Microwave Mentality-The “Not so” Wave of the Future

Hey Gang,

I remember as a kid growing up on Maui and coming from a pretty well off family, I usually always got what I wanted. My first ride at 15 years old was a Hot Rod VW Bug. Dropped, Weber Carbs, centerline rims, the whole nine yards. I wanted a new surfboard, I got it.

While it was great then, there was a valuable lesson to be learned later in life. What I had back then was what I see people today in big trouble with. I like to call it microwave mentality. People want their popcorn in 3-1/2 minutes, Their TV Dinner in 4 minutes, fast food, buy it now and we will pay for it later. Give me the big house on the lake, the gas guzzling hummer and put it all on credit.

What it really comes down to is lack of responsibility. You see, the school system doesn't teach its young how to manage money, quite frankly it doesn't teach you how to make it either. Unless you were fortunate enough to come from a family that taught you how to manage your finances, which is rare, you would have to have learned it on your own.

I learned through the school of hard knox. I got into a bind about two years after I got out of college. I had about 5 credit cards, was still in party mode, shop mode, girl mode, vacation mode. I was in the spending mode. It was like free money. What I didn't realize is that I racked up close to 10K in credit card debt over those years. I worked in the hotel business making a decent salary, but still spent more than I had.

It wasn't until ten years later that I dug myself out of the mess. I had microwave mentality bad. If I wanted it, I just bought it. Enough was enough. I was smart enough to realize that I was in a mess. The good news was- I got myself in it, therefore I could get myself out of it. I got rid of the credit cards. If I couldn't pay cash for things, I didn't deserve to have them. As I slimmed down my lifestyle temporarily, I watched my good friends continuing to spend. Boats, cars, houses, etc.

I got into business and started building a future I could be proud of. I started taking whatever extra income I could and put it towards my debt. Today, I am proud to say, I am 8 months away from owning everything except my home, which will be paid off in the next few years. I got out of the "keeping up with the Jones mentality." I started taking responsibility for my family's financial future as well as mine.

In conclusion, your dreams can become a reality if you work on your thought process and figure out what you want most out of life.

Dreams do come true,

Joshua Boxer