Chapter 16 [Exclusive Interview with Teacher Meixiang: Dialogue with Money] Part 6 My concept of money since childhood

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【James’ Origin and Today】Chapter 16 -

"Exclusive Interview with Teacher Meixiang: Dialogue with Money" Part 6 (02/16/2023)

ㄧ. My concept of money since childhood -

Before I start talking about "dialogue with money", I hope that in addition to listening to the growth process of a child talking to money, you can also use a mental energy thinking mode to think about what this process is like, and why a child at such a young age would have such thoughts and behaviors when he does not understand money (at that time, there was no concept of "money" that could be used for investment, what was the purpose of a child saving money?).

I look back and think that I have been able to invest until today, that I can retire early, and that I am not trapped and suffering by material money, all because my life has mostly been based on spiritual thinking, so when you think about money from a spiritual level, you can really talk to money.

Did you think about what you said, or was it just a sounding board? The news said it, people said it, someone said it! They are all just sounding boards, meaningless. And you can express what you have thought about, say what no one has said before, or be close to originality, which is the spiritual discourse that you have thought about. Therefore, what I say below is not just about telling a story. You should think about it after reading it. I hope you will gain something other than just a story! (The Tao is Tao, but it is very Tao!) If I have any qualities, I think it is "independent thinking"

Growing up, I had several conversations with money -

When I was a kid, I sold drawing cards and bubble gum during the Chinese New Year:

When I was a kid, I would get $10 in red envelopes during the Chinese New Year. I would go to the wholesaler to buy products, draw brand boxes, and sell bubble gum. I could earn $20 per Chinese New Year. Why I did this at such a young age, I don’t know. I just know that I can make money by doing it. As for what to do to make money, I don’t know. I seem to know that I can go to the grocery store and buy candy! That’s all!

Help father collect money:

When I was young, my father was the leader of the conference, and I helped collect the conference money, and I had a lot of money in my hands (the society at that time was really very safe, and I, a small first-grade kid, had tens of thousands of dollars in cash, and my father felt free to let me collect the money). When I handed a pile of cash to my father, my father said that none of the money belonged to us! I asked from the bottom of my heart, "Why isn't it ours?" At that time, I thought that I would have so much money in the future.

Reluctant to buy scallion pancakes for 50 cents:

For a 50-cent scallion pancake, I held 50 cents in my hand and watched the scallion pancake frying on the frying pan with a crackling sound and the oil squeaking. It was really delicious. I walked back and forth in front of the stall for nearly half an hour, and deliberately walked a little further away before coming back. I was embarrassed to let the scallion pancake owner see it, so I resisted buying it and saved the 50 cents! I went home facing the sunset, feeling very happy and not depressed at all, nor did I have any regrets.

I saved a bowl of Yangchun noodles:

One time, my neighbor took me and my younger siblings to a movie. My mother gave me money to buy three bowls of Yangchun noodles. After watching the movie, my neighbor took us to eat noodles. I only bought two bowls for my sister and brother to eat. I gave birth to the Yangchun noodles myself. I watched my younger siblings eating Yangchun noodles. The noodle shop was full of people at that time. I was the only one not eating noodles. Although I also wanted to eat, I was very strange and didn't have the heart to spend money.

When I talk about these experiences, I mean that this was my nature when I was a child and growing up, but it does not mean that I am a miser, nor does it mean that my life is all about eating and drinking. I have always been here to give the best to my family, children, parents, brothers and sisters. For a long time, I paid for my parents’ medical expenses alone. I also paid for the whole family’s travel alone and shared it with everyone. I just retired and still supported my daughter to study in the best private art school.

Persistence under the theater:

When I was a kid, I often went to the stalls under the puppet theater or Gezai opera booths. One of these vendors spins a small wooden plate. You can spin the wooden plate and shoot darts. What you shoot may be a bubble gum, a small shredded squid, or a boiled sugar bin. The highest prize is a puppet of Shi Yanwen. (Taiwanese society was very fascinated by Shi Yanwen's puppet show at that time.) I really wanted to have a puppet show by Shi Yanwen, but the chance of getting a puppet show was very small. That day I held the 50 cents in my hand and squatted at the stall for nearly three hours. The boss must have been very strange, but he didn't chase me away. I kept staring at the small grid of the turntable's puppet show (the grid was almost the width of two toothpicks).

I stared at it for three hours. The stage was over and the vendors might have to take a break. I kept thinking in my heart that I was going to cum in the puppet show. After I persisted for three hours, I bravely handed the fifty cents to the boss. I only had one chance. When I rotated the turntable and shot, the boss stopped the turntable. , I was really lucky to shoot that Shi Yanwen puppet show. This was the first thing I believed in since I was a child, focus and the law of attraction. It is absolutely true that all your wishes will come true. When your subconscious mind sets your goals, your life will automatically navigate. I have always adhered to this belief until today. The same goes for wealth. You must imagine yourself being very wealthy and living in a state of life.

