I often say that a person has their back against the wall when circumstances strip them of the ability to make choices. It’s true that in the absolute sense, we always have choices. But here, we are basing this on the real behavior of most people when faced with circumstances. When a person finds themselves with their back against the wall, they often manage to find ways to surpass themselves, achieving feats they could never have accomplished if they hadn’t been in such a position.

The economic and financial crisis is an example of a circumstance that has the power to push countries against the wall, driving them towards creativity, innovation, and modernization. History shows us that many advancements in economic, financial, and industrial fields are the result of economic crises.

What is true for states is also true for individuals. This is why the majority of people who have created substantial wealth previously experienced lack. This lack put them against the wall, leaving them no choice but to do everything possible to earn a lot of money. Since not everyone has had the privilege of experiencing lack, the principle of creating a crisis, as explained above, allows one to voluntarily put themselves against the wall.

A person who has an income of 1,000.00 Euros, expenses of 950.00 Euros, and decides to set aside 400.00 Euros as savings, has just created a crisis. This crisis becomes much more real if the 400.00 Euros of savings are far out of reach, for example, by placing them in a locked account or entrusting them to a trustworthy person who agrees not to return them before the agreed deadline.

Crisis Makes Sacrifice Easy

Personally, I believe that the most excellent advantage of a crisis is that it makes sacrifice easier to bear. What was difficult, complicated, or unthinkable before the crisis becomes simple and normal during the crisis. This is how some people who do not dare to ask for help in normal times manage to do so without shame or embarrassment during a crisis.

I know a friend who wanted to increase his income but didn’t want to accept a job cleaning an office from 5:00 to 7:00 AM, Monday to Friday. This friend felt that the job was humiliating and that he couldn’t start his day that early in the morning. But when his wife lost her job and the family’s income significantly decreased relative to their expenses, he accepted the cleaning job under the same conditions.

When you decide to voluntarily put yourself in a crisis as explained above, you will also find the strength and courage to make many sacrifices that you cannot make in normal times. Among the sacrifices that many people do not want to make in normal times, we can mention the following: Asking, seeking, knocking: in normal times, pride prevents many people from asking for help from those who could help them increase their income.

These people prefer not to increase their income rather than humiliate themselves and ask for help that could make a difference in their finances. They prefer to pretend they have no problems instead of being transparent and taking advantage of the help others can provide. The truth is that we cannot achieve great things without others. If we want to earn a lot of money, we need the help of others.

Others are also ready to help us as soon as we ask. We also need to seek insistently and persistently to access the best things the world has to offer. Most people wait until they are against the wall to ask, seek, and knock.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

Working in Uncomfortable Conditions

In normal times, many people are only willing to do the work they love. These people are not flexible when it comes to uncomfortable working conditions. They prefer not to earn a lot of money rather than doing particularly challenging work due to, for example, the start time, end time, the temperature at which the work is done, the nature of the work, etc.

The truth is that regardless of the economic context, there is always enough work for those who are willing to make sacrifices. But only those who find themselves against the wall take advantage of these opportunities. When you decide to create a monthly financial crisis as explained, you will be surprised to realize how capable you are of asking, seeking, and knocking persistently until something happens.

You will be surprised to find that you are willing to do work you wouldn’t have dared to do in normal times. All these positive changes will significantly contribute to your financial success.

This text is an excerpt from the book “MASTERING THE ART OF SAVING” by Dominique MBOG.

We invite you to read the following article “Discouragement.”