy enough when I tell people. If I was to go deeper into its possibilities people would think I was truly insane... so one thing at a time. Thanks for the response 😀
Indeed! it can be that way sometimes, we have big ambitions and goals that we want to achieve but it is good to take things none step at a time. That's what I like to do in most cases.
You're most welcome :)
Your resilience to blogging is second to none, have you realized that not are able write a content of even 5mins read?
It is always a struggle for many but look at you making voluminous contents just to impact lives.
We have many lazy readers here 😅who find it hard to go through large contents as these else we would have had more people engaging on your blogs, there is always something to learn therein.
Hehe...
I know I'm a terrible Hivian. I'm supposed to write short easy to read blogs but I'm trying to keep things short and they still end up long.
Thanks for your kind words though. I do appreciate it.
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Very valid points you have laid out, one has to set goals before pursuing. I think making wise choices still has some relation with self denial because in making the wise choice you choose to deny yourself the wrong one. Great analogy by the way. I will love to read more of your post.
You are absolutely correct. You have to say to the choices that don't get you where you want to go. Some of those choices can be very tempting...just ask any guy who cheated on his wife! Or I suppose any woman who cheated on her diet 😉
However it's also a point of view am I saying no to a tempting ice cream sundae or yes to healthy lifestyle.
Point of view and frame of mind so much in every aspect of life.
As the saying "it's mind over matter"...
.... if you don't mind.. it don't matter .
Thanks for the response and have a great day
Great analogy😏😁.
Yes mind over matter. Thanks for responding.