We did not have much.
But we had each other.
We had a mortgage.
We had children.
We had responsibility.
And sometimes…
WE HAD RICE AND BEANS.
Funny thing is…
That was enough to build a life.
When I first got married, we were poor.
But we were in love.
There is a difference.
We did not have much money.
We did not have a lot of possessions.
We certainly did not have financial security.
But as the months went by and I kept trying to get a break, my wife would say something to me that I never forgot.
She said:
“As long as we have each other, I would be happy living under a tree.”
Now think about what that did to me.
It took PRESSURE OFF.
I did not have to become ruthless.
I did not have to chase money at any cost.
I did not have to measure my worth by how quickly I could become successful.
I knew something important.
SHE WAS WITH ME.
And strangely enough, that freed me to work even harder.
Not out of fear.
Out of love.
I wanted to build a nest for her.
For us.
So I went to work.
Nothing dramatic.
I simply worked hard.
WHAT ONE MAN CAN DO, ANOTHER CAN DO
I have always believed something.
WHAT ONE PERSON CAN DO…
ANOTHER PERSON CAN LEARN FROM.
Maybe not in exactly the same way.
Maybe not with exactly the same results.
But success leaves clues.
Work leaves clues.
Discipline leaves clues.
Patience leaves clues.
So we started taking our little steps.
One at a time.
THEN CAME THE HOUSE
Eventually I saved enough money to buy a home.
Not enough to make the whole thing easy.
Enough to make it possible.
I borrowed the rest of what I needed from my boss at the time.
And after the mortgage payment and all the expenses were accounted for…
There was not much left.
No matter.
We had a house.
We had a roof.
We had each other.
And my wife knew what to do next.
ENTER… RICE AND BEANS
She would buy these enormous sacks of rice and beans.
And somehow she could turn those two simple ingredients into meals all week.
Rice one way.
Beans another way.
Mixed.
Seasoned.
Changed around.
Creative enough that you did not feel like you were eating the same thing every day.
It was filling.
I ate well.
And something else happened.
When I DID get meat…
I appreciated it.
Interesting.
Scarcity taught appreciation.
We were not deprived.
We were prioritizing.
Mortgage first.
Children.
School.
Bills.
Food.
And life kept moving.
WE LEARNED HOW TO LIVE ON LESS… TO GET MORE OUT OF LIFE
That may be one of the most useful lessons we ever learned.
Living on less does not automatically mean living a lesser life.
Sometimes it means the opposite.
You learn what matters.
You learn what does not.
You learn the difference between:
NEED
and
WANT.
You learn patience.
You learn creativity.
You learn gratitude.
You learn to stop measuring yourself against people who may be spending money they do not have to impress people they do not even know.
That is freedom.
DON’T KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES
One of the easiest ways to derail your own life is to start watching everybody else’s.
New car.
Bigger house.
Better clothes.
More vacations.
Latest toys.
And before long, you are no longer living your plan.
YOU ARE FINANCING SOMEBODY ELSE’S IMAGE.
Stop.
The Joneses have their road.
You have yours.
Stay on it.
If your plan says:
RICE AND BEANS THIS WEEK…
Then rice and beans it is.
No shame.
Because you know what the money is doing somewhere else.
It is paying down something.
Building something.
Educating somebody.
Creating security.
Buying freedom.
That meal tastes different when you understand its purpose.
P.I.T.I. AND THE SCARY PAPERS
When we were thinking about buying the house, the basic math mattered.
Principal.
Interest.
Taxes.
Insurance.
P.I.T.I.
If the cost of owning was reasonably close to what we were paying to rent, then a question appeared:
YOU HAVE TO LIVE SOMEWHERE.
That was basically my wife’s pitch.
Makes sense.
Of course, then they put thirty pages of tiny-print loan documents in front of me.
Suddenly my courage disappeared.
I thought I was signing away my entire life.
Probably several future lives too.
But sometimes the next step looks frightening because you have never taken it before.
That does not automatically make it wrong.
BABY STEPS
Do not underestimate small progress.
I remember the story of a man given the enormous task of moving a mountain of rocks.
Someone asked:
“How are you going to move all that?”
His answer:
A LITTLE AT A TIME.
There it is.
One rock.
Then another.
Then another.
Eventually…
The mountain moves.
Life works remarkably well that way.
One payment.
One workday.
One savings deposit.
One meal.
One lesson.
One decision.
One small improvement.
People get intimidated by the size of the mountain because they are looking at the whole thing.
