Newsletter #9 – Are You Following The 1 Smart King Or 3 Foolish Ones?

Have you heard the story of the Smart King?

I understand the question is quite vague, but I am not entirely sure what this short story is called, let me start like all good stories start.

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom whose king on his deathbed framed an uncommon constitution. Under the new constitution, the kingdom was to be ruled by a king with absolute power. The king could do whatever he pleased for 5 years. At the end of the 5 years, the king was to be exiled to the forest across the river.

The Indulgent King

The reign of the dead king was followed by an Indulgent King. The king indulged in all his vices for 5 years and did not care much about the kingdom itself. The kingdom had been rich so the 5 years did not impact the common folk, but the king never got love from his citizens.

At the end of his reign, the citizens happily sent him off to the wild forest across the river.

The Scared King

Knowing the fate of the first king, not many were keen to take the role again, especially not the Scared King. But unfortunately, the responsibility fell on him this time. This king was the opposite of the first and spent his 5 years scared and worried.

The king met the same fate at the end of 5 years.

The Worry Later King

The third kind was a mix of the first two. For the first 3 years, this king lived a very selfish self-indulgent life, only to spend the rest of his 5 years in constant worry, so much so that he did not even survive the full 5 years term.

The Smart King

The successor to the last king was a kind, just and intelligent. He was well-read and had known the fate of the last 3 kings. He decided to rule differently. He enjoyed all the comforts that came with the jobs, but at the same time, he made sure the citizens of his kingdom were living a happy life.

The king was loved by all, so when the 5 years ended the only happy person was the king. When the boatman who left the king on the other side asked the king the reason for his happiness, the king replied ” I had been planning for this day since I became the king. On this side of the river awaits my new kingdom’.

Lessons

The king had cleared much of the forest in his last year and sent people over to set up a new kingdom. What awaited the smart king was a life full of freedom and love.

Each of us somewhat fits into one of the categories above.

Some are too carefree and never planning for the future. Others are too scared of their future to take any action. Then there are ones who know what awaits them but defer everything to the future, indulge in the present, and worry as things worsen.

Not many are smart about how to deal with things.

Not many plans for their future while enjoying the present.

Most stick to the slow lane of money making, saving some money here, and being cautious without looking at the big picture.

Money saved is money earned is a thing of the past.

Invest In Your Growth

I am not saying you should not save money, what I am saying is the saved money should be partially invested into things that can make you more money.

Each of us has a vision or a dream for our future. Some of us have million-dollar ideas in the corner of our brain, the ones we never action either because we are too scared, or too worried.

Living just for now, or living just for the future, neither is a smart way to spend life. We should live like the smart king, slowly but steadily building up for a future we truly want without compromising the comforts of the present.

Use your expertise to create multiple sources of income. Ensure that by the time you retire from the rat race, there is a kingdom ready for you to live in, the same way the Smart King did. I did the same last year by using my writing as a source of additional income on the Medium platform. That one step opened many more such avenues that I had never thought of. You can do so too.

The road to solopreneurship may seem lonely. Unfortunately not many value your vision the way you do. That is where I come into the picture, if you have a dream business, or are just striving to make a niche for your brand, reach out to me today.

I have made it my sole purpose to make sure anyone willing to take the first step towards building a brand to secure a financial future does not feel lonely on their journey.

Now I understand if you are not ready for the said journey yet, luckily I am not going anywhere. In the meantime in case you know someone who could benefit from this story or my service please share it with them.

Hope this little story helped you realise the importance of being smart about your present and future. If you liked this one, you might like the other related posts, so do check them out.