In general, we tend to make things in life much more complicated than they really are. But, no matter how hard we rationalize certain ideas or pump our excuses full of human philosophy, there are certain laws that can never be avoided.
Universal laws of life are simple, well known facts that can’t be disputed. They will happen whether we like them or not. However, this doesn’t make them any less annoying or frustrating.
Below are 6 universal laws and facts of life, that I’ve discovered relate to money as well.
You reap what you sow. I’ve heard this saying since I was little – most of the time when my mom was upset at me, and yelled “I can’t wait till the day your child does this to you”. It’s funny, how we become our parents and our kids become us.
Life has a sense of humor and what you sow, is what you’ll reap. If you plant financial ignorance and stupidity, that’s what you’ll get. But if you spend time to sow a good money foundation, it will produce rich, prosperous fruit.
The grass is always greener on the other side. When I hear this phrase, the green always makes me think of being green with envy. Which is exactly how this relates. Because we always want the lifestyle another person has, with their big salary, fancy house and expensive cars.
Little do we know, that lifestyle is most likely financed, put on credit cards and comes with mounds of debt and stress. From where we are, the grass really is greener, until we change our perspective.
What goes up must come down. This statement is normally referenced to gravity, but I think it relates to the stock market too. Why are we all so surprised and shocked when the market skyrockets, then crashes within a week or two? What goes up, must come down and that’s a fact of life.
If you want to invest in stocks, you need to understand and accept there’s a risk factor. It’s very exciting to watch your investments climb higher and higher, but don’t get too emotionally involved because in the future they will fall just the same.
Nothing is certain but death and taxes. With the ever changing tax laws, tax season is definitely a dreaded affair. And like the coming of death, tax season will be here whether you like it or not.
The best thing you can do is accept it and prepare for it. Don’t ignore it, and think you can “get out alive”. The Grim Reaper (aka the IRS) will find you, and you will pay.
Murphy’s Law – if it can go wrong, it will. This is the law we love to hate. It wrecks our budgets, hinders us from reaching financial goals and comes at the most inopportune moments.
But since we know this, we can make a plan to handle it. Having an emergency fund in place for a money crisis, is the perfect solution to overcoming any Murphy’s Law setbacks.
Out of sight out of mind. When it comes to getting your statements and paying your bills, putting it off till tomorrow or promising to deal with it later, is not a smart solution. If it’s not within your direct view, it’s likely to be forgotten.
Instead, choose to face your financial truth, no matter how ugly it may be. Deal with your money troubles head on. If you don’t, your situation will continue to get worse, not better.
What laws of life do you apply to your money?
Photo Credit: Bookriver
I'm an ex-small business accountant who aims to help freelancers get out of debt and organize their life. And through the recently launched 
