I was thinking about how to go about aggressively shoring up my finances at the beginning and after giving it much thought, I have come again to the conclusion that nothing good comes easy, at least at the initial stage. It seems things just don't get any easier until we get to that point where the effort begins to pay off in full.

For many that may mean going a long time without rewards while building, which can be discouraging and requires a fair bit of resilience to keep at it. We measure progress here by the amount of sacrifice one is willing to make in order to get what we want. The bigger the sacrifice, the more depth such an investment is likely to have.

There is a difference between making sacrifices and taking risks. One has depth while the other doesn't. The latter might pay off while the former is almost always bound to generate a positive outcome. Takes for instance someone who delays gratification on a regular and how much such a person could potentially grow. Making sacrifices when it comes to finance means taking the time and having the financial discipline to achieve set financial targets.

The process isn't pleasant though, or easy for that matter. Random things can occur that could potentially throw us off balance. Take for instance a savings target or a plan to reduce spending could potentially be killed off by a health crisis or an urgent need. It is important to note this because sometimes our best efforts may really not be good enough.

Yet for those who manage to pull through, the rewards are immeasurable. It gets to a point where what we have sacrificed for begins to work for us and payoff. Savings accumulated over time could quickly become big investments and lead to even better returns. Effective financial habits could also translate to bringing better returns over time. There are only upsides it seems to making the right sacrifices.

Here on hive the only guaranteed way to earn is by investing either in HBD or as Hive Power. All other ways are subject to the community and may vary. The bigger our vest, the larger returns we have access to. Increasing our stake obviously means resisting the temptation to spend now. It might not be much of a temptation at these prices, but consistently growing is making a sacrifice.

Conclusion

Sometimes I write these articles to remind myself of how far I've come and things I need to do in order to keep growing. A time will likely come when we'd all look back and be glad we did all the necessary things to improve our financial standings. The year has just started, and there is work to be done.