There is a magic to compounding that makes its effects seem unbelievable. On any given day, you won’t even be sure it exists. Like a sleight of hand, one day you will see something that’s there where it once wasn’t.
It is a feature of the wise and the patient to be able to wait for the magic to occur. The two marshmallow babies. But for the one marshmallow babies, where is the magic? How can we come to see that which we cannot see? I do not entirely know the answer to this, but I can tell you about my experiences lately.
With every salad I consume, I can visualize my internal organs healing themselves. Mmm, tomatoes. Mmm, red pepper. Greeeeeen! I can visualize that the joints that I overwork and stress when I run and place impact on them are feeling nice and lubricated when I eat a can of sardines, naturally filled with essential oils and fatty acids, allowing me to move smoothly, with ease. My skin begins to glow, imperceptibly, ever so slightly when I drink water and it begins to appreciate the hydration it experiences.
In the financial realm, I imagine my money that had once been stale, losing forces in every battle, worn down by a multi-year war with credit card debt, my consumerist habits, and my spending in disregard. The unit, now feeling relief, works hard to grow, and welcomes in new members to its army. Because it doesn’t know when, nor how, but that another war may happen in the future.
I don’t see it all happening, but it is. Every month my net worth grows ever so slightly. When I make my monthly payment for my car of $157, that liability decreases. There is less of that amount that will be subject to the 3.42% APR. Every week, when a $75 transfer to my American Express High Yield Savings Account clears, my ability to withstand an emergency expense increases. We are fortifying! When $316.10 arrives at my Vanguard Roth IRA, when $1,930 arrives at my Thrift Savings Plan, it all grows. We get stronger, more fortified, ready to hold our position.
This is the progress we cannot see, but soon I will have an entire army. Winter is coming, and we will be ready.
Net Worth as of this post: $35,859
Becoming A Happy Person 