Do not save. Never save.

This is not about whether it makes sense to save money in a savings account, no, it is about the reflex to reduce costs when income falls or expenses rise. The reflex to lower your own life energy when there doesn’t seem to be enough flowing in. Money is the most direct example of this, but the principle is universal.

Who doesn’t know that? Everything is becoming more expensive, rent, electricity, gasoline, food, wage costs, etc. But income is not rising at the same rate. So what do you do, almost as a reflex? Attempts are being made to reduce expenditure and savings are being made.

To a certain extent this makes sense, we often spend money on things that we can get cheaper elsewhere, often for things that are not so important. Then corrections are good and important.

But the moment you’ve reduced your spending to a sensible level, further saving becomes toxic. Because then you start to save on things that are actually important. Because then you start to lower your standard of living below your individual minimum.

Life energy alone does not make you happy, but too little of it makes you unhappy …

Below are two examples, one from the private sphere and one from the world of business:

Example private:

In this case, I myself serve as an example, or rather my self 20 years ago. I was also once an employee and, at least at the beginning, in an area where you don’t really get rich. Public service. Yes, super great, sure, blah blah blah … but you couldn’t really make a living from it.

Things got better later on, but there were always phases when my income wasn’t high enough to achieve anything. And back then I always had this one reflex: save money!

Several times I moved into smaller apartments to reduce my costs, several times I ended up with a small junk car instead of a decent car, several times there was no travel and no new furniture anyway.

But did it work? No, it did not. In the end, I didn’t have more money, just less quality of life.

At this point, feel deeply into this story and try to perceive the energy behind it. What happens to your life energy if you move into a cheap apartment to save money? Only cheap. Not nice, not suitable, far too small, lousy area, but cheap. What does that do to your energy?

What does it do to your energy if you somehow mend old, broken furniture so that it still lasts? If you just put a blanket on the tattered sofa? What does it do to your energy when you have a junk car parked outside that you never know if it will start?

What does it do to your energy if you have the ready-made food from Netto on your plate instead of a nice steak?

Does that feel like it could be a solution?

In the short term, perhaps, to get a grip on the acute lack of money. Especially if you have debts or need your money to build something up. But as soon as the acute problem is off the table, the only thing that will help is to increase your energy again.

Don’t focus on coping with little and putting up with it. Focus it on how you can get more. Replace this unspeakable “I can’t afford that” with “How can I afford that?”.

In this way, you direct your energy upwards, towards improvement, towards growth. To develop yourself, both professionally and financially.

It took me a long time to understand this myself. I fell into this savings trap several times and each time I didn’t have any more money afterwards, but I had a miserable life instead.

Now I do it the other way around. When my income drops, I put all my energy into increasing it again. I never waste a thought on saving money. Even when things go downhill, the focus is always on how things can go up.

Example 2 from the economy

Any company notices that costs are rising more and more, but not sales and certainly not profits. The situation becomes threatening, bankruptcy looms on the horizon of possibilities and action must be taken.

What does the company do? It reduces costs first, because that is the quickest way. Employees are usually the first to be made redundant, perhaps the vehicle fleet is downsized, processes are restructured and usually the hardest thing to save on is office supplies … a little joke on the side …

All in all, this makes sense at first and is not possible in any other way. But what happens once the costs have been reduced and bankruptcy is off the table for the time being? Where is the focus then directed?

Very often, the need to save money then remains in place. There are hiring freezes, investments are postponed or canceled altogether. There is no more training, no company party and less Christmas bonus.

Now feel what the energy is like in such a company? Is this the kind of energy that is needed to develop? Or is there something morbid about it?

That is exactly the point. This morbid energy must not be allowed to persist, as it ensures that revenues continue to fall. Then savings have to be made again, the energy gets even worse, revenues continue to fall … the rest is then up to the bankruptcy trustee. Often enough this is exactly what happens.

But what is the solution? Looking at the energy! Because it shows the way. At the latest after the first round of savings, energy must be released again in the form of investments, because the only way out of the dilemma is to boost revenues again.

Developing new projects, acquiring new machines, installing better processes and, above all, treating people well. If they don’t get a Christmas bonus, they should at least get energy. Energy that points upwards, that shows a future, that encourages us to think.

This form of energy comes from the very top, from the management. That’s where the source must be, that’s where the will must be to step on the gas and pull the cart out of the mud. And not just in the form of lip service. As the boss, you start with YOU, not with middle management.

Conclusion

Of course there are situations in life where saving is the only way to go. But only ever in the short term, as an acute measure. Afterwards – and immediately afterwards – the energy must be directed upwards again.

We are here to grow. Not just financially, as that is only one part of life. What I have written above can be applied to all forms of life energy.

Never limit yourself in the long term to an energy level that does not correspond to you and your nature!

And don’t give me the “but I can manage on less” line … you can do that, but then you shouldn’t moan afterwards and above all you shouldn’t expect someone else to pay for you.

YOU are responsible for YOUR life. Only YOU!