This is Optimal Finance Daily. The Creation Mindset, Accelerate Your Wealth Trajectory by Craig

Stephens of Retire Before Dad.com. Buying compact discs or CDs used to be a thing. That's how we

bought music back in the 1980s and 1990s. I spent a few thousand dollars on CDs throughout high school, college,

and my early working years. One summer, I worked in a record store to earn money because my

internship at a financial services company was unpaid. For how much time I listened to them,

CDs were a good entertainment value for my dollar, similar to a book or video game. I listened to thousands of

hours of music, critiquing different bands, memorizing lyrics, playing guitar chords, and searching

for music with more complex sounds. During all of that time I spent listening to so many

bands and genres, it never dawned on me to start creating music myself. I was a music consumer and

connoisseur, but nothing more. What if I had spent some of those hours writing songs and

practicing guitar? By creating my own music, maybe I could have produced something of value that

others might have enjoyed. Maybe my music creations could have earned a royalty income stream.

Probably not, but I'll never know because I didn't try. It was easier to listen to what others

created. Consumption versus creation. We're all consumers. We consume food, energy, information, toys,

automobiles, homes, entertainment, and so much more.

How much we consume is based on where we live, our prosperity, needs, values, and thoughtfulness.

When we spend money to consume, sometimes there's an economic value in return, and sometimes there isn't.

For example, when I buy gasoline for my car, it enables me to drive to work

where I earn money to support my family. But when I buy a CD or a piece of furniture, neither item

provides any economic value to me. The CD plays music and that entertains me. The furniture is a

place to park my butt after a long day. Neither purchase makes me wealthier. In fact,

they both make me less wealthy. What we consume must be created. Exxon and Chevron create a product

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