Paying the Light Bill Syndrome by Ron Simmons

Since my business for the last 25 years has been dealing with money I continually get family and friends asking me about money and for help in thinking about their finances. One of the consistent characteristics with the people that I have talked to, who really want to have a sound financial game plan but can't seem to make any progress, is that they focus almost entirely on "Paying the Light Bill". What I mean by this is that they design (albeit unknowingly) their entire financial actions and decision making process around being able to meet their most basic of needs - like electricity. While it is a give that we must have food, clothing and shelter to survive at any reasonable level, if we design our financial life around those things - that is exactly all we will have - food, clothing and shelter. To go from "Paying the Light Bill" to living at a level of financial security and even abundance, we must organize our lives and our expenses such that our basic needs are met without thinking and that most of our thoughts - and therefore most of our actions - are spent on the long term growth of our financial security and what will be required of us to obtain abundance.

Now don't go all "sanctimonious" on me and tell me I'm materialistic. I happen to Believe that God has put into place many opportunities for people to have abundance financially and that by using our finances wisely, we can and should bring Glory to His Kingdom. However, I've found that people who have not been wise their finances and gifts that would have created more abundance have 2 things on their minds . . . . money AND how do I get more. (I'm not talking about people who have had disaster thrust upon them).

People who have chosen to listen to mentors, follow Biblical financial principles and use their money to make money are not thinking about money anymore. They're more likely helping someone else and teaching that person how to do more than just "Pay the Light Bill."