LOOK AT THE NEXT ROCK.
Move that one.
SACRIFICE ADDS VALUE
Sacrifice gets a bad reputation.
People hear the word and immediately think:
SUFFERING.
Not necessarily.
Sacrifice means choosing something greater over something immediate.
That creates value.
When you wait for something…
Work for it…
Save for it…
Delay something else to get it…
The thing carries a different meaning once it arrives.
You know what went into it.
You remember the rice and beans.
You remember the overtime.
You remember saying no.
You remember the small house.
You remember the old car.
You remember those thirty pages of loan documents.
Then one day you look around and realize:
WE BUILT THIS.
That is a feeling money cannot simply purchase.
THE JOURNEY BECOMES PART OF THE WEALTH
I have heard successful people say something interesting.
They made the money.
Built the business.
Reached the goal.
And then said:
I MISS THE GAME.
What do they mean?
They miss the climb.
The problem solving.
The effort.
The uncertainty.
The milestones.
The satisfaction of making something happen.
They reached the destination…
Then discovered that a large part of the joy had been hiding inside the journey.
That is important.
Do not become so obsessed with getting THERE that you fail to experience what is happening HERE.
SOMETIMES THE BEST YEARS DON’T LOOK RICH
Looking backward, some of the richest periods of life may not have looked wealthy at all.
Simple meals.
Old furniture.
Working long hours.
Children running around.
Bills stacked up.
Trying to stretch a dollar.
But underneath all of it…
LOVE.
TEAMWORK.
PURPOSE.
PROGRESS.
HOPE.
That is wealth too.
Maybe more of it than we realized at the time.
RICE AND BEANS TAUGHT ME SOMETHING
The rice and beans became a symbol.
They taught me:
You can simplify.
You can delay gratification.
You can live within your means.
You can stay focused.
You can build slowly.
You can sacrifice without becoming miserable.
You can enjoy what you have while working toward what you want.
That is a powerful combination.
YOU CAN RULE YOUR WORLD WITHOUT OWNING THE WORLD
The title says:
WITH BEANS AND RICE… YOU CAN RULE YOUR WORLD.
Notice I did not say:
RULE THE WORLD.
Your world.
Your household.
Your decisions.
Your priorities.
Your spending.
Your attitude.
Your work.
Your future.
That is enough territory for anybody.
You do not need to control everything outside you.
Control what belongs to you.
That is where power begins.
FINAL THOUGHT
We started with very little.
But we had something larger than money.
We had agreement.
We had love.
We had a plan.
We had willingness.
And yes…
We had rice and beans.
Never underestimate what two people can build when they are willing to simplify today in order to strengthen tomorrow.
Live a little at a time.
Move one rock.
Pay one bill.
Save one dollar.
Take one step.
And savor the journey while you are on it.
RICE AND BEANS…
WHO KNEW?
PEARLS INSIGHT
Financial resilience is often built through simple behaviors: living below one’s means, delaying gratification, prioritizing essential expenses, avoiding comparison, and making steady progress toward long-term goals. Sacrifice becomes more sustainable when it is connected to purpose, partnership, and a clear reason for doing it. Simplicity can create both financial stability and greater appreciation for what is eventually achieved.
PEARLS FROM THE BOOKS
A recurring truth throughout Pearls for the Soul is:
EVERYTHING IS ON LOAN.
That makes the race for constant accumulation look a little different.
The goal is not merely to possess more.
It is to use what passes through your hands wisely.
Feed the family.
Build the home.
Educate the children.
Help somebody.
Enjoy what you have.
Then continue moving.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This Pearl connects directly with:
QUALITY, QUANTITY AND KEEPING IT ALL SIMPLE
and
HERE IS A DAY TO SPEND… SPEND IT WISELY
One asks us to spend money wisely.
The other asks us to spend time wisely.
Both point toward the same principle:
DO NOT WASTE WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN.
Simplicity keeps you focused on what matters.
RICHIE SPEAKS
Poor?
Maybe.
Defeated?
NOT EVEN CLOSE.
We had love.
We had a roof to build.
We had children to raise.
We had bills to pay.
And when necessary…
WE HAD RICE AND BEANS.
You don’t need everything today.
You need enough for today…
And a plan for tomorrow.
Move the next rock.
Make the next payment.
Take the next step.
Don’t keep up with the Joneses.
LET THE JONESES KEEP UP WITH THEMSELVES.
You stay on your road.
Beans and rice?
Fine by me.
They helped build the house.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you