A Lesson from General Patton

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We need fight against financial mediocrity - or worse - as an all-our war. Consider the fact that, as hard as we all try to hold onto our wealth and to expand it, there are armies of scammers whose main goal is to take it from you. If you don’t believe this to be true, or if you’re response is, “You can’t look at it that way,” then take a good look at that pile of junk mail that you received yesterday. (Please tell me, “I can’t; I already threw it away.”) Alternatively, think of the last scammy phone call you received offering you a $500 Costco travel rewards voucher. They’re hard at work, 24/7.

You may enjoy your profession, even if you work for somebody else; I enjoy mine, and do not disparage it. Yet, that corporate employer’s offer of a 2-3% annual raise is a double-edged sword that may deceive you into thinking that 2-3% is the very best you can do to expand your means.

There’s a mental war that we need to fight and to win. We cannot allow complacency or silly short-term distractions, like time-share peddlers and shady loan companies, to bribe us with their poisoned candy.

Today I saw a powerful quote in a book on General George S. Patton, Supreme Allied Commander during World War II:

“We’ll win this war, but we’ll win it only by fighting and showing the Germans that we’ve got more guts than they have; or ever will have. We’re not just going to shoot the sons-of-(redacted), we’re going to rip out their living (redacted) guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks.”

Replace “Germans” with “poverty,” “debt,” “mediocrity,” or whoever your current financial enemy is. Don’t give up, don’t give in. Position yourself as powerfully as possible. Overwhelm and destroy the enemy before it defeats you.

I’m still in the trenches in my personal war against those forces. Powerful words from a successful military leader can be inspiring.

Thanks for reading,
Nathaniel Wyckoff

 

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