also looking for an answer to the cons. That is, an argument for each point around the idea.

Now (attention, let's move on to the topic of finance) I do the same with money issues. Any: buy cheaper — sell more expensive, have — not have, do it or quit.

This is what the lecture about female manipulation was all about.

By the way, in such matters, tears rather hindered me than helped me. I came across quite smart counterparts who could see the sympathy game from a mile away and could not stand whims. This is good: there is no control worse than manipulation. Yes, this is not control at all: blackmail, threats, tears, screaming, accusations — all this is not control, and therefore not success.

I had a young man of middle age. We did not love each other, so we mutually fulfilled the agreements. This was not a manipulative approach. He wanted energy in life, I wanted fashionability.

We drove the latest model Hummer through St. Petersburg traffic jams, ate in expensive restaurants and clubs, dressed to the nines and laughed at the vicissitudes of fate.

This is not a period of life that I would like to be proud of, but I weaned myself off the help of my parents, who earned very little, and, so to speak, I provided for myself.

Let's call a spade a spade, I had a sugar daddy. I paid for the rented room, dressed and ate entirely at his expense. But no excesses, no millions in the bank, Swiss accounts or other luxuries. I knew for sure that I was not a swindler.

Then a sudden, intelligent thought came to me: “Why am I worse than him? Why can't I earn the same amount? He is a businessman, not a thief, and he has earned the money he spends.

This means I can earn a lot to buy myself the things I want.”

We broke up. I got a job this weekend as a massage therapist in a cedar barrel salon. This is an important note so you don't think anything indecent.

"Cedar barrel? Oh, well, I see, that means the aunties mostly came.”

Yes, that's right. My life has become more interesting, somewhere I turned out to be useful while I'm studying for damn medical school. Oh God, sorry doctors and professors all over the world, I didn’t mean to offend you. I just think this is… a damn place. Yes. I didn't make a mistake. I think that this is not how doctors should be taught.

Well, okay, not about that now.

Every weekend I was literally inspired. The administrator Ilona worked with me, an incredibly smart girl, she was interested in business, she had even studied something. It was thanks to her that I realized: “What, it’s possible anyway?!” Well, that is, for the first time I saw a girl who is not yet a businesswoman (she is an ordinary graduate of medical college, she didn’t even go on to become a doctor) who doesn’t earn much, but wants a lot. She had ambitions, dreams, she wanted to create her own business, but in the meantime she was learning to negotiate.

She earned more than her salary, which was absolutely nothing for me at that time.

— How is this more salary?

— Well, am I selling more?

— In terms of? Are you late at work? Are you recycling?

— Well, no. I sell teas, massage creams, herbal bags. The more I sell, the more the director will pay me as a percentage.

— Wow. Is that allowed?

— Well, yes. True, my replacement doesn’t do that. And I approached the director and asked how I could earn more. She liked my question and offered me such a scheme.

Well, you understand. Ilona turned out to be purposeful and smart, unlike the zombie of the second administrator, who sat at her minimum and tried to fit into it in terms of costs, instead of trying to get out of the kennel and want to spend more. When you want to spend more, it is impossible not to come to the conclusion that you need to earn more.

Of course, you can start to skimp on food or toilet paper, eat Rollton and wipe yourself with pages of unnecessary books, but sooner or later the books will run out.

I'm kidding, of course. You yourself understand that the right approach would be to start doing one of two things: work hard, or work and learn to earn more.

My friend and her husband, for example, have never studied marketing, sales, business planning, and are not even going to get their hands dirty about it. They just work like draft horses, for days on end, for several shifts, without really seeing the children, tormenting themselves and the grandmother who sits with them. But they bought an apartment, a dacha and a car. What else do you need for happiness? Yes, they dress in consumer goods or even second-hand clothes. Yes, they eat without any frills, but they are head and shoulders above their lazy friends and relatives living in poverty.

The level of “learning how to make more money and spend less time working” is still alien to them. In fact, I don’t know if they will ever reach it. But at least this way, they take their money with time. Hardworking guys.

I moved on. I met a man who knows everything about this level and will teach me. I didn’t choose my husband based on the underwear that stuck to the ceiling, although that also came a little later.

But still, I rather chose a guru, a mentor, a mentor. He knew everything about business, financial independence and at the same time had the gift of teaching.

My teacher turned out to be very handsome and charming. Women literally clung to him. Therefore, there was