
Some time ago, I sewed a pair of trousers for ₦6,000 and a friend of mine said I wasted money. He said, “I should have bought second-hand trousers for half that price.” I did not beg any money from him to sew the trousers, and neither did I owe the tailor. So, why wouldn’t he mind his business and stop being unnecessarily angry? To him, it was not a smart financial decision to sew new trousers when I could afford them.
My first flight ever was fully paid for. It was from Abuja to Lagos and it lasted for about 60 minutes. When some people heard the cost of my flight ticket, they suggested that I could have travelled by road (about 10 hours) for one-third of that flight fee and saved that money for something else. To them, travelling by air on fully paid expenses was not a wise financial decision. I marvelled.
Many broke people on the internet today are the ‘best advisers’ on how others should spend their money. A popular YouTuber showed her apartment in New York City (NYC is one of the most expensive cities to live in the world) where she pays a rent of $7,000 per month.
Her couch is worth $8,000. Her apartment doubles as her creative space where she makes her money. For her to be able to afford this, it means her monthly earning is significant enough. The various hate comments in that video showed how poverty has traumatized the minds of many people.
A netizen audaciously said she lacked financial literacy. Ugh! The man who is struggling to eat three square meal thinks that the person who can afford a ₦10,000 movie ticket lacks financial discipline.
You only live once! You aren’t taking a penny with you to your grave when you die. So, why not spend it on something you can afford and give yourself a good life? Sometimes, you have to switch off that calculator in your head and enjoy your life. Sometimes, poverty can be disguised as financial prudence.
When poverty has colonized the brain, a hardworking man who earns well may find it difficult to give himself a treat and enjoy the goodies of life with his money. He may constrain himself from eating the fruits of his labour.
Saving money is good. Investing money is better. Enjoying the journey is the best. Life is short. It’s time to shift from just working hard to pay bills and start living more. Every month, you split your income to pay others and forget to pay yourself. That’s enough!
It’s time to set some money aside for enjoyment and do things or go to places that make you happy. With the life expectancy rate that keeps reducing yearly, nowadays, being alive is a special occasion. As long as you can afford it, every day should be Christmas.
Growing up with a poor widowed mother, I learnt how to manage money from a standpoint of scarcity. My mind was programmed to manage money, rather than enjoy money. It came from a place of lack, not a place of abundance. This mindset became so strong in me that even as I grew older and I was working hard to increase my income, I still found it difficult to enjoy my hard-earned money. Rather than enjoy my money wisely, I was managing money and denying myself comfort and pleasure because I wanted to be prudent.
Even when I earned returns from my investment, I was still stingy with myself. Poverty conditioned my mind too much that I saw spending on fun activities as “wasting money.” Whenever I saw rich people going for vacation and balling, I thought they were wasting money and may be broke soon. Interestingly, they were getting richer. It means I was wrong in my thinking.
Why do you have to pay a photographer for a birthday photoshoot? Why not give that give that money to charity? Why buy a brand new car when you can get a cheap and good fairly used car? Why not use that money you want to spend on Summer Vacation in Maldives to invest in properties? Why spend so much on assorted foods and wines? Why buy shoes, and accessories that are expensive? Why live in an estate when you can also live comfortably in a modest boy’s quarters apartment? Why pay to use the gym when you can trek from one street to another? Why have two meats on your plate of food?
Genuine options from a flawed mindset! I was more scared of going broke than I was conscious of managing money. I lacked the basic financial knowledge of balancing management and enjoyment.
Kai! Poverty is a bastard. It is an invisible force that holds your mind captive. Whenever I see rich people riding expensive cars, the calculator that poverty has installed in my brain begins to estimate various supposed alternatives on behalf of these rich people. If I did not break through from this poverty mindset quickly, I may end up like that starving man who had breakfast set before him but refused to eat.
He chose to stay hungry throughout the day and kept the food till dinner. Before dinner came, death took him away. Sadly, he missed breakfast and never lived to eat dinner.
With your current financial state, is it possible to escape generational poverty? Are you always financially stranded? Do you create a budget and stick to it? Do you save at least 10 percent of your income regularly? How long can you stay without borrowing money?
Do you have financial goals or you are just saving money aimlessly? How do you intend to build wealth from your 9-5 salary? If a pandemic like Covid-19 hits again, how long can you survive without your monthly income? When you see a rich person, what comes to your mind? Whatever you think, you still wish you were rich also. Interestingly, you too can be rich.
Building wealth is hard. Sustaining wealth is harder. Selling your services, products and skills will keep your bank account busy, but financial prudence will keep it buoyant. Value attracts money, but financial education keeps the money.
Financial literacy will boost your chances of building wealth regardless of how much you earn. Behind a wealthy person, is sound financial intelligence and excellent money management. To envy the lifestyle of the rich and yet not take one single step to earn that lifestyle for yourself will not make your life better.
To be jealous of those who reached what you aim for, without stopping for a second to think about the knowledge and mind shift they possess is foolishness.
If you desire to stay financially healthy without any fear after your retirement, I wrote this book (ENJOY LIFE, STAY RICH) for you. Whether you are single, married (with or without kids), divorced, widowed or a single parent, the financial advice in this book will correct your past money mistakes and set you again on the right path.
The earlier you begin to implement these proven strategies, the better for you. It does not matter your current financial state, slowly and steadily, you too can join the league of rich kids and soft life.
Make no mistake. You can manage money and still enjoy your life. The purpose of this book is not to teach you how to suffer or to be stingy towards yourself. No! Life should be enjoyed with wisdom. Life should be spent in pleasure, not in pressure. Enjoy life and stay rich. That’s the goal.
Getting rich is just one part of your problems. The biggest part of your problem is how to stay rich when you get there. In this world, a lot of people have made money and lost it at one point or the other. No matter how big a ship is, it takes a small leak to sink the ship.
Financial mistakes can hurt life. False beliefs and bad habits can halt your financial progress. Debts can rob you of your dignity and peace of mind.
This book is the mirror of your reality and your desired state. Step by step, I will hold your hands and lead you through the path. If you are already making an effort towards financial freedom, don’t get drunk on the excitement of yesterday’s success, there is so much to learn in this marathon journey of financial freedom.
This book is written to teach you how to enjoy your hard-earned money wisely, rather than managing your money. It is possible to have all the good things of life without going broke again, without being in debt and without being in fear. You deserve a soft life too.
If you continue to work like an elephant and live like an ant all because you want to manage money, you may end up in a frustrated life. It is still possible to enjoy every day of your life and still hit your financial goals. This is what you will learn in this book.
To live a happy life, you need time and energy. In this book, you will also learn how to manage your time and energy. This book is the conversation you need to have with yourself daily to improve your financial state.
I have helped thousands of people to transform their financial life and get out of debt. There are testimonials to show for it. This is not to brag. I have shared these secrets in this masterpiece. I have made this book so comprehensive and easy to read. No big grammar. No technical jargon.
No school will ever teach you what this book will reveal to you! Sit down and see for yourself! Are you ready? Let’s dive in.
© Kingsley Ndimele
Your Reliable Consultant