Throttling Up...
This weeks theme for daily posts covered our individual Efforts and Energy, and we tie back into the JOBs theme from last week, diving deep into Edition 3 (the overview) of this KnowledgeBombs InfoLetter on #MilitaryTransition. Listen HERE, instead of reading (~8:00 minutes)!
ORIENTATION
We're on the flight line getting ready for take-off, and not in flight yet, because of the approach many in this #militarytransition arena are taking: complete and total focus on JOBs, with little attention, effort, or energy being put toward much more important matters before the "JOB search" begins...including MilSpouses.
I had this revelation in the Spring 2020, when I realized "We've got transition all backwards."
That lightbulb moment resulted in a journey bringing us to today before launching our Liberator Bomber and bringing destruction to the outdated ideas and antiquated methods hurting our Armed Forces Families, in service and far beyond it, too.
Efforts & Energy & JOBs
The Efforts and Energy we put into JOBs are reflected in our personal balance sheet...the weight of assets and liabilities we have ownership of.
Assets are things that pay us to own them, putting "money" in our pockets.
Liabilities are things that we pay others to have (taking "money" away from us and out of our pocket, such as the house we live in-mortgaged or not, vehicles-with loan or not, and groceries, e.g.).
The JOB itself is an asset...but not to the employee. It's an asset to the employer, and a liability to the employee. Here's why:
The JOB provides a positive net income (cash flow) to the employer. Otherwise they wouldn't hire the employee.
The JOB is a liability to the employee because: i) the tax burden ii) the employee doesn't own the job. The "boss" paying the employee owns the job and can take it away when conditions or the environment warrant doing so.
The JOB owns the employees time...because a thousand others are seeking a JOB. One slight misstep or an unfortunte set of ecomomic circumstances could deem a job unnecessary on a moments notice (think March 2020).
When all of our efforts and energy must go to keeping a JOB, we're unprepared if, and when, that JOB is taken away.
The Savings Connection & "Cash"
Pivoting the discussion slightly, it's important to consider our "savings" as connected to the JOB and our efforts and energy. Once we're able to see how our savings is simply a representation of the time, effort, and energy stored from productive efforts, our view changes on what "money" and savings really is.
And if the personal balance sheet is more heavily weighted toward liabilities instead of assets, then we're on a hamster wheel, and in the rat race, and not getting ahead in the jobs or in our lives. It's as simple as that.
It's important to recognize paychecks from jobs are just a tool.
Have you ever heard the old saying,
"Cash is King?"
It's true, today the "Cash is King" quote is absolutely true (for now, anyways). But there's another phrase that's just as, if not more, important:
"...but Cash Flow is Queen."
But first, let's revisit the words we're using.
Historically, "cash" is a "money box."
The word "cash" derives from the Middle French caisse ("money box"), which derives from the Old Italian cassa, and ultimately from the Latin capsa ("box"). Another origin for the word "cash" is the Portuguese word caixa, which derives from Tamil word kācu, a small copper coin of gold or silver.
Hence those who "hold the gold (and silver)" in the cash box made (perhaps make?) the rules. But over time the words we've been conditioned to use have changed, and definitions adjusted to fit someone else's agenda.
That's all a topic for another day, though. For now, we're throttling up to get this Liberator in the air!
JOBs & Retirement Savings
Retirement savings in financial services vehicles has the Cash Flow from your JOB going to the custodians of your savings, and not you.
That becomes a tremendous disadvantage to you over the long run, from multiple perspectives, too (think tax liability, access to capital, their use of your efforts and energy today, via "savings," to work for them now, instead of you).
Additionally, as credit cards and long term debt is piled up, you're bringing forward personal purchasing power from the future to today. You're spending your efforts and energy to pay interest to the institution who loaned you the capital, siphoning more time, effort, and energy out of your life.
The Savings Custodians
While we're here, I'll offer a contrarian thought about your "retirement savings account" custodian(s):
It's commonly said
People only do business with people they know, they like, and they trust.
Do you know your retirements savings vehicle(s) custodians?
If you're one of the few who know's the people who have control of your retirement savings, do you like them, too?
And if you both know and like them to your satisfaction, do you trust that they're competent enough to oversea your future financial security for decades - and are certain it'll have the purhcasing power you need to sustain a comfortable standard of living?
If so, great!
If not, well, you've got some homework to do. And work requiring your immediate attention, too.
For a quick crash-course discussion on purchasing power, listen to my podcast episode from January.
Until next week, remember, slow is smooth...and smooth is fast.
We're gonna get this bomber in the air!
SUMMARY
The idea here is: time, efforts, and energy are limited, just like the bombs and fuel in our Liberator Bomber.
Slightly shift the perspective on jobs, efforts, and energy, and you'll begin taking control of your life back from the government...and the corporations...the Wall Street financial services...and the employer...as a workerbee employee and consumer funneling your life's energy into other people's (perhaps strangers?) custody.
Consumption over production has caught up to you and your family...and to our society, too. Your need for a job proves it.
True wealth is control of our time with access to goods and services we desire to consume or produce where we want, when we want, with whom we want, for as long as we want without consideration for the "cost."
Free isn't necessarily without cost. And value is in the eyes of those receiving it.
And remember...the word's we're using, they matter.
Liberty is found in our mind.
We'll see you in flight.
To Your Liberty,
🗽
P..s. You're invited to join us for the weekly Liberty Power Hour every Thursday at 1600EST/1500CST/1300PST to ask questions, discuss the newsletter series, talk Liberty, or simply hang out with the Liberty crowd! Liberty Link available via DM to me on LinkedIn, too. Engage!👇🏼
