The Unseen Financial Cost of Laziness

When we think of someone who is lazy, an image of a person slouching on the couch at noon, eating cereal comes to mind. That’s an easy call. But lazy comes in many different forms. No matter how it looks, after reading this proverb, I discovered there is a hidden cost of being lazy.

A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things. Proverbs 18:9

This makes me think of what it means to be lazy. Here’s what Webster thinks:

Lazy = averse or disinclined to work; idle, indolent.

I’ll first talk about this in life and then discuss what it looks like in our finances. Seth Godin once wrote, “If you come to a meeting and don’t contribute, it would have been better if you have never come at all.”

Why is this? Seth says because not only are you NOT offering your ideas, due to whatever reason, but you also took the seat of someone who would have. So not contributing value is just as bad as taking it.

So it’s a double whammy.

That’s why this proverb struck me so deeply. It says a lazy person destroys things just by being lazy. We think laziness is inaction but the mere presence of laziness is actively destroying things.

Idleness tears downs the possibility of creation, contribution and collaboration. This person’s averse position to work ROBS us of their ideas. Ideas are powerful. Ideas that are put into action are even more powerful. Ideas turn into programs, products and processes that could help so many people.

LAZY POTENTIAL

This concept makes think of my mentorship group Alumni360 and what would have been destroyed had I been lazy on that idea.

-Monica and Fatima may not have been in CSUN’s Teenage Drama Program and had that experience.

-Brenda may not have gotten her finances in order and is now a student advocate for financial literacy for her generation.

-Antonio may not have realized, under the guidance of our guest speaker Mr. John Murray, that he too could be an effective speaker.

-Katherine may not have sat with the founder of OPI cosmetics to get excited about entrepreneurship and interacting with mega mentors.

-Kenia would not have gotten a full scholarship into an expensive middle school.

So many wheels would not have been set into motion. Many of these opportunities have changed the trajectory of their lives and will effect many generations to come.

This is the true cost of laziness!

THE ROOT OF THE CAUSE

Which makes me ask, “What is the cause of laziness?”

Lack of motivation? Lack of vision? Presence of fear? Self-doubt? Ignorance? Or is it like darkness, where it’s always there until the light of action enters the space?

Hmmmm…food for thought.

LAZY MONEY

‘Well Genein, I’m not lazy. I go to work.’ But have you thought about what this looks like with our money? What is the true cost of laziness when it comes to our finances? We must first identify what laziness looks like in the financial realm.

-Not taking the time to set a vision and goals for your finances

-Not taking the time to learn about how money works and investing

-Not tracking expenses (at least in the beginning)

-Not tracking net worth every quarter to gauge progress, or lack thereof

-Not making contact with creditors to negotiate the best deal while paying off debt

-Not being creative in developing alternative ways to bring in extra income

-Here’s the big one – Not willing to do the WORK

When we don’t do these basic (and mathematically easy) actions, that constitutes laziness. And what did the proverb say? Laziness not only signals inaction but it also signals destruction.

When I am lazy in my finances, I am actually destroying my current and future financial abundance. Wow!

Now look at ‘destruction & waste’ vs ‘creation & utility’. If the opposite of destruction is creation, then the opposite of being lazy is the creation of opportunities, the creation of finances and the creation of abundance. If we are made in His image and if He is the ultimate creator, then we are meant to be creators and creative.

This became truly apparent in my life. Once I started being intentional about my finances and my professional development, opportunities started poppin’ up like popcorn on a Saturday night at the movies. It was like paying attention and having a bias for action paid off. I stopped being lazy (or ignorant) about the areas I desired to improve. Creation became evident and unstoppable. With God’s guidance, I created my way out of financial strain and lack. It can happen for you as well. Be focused, be intentional.

Don’t be lazy.

Be creative in all areas of your life, including finances. You’ll be so happy you did.

Support My Book on Finances on GoFundMe!