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Food for Living: Kick Out That Poverty Mentality
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It is generally believed that poverty is a disease. According to some schools of thought, poverty is infectious. These schools of thought believe that when you hang around with poor people, you’ll subconsciously begin to think and act like them. That’s why it’s highly imperative to be around great minds, and if possible, wealthy minds who have achieved genuine success. A popular saying has that if you are around nine billionaires, it won’t be long before you become the tenth billionaire.
Let’s contrast a poverty mindset as against a wealthy mindset with the full knowledge that a mindset is a lens through which we view the world. A poverty mindset is a set of beliefs and behaviors which has been subconsciously ingrained into one’s life. It comprised perceptions and attitudes that inform one’s thoughts and decisions. A wealthy mindset is a set of beliefs, habits, and behaviors that separates the wealthy from the rest.
Poverty mindset is commonly found in people who have experienced poverty in childhood. When you’ve got a poverty mentality, your mindset is fixed on a strong belief that everything is hard to get, i.e. it’s difficult to make money, get ahead in a career, make friends, and so on. In fact, you see life as a struggle or an uphill battle.
A poverty mindset makes you live in fear; it makes you feel you can’t achieve anything. It’s like tying a baby horse to a chair, the horse will grow to believe that the chair is responsible for his inability to move, not knowing that it is held bound by his mindset, and if only it can attempt to move, it will overcome any limitation surrounding it. But guess what? You can change your mindset. You are in control, you can re-engineer how you think.
To know someone who has a poverty personality, such a person normally always highlights a state of lack, the person always believe he or she cannot afford or attract what they need, the person plays the victim mentality, for instance, the person feels the wealth of some person is responsible for their misery. He always feels things will never change. Therefore, think, reflect and see if these signs are applicable to you.
The biggest misconception when it comes to wealth is that only people with millions of dollars in their bank accounts are “wealthy.” But that’s’ a fallacy because true wealth lies in ideas. It should be noted that lack of money is not only a result of finances but also, ideas. In fact, the greatest reason why most people are poor is as a result of a lack of ideas.
Some uninformed minds are quick to believe that provided they have “money”, they are smart. If the only thing you have is money, you are poor. This is because you should be able to get to a stage in life where your goodwill should be able to attract opportunities and favour for you. Let me put this in proper perspective, if you are given one million dollars and you have no idea of what to do with it, you’ll lavish the money with the hope that another money will come in. That’s simply how the poverty mindset works. But if you have ideas, you’ll invest money for good cause, no matter how little.
In our contemporary society, ideas run the world. Men of ideas are not only respected, but they are valued. According to Quincy Adams, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” The question you should be asking yourself is, whose voice am I listening to? Who are am I associating with? If I am working with the same people in the same environment, am I likely to achieve my vision? If your answer is no, it’s high time you told yourself the honest truth. Remember, you can lie to others, but you can never lie to yourself.
Sign of Poverty Mentality
Blame Game
Poor minds are always fond of playing the blame game. You blame everyone and every circumstance for any misfortune that come your way. You blame the economy, government, your employer, your spouse, your parents for everything. You fail to realize there’s a universal law that says, “What you focus on expands”. People who play this card always have an entitlement mentality.
Poor Mindset
According to Lao Tzu: “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” Most times we think just because we can’t afford something, we feel it is far from our reach. According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, “We become what we think about all day long. “Norman Vincent Peale opines, “Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
To Develop a Wealth Mindset?
The best part of developing a wealth mindset is that you can start immediately — by education, strategizing, and then take action. You can do this by saying, “I am good enough.” “I can succeed” “I will be rich.” This is called a shift in mindset.
Think Big
Use your thoughts to change your perception to life. Kick out any negative thoughts that tells you your environment or family background will limit you from becoming wealthy. Get into a group of big thinkers by investing in yourself. Attend courses, programmes, and events of interest to gain clarity.
Have an Abundance Mindset
Being consciously aware that you need to change how you think is the starting point. An abundance mindset is a belief that there’s plenty of everything for everyone, and lots of time to get it. When you have an abundance mindset, lack disappears. You can use the law of attraction to attract what you need. You can practice using gratitude and positive affirmations to change your mindset from a poverty mindset to a wealth mindset. When you spend time appreciating what you have (e.g. people, places, things, and character traits), you move into a much more positive mental space.
Poverty mentality is not only limited to money and ideas, it is also related to personality and attitudes. For instance, as a student, your grades are not enough for you to get a job, employers also look at your personality and vision to life. As a single lady, men are not only interested in your beauty, they scale up their search to know if you have a good character. As an entrepreneur or businessman/woman, your customers are not only concerned about your product, they also look to see how you treat them. As a job seeker, you can kick out the entitlement and poverty mindset by volunteering or working as an intern, by so doing, an opportunity can be created for you.
In conclusion, I will advise and suggest you sit down and evaluate your thoughts, actions, mindset, friends, and most importantly evaluate your life and ask yourself, am I existing or living? Do you see yourself reaching or living the kind of life you aspire with the kind of thoughts and lifestyle you are living today?
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a mindset coach and self-discovery expert. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the winner of the just concluded Ondo State governorship election, held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.
Governor Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.
“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.
The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.
