Back in my primary school days, one of my mathematics teachers kept on talking about a book they used to read in their time titled: Beyond those Hills.
I have never got to see the book itself, but there was something about how he used to say and dramatize it that always intrigued me. With our young minds then, many of us couldn’t figure out exactly what was the implied message. We just thought it funny in the way he used to demonstrate it.
However, years later, and as I got into the world of business, I came to understand the whole thing was about strategic thinking and foresight, to see beyond just the immediate circumstances that one may be in.
It is a practical concept upon which the kingdom of money is built on. On this page, I have consistently stated that money or wealth is a scarce commodity that everyone desires, but only a privileged few get to have.
The question that majority of the people who miss out on money is because they lack the ability to see beyond those hills. Figuratively, this means:
1. Money or wealth is a factor of time – while many want money to flow to them like instant coffee, the bitter reality is that wealth is accumulated over a long period of time, through small daily habits that eventually creates momentum for massive cash flows. For as far as i understand it, no one in history has hacked any shortcuts to sustainable wealth;
2. Money or wealth is first and foremost a condition of the mind -it takes foresight to see beyond the average person. Those who create massive wealth in their life time premeditate it, plan & execute their plans with methodical precision, despite the setbacks that they must overcome;
3. Wealth is the sum total of experimentation and failures – poor and average people seek wealth from a smooth curve. They forget calm seas never make any great sailors. Out of failure and experimentation, those that create wealth eventually find their breakthrough;
4. Wealth is a reward for risk taking -you cannot want to play your money games only within the space of comfort and expert great rewards. The world’s economic order rewards each one according to the levels of risks they are willing to take -you play small, you win small, you play big, you win big, that’s just the way it is;
5. Wealth is never visible at the beginning – by the time people start noticing your wealth, a lot of water has already gone under the bridge. The world only sees your glory moments, not the sweat, pain or failures that you had to endure before they started noticing your achievements.
The years spent in the trenches requires an internal self-motivation to keep moving – seeing beyond those hills alludes to this inner foresight that keeps you moving while the world does not notice you; when friends, colleagues or even close family members discourage or fail to understand you.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is the distinctive mark of legends who get to find a seat at the table of true wealth.