Filip Filatov's Blog - Posts Tagged "wealth-mindset"
The First Coin of Freedom
“The first coin you keep is the first moment you are free.”
— The Law of the First Hand, Ten Sacred Rules of Wealth
Most people think freedom begins when they earn more.
In truth, it begins when they keep more — even a single coin.
The Babylonian scribe who carved those words wasn’t teaching greed.
He was teaching ownership of time.
To “pay yourself first” is not a trick of budgeting — it is an act of respect.
Each coin you keep before the world takes its share
is a piece of your future rescued from noise.
Modern life reverses the order:
bills first, taxes next, pleasure after,
and if anything remains, we call it “savings.”
But that order ensures dependence.
You become last in line for your own work.
The ancients knew better.
They built bowls beside their benches — small vessels of intention.
Every tenth coin went into the bowl before the market, before the king, before desire.
Not because it was much, but because it was theirs.
Freedom doesn’t require fortune.
It requires distance — the space between effort and desperation.
That distance begins with one coin, kept on purpose.
From that moment forward, you are no longer only working for others.
You are building a quiet foundation that will one day buy you time, calm, and choice.
So the next time you receive your earnings,
pause before they scatter.
Let the first coin stay.
Because that coin is more than metal — it’s your first declaration of independence.
— Filip Filatov
(From Ten Sacred Rules of Wealth — reflections on ancient Babylonian wisdom for modern financial peace.)
— The Law of the First Hand, Ten Sacred Rules of Wealth
Most people think freedom begins when they earn more.
In truth, it begins when they keep more — even a single coin.
The Babylonian scribe who carved those words wasn’t teaching greed.
He was teaching ownership of time.
To “pay yourself first” is not a trick of budgeting — it is an act of respect.
Each coin you keep before the world takes its share
is a piece of your future rescued from noise.
Modern life reverses the order:
bills first, taxes next, pleasure after,
and if anything remains, we call it “savings.”
But that order ensures dependence.
You become last in line for your own work.
The ancients knew better.
They built bowls beside their benches — small vessels of intention.
Every tenth coin went into the bowl before the market, before the king, before desire.
Not because it was much, but because it was theirs.
Freedom doesn’t require fortune.
It requires distance — the space between effort and desperation.
That distance begins with one coin, kept on purpose.
From that moment forward, you are no longer only working for others.
You are building a quiet foundation that will one day buy you time, calm, and choice.
So the next time you receive your earnings,
pause before they scatter.
Let the first coin stay.
Because that coin is more than metal — it’s your first declaration of independence.
— Filip Filatov
(From Ten Sacred Rules of Wealth — reflections on ancient Babylonian wisdom for modern financial peace.)
The Cushion Method — Wealth as a Workflow
Most people chase wealth the way they chase headlines — restlessly, reactively, and without rhythm.
They think money is a hunt, not a harvest.
So they move faster, subscribe to more alerts, and open more tabs —
until their portfolio becomes a reflection of their anxiety instead of their intelligence.
The truth is simpler — and quieter.
Wealth is not a mystery; it’s a workflow.
It grows from systems that repeat themselves in peace.
In my new book, The Cushion Method: Minimalist Investing for Modern Minds (available now for pre-order, releasing February 12 2026), I explore how to turn financial chaos into calm automation — through rhythm, not reaction.
It’s not about picking the perfect stock.
It’s about designing a system that keeps you steady while the world shakes.
What the Cushion Method teaches
Automation as peace: set rules once, live by them always.
Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA): invest a fixed amount every month, without emotion.
The 80/20 flow: 80 % for living, 20 % for lasting — a rhythm that keeps your mind clear.
Three tiers of calm: Flow (daily liquidity), Safety (one year’s peace), and Power (capital for opportunity).
Minimalist portfolios: fewer funds, fewer fears, more freedom.
You don’t need to predict the market.
You just need to stop negotiating with your emotions every time it moves.
Why Minimalism Wins
Minimalism in finance isn’t deprivation; it’s design.
Every unnecessary product, account, or “strategy” you remove reduces noise.
Complexity multiplies motion; simplicity compounds clarity.
When money moves with rhythm instead of panic, life begins to breathe again.
The Core Idea
Your benchmark is not the S&P 500 — it’s how you sleep.
If your system lets you rest, it’s already outperforming.
Because wealth, at its highest level, isn’t the reward for calmness.
Calmness is the wealth.
— Filip Filatov
(From The Cushion Series — where philosophy meets finance and rhythm replaces reaction.)
They think money is a hunt, not a harvest.
So they move faster, subscribe to more alerts, and open more tabs —
until their portfolio becomes a reflection of their anxiety instead of their intelligence.
The truth is simpler — and quieter.
Wealth is not a mystery; it’s a workflow.
It grows from systems that repeat themselves in peace.
In my new book, The Cushion Method: Minimalist Investing for Modern Minds (available now for pre-order, releasing February 12 2026), I explore how to turn financial chaos into calm automation — through rhythm, not reaction.
It’s not about picking the perfect stock.
It’s about designing a system that keeps you steady while the world shakes.
What the Cushion Method teaches
Automation as peace: set rules once, live by them always.
Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA): invest a fixed amount every month, without emotion.
The 80/20 flow: 80 % for living, 20 % for lasting — a rhythm that keeps your mind clear.
Three tiers of calm: Flow (daily liquidity), Safety (one year’s peace), and Power (capital for opportunity).
Minimalist portfolios: fewer funds, fewer fears, more freedom.
You don’t need to predict the market.
You just need to stop negotiating with your emotions every time it moves.
Why Minimalism Wins
Minimalism in finance isn’t deprivation; it’s design.
Every unnecessary product, account, or “strategy” you remove reduces noise.
Complexity multiplies motion; simplicity compounds clarity.
When money moves with rhythm instead of panic, life begins to breathe again.
The Core Idea
Your benchmark is not the S&P 500 — it’s how you sleep.
If your system lets you rest, it’s already outperforming.
Because wealth, at its highest level, isn’t the reward for calmness.
Calmness is the wealth.
— Filip Filatov
(From The Cushion Series — where philosophy meets finance and rhythm replaces reaction.)