The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There is no gainsaying the fact that everyone desirous of making impact in life must live a life of purpose. This is where knowledge and information come to play. It is these knowledge and information that will set an individual apart from his contemporaries.
I strongly believe, if one is not informed, they are ill-informed, and when they are ill-informed, they can’t perform well in any given endeavour. This is because information leads to reformation and transformation. We can therefore, confidently say that information leads to formation because everyone is a product of what they know.
Knowledge acquisition is one of the best things that can happen to anyone. People with knowledge are revered, and highly respected. Having knowledge is like having money. People from all walks of life will seek you.
There are different kinds of knowledge, and they include Revealed Knowledge, which comes from those who wrote the Bible and Intuitive Knowledge, which comes from the mind. It is the ability to gain knowledge without conscious reason or explanation.
Others are Empirical Knowledge, which is information gained through observation, experimentation, and direct experience, rather than through theoretical reason or intuition; Authoritative Knowledge, which is the knowledge a man has because of his expertise in a particular field; and finally but not the least, Rational Knowledge, which is a form of knowledge that uses reasoning and philosophy to understand the world.
From this illustration, a decisive mind can see that knowledge is priceless. Knowledge is like education. It can provide security and access. Even the Book of life says in Proverbs 4:13, “your education is your life, guard it very well”; and in Hosea 4:6 that “my people perish for lack of knowledge”.
From my personal experience in life, apart from death, one of the greatest levelers of all time is education. This is because the child of a certified pauper can become a man of means tomorrow if properly educated. That explains why children from humble backgrounds ought to take their education very seriously, especially if they don’t have affluence.
On a personal note, I come from a very humble background, my late parents didn’t have the opportunity of acquiring a decent education, but they knew the value of education and endeavored to give me and my siblings a decent education. In retrospect, when I look back and see some of my contemporaries whose parents couldn’t give them a decent education, I bless my late parents because education has exposed me to lots of opportunities in the United States, and the global world in addition to granting me an audience with the high and mighty in society.
Sometimes, when I look at my modest achievement, I’m deeply humbled because I know it is the grace of God. Who am I to author two amazing trailblazers’ books, get featured and profiled by the New York Times, engage in high level conversation with leaders of thought and captains of industries. Apart from the grace of God, intentional seeking of knowledge, and wise counsel from mentors and strategically positioning myself have been some of the cornerstone to my success.
Imagine if my late parents didn’t give me a decent education and opportunity of travelling to the United States, most of these opportunities and exposure wouldn’t have been readily available.
When one is decently enlightened, educated and informed about life, their level of reasoning and understanding differ from an ordinary man. If one desires to go far in life, one must seek knowledge.
It is your knowledge that sets you apart from others.
According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, an accomplished Ghostwriter, “If you are a man of great knowledge, people will have great respect for you. If you are a man of great wisdom, people will have great reverence for you. And if you are a man of both, great knowledge and great wisdom, you will be the most eminent of men. But in real terms, people don’t care how much you know, or how much wisdom you have, unless they know how much you care.”
The moral of this quote is that despite the knowledge and information at one’s disposal, if one lacks empathy, their knowledge, experience and whatever they have mean nothing.
The importance of knowledge cannot be overemphasized. In our contemporary society, a fast way of attracting opportunities is by showcasing the knowledge at one’s disposal. It is so sad that many people don’t take time to read, research and learn new trends applicable in their industry, and in the world generally and as such, they find it difficult to fit in and grow.
It is instructive to note that when you seek knowledge, opportunities will seek for you. A major reason people are poor is simply because they are not solving problems and to solve problems, one ought to have understanding. Do you know that if you don’t have money, the reason is often because you are not solving a problem, or you are not solving enough problems, or you are not solving the right problem or you are not solving problems for the right people. Generally, we make money because we have something unique to offer to the world. Therefore, to solve problems, one must have knowledge and information.
We currently live in an age of technological, where skills, talent and creativity are in high demand. Any progressive being that desires to go far must be intentional in seeking knowledge. Successful acquisition of knowledge, information and understanding can lead to discernment and wisdom.
In conclusion, as you journey towards life, if you want to make an impact, seek opportunities, and earn more money, do yourself a favour by endeavoring to seek knowledge, wisdom, and information. You can’t get these by sitting on your sofa or staying in your comfort zone.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design Your and Unleash Your Destiny. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Daniel Bwala as Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House).
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced this in a statement, on Thursday.
A former aide of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Bwala worked actively for his former principal who lost to Tinubu.
However, after the elections, he worked his way into the camp of Tinubu, sparking controversy.
Onanuga also announced the appointments of three directors-general of various agencies.
They are:
(1) Mr. Olawale Olopade — Director-General, National Sports Commission
(2) Dr. Abisoye Fagade — Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism
(3) Dr. Adebowale Adedokun — Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement
Olopade, the new Director-General of the National Sports Commission, is a sports administrator with many years of experience in the sector.
He served as commissioner of youth and sports in Ogun state and was chairman of the local organising committee of the 2024 National Sports Festival.
The new Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Abisoye Fagade is a marketing communication professional. He is the founder and managing director of Sodium Brand Solutions.
Adedokun, the new helmsman of the Bureau of Public Procurement, was the director of Research/Training and Strategic Planning at the bureau before his appointment.
Daily Trust
