Most people used to blame their outside environment (such as the government, the financial status of a family where they belong, the country they're born with), as a factor that controls their lifestyle and financial standing. Although it may have an influence as to why a person is poor or rich, it's not the real major factor that determines the size of one's financial wallet.
Being rich is a decision all people can make for themselves, and it's something everyone can experience if they only choose to. Today, I'm going to enumerate all of the factors that hinder one's opportunity to gain financial freedom - the truth as to why 99% of the world population are still inside the rat race trap.
Photo from alchemythree.com
One of the biggest factor yet mostly ignored by people that contributes to the financial standing of a person is his or her beliefs about money. As money lessons are not particularly taught in schools, usually, people learned things about money either inside their homes or with the people in their environment.
Beliefs such as: ‘Money is the root of all evil’, 'You can’t earn money without a job’, or ’Wealthy people are greedy’, are just some of the examples that most parents or peers teach (directly or indirectly) to their kids or friends. These passed-on beliefs are harmful for they not only block or hinder one's opportunities to earn money, but it also let one be stuck on a same financial position, decreasing the chance of one's growth in terms of knowledge, emotional control, and financial success.
One’s thoughts, words, and actions must be aligned to getting financial freedom if one wants to escape the rat race trap. (Rat Race is a term created by Robert Kiyosaki, depicting the pattern of getting up, going to work, and paying bills, which the poor and middle class often do.) Our thoughts, normally, are inclined with our beliefs. If our beliefs about money are negative, truly enough, our thoughts will only stick to ideas that supports it, and then we'll be doing actions (may we be aware or unaware) and speak words that will likely block blessings and opportunities.
We attract what we are. In the law of the universe, it doesn't matter whether you want something or you hate something. The universe is designed to give you people, things, circumstances, places, and events that are inclined (or in the same level of frequency and vibration) of your beliefs, thoughts, words, and actions.
The more you think and feel about not having money, the more the universe show you that you do not have money. The more you think and feel that you already have large sums of money and you are always grateful for all the blessings coming into your life, the more the universe show you opportunities and will give you more blessings that are higher than your human expectations.
The universe is designed perfectly that if only humans know how it works, our lives would be very much simple.
The way to being rich is to have good relationship about money - to see money as an important tool to enhance one's life (whether it's your own life or other people's life). Money is good. Money creates opportunities. Money brings more happiness. Money increases possibilities of having what we want, doing what we want, and being what we want. Money only acts depending on how one sees it and use it.
2. Lack of Financial Literacy
Photo from riskinfonz.co.nzIf I were to ask you how do people earn money? What would you say? People who have an employee mindset would probably say, ‘by working on a job’, and people who have entrepreneurial mindset would probably say to have a business that generates passive income. As you can see, there's a big difference in mindset between those two kinds of people I mentioned, and that difference revolves around financial literacy.
People who have employee mindset think that being employed on a job is the best way to earn money and that it is stable, which is in fact lacking some major points. When you're employed, you willingly trapped yourself in a so-called rat race:
1. Spend eight or more (8+) hours a day working on a job that has limited and fixed salary
2. Get a paycheck with deductions (with a grumpy face)
3. Pay the bills, loans, etc.
3. Buy unimportant things to boost self-image or to give self a reward instantly.
4. Not being able to save a penny and so, goes back to work again.
And yet you still stick to it because of the idea that "jobs are stable", when in fact, employers have the right to fire their employees if they choose to; and that companies can decrease their manpower anytime if they are in the brink of bankruptcy.
Employee-minded people think that having a job is safe and secured, when the truth is, they depend their lives on the hands of their employers - which is not just very risky but also dangerous.
Some even think that putting money on banks is better than investing on a business, without knowing inflation rates or just how the process works.
People that are not knowledgeable on how to handle finances either ends with being poor or being totally in debt. Instead of investing their money to systems and businesses allowing them to have cash flow, they tend to spend their money to liabilities that only returns additional expenses and things that bring instant gratification that are less rewarding and may create difficulties in the future.
3. Things you Put your Energy and Focus to
What you focus on expands and what expands create your reality.
