Chapter 3 The first and second law of wealth

The day that the king has long waited for has arrived, the day of the great feast has come. Kings and Queens from different places came to celebrate with king Xerxes.

The richest man in Israel has also arrived and when the king saw him, he said to him

" Solomon, is it true thou art the richest man in Israel? "

"So it is reported, Your Majesty and no man disputes it?"

" Solomon, our city is in a very unhappy state because few men know how to acquire wealth and therefore monopolize it, while the mass of our citizens lack the knowledge of how to keep any part of the gold they receive. It is my desire that my subjects are wealthy. Therefore we must teach all the people how to acquire riches. Tell me, Solomon, is there any secret to acquiring wealth? Can it be taught? "

" It's practical, Your Majesty. That which one man knows can be taught to others. "

The king's eyes glowed

" Solomon , thou speak the words I wish to hear. Will thou lend thyself to this great cause? Will thou teach thy knowledge to a school as a teacher?"

Solomon bowed and said " I am thy humble servant to command. Whatever knowledge I possess, I will gladly give to the betterment of your subject."

The feast went on and on for days Solomon began to teach the people how to monopolize their wealth. He asked a few people what they do for a living and he said to them,

"Students, you can see that there are many jobs and tasks that people can do to earn money. Each job is like a stream of money that flows into thy pocket. The amount of money you can earn depends on how well you do your job. So each of you has a stream of money coming into your pocket, big or small, depending on your skill?"

They all agreed that it was so." Then " Solomon continued

" If each of you craves wealth, isn't it smart to start by using the resources you already have?"

They all agreed again

"Now I will tell you the first remedy. Save a little money each time you get paid. Put 10 coins in your wallet, but only take out 9. Your wallet will start to get heavier, and you'll feel happy and satisfied.

Don't think this is silly because it's simple. The truth is often easy to understand. I'm telling you how I built my wealth, and this is how I started. I used to have an empty wallet and was unhappy, but when I started saving, my wallet got fatter.

Here's a surprising thing: when I stopped spending all my money, I didn't feel like I had less. And soon, money started coming to me more easily. It's like a rule that if you save some of your money, more money will come to you. But if your wallet is empty, money will avoid you.

What do you want more? To buy things that make you happy for a day, like jewelry, nice clothes, or more food? Or do you want to save your money and have more wealth in the long run?"

"Here's the first solution I found to fix my empty wallet: 'For every 10 coins I earn, I only spend 9.' Discuss this among yourselves and see if you can find any flaws. If anyone can prove it doesn't work, let me know tomorrow when we meet again."

The Following Day.

"Yesterday, I told you to save one-tenth of your earnings. Some of you asked, 'How can we do that when we barely have enough money for our necessary expenses?' Well, let me tell you a secret: our necessary expenses always seem to match our income, unless we make a conscious effort to reduce them.

Don't confuse your needs with your wants. You all have more wants than you can afford, so you spend your money on those wants. But you still have unfulfilled desires.

Even I, with my wealth, can't fulfill all my desires. I have limits on my time, energy, and resources. Desires are like weeds - they grow freely if you let them.

Look at your spending habits and see where you can cut back. Make sure you get the most value for every coin you spend. Remember, save one-tenth of your earnings and be mindful of your expenses."

"Write down everything you want to spend money on. Pick the essential ones and some extras that fit within your budget of 9/10 of your income. Cross out the rest and accept that you can't have everything.

Make a budget for your necessary expenses, but don't touch the 1/10 saved for your future. Keep adjusting your budget to help you achieve your goals.

A student spoke up, "I don't want to be restricted by a budget. I want to enjoy life and not feel like a slave to savings." Solomon replied, "Who will decide your budget? You will. Just like a pack-ass wouldn't burden itself with unnecessary weight, you shouldn't either. A budget helps you prioritize and control your spending, so you can afford what's truly important. It's not about depriving yourself, but about making conscious choices."