Poverty Mindset

What prevent you from getting rich?

Again, I will overly emphasized this phrase : YOU ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE.

Being wealthy is a choice. Being healthy is a choice. Loving someone is a choice. Staying in a relationship is a choice. Having a good future is a choice.

So if we have a choice, how come people are still poor; why does people still in debts? Simple: You have a poverty mindset - which simply mean that you don't want to be rich. Consciously, you kept of thinking about being rich but subconsciously, you are afraid of getting rich. It means that you consciously want to be rich but you do not do it in action and in reality. Your psychological wallet is so small that even a coin won't fit in it. 

So how can avoid and change our poverty mindset?

The following are only tips I personally follow in order to shift my poverty-mindset into a wealthy and abundant mindset (It is up to you if you follow them or you find your own ways on how to do it).

1. Find the purpose why you want to be wealthy.

Mine is simple. 

1. To purchased a car (had a specific details on it: its color, brand, etc) so I can bring my brother (who has down syndrome with autism) in places where he can enjoy (like baguio, tagaytay, Rizal Park :) ).  

2. To retire at an early age so I can spend more time with the people I love and create memories with them;

3. To help more people especially the special children in special homes and the abandoned lolo and lola's in charity and nursing homes in the country. 

Finding your purpose is as easy as looking for what will make you REALLY HAPPY. For some people, they spend their entire lifetime contemplating on their purpose, looking for it, searching for it. I find it easy this way - I sit down, pray for clarity and ask my self : What is the only thing that would give me real happiness? The answer will then serve to be the purpose as to why I want to be wealthy.

     2. Increase your money comfort zone.

Do you imagine yourself to have 1 million? If you have 1 million, what will you do about it? 

Many people remain poor because they did not expand their psychological wallet. For example, an average, entry level nurse receives a salary of 12-14K a month and is comfortable with it. During holidays, we receive 13th month and other bonuses, so that 12-14K become 20-30 even 40K and it become floating money. Because people with the poverty mindset does have little psychological wallet, consciously they are happy with the extra 20K-plus but subconsciously, they are dreading. They are doomed. They are now panicking. So, instead of saving and investing it, they spend it. They spend until all the floating money was gone and there's no more money to save anymore. Since these people are comfortable with only 12-14K, they will do they very best to have that 40K down to 14K for them to be comfortable. 

Therefore, stretching your money comfort zone is important. You want to be wealthy then reset your beliefs. Tell yourself always (personally, I'm doing it) I will have my first 1 million today. It helps. :)

3.Change your view about money.

When I was young, adults always tell me that money is evil. Stay poor because the Lord delights in them. Being rich rob the soul of a person thus making him evil. So I grew up believing that it is evil. Until early this year that belief changed dramatically. If people come to me and tell me that money is evil, I backed up and tell them, how about this "The lack of money is the root of all evil", and they mumble "Oo nga no? ".

Personally, I believe that money is neutral. It can be good or bad depending on its purpose. Money can be evil is you use it to take advantage of other people but it can be a good thing if you use it to help many people. Like what Bo Sanchez always tell us, the true purpose of wealth is to love and to serve others. 

You choose. Choose to be wealthy and love and serve the world. Or choose to be rich to make the life of others miserable. 


Its up to you. Choose your options well.

4. Be Financially literate.

Invest in your most powerful asset - your mind. Attend seminars, read books, listen to audio and podcast. Indulge yourself in reading numbers and understanding them. 

I always believe that you become what you read and what you watch. You can spend your time watching MTV the whole day, go to the mall, bar hopping and other stuff and 5 to 10 years from now, you will realize you're broke. But I choose to invest in my greatest asset. When all my friends spend their hard earned money in bars and night out, I go to National Bookstore and Booksale to find a good book to read. When all my friends spend their day offs watching movies and partying, I'm at home researching on the latest trends in stocks and investment or attending seminars to improve my financial IQ and personality development. When all my friends buy starbucks coffee, I keep my money inside my pocket and instead buy kopiko (thank God, Im not a coffee lover :) ) so I can save and pay my debts and soon be debt-free.

Choose your media wisely. You become what you choose. 

5. Be Responsible.

A lot of people blame others for their poverty. They blame the government, their employers, their parents, their fate, God but never blame themselves. They believe that God holds the steering wheel of their life which I beg to disagree. I personally believe that God is in the back seat, telling us and directing our journey but He  never drives. He ask us to drive our own car thus we are responsible in our own life. He gives us direction, He serves to be a compass so we will not lose our way but He never drive, He give that responsibility to us. 

Kaya utang na loob, stop blaming others for your misfortunes and start being in control of your own life. He ask us to drive, so drive it well. Don't let anyone control you and don't let the world push you around. Buhay mo yan, in the end, you can't point your finger to anyone but yourself. You have options and you choose what kind of life you;ll lived, kaya be mature enough to take the blame and be responsible.

So, there's the list. I told you earlier, they are my personal lists. You can follow it or you can make your own. The important thing is, as you're reading this, you are choosing to live a life out of the RAT RACE. 

See you in the Financial free land, soon! :)

God bless our journey!

- Joane Nicole Hamili