You Have to Think Like a Squirrel to Change Your Mindset About the Future.
We live for today. Squirrels plan for tomorrow. There is a lot we can learn from them to become better humans.
There is no amazon.com in the natural world. Animals in the wild are susceptible to changes in seasons and therefore retain their mammalian instincts to cope with Mother Nature. There is a lot that we can learn from them.
Squirrels are heroes, in my opinion. There is so much we can learn from them. And for some reason, there is some uncanny resemblance they bear to my late great-grandmother.
Yes, they hoard.
Now it may sound a little harsh to use the word “hoard” because of a negative connotation, but the merit of hoarding lies in providing insurance for the rainy day.
We know the rainy day will come. We do not know when. Therefore, we have to prepare.
Winters are like internet downtimes for squirrels. For us, we cannot place any orders online and get them delivered to our place.
Fortunately for us, we can get out to the grocery store. Squirrels are not that lucky. When the world they know is buried thick under the snow with no nuts within their line of sight, they go nuts.
Year after year of living through harsh winters taught them to save for the imminent future. While they might not think the way I assume, I believe that they operate on this arbitrary golden ratio where they eat one nut and squirrel the other one away.
While we are no longer susceptible to Mother Nature’s seasonal temperament, there is so much to learn from the squirrels.
For one, they teach us how to future-proof our finances in years to come. We often struggle with our finances because we place an overriding emphasis on consumption today over saving for tomorrow.
That is because retirement tomorrow is too far away, and we cannot relate. Not consuming leisure today is potentially boring and socially punishing.
And it does not have to be one or the other. Like the squirrels, we can have our cake and eat it. When we earn $2, we can spend $1 and keep $1.
Money is hard to come by. While we do not give any second thought to exchanging our time and labor for money, that day will come where people will actively retire us from the workforce for various reasons beyond our control.
It will be too late to save when that day arrives. It will be too late to start squirreling nuts away at the sight of the first snowflake.
That is the moment where we want to feel safe and secure, knowing that we have enough financial nuts in our hideout, where we can sleep and eat to outlast the winter.
When we have the luxury to outlast a personal or professional winter, we can bid our time and wait for spring to come around once again.
It is an option that is brilliant to have and exercise. It will come when we have contingency reserves at our disposal.
Always Have Contingent Reserves!
Aldric
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