Joseph's "Just My Thoughts"

Invisibly, we engage in a fierce struggle with ‘time.’ Both economic activities and wealth accumulation are battles against time. Time is fair and irreversible. Therefore, it makes sense to evaluate and judge the value of an asset based on time. Additionally, we analyze past records to assess and forecast the future, while also avoiding current deprivation by bringing the concept of ‘future’ into the present to compensate for insufficient assets. All of this is the magic of time. The past influences the present, and the future shapes the present. The present of the past is molded by the current moment, and the future will also attempt to predict what lies ahead by examining the present. We live by differentials and sometimes integrals. I believe this phenomenon occurs because the concept of infinity exists. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Being in debt means using up the future in the present. Essentially, it’s about how we manage our time. Therefore, the most valuable resource for debtors is time, and it depends on which side time favors. Paying off debt is like repaying borrowed future time early. When the ability to generate wealth over time decreases, the future time becomes a burden, and the debtor faces the pain of bankruptcy. Taking on debt is costly. It may seem like borrowed money is repaid with money, but the irreplaceable resource of time is also returned along with interest. With the rise of postpaid credit cards as a common payment method, we’ve become less sensitive to the associated pain and cost. There are two ways to spend money: using present time or future time. The costs and pain are much higher when the future is spent as if it were the present. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

To receive investment or borrow money is to use the “future” in advance. We should be cautious about using the “future” ahead of the present . The way to determine whether a transaction is favorable or unfavorable is to assess whether the time associated with it is beneficial or hostile to you. Time affects both the weak and the strong equally. This fairness is daunting. It embodies the fear that there are no exceptions to this principle. If the amount of sand (time) in both hourglasses is the same and the gravitational pull is equal, but the amount of sand falling is different, the outcome is significantly different. The fairness of time causes those who live in the future rather than the present to consume irretrievable value. The poor either do not recognize or overlook the fact that increases or decreases in wealth inevitably discriminate against those who live simultaneously. There is nothing more foolish than moving forward in time knowingly. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The most common excuse for people who can’t save money is that they don’t have enough to spend. This is true, but it is also unacceptable. You don’t have enough to spend because you’ve pulled your future income into the present and spent it in advance. Taking a loan , getting an investment , and using a credit card all share one thing in common: they move future time into the present. There can be no investment that ignores the effect of time and no money management that does not consider time. Discounting the future means that there is no present income; instead, future income is drawn into the present and used. There is only one way out of this trap. Currently, the only way to reduce expenditure is through frugality . After that, you can only increase your income . - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Human abilities have limits. When current skills fall short, people often rely on potential future abilities; yet, these capabilities won’t emerge without bounds. Drawing on future potential to resolve present issues can lead to complications—this occurs due to the Law of Equivalent Exchange, which reveals that previously used potential can create new challenges in the present. Delaying payment for these abilities merely postpones the inevitable, leaving the core issues unresolved. This payment is termed “hardship.” - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

McDonald’s main menu featured barbecue, and the hamburger was one of 27 items. McDonald’s provided a system for customers to order directly, pick up a hamburger after a while, and serve the food on a plate rather than in a wrapper. When they faced stagnant business, they looked back at the cause and found that 80% of sales came from hamburgers, French fries, and beverages. It took a long time to reduce the menu and switch from plates to wrappers. The past holds back the present and the future. Poor success also involves the burdens of the past. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”