By Jesupelumi Oluwagbemi
“Na lie jo!”
“All these people just frame up lies in their magazines to make them more marketable”.
Frank thought out loudly. “What’s the new perfectly-cooked fable?”, Ebuka inquired, interested in what his colleague had been so engrossed in reading at the table. Frank, Ebuka and Tina, in their usual practice, went for lunch together at the office kitchen. On their way, Frank’s eyes fell on a magazine with this intriguing cover story on Mbah’s table as he stopped by to compliment her on her “ever-special Monday dressing”. The magazine sure did look like a company to his meal. Halfway reading the intriguing story that made the magazine cover, he had started exclaiming his doubts loudly.
“Abeg, give us the gist”, Tina also interjected Frank’s loud thoughts, her ears itching to know the story.
“Can you imagine? First, it is even the story headline that says, “A Billionaire in His Teens”. So, I felt curious to know the gold the young chap had quickly dug out. Only for me to read about this young guy who had allegedly made billions from his fish farming and exportation business. Like, can you imagine? And they expected us to just believe this story. I feel no one can “blow” (thrive) like that. It’s either the person has connections somewhere or the person is using some kind of charm. Imagine! Ordinary fish farming at age 18. At that age, I was still trying to get into university. Then, these people want me to believe that someone did a business and already made his billions. If that’s the case, a lot of us will not waste years in the university. The guy is leveraging something! “We that do not have connections or know where to get charm from, let’s just accept the status quo and be contented with what life gives us,” Frank annoyingly ranted out to his colleagues who did not hesitate to share in his doubts.
Chris who sat on the next table, more amused than interested, interrupted their discussion: “Why are you guys pained so much? The young guy is making his money, whether you believe or not. I am pretty sure that if he has this same mindset of yours, he will never have stepped out from inception and made a fortune for himself. Well, before you three give me the look of an over-enthusiast motivational speaker, I am off to my office. Just wanted to drop my own view before running off”.
Financial independence, they say, is 80% of your mindset and 20% of your knowledge. This implies that if you do not have a mindset of wealth, you cannot utilise the knowledge (skills) you have at your disposal, even when that knowledge can make you wealthy. A limited mindset when it comes to wealth fails to recognise opportunities of wealth around the individual neither can this person envision wealth and make plans towards achieving this envisioned wealth. It all starts from your mindset!
“Lola, you need to check out this Instagram vendor; she sells amazing stuff,” Gracie beckoned to her colleague who also triple acts as her seatmate and office best buddy.
“Don’t tell me you have started your voracious shopping again. I was welcomed at the office this morning with your laments about your mountain of debts, of which you do not have the money to pay them off at the moment.
“Lola, you need to calm down. It is just a two-tone nude purse I am buying. I have a two-tone nude heels given to me as a gift and I need a matching purse with it. That is all. Much more, it is just fifteen thousand naira. What’s this figure compared to the hundreds of thousand naira I have in debt.”
“Little drops, they say, make a mighty ocean. Little savings consistently will help you gather a good sum off your debts. You cannot keep being lackadaisical about your finances and expect a miracle to drop from heaven. For all I know, you do not even have an event to attend, so, what’s the urgency in getting this purse.”
“Nawah o! All this talk because of one purse! Buying this purse doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t pay off my debts”.
“So, tell me, how do you intend paying back your debts”.
“For now, I do not have a plan. I am really hoping our company pays us mid-year bonus or any of my uncles remembers me and sends me money. I am so in need
of windfalls currently. I cannot see any other way I will be able to pay back. My monthly income is barely enough to maintain my lifestyle and for my upkeep. I’m certain I should get some other money soon and I have promised myself that I won’t spend a dime out of it; I will devote everything to paying off my debts.”
“Interesting! You are one of a kind! You are nowhere close to paying off your debts any soon. I am so sure of this.”
Enough of Gracie. I am sure we have seen a part of Gracie’s attitude towards her finances in ourselves or someone around us. Yours may not be having a mountain of debt you wake up to each morning, it may just be neglecting your finances and expecting a knight in shining armour to rescue you from your financial dilemma and magically take you to your financial land of fantasies. No one will rescue you but yourself. Your finance will not take the right turn on its own; you gear it in the right direction. One step at a time is the magic, starting with the basic steps such as creating a budget that suits your lifestyle, allocating a part of your income to investment, slaying your debts, creating other sources of income, planning for emergencies and the likes. Steadiness and consistency will keep you on the path to financial abundance; but the question is: Are you ready for this?
Ms Oluwagbemi, a first class chartered accountant, is certified in family and personal financial planning from University of Florida, USA.
