Never use short-term solutions to address long-term problems.

I absolutely cannot let people think I am stingy. So, I often invite friends to restaurants; I also need a luxury car to showcase my status; furthermore, I must pay some other expenses—taxes. Finally, I have to turn to this great invention: the credit card. With a credit card, I don’t have to pay myself; the people at the credit card company will pay for me, at least temporarily… After that, I hear someone say, “He is a winner in life; he is living a first-class life.” I was living a first-class life: not drinking sparkling wine—only champagne; not eating steak—only prime tenderloin. I wanted to live like a rich person in a futuristic world. And soon, the past began to constantly bother me in the form of bills, collection letters, and high loan interest rates. As a high-performing, high-income salesperson, I was always able to get a new credit card. So, I started making alternating payments, meaning I would get a new credit card and then use the new card to pay off the bill of the old credit card. Just like that, I spiraled into a downward financial state.