Bridgette is cautioning you to make sure you know everything there is to know about a situation. Loan sharks will bleed you dry - the same thing is true of the current situation. You’re about to sign on for some kind of credit, but you can’t be sure that there won't be severe consequences.
As with any loan, you need to make sure you know all the terms and conditions before signing up for something. It could be an obscure social contract, it could be a promise to a friend or colleague, it could be a family matter - but one thing is for sure, you will regret your negligence when you have to pay back what you promised.
That’s why Brigette is here, to remind you that credit isn’t always what it’s cut out to be. It might give you some benefit in the short-term. But in the long term credit is a sure way to lose more than you get out.
It’s no secret that the world has changed. Interest rates far exceed wage increases. In fact it’s theorized that for the average 35-year old to maintain the lifestyle their parents once had is twice to eight times more difficult (depending on the age their parents are). So the average 35-year old thinks they’re failing. They want nice things. Luckily it’s easy to get nice things, because credit was invented.
But credit comes with interest. And given the fact that your salary is going to increase at a slower rate than your interest, you are actually less likely to afford the thing you can’t afford now by the time you’ve paid it off.
Well, unless you get an amazing promotion that is. But top-level jobs are very limited. You need to prove yourself first. And how do you prove yourself? By making sure you know everything there is to know about the situation, so that you’re ready to act.
So, if you take Brigette’s advice and learn everything there is to know about the situation, you’ll soon become aware of the interest rates involved. These are the social obligations that form part of our culture. For example, you might learn that you’re dealing with a person that will expect an equal or bigger favor in return if they help you move
What can you do to circumvent the interest that will inevitably add up over time? Well you can make sure that you take them out to a really nice dinner and drinks after everything is done to say thank you. And no, takeout and beer doesn’t count unless you eat it somewhere with a view.
The sooner you pay off your debts, the less you’ll have to pay. This is especially true with people. But there is another way to deal with this kind of credit. You can invest in yourself. That way you will be able to pay back more over time.
Let’s get one thing straight first: relationships should be based on unconditional love, but they are still a two-way street.
So imagine you’re just meeting someone new. You start liking them more and more each time the two of you meet up. If you divulge your feelings straight away, you’re running the risk of getting hurt, because you're saying you can love them in the way they need to be loved - but at the same time you’re still just getting to know them.
So you’ve borrowed their heart, but you kinda don’t quite know exactly how to take care of it yet. That’s some bad credit right there - and there will be consequences, because this is where expectation in a relationship is born.
On the other hand, if you look at it like a career - you can start with a low-level entry position first. You can start hanging out more, going on romantic dates, late night conversations, that type of thing - without actually going all in straight away. Because let's face it, the more you know a person, the more you can love them in the way they deserve.
So be careful of going all in right now, whether it’s in your career, finances or relationships - you want to make sure that you aren’t working on credit that you’ll be held accountable for later.
