The Poor Mindset: Willing to Spend Hours to Save a Few Yuan
Many poor people, even when buying very cheap things, are afraid of being cheated and compare prices from multiple stores. The wealthy, however, will buy anything as long as they get a good deal, and they won't spend half an hour comparing prices to save a few yuan. Poor people are always focused on saving money, even for relatively inexpensive items, and they repeatedly examine and compare before buying, fearing they'll be taken advantage of. But they never consider that the time they spend choosing is their most valuable asset.
The reason why many people remain poor lies in their fundamental mindset and attitude. They are fearful of being exploited and believe others are trying to take their money. Even for relatively insignificant items, they are incredibly cautious, and they'll be overjoyed if they manage to save a few yuan. They don't care about the two or three hours they spend on this. After all, time is also a valuable resource. The mindset of the wealthy prevents them from wasting time on saving a few yuan, while the mindset of the poor leads them to spend time and energy on such trivial matters, ultimately leading to their continued poverty, while the wealthy continue to grow richer because they can use their saved time to pursue more meaningful endeavors, such as improving their earning potential or studying.
Everyone should have a general estimate of their time and money. Subtract your monthly salary and work hours from it; the remaining value is what you earn each day. Subtract the daily earnings from your work hours, and you'll have an hourly rate. Leisure time may not generate income, but it's roughly equivalent in value to your earned time. Spending two or three hours just to save a few yuan is simply not worth it. After all, your time is also valuable. For example, a psychologist may initially charge only a few tens of yuan per hour, but as his experience and reputation grow, his fees will increase accordingly, perhaps to hundreds or even thousands of yuan per hour. This requires him to use his free time to improve his professional knowledge. Therefore, time is never wasted, and every person's time has value.
Rich people invest their time in ways that increase their value. For example, a psychologist may initially charge only a few tens of yuan per hour, but as his experience and reputation grow, his fees will increase accordingly, perhaps to hundreds or even thousands of yuan per hour. This requires him to use his free time to improve his professional knowledge. Therefore, time is never wasted, and every person's time has value.
In the TV series 'Heaven's Path', there was a plot that was not in the book but only in the TV series: Ding Yuening, before having breakfast, always gave the shop owner money. Once, after he finished eating, the shop owner asked him for money again. He was surprised and gave her the money again. He could have argued and complained as a normal person for one yuan, but he didn't; he just quietly gave her the money again. Although he lost one yuan, he saved a lot of time and didn't let it affect his mood.
Many people remain poor because of this. They waste their time trying to save a few yuan, such as standing in line for half an hour to buy discounted items. While this does save some money, the loss is greater. Sometimes, accepting a loss is beneficial, because it saves time and makes you feel good. They can use the saved time to read, improve their abilities. This is more valuable than a few yuan. As the saying goes, 'Taking a loss is a blessing'—roughly the same meaning.
