The Myth of A Financial Breakthrough

A lot of good folks are sitting pretty waiting for a financial breakthrough – a financial windfall that will solve all their money problems; that day when all their money problems will be over and all their prayers will be answered. That day may never come in that shape or form. The money will very likely not come as expected, and in the few instances when it does, the fool and his money soon part ways. What is will be left is memories and hope for another opportunity.

There are two kinds of people – those who make things happen, and those who wait for things to happen. The group that waits for things to happen can be further subdivided into three, those that report things happening, those that watch/comment on things happening, and those that have no clue what is happening. When it comes to moving ahead financially, this group waits for something to happen – a financial windfall, a pay hike or unexpected bonus from their employers, a gift from a friend or stranger sent from God, a lottery win, an inheritance (from relatives or strangers), etc. The underlying assumption is that more money will solve their money problems.

This assumption is incorrect and very disempowering. If you have a bottomless bucket, you cannot fill it by pouring in more water. The giant leak is the problem. If you want to fill the bucket with water, the logical first step is to plug the giant leak. That seems to be common sense, but when it comes to money, emotions get in the way and most do not see it that way. Rather than deal with financial illiteracy through sound financial education, we go look for more money, with the hope that the faster the money comes, the more we get to fill our bucket. We ignore the leak.

Financial breakthroughs do happen. It mostly happens to those who are ready for it. It often happens to those who know how to convert the seed in their hands into a bumper harvest, rather than those who consume their seed and hope for more to consume, from others’ harvest. There is an interesting passage in the Bible that says God gives bread to the eater and seed to the sower. That means the eater and the sower start from the same starting block. However, the eater consumes his while the sower plants hers – to multiply seed received through a bumper harvest. Who among the two is a candidate for a financial breakthrough? Your guess is as good as mine.

What is the difference between a herdsman and a hunter? Both deal with cattle or animals. While the herdsman rears cattle and ends up with herds of cattle, the hunter is looking for a quick kill. He jumps straight to harvest with nothing sowed. He loads his gun in the morning with a backpack and heads out into the forest to hunt. Sometimes he makes a kill and some days he comes back empty-handed. Down the years, all the hunter has to show for his illustrious hunting career are pictures and tusks of animals he killed. While the herd of the herdsman grows without limits (if he knows what he is doing), the hunter keeps praying for a lucky hit. Who among the two is a candidate for a financial breakthrough? Again your guess is good as mine.

Prior to commencing my journey to financial freedom, I used to be a hunter/eater hoping for a better day. I prayed fervently for a breakthrough of unimaginable proportions inspired by heaven. I prayed, fasted, gave, did good works, hoped, etc for this event. I often played out its fulfillment in my imagination. One sunny Sunday afternoon after church service, I will be pulled over as I trekked home by a strange car that blocked my path. As I was wondering what the hell was going on, a complete stranger comes excitedly towards me to ask if I was Usiere Uko.

As I nodded suspiciously in the affirmative, he released a huge sigh of relief. He had a message for me from God. He has been looking all over for me for weeks, missing me narrowly on different occasions. He could neither eat nor sleep well until he found me. He was so excited he has finally found me. I was still in a daze when he edged me gently toward the back of his exotic luxury automobile. I had not seen that model of car before then. He presses a button and the boot snaps open to reveal a big gleaming briefcase. He pulls it closer and snaps it open. I almost pass out. It was filled with neat bundles of $100 bills. It is mine. His voice sounded like an echo.

God asked him to give it to me. My prayers have finally been answered. He handed the briefcase to me. I tried to thank him and ask what his name was, but he shook his head and zoomed off. How much was really inside the briefcase?

I woke up from this dream when it dawned on me that the best way to predict the future is to make it happen. The best dreams come to pass when we wake up, roll up our sleeves and go to work on our dreams. I have since seen my dreams come true one after the other as I went to work. Will my dream of being handed a briefcase full of $100 bills come to pass one day? The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind…