When I look back on my childhood and youth, many a proverb pops into my head, which people from my environment at that time, but also today, literally hurled around. The older I got, the less I thought of these proverbs. In my opinion, some of them are not only bad advice, but even a trap for one's own thoughts. And these are, I hope we agree, extremely important, as they are the cornerstone of our actions. From a different perspective, today I see truths in some of the proverbs that I did not see many years ago.
Today I would like to take a closer look at these proverbs, or at least some of them, and show how my thoughts on them have changed. I would honestly be very interested to know how much proverbs are present in your vocabularies and your daily communication. I have the impression that Germans can already be classified as big fans of proverbs, if not Germans, then at least my environment. Feel free to write me in the comments how this looks like in your daily communication.
But let's get to the proverbs.
Money doesn't grow on trees / Money doesn't fall from the sky
The bottom line of this proverb is that you have to do something for your money. In my opinion, this statement is generally true at first, but behind it there is the assumption in people's minds that behind every existing money there is work. However, this is demonstrably not the case, because the bottom line is that money falls from the sky. Namely from the central bank sky. These have mastered the art of creating money out of thin air for decades, which is also confirmed by the inflation rates over the last 100 years. Also, the thought that will be central in the following proverb has always resonated: "Only through hard work you become something." - which is absolutely not how I see it today. Sure, work is part of it, but in the end it takes flair, looking outside your own box, and sometimes the fact that luck lets you be in the right place at the right time. Smart instead of hard is an inner guiding principle at this point, which I have internalized very intensively over the last few years.
For those who are interested, I would also like to share the following video recommendation. It refers to my objection that in the end money is made of air:
Next one.
No success without blood, sweat and tears
True to the motto give everything, for everything you want, this proverb also aims at the hard work that stands before every success. Even though, as described above, I am loyal to the motto smart instead of hard, I still see a lot of truth in this sentence. Ultimately, it is a long road for many people until they are where they would like to be. And this path is exhausting, throws new experiences at you and also lets you experience negative things. You fall, get up, move on, and realize you've learned something. At least that's how I feel.
He who does not honor the penny is not worth the thaler.
Or "Every little bit helps"...
A classic situation: In Germany, there are deposit systems. If you buy a plastic water bottle, it usually has a 15-cent deposit. When you go shopping, you pay this money in addition to the actual price of the bottle. You get it back when you return the bottle to a corresponding vending machine or the like when it is empty. If I as a child had thrown such a bottle into the garbage after drinking, my grandmother would have admonished me with the help of this proverb to get the bottle out of the garbage, because this is also money and one should not live wastefully. This very simple proverb is very valuable for me, because I think that it is important to pay attention even to the small sums. One mosquito may not make an elephant, but what about 1000s of mosquitoes? Especially when it comes to taking a closer look at monthly expenses, this saying is still often in my mind nowadays.
Money is not the most important thing in life
Probably the proverb to which I feel the greatest ambivalence. On the one hand, I look at my better half and think to myself that this is the absolute truth. On the other hand, I see myself "trapped" in a daily routine from which I can only escape with the appropriate financial situation. I have found for myself that money not only contributes significantly to being happy, but is essential for it. The background is that the non-existence of financial means leads me to exchange my time one-to-one for money. The mere fact that I am in turn wasting my time in this way gives me a real stomach ache. Short cut - is it wasted time? Oh yes, when I was at school I thought it would get better after school, after graduation I thought it would get better in my bachelor's degree, after my bachelor's degree I thought it would get better in my master's degree... Today I know I have to get out of there. Actually, I've known that for a long time, but I've only been working on a strategy to reach that goal for about a year. I spend too much of my time on things that don't give me anything - on topics that don't interest me and tasks whose meaning is very questionable at times. I know that I have to build something of my own or be lucky enough to achieve financial freedom and possibly areas beyond that. So far, I have always looked to achieve my goals on the minimal principle. And even though this worked wonderfully and still works, it doesn't seem to get me anywhere in the long run. What good are these titles if you hate what you do every day? Everyone can judge for themselves, but for me it's worthless. After all, I got paid to make the cheese.
But back to the saying:
For me it is a truth and a lie at the same time. If you don't have anything in this world, then money probably won't make you happy either, maybe even contribute to the opposite. But if you have things you love, activities and people you love around you, then money can give you the opportunity to spend your time on those things. And I think that's the most important thing, right? Taking your time to do the things you love. At the end of the day, we live once (or not? Yes, I'm open-minded about that) and we should still make the most of our time. From my perspective, money is the enabler to this in our current system, which makes it very important after all.
No prize without diligence
This proverb also refers in essence to the statement that you have to do something for your success. However, 20 years ago, for most people this statement was tied to the thought of the sweat of hard, physical labor. That has changed, however, so that even older generations have understood that a certain shift has taken place and that digital work and other forms of work now exist. In essence, however, this saying is true. As a rule, you have to do something if you want something. Whether the "smart instead of hard" methodology is practiced or not.
The early bird catches the worm
Ah yes, this proverb... Here I sit and am not sure what to write about it. Literally, you are supposed to get up early to "catch the worm" - whatever your worm is. I used to have the analogy in my mind of the banker who reads the newspaper early in the morning and thus has an informational advantage over everyone else. Time has changed. My preference to sleep in hasn't though, which is why I'm not the early bird in the direct wording. However, it is equally about recognizing opportunities and being early with regard to a certain topic, for example. As far as that goes, I do my best and make sure I keep my eyes open and learn from every person I meet if possible.
Finally, I would like to ask you which proverbs you have been confronted with in your childhood & youth. What has lasted until today and accompanies you in the meantime and what has gone in one ear and out of the other ear right away?
Author's comment:
The author notes that you should listen to your grandmother. Not necessarily always and really, but you should at least make her feel like you are listening to her. In the end, proverbs are nothing more than what you make of them. And one's own perspective can sometimes have a considerable influence on the interpretation. Here's to them accompanying us for even longer.
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