We are all faced with challenges, especially of the financial variety. When you are stuck in a rut, you believe there is no way out. Being in that place becomes your new normal, and getting out seems out of your reality. Some days ago, looking through the books in my study, my eyes fell on ‘Retire Young, Retire Rich’ by Robert Kiyosaki. Tears welled up within me as I reached for the book.
I first read the book in 2002 when I first started my journey to financial freedom and independence. As I thumbed through the book, I remembered the goals I set and how impossible they seemed at that time. As it dawned on me that I actually exceeded those goals when I bid farewell to the rat race, tears of gratitude ran down my face. I was glad I was alone because it scares my wife and kids to see me cry.
Looking back over the years, I saw how I faced and overcame each challenge. I have realized over the years that when there is a will, there is a way. To every problem, there is a solution. We simply have to change the way we look at it. When you change the way you look at the challenge, you will start seeing what you did not see hitherto.
As a simple illustration, let us assume you are earning N25,000 ($150) per month which is a survival wage in Nigeria and you have been earning this for more than 2 years. If you are still showing up for work, that means you are not dead yet. You are still alive and kicking. Congratulations, you made it through 2 years without saving a dime.
Yes, I know, the money is not enough. What is there to save? You are absolutely correct. Now let’s look at the next two years, assuming the situation does not change. Let’s look at two mindsets.
Mindset A, the money is not enough. Saving is impossible.
This assertion is correct and has been proven so in the last 2 years. It is a valid position, backed by facts and figures. What happens in the next 2 years? We don’t need a prophet or seer to predict. You will be broke, annoyed, frustrated, you name it. And rightly so. This is man’s inhumanity to man. Your employer is wicked. How can he expect you to live on minimum wage? He gives his children more than that a month as pocket money. You can go on and on and rant to your heart’s content. And then what? Back to the status quo
Mindset B, the money is not enough, but I will save all the same
This assertion is also correct and has been proved so in the last 2 years by fellow colleagues in the same company who have been saving. The focus shifts to how did they do it. Where did they find money to open a shop or start another business? You move closer to such folks. Are they still alive? Do they still show up for work? Did they save N2,500 a month and the sky did not fall? Will I make progress in 2 years if I keep doing what I did in the last 2 years?
As you start asking the right questions, you start finding the right answers. For example where to buy things cheaper, maybe planting your own stuff in the backyard or reactivating your farm back home, etc. There are things you either do not know or have not searched for. It is only when you seek that you will find. They will not throw themselves at you.
You can choose what you focus on
What we focus on is our choice. You can choose to focus on the unfairness of your low wages or focus on what you need to do to increase your income. You can choose to save and invest while improving yourself and looking for a new job. The investment may be in going back to school part-time. It bears repeating that where there is a will, there is a way. To every problem, there is a solution. Your job is to, first of all, believe there is a way out, using what you have already, and then look for it.
A lot of people believe the only way out is more money, so they focus only on looking for another job. It may take years to get one, and even when they finally get one, they earn more and still go broke all the same.
When you ask the wrong questions, you get the wrong answer. The change you seek needs to happen on the inside first. If you keep seeking solutions outside, you may never find what you are looking for. To every problem, there is a solution.
Image: meetville.com