A lot of people wants to be rich and yet they keep doing what poor people do, watch what poor people watch, read what poor people read, and spend their time just like how poor people spend their time.
Our actions should be aligned with our goals and not by a trend that only reflects what most people do. The kind of environment on which we placed ourselves determines the kind of lifestyle we pursue. So if we put ourselves into an environment where people keeps blaming the government for their lack of progress in terms of finances, it is no question that we are going to be just like them - depending our lives to the government, not realizing that it is OUR responsibility to decide, choose, and work for the kind of lifestyle that we want for ourselves.
Most people these days release their energy and putting it not just into the daily human routines but for many additional aspects such as updating and monitoring notifications from social media sites, watching movies and drama series, being involved to the spread of controversies and celebrity gossips, etc. Unless one is aware on how to manage her time and energy properly, doing such things may hinder one's progress to become financially-free.
People are now too focused on entertaining themselves to escape from their problems and their reality. Instead of putting the effort to change oneself and grow mentally, emotionally, and financially to fix and end the problem, people are wasting their time focusing on some other things that would only bring short comfort and short happiness.
We need to make sure and to become aware that our energies and focus are inclined to our goals and as to what we want to achieve. If not, that would mean that we are only wasting our time and just letting opportunities be slipped on our hands, escaping from the things that we should face on or should be dealing with to gain success.
4. Fear
Photo from gifer.com
This is a pretty common reason why poor people are stuck to being poor – they’re afraid of losing money, afraid that it might not return once invested to money-making machines or assets, they have fear on big price tags, and they have fear on money itself.
A lot of people subconsciously thinks that money may transform them into something evil. They fear on having money because they fear on becoming bad. Always remember this, money only shows and improves the real identity and character of a person. If a good person makes money, he or she will become a better person. If a bad person makes money, he or she will become worse.
Money is designed to serve as an exchange to something that has value. Being too tight on money or being so frantic around money makes it hard for you to attract money. You shouldn't be afraid of letting go of money or using money because money is designed to circulate. Keeping it without having the intention of using it for an important purpose makes money useless. Money should be viewed as a tool for getting or having something that would bring us happiness, it’s not the happiness itself.
5. Bad Habits and Instant Gratification
Photo from goodtherapy.org
In relation to Financial Literacy, one major factor as to why people can't escape the rat race trap is their bad habits in terms of having money, handling money, and spending money.
Most people, whenever they have money coming in to their lives, they tend to use it first for instant gratification. They buy things which are not really that important in their current situation just to cope up with friends and peers' interest even if it doesn't really make sense with him or her yet.
As I mentioned earlier that money should be used and should circulate, it doesn't mean that you can just use it anywhere, everywhere, or just whatever it is that do not have importance at all. Remember, God has given you the money not just for your own benefit but for other people as well. The money you make is not just a result of your own labor - it is also a result of your family, friends, colleagues, mentors, clients' efforts that enable you to make that money.
We should be aware of our habits in terms of dealing with money. Is money growing in our possession or not? Does money stay or disappear in a few days, weeks, or months? Answering these type of questions will help us determine whether our actions towards money is good or bad. You should always remember that our habits towards money will determine our probability of becoming financially-successful and financially-free.
6. Laziness
Photo from wikimedia.org
One of the most likely reason why most of the people in the world are poor is because they are lazy - not putting enough effort or at least start acting on something that matters to reach financial success.
Now there are people who are not lazy but are still poor - those people who work their butts off on their job and are too scared to start their own business, "hard-work" as it is defined. Unfortunately, in today's trend, being a hard-worker on your job will not guarantee your financial success. People are now more attracted to working smart.
As the world grows and changes, many innovators are now changing the old ways into modern and easier ways to earn money. Today, social media sites are now transforming into business sites that enable its users to promote their brand and products to a larger scale of network and audience. There are also new marketing strategies that enables rookie entrepreneurs to boost their business offline and online. A lot has changed and many opportunities are now emerging into different industries, but if one is still lazy to at least start acting or doing on something for the benefit of his or her own life, one may never be able to escape from being poor.
And that's the end of my list! Have you learned something new? Feel free to comment it down below.
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