One of the most difficult concepts in the world of money is appreciating your financial journey as very personal. The reason why this is so is that we are all in a way entangled in a family where we either grew up or our very own family.
Drawing the cut-off line as to where your finances begin and where the family’s ideas and perceptions about money end is not a walk in the park. In fact, many people never get it completely in their entire life.
That explains why siblings will fight over their parents’ money, why spouses will waste so much of their productive energy wrangling over money and children will connive to disinherit their ageing parents.
What is lost in these machinations is that the creator designed each one of us in a way that we will be able to enjoy the abundance of His creation. Equally lost is also the need to develop our own individual capabilities to make our money decisions independently.
It is amazing how most people rely on hearsay, rumours and misinformation from family, friends, colleagues and sometimes total strangers to make life-changing decisions on their finances. Many more cannot serve marketing gimmicks from reality when deciding on investments.
Here are five facts that MUST guide you in walking into your financial freedom:
- Nobody’s path to financial freedom is similar to any others – just like your biometrics are unique to any other in the world, your journey to money and wealth is similarly very unique. Therefore, even when you seek advice from others, the ultimate decision on where you earn and put your money is yours. For instance, the people you work with do not share a contract with you nor do they have any authority over how you spend what you earn –each one is there for their personal interest no matter how close you think you are with them;
- Relations may influence your views, but MUST not dictate your destiny – it is true the first impressions we have about money are highly influenced by the family and environment where we grew up. Your own family relationships can impact your money decisions in a big way –but that cannot be an excuse as to why you cannot succeed with money. The natural rules of survival dictate you understand your environment and craft a mechanism to thrive and succeed against whatever old may be surrounding you;
- Decide on personal goals and stick to them – the easiest way to overcome distractions on your money journey is to set a clear and specific money target with specific timelines. This is the only way to achieve clear focus, drive and energy to overcome the many obstacles on the road to financial freedom;
- Accept the reality that the narrow road to financial freedom is full of thorns and heartaches – show me anyone who says it is easy to make and keep money and I will show you the biggest liar. Truth is, over time it becomes easier to make more money as your wealth grows, but the nature of money is predicated on trade-offs between sacrificing today in order to enjoy more in the future. Money is also a reward for the risk you take –that makes it inevitable not to suffer losses as you move along. Accept this fact, pay the price but keep moving;
- The rewards are sweet – ultimately, the beauty of succeeding where most people never is worth the sacrifices that you make along this torturous journey.
As a concluding thought, I hear always that money is not everything. True, but only say that when you have a fat bank account and many things earning you more money even when you sleep!