THE TOMORROW OF YESTERDAY IS NOW!
How to Build Real Financial Awareness
Part II
Hello, and thank you for either opening this blog for the first time or coming back to read Part II.
If this is your first time here, I recommend reading Part I first (though it’s not strictly necessary, as this part focuses mainly on the “How”). If you’re returning — welcome back!
Being financially aware means we are conscious of our current financial situation and future prospects, and we take active steps to create, grow, and protect our financial stability.
The traditional method of doing this was simple: set aside a portion of your spendable income after covering necessities. Most people placed that money in a savings or deposit account at a bank. For generations, this approach worked well because the interest earned allowed the savings to grow and compound over time.
However, in recent years this conservative strategy has been severely undermined by global economic instability — made even worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, leaving money in a bank often means losing purchasing power due to historically low (and sometimes negative) interest rates. Ironically, it can be easier to make money by borrowing than by saving. (The mattress might be making a comeback.)
Many young people are already aware of this reality. They understand the urgency of becoming financially awake and taking proactive steps now.
This post is meant to caution those who are rushing in and to wake up those who are still asleep.
Brokerage apps have made stock market investing more accessible than ever by bringing it straight to our smartphones. While this sounds like progress, it has actually worsened an existing problem. “App investing” is causing more people to lose money (sometimes even borrowed money they never really had) instead of building wealth.
The truth is, there are no shortcuts to winning in the stock market, real estate, precious metals, or any other form of investing.
Despite often lacking cash, many of us find it easier to spend money than to spend time learning how to invest intelligently. Learning requires mental effort, and apparently that can cause brain damage (or so I’ve been told). So it feels safer and easier to tap on colourful charts, flashing “BUY BUY BUY” buttons, or act on a hunch after watching a YouTube clip of Warren Buffett.
After all, who has time to study when we have the gym, yoga, football training, pub nights, restaurant dates, cocktail bars, nightclubs, online gaming, Netflix series, shopping trips, and city breaks? How on earth are we supposed to find time for “boring” financial education?
To meet this demand, a flood of self-proclaimed “financial gurus” and online courses has appeared. Financial education has become a multi-million-dollar industry.
But here’s the catch: even if you learn, there is still no guarantee of success. Being willing to listen and learn is good — blindly following anyone (including me) is dangerous.
We should be cautious about signing up for every “six-figure” investing platform promising quick results with “earn while you learn” programmes. Their main goal is usually to get your money as fast as possible — before you realise the real cost or that the programme may not be right for you.
Even reputable educators or successful entrepreneurs cannot guarantee you the same results they achieved. Many of them rightly advise: keep your job, work harder, pay off bad debt, and build an emergency fund of 3–6 months of expenses first. (Not very sexy, I know.)
From personal experience, many of my own failed courses had less to do with the course quality and more to do with my own lack of discipline and preparation. For most of us, becoming a good student of money first requires serious inner work.
That said, I must admit something that might sound contradictory:
While fully understanding the importance of knowledge, I used it as an excuse not to act. My inner voice kept saying “just wait until you finish this next book/course/blog.” New material kept appearing, and I stayed stuck in analysis paralysis.
Eventually you have to jump.
You will make mistakes. You will win some and — as Robert Kiyosaki says in Rich Dad Poor Dad — “learn from some.” The experience and wisdom you gain are priceless. Every mistake makes you stronger for the next decision.
Financial education and self-development are still essential — think of them as pre-jump training and a parachute. But at some point, you still have to jump. Every subsequent jump becomes more confident, but risk never fully disappears.
The time, effort, and sacrifices you make now will pay you back in the future. A future where you will have greater ability to cut losses, seize opportunities, and enjoy real freedom — including the freedom to live that bucket-list lifestyle, but from a place of genuine financial awareness, fulfilment, and peace.
Because you are now fully alive
in the tomorrow of yesterday.
P.S.
How was Part II for you? Feel free to share your thoughts.
Christopher
