The Parable of Elara, the Wise Farmer.

In the fertile valley, where the harvest was abundant, lived Elara, a farmer who worked the land diligently. With every season, upon reaping the fruits of her labor, she followed an ancient piece of wisdom she called "The Laws of Continuous Harvest."
The Seed of the Future: Pay Yourself First
When Elara gathered her baskets of grain and fruit, she faithfully set aside one-tenth of her entire harvest, the best of her produce, and stored it in a special, sealed granary.
— This is for myself — she would say, following the first commandment: Pay yourself first.
The neighbors, who spent their entire harvest on feasts, new clothes, and tools each season, laughed at her. "Why save what is already yours?" they asked.
Elara replied: "Of the ten parts I harvest, nine are to sustain me and my family, for the expenses and joys of the present. But the tenth part is not for today's consumption; it is for the sustenance of my future. If I spend everything, I am only working for others. If I save this portion, I am finally working for my own freedom." In this way, she practiced Controlling Expenditures, limiting her spending to the remaining nine parts.
The Garden of Compound Interest: Make Your Money Multiply
The small granary, Elara's store of value, grew with each season. But she knew that a seed stored for too long can spoil, and idle gold does not generate more gold.
She sought out the wise man of the village, a man known for his sound advice and well-cultivated lands, fulfilling the law: Seek advice from competent men.
The wise man told her: "Your saved portion is your seed. Do not eat it. Plant it in a Special Garden."
Elara used a part of her reserve to buy a small, prime plot of untouched land and sowed it. The following year, this land yielded her not only what she had sown but an even larger harvest, an income. She did not harvest and spend this income. Instead, she replanted it along with the original seed, making the Special Garden slightly larger with each cycle.
Over time, the Special Garden grew so large that the harvest from the new land began to surpass the yield of her original field. It was the power of compound interest in action. Her "coins" (seeds) had "children" (returns) who, in turn, generated "grandchildren" (new returns). Elara's garden began to work for her, tirelessly, following the rule: Make your gold multiply.
The Unforeseen River: Emergency Fund and Protection
One year, an unexpected drought plagued the valley. The neighbors, who had spent their entire harvest, were left without food and without seeds for the next planting. Despair set in.
But Elara was secure. A portion of her special granary (the one-tenth she always saved) was not sown in the Special Garden. It was her Emergency Fund, a pot of gold kept in a safe and liquid place—meaning it was easily accessible and protected against sudden losses.
This reserve was not for earning high returns, but for Protecting her treasure against loss. With it, Elara was able to sustain her family during the drought and, more importantly, buy seeds to replant when the rain returned. She fulfilled the law: Guard your treasure against loss and Secure a future income.
The Essence of Success: Investing in Knowledge
Elara understood that just as the soil needed to be nourished, so did she. She dedicated part of her time and her surplus resources (beyond the 10% and the emergency fund) to learning new irrigation and cultivation techniques, always seeking to Increase her Ability to Earn.
She did not incur debt for luxuries and honored her commitments, knowing that a reputation for honesty and punctuality was a treasure no drought could take away, fulfilling the law: Live within your means and Pay your debts promptly.
Thus, Elara's story teaches that wealth is not the result of luck, but the result of disciplined cultivation:
Plant the seed of the future (Pay yourself first): Set aside a portion of everything you earn (at least 10%).
Care for the soil (Control Expenditures): Live on the remainder so that the reserved seed does not need to be touched.
Make the land work (Investments and Compound Interest): Put the seed to generate more seeds, and the yield to generate even more yield.
Build a safe granary (Emergency Fund): Keep a portion in a secure location so that life's storms do not destroy your main crop.
Cultivate yourself (Invest in Knowledge): Improve your skills and knowledge, for they are the source of your harvest.
And so, Elara lived a life of continuous prosperity, not because she had the largest field, but because she understood and practiced the Simple Laws of Wealth.