When you have been in a particular position or situation for so long, you start to think there is no hope or way out. That is not true. A pattern of behavior created the cycle of lack you are experiencing. Another pattern of behavior is required to get you out.
You need to break the cycle. All that is required may be a minor tweak in your thought pattern or mindset. Many do not invest because they don’t have enough money. They end up not having enough money because they do not invest. Something needs to happen before this cycle of lack is broken.
For many, it is getting a better job or making more money. That seems to solve the problem for a while. Soon, the same challenge rears its ugly head. More money leads to more expenses. More expenses lead to not having enough money. So you don’t invest because you don’t have enough money, and lack because you do not invest. You have simply kicked the can down the road. The issue has not been resolved. You are still stuck in a cycle of lack though you look more affluent.
Who gives in first?
It reminds me of a common scenario that happens in some public buses in Lagos and other cities. You give the bus conductor a high denomination note and he promises to give you change when he has one. Being so engrossed in your phone or book that by the time you get to your bus stop, you alight before collecting your change. You vow never again will you leave your money with a bus conductor again. The bus conductor also has had experiences whereby he delayed collecting the bus fare only for the passenger to alight without paying. This sets the stage for a stalemate when the two meet.
The passenger is not willing to release the high denomination note until the conductor brings the change. The conductor insists the passenger must pay first and collect her change later. You have a stalemate. If it is not well managed, it can lead t fisticuffs or someone being thrown off the bus.
The simplest way to break the stalemate is for one party to yield his right to the other. One party has to back down in order to resolve the issue.
Choosing to break the cycle of lack
The average person does not invest because she has no money. It takes to stand that logic on its head and do the opposite – invest because you don’t have enough money. That is where you start to break the cycle of lack. Start investing for the very reason many don’t – because they don’t have enough money. When you look at investing as a way of making more money, it makes sense. Anyone who does not have enough should start investing.
We face the same challenge with regular exercise. We don’t exercise regularly because we don’t have enough time. Due to lack of exercise, we are less fit and low energy hence achieving less. We actually achieve more when we exercise as we raise our vitality and energy level. Hence you exercise because you don’t have enough time. You don’t have enough time to waste dragging yourself through the day when you can achieve more.
Having this mindset allows you to break the cycle of excuses. When it comes to investing, this mindset helps you break the cycle of lack.
Escaping the cycle of lack
It does not mean that the moment you make this decision, you will suddenly have enough money to invest. You may struggle a bit at the begging. You need to start small and make some adjustments to accommodate your investment. As your money starts growing, you become more motivated and creative in investing more. Gradually, you start to break the cycle of lack and start moving towards sufficiency and abundance.
When you start earning more, you know what to do with it. Having become more skillful in managing money, more money leads to more investment and higher returns. If you do not improve your money management skills, more money takes you back to where you started. You need to break that cycle of lack.
Image: bennyhinn.org
