At the mention of money, three categories always come to mind; (1) born into wealth, (2) grew up with money that couldn’t be sustained, and (3) born into poverty. The latter groups usually develop a unique money mindset that cripples them; unless conscious effort is made to reprogram the mental.
As I was checking in my bags at the airport, the attendant gave me the option to upgrade my seat for an additional $200. I declined, although the initial ticket was covered by a sponsoring entity. Shortly after going through security, I received a call from a loved one asking for the same amount. The funds were transferred before boarding. In that moment, the ability to help made me feel great however, upon noticing how uncomfortable my seat was in the plane, I was encouraged to reflect. ‘Why do I always compromise my comfort but usually give without restrictions?’
You see, as a member of the second category, the childhood fear of not sustaining my hard-earned income surpassed the need to prioritize comfort while the flawed necessity to prove something propelled the desire to give. But at what cost? In truth, we all love a good rags-to-riches story from those in the third category. However, we hesitate to discuss that many let their money work for them. Money is an idea, a construct. It's just one form of power. But what is more powerful is financial education. Money comes and goes, but if you have the education about how money works, you develop the correct money mindset and can begin building wealth.
Unfortunately, most people - just like you - may not realize that a significant blessing is to believe you deserve money instead of constantly worrying that you will wake up one day and what you’ve been trusted with will all be gone. You constantly complain you don’t have money but you keep spending frivolously; convincing yourself that you simply need to keep working harder. Who ever lied to you that the only way to earn money is through constant hard work? Fam, the moment you can learn to trust that money is power only when you own it, and not when it owns you, you take another step towards attaining financial independence.
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This message was originally shared on Instagram here.