THE FALSE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WEALTH.

FALSE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WEALTH

Majority of people have no real personal beliefs and go through life thinking that hard work is the key to wealth. This set of people are essentially just mirrors of their environment and reflect only the conventions dictated by that environment.

Whatever they do, they do because they see others doing and not because they have strong convictions about their actions.

Another small set of people have strong principles and beliefs which transcend – and sometimes shape – their environments . It is from this set that the successful people spring.

The greater population live their lives on assumptions created by someone else. Many get to advanced age before realising that they had wasted their lives holding on only to assumptions. Here are some assumptions about wealth that you should consider re – configuring in your mind :

False assumption #1 : having a job is the key to wealth and security. There is no paid employment that can give you wealth and independence. Even if they make you the M.D.
A job merely supports the habits that you have become used to and equate with comfort ; like rent, feeding, fees, bills, the occasional holiday…people will tell you that once they can do all these ,they are “comfortable “ If you are not the owner, or one of the owners, you can never be truly fulfilled. The key is not to work hard ,but to work smart.

False assumption #2 : savings is a good investment for the future. There is no wealthy person in history who has become wealthy by saving. Even in the bible you know what happened to the servant who “ saved “ his talent. He lost it to a more productive colleague.
I am not saying don’t save. I am saying that savings must be seen as a transit point for your money in its journey to bigger levels. Set a certain target like N10 000, when you reach it, take the money out of the savings and put it into something which has the potential to give better returns . Then start the cycle again. The general rule with savings is that the interest you earn from it is usually lower than the current inflation rate. That has the effect of ultimately reducing the buying power of your money if you leave it in savings. How much was fuel three years ago ? How much is it today ?? That is inflation.

False assumption #3 : debt is bad . The richest people in the world never use their own money. The person owing the most money in Nigeria is Dangote. But he is also now said to be the richest black man in history. There is no real business that will not require financial assistance at one point in time. According to the original laws of economic, that is why banks exist. Debt is actually unavoidable if you really want to grow at a certain rate. Look at Nigeria some years ago when all the banks were looking for N25 billion. Who did they run to ? The innocent masses ! By the end of the so called consolidation exercise, the banks had raised many hundreds of billions from the poor masses WHO STILL REMAIN POOR . The secret is to borrow money only for productive reasons. Not to buy things that will not bring in more money but rather make you spend more like cars or clothes. If you buy a dress will you not buy soap every week to keep it clean ? One of the main reasons that the issue of debt arises is because the money was not put to the use for which it was borrowed in the first place or the promoters did not have full or correct information about what they were going into. You must be sure of what you are doing before jumping into the lake of debt.

False assumption #4 : security is good to pursue : every person is crazy about security. Job security, social security, spiritual security, emotional security…. But security is only an illusion. No one will get out of this life alive. No one. When you achieve one security, another insecurity appears which needs to be overcome again. The cycle is endless. This is why religion thrives here. Fear and lack of self understanding. The real reason that people feel insecure is lack of faith. . Risk is part of progress. There can be no progress without risk. In fact, i read somewhere that it is risky not to risk. If you really want to achieve something outstanding, then you must know that it will be impossible to see all the outcomes before you take off. There was no way Bill Gates could have foreseen the dominance of Microsoft or for mike zuckerberg to see how far face book would go. No matter how well laid out your plans, you must know that there is an element of risk. If you allow the risk factor to hold you back, then something great has just been held back.

False assumption # 5. Failure is a bad thing. People who get ashamed when they fail and people who detest failures lack spiritual depth. They can never truly know God. Every single lesson in life and every single thing that makes sense and is useful in life was born out of failure. The human project was an initial failure. God had to clean the slate with a flood and start over . The vary nature of a human being begins with a skeleton. You can not have a human being without a skeleton. You don’t need to go far and say a person has a skeleton in his cupboard … No ! We all have skeletons in ourselves…. We would not be who we are without skeletons… This should tell us something. There can be no success without initial error. But to dwell in the error or stop action …. That is the great stupidity. If you were able to ask any successful person about failure, you will be amazed at how many times they failed before they succeeded and became prominent. Do not live in the fear of failure or allow a setback to hold you down .Strive on ….. If you fall , stand up and look at what caused you to fall. Retrace your steps and avoid the cause of the fall and move on.

False assumption # 6. Wealth is measured by material possessions. That is the problem of our human nature. We use the wrong rulers to measure the fabric of life. Wealth is not money. You must never forget that. There are some people who have money that you respect and there are some people who have money that you do not respect. Why ? There is a big difference between having a lot of money and being wealthy. The greatest thing that you can do as an individual is to add value. That is what we are all here to do. The adding of value is the real measure of true wealth. Wealth which is not as result of value creation is fraudulently acquired. Look at nelson Mandela and look at Aliko Dangote and look at Wole Soyinka. They are all wealthy but from different trajectories.

False assumption #7. Someone outside yourself is responsible for your success. Most people like to be led. This is why many churches in Africa are full and a new and artificial economy is being created by people who do nothing but dress well, talk and promise miracles. Our people have no real desire to flex their minds. Real thinking and self understanding is very hard for them. They fear to take responsibility and consequently live mediocre lives. They assume that their success as individuals depends on a person outside themselves. It has been like that from the beginning of time. The Israelites actually wanted to stay back in Egypt. They were going to stone moses for working hard to take them to the land of milk and honey. As long as the Egyptians would shelter, feed and protect them and sustain their semblance of identity, they were willing to remain slaves to the system… It is still happening today. There is no bigger business than creating illusions for people. youths are looking for jobs in oil companies and banks. People who studied pharmacy are working in banks. My job is not to judge. I am and never will be qualified to judge. But look at what has been gained and look at what has been lost when a pharmacist takes up a job at a bank. Especially when less connected qualified bankers are at home unemployed. Our people also feel that travelling abroad will do it … I read a comment that someone made about the issue of our people travelling out of the country to do all types of menial jobs – the person said …. wealth does not come from abroad…. Wealth comes from ABOVE “ enough said.

False assumption #8. Getting rich is a do or die affair. Every struggle is a function of lack of thinking or acute selfishness. You don’t have to harm another person to make it. That will create a cycle of bondage for you. The stain of blood cannot be washed off by soap alone. Just like fresh air, There is an infinite source of wealth . We just have to learn how to tap into it. It is available to all men if only they can do the first task of self discovery. Then you will know what you are good at and will not feel threatened. If you look at business today, you will find many identical products selling .like coke and Pepsi . Etc every person has a strength. The problem is to find it and use it to improve a situation. Then you will be rewarded with wealth. David made enquiry about potential benefit before deciding to go and face Goliath. He had it at the back of his mind that he would become rich and marry the kings daughter. This was certainly better than tending goats in the bush. His strength was his faith. And his apparent stubbornness. Gani fawehinmi was apparently a very stubborn person. Just like Mandela. I can say the only real gift these people have is their stubbornness. You can see how they have used that stubbornness to help others and gain prominence. Prominence usually moves with her junior brother his name is wealth. You can not get wealthy through struggle. You do it by solving problems.

False assumption #9. It takes money to make money. No ! You need an idea. Then you need to be sure. Then you need resources …. Money is just a resource. If you have a billion dollars and you have no idea what to do, the money will actually be a problem rather than a potential solution. When ebony magazine was to be launched, the publisher had no money. He simply go people to subscribe ahead and used the money to get the magazine out. That is an idea. Money is very important but we have put it too much in front it the hierarchy of priorities. That is the fundamental problem we face that brings turmoils in homes and minds. If you have no real ideas, you are likely to remain confused. Thinking is indeed, the hardest world of all