University Worker Yomi sells computers:

I was studying electrical engineering in college. At that time, microprocessors were just beginning, and Apple's Apple II was also just beginning. In order to learn more computer knowledge, I went to a computer company for an internship during the summer vacation of my freshman year, so I got to know the manufacturers. I started to introduce Apple computers myself and resold them to classmates and friends. I earned $3000-$5000 per unit.

I can also make money by organizing dance parties in my university:

In college, I was a college student who loved to play and was very good at having fun. I attended dances almost every week and held my own dances. To hold a dance, the venue is rented for 1,000 yuan, and each male student who participates is charged 50 yuan. After a dance, the total income of 50 boys is $2,500, deducting the rent of $1,000, and the net profit is $1,500. At that time, earning $1,500 was considered a large amount of money.

When I came to the United States, I couldn't bear to eat hamburgers, and my whole family of seven or eight people only booked one room. Only then did I realize that we were really poor:

I have said before that in the 1990s, when I was working in the United States for lunch, I often had to decide between whether I should eat a hamburger ($1.99) or the cheaper pineapple bun ($0.66). Although I hesitated, I would still eat the cheaper pineapple bun. At that time, the company only provided a monthly allowance of US$700. Although the rent and car were borne by the company, the US$700 did mean that I had to live frugally.

I remember that I was in the United States in 1990, and my parents and siblings came to the United States to visit. I rented a car to take the whole family on a trip. We could only stay in Motel 6, and a family of five or six adults and two children only rented a double room with two beds. We also removed the mattress to make four beds, which was enough for everyone to sleep. We also brought pots and vegetables, frozen meat slices to cook hot pot, and there was no extra money to eat out in restaurants. That trip, including accommodation and Disney tickets, cost me a total of nearly $7,000. I maxed out three credit cards and had to call the bank to increase the limit. At that time, I just felt that compared with Americans, we were really poor. I can only say that what I felt at that time was that Asians were really poor (Americans ate full course and we ate nothing but pasta). This is when I began to determine that I must be rich, and I also thought that I would be very rich (law of attraction), and I also believed that I would be very rich. At that time, I began to meet my noble man Frank Li and started to learn investment.

The above stories are not to ask everyone to live the same frugal life as I did in the past (I was really poor at the time), but this kind of frugal habit can cultivate the habit of delaying consumption and enjoyment for a young person, use the funds for investment, and soon lead a better life than the average person. In the end, when we invest and accumulate wealth in life, we must know how to spend it, but we must not spend it lavishly at the beginning. As long as you want to invest to obtain greater wealth in the future every time Or do you spend it now and lose financial freedom for the rest of your life? By making this comparison, you will make the best decision. Decide whether you should spend the money or save it for investment. When you have more money than you can use up, you should spend it lavishly.

Another point to add is that you must take your children to travel more often when they are seven or eight years old (it seems that my daughter doesn’t even remember the places she went out to play before she was five years old). This is very important, because only this period of time will be the best memories for you and your children in the future. This money cannot be saved. You can save a little money when traveling, and it does not necessarily have to be far away. Staying for a day or two in nearby historical sites and scenic spots and riding bicycles is also a great travel. But it is necessary to travel once a year, and I have done this. From the time my daughter was born to the time she went to college, we took her back to Taiwan twice every year, especially living in Grand Hyatt. This memory is very deep for her, and it also inspired her to be very active in learning Chinese. So the best memories for my daughter and I are the memories of our trips to Europe, Taiwan, Disneyland, camping, Monterey Bay, Egypt and other places. My daughter recently told me: "I remember when I was a child, only my father would play with me." ” (This makes me feel that growing up with my daughter is the most correct thing to do in life. It’s really worth it!). Now we still try to arrange one or two trips every year, each trip lasts for a week.

We also make appointments every week to drink coffee or talk on the phone. Sometimes we talk for more than two hours. This is the mutual trust and dependence cultivated since childhood.

I met the noble person I invested in:

When I got into stock investment, it was Frank Li, a distinguished man, who visited the thatched cottage and took the trouble to take me to a securities dealer to get information, introduce stock funds, and help me open the door to investment. This is also the starting point that triggered my current compulsory education on correct investment concepts for everyone. I knew at that time that I would be very rich in my life. I could make a lot of money just by investing. I knew I could retire early, but I didn't know the long-term return on investment and how much assets I could have to make money freely. Finally, in 2004, I achieved financial freedom at the age of 43, retired early, and devoted myself to growing up with my daughter. And a non-profit organization, the Investment and Financial Management Education Institute, was established to teach everyone on a voluntary basis how to invest and manage wealth.