The Law of the Harvest has biblical implications, but for the non-religious among us there are some parallels we can draw that will also help us set and achieve our financial goals. In my quick’ish style, allow me to do just that.
THE LAW OF THE HARVEST
Long before a farmer can harvest his crops, a significant amount of planning and work must be done. In the Springtime fields must be plowed. Seeds must be planted. Weeds must be pulled before they take root. Plenty of sunshine and water are required, but after a long season of toiling the hard work is paid off with a bountiful harvest.
REAP WHAT YOU SOW
If you want to harvest corn, you don’t plant watermelon seeds. But you can’t just plant your corn and walk away. If you want a strong, healthy crop then you must constantly pull weeds. Fertilize your soil. Eliminate pests. Add extra water when nature doesn’t provide enough. Prune when there is overgrowth.
There are no shortcuts. If you don’t put in the work, you won’t get the harvest. You reap what you sow.
The same holds true with our finances. Long before you can retire, a significant amount of planning and work must be done. In the Springtime of your life you need to prepare by educating yourself. Avoiding debts. Creating good financial habits.
As time passes you need to keep up the hard work. You prepare for droughts and famines by having an emergency fund. You create multiple streams of income and you continue to avoid debt and you also steer clear of lifestyle inflation.
REAP MORE THAN YOU SOW
Unlike farmers that get no shortcuts, the nature of our financial systems actually provides us with an awesome opportunity to reap more than we sow. If you work hard enough and smart enough while you’re young, you can enjoy an early harvest that will sustain you for the rest of your life. All you need to do is save a high percentage of your income (50%), invest your money (index & chill), avoid debt and steer clear of lifestyle inflation.
Even if you’re like me and got a late start to this financial game, you can still take advantage of this opportunity. You might not be able to retire in your early 30s, but you can still shave an easy decade or more off a traditional working career.
Money is a funny thing. Left on it’s own, it loses value over time, but if you put it to work your money will grow and multiply for you.
GET TO WORK AND SEIZE YOUR OPPORTUNITY
Thomas Edison once said that “opportunity is missed by most people because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Don’t miss your opportunity because you weren’t willing to work hard for it.
One way or another you’re going to have to work hard in this life. If you work hard and sacrifice for a few years right now, you can avoid working hard and sacrificing for a significantly longer time later on.
It’s your choice, but the law of the harvest it real and eventually you’re going to reap what you sow. Choose wisely.
Chime in!
Are you going to enjoy the fruits of your labors? Are you nervous about the harvest you’re going to get?
8 replies on “The Law of the Harvest Applies to Your Finances Too”
They say youth is wasted on the young. Financially speaking, this was so true for me. While I didn’t completely waste my 20’s (financially speaking) I wish I had started a lot younger.
Great post today!
I think about the early start I didn’t get all the time. Had I discovered FIRE in my 20s I’d be done by now! Oh well, I’m just glad I got my act together when I did, otherwise I’d be looking down the barrel of 25 more working years instead of 8
I can say from firsthand experience that this post is emphatically correct. Once I dedicated myself to mastering the rules of money and ditching sloth, I retired in a mere fourteen years. The only problem is that I began the law of the harvest when I was 42 years old. Moral of the story? Start young and honor the law of the harvest. Great freakin’ post, my friend. Bravo.
On a timeline I got started just a couple of years before you did. I’m 2 years into my 10 year FIRE plan (I’ll be 42 this December); goal is to FIRE before I hit 50. I want to be able to say I retired in my 40s!
Great post, Ty! I have always loved that Thomas Edison quote. The law of the harvest is so simple, yet so profound. I also loved that you pointed out that with our money, we can actually reap more than we sow.
Thanks, Cody! Reaping more than we sow is what makes it possible to Get Rich Quick’ish 😀
I’ve been thinking about blogging and this applies too. It took a long time to build up my blog before I started making some income. Now the income is good and I’m reaping the benefit of the work I put in. The income is good now, but it probably won’t stay this good. We have to make hay while the sunshine. I bet the blog income will drop quite a bit when we get a recession. The same applies to regular jobs too. There will be a time when you can’t or don’t want to work at that job anymore. You have to save for the rainy days.
Great parallel, Joe! I’ve been blogging for just over 2 years now, but I’ve been so inconsistent with it that I’ve had a hard time building up momentum. I hope the sun shines long enough for me to start making some hay!