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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
Former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), formally pitching his tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Duke registered as an ADC member in Ward 5 of Calabar Municipality, where he collected his party membership card, marking his official entry into the opposition party.
His move comes amid recent internal concerns within the ADC in Cross River State. Former ADC governorship candidate, Dr Effiong Nyong, had written to the party’s National Chairman, protesting the inclusion of some individuals from the state in the ADC’s 50 Wise Men and Women Policy Manifesto Committee.
Nyong faulted a statement by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, which listed persons who, according to him, neither resigned from the PDP nor made contributions to the ADC, calling for their removal.
Political observers believe Duke’s swift formal registration may be linked to the controversy, as the former governor had earlier been named among prominent figures associated with the party.
Recall that Duke previously left the PDP for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he emerged as the party’s presidential candidate under controversial circumstances.
Meanwhile, ADC leaders in Bakassi Local Government Area have intensified calls on Cross Riverians to identify with the party, describing it as a credible alternative ahead of future elections.
Rising from a stakeholders’ meeting involving chapter executives, ward chairmen, and secretaries, party leaders accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of misrule and urged Nigerians to reclaim the country.
In a statement signed by the Bakassi Chapter Chairman, Emmanuel Asuquo, and Secretary, Eko Boco, the party reaffirmed its loyalty to the ADC national leadership, pledging support for the National Chairman, Senator David Mark, and National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, while urging undecided citizens to join the party’s “transformative agenda.”
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Did you know that life is full of different currencies? Yes, just like different countries have their unique currencies, different human beings, governments, schools, organizations and institutions have unique currencies that not only work for them, but also set them apart from others. Anyone with the intent to work with any of them therefore, must be prepared to present their currency, and speak in the language they understand.
Currencies in this context are not limited to medium of exchange as in money, but includes every gesture and body language that propel acknowledgement, connectivity and acceptance when in deals with another party.
Let’s take a case study of the United States of America; their trading currency is dollars, and some of the characteristics that made them unique are:
Core Values and Freedoms: The U.S. is built on principles of individual rights, religious freedom, and limited government, enshrined in the Constitution.
The “American Dream“: Is a pervasive culture of opportunity that allows for upward mobility and the ability to pursue personal success regardless of background.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: A leading global hub for technology, invention, and business, from Silicon Valley to space exploration.
Diversity and Inclusion: A “melting pot” that blends cultures, ideas, and people from around the world into a unique national identity.
All these are currencies that make the United States the greatest country on earth. If any progressive mind can tap into any of these principles, they stand a greater chance of succeeding in America if they work hard and play by the rules.
The same principle is applicable in any country, government school, organization and institution. Every school, institution, organization and human being have core values and principles which can be likened to currencies. It is these core values that make them unique.
When the word currency is mentioned, it’s easy for one to think of money, but currency does not relate only to money. There are many qualities that one may have that’s more than money. For instance, good health, values, character, and principles are some qualities money can’t buy. It’s only small minds who think highly of money.
As a matter of fact, there are individuals who can sell their soul for money. These sets of people don’t really have conscience because they are merely concerned about themselves. They might have the mindset of use what you must get what you don’t have. When you contrast such a mindset with people with values, you will discover that the difference is clear, because these great minds are big on legacy. They stand for the right ideology even if it means for them to stand alone. This is the kind of currency I am talking about.
Some of the social currencies that uninformed minds are not aware of are knowledge, good health, God, relationship, access, internet, and skill. These are powerful currencies resourceful people use to thrive globally. Some might have money, but that same money can’t get access to certain groups of people, while some people might not have money, but they have access to certain people and if they successfully use their “currency” they can use it as an exchange of value to get money from rich people.
The same principle is applicable in relationships. As a matter of fact, I strongly feel apart from God, the strongest currency one can have is relationship. One might have education with good grades, money, and social currency, but lack how to establish and nurture a good relationship with people.
In social networking, the maxim is who do you know? But in advanced networking, the rule has changed to who knows you because you might know President Trump or Elon Musk, but do they know you? Do you know that who you know might open the door for you, but who knows you will give you a seat at the table. That’s the hallmark of a relationship. According to Robin Sharma “The business of business is relationships; but the business of life the business of life is human connection”.
The internet is also a social currency. The internet is called the fifth estate for a reason. In this 21st century, the internet has made us understand that the world is a global village. You can literally connect with anyone via social media. It’s sad to see people on social media but find it difficult to use it to advance their cause and careers in addition to connecting with the right people.
In all honesty, I am a big fan of social media because it has enabled me to connect with great people all over the world. I use my social media pages as a platform to share what I do and I have been privileged to connect with some great people. Like, I always say, why be local when you can be global?
Let’s analyze the four main currencies: Time, Energy, Attention and Money. (TEAM)
Time: Your most finite resource; it cannot be earned back, so how you spend your hours defines your life
Energy: The driving force for action, encompassing physical, mental, and emotional fuel for creativity and resilience
Attention: Where you focus your mind, determines what grows and flourishes in your life amidst distractions.
Money: A tangible means of exchange for goods, services, and opportunities, but its value depends on how it serves your goals.
In conclusion, just like everyone is unique and blessed with several gifts/talents, we are blessed with one form of currency which we can use to attract people into our life. So, quit looking outside and start looking inside. When you figure your currency, you’ll not only be attractive, you’ll become one of the most highly sought after person when you have developed your talent. So, I will conclude by asking you, what currency do you have?
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 and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Federal High Court in Ibadan has nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention held on November 15, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State. The court also barred Turaki and others from presenting themselves as national officers of the party.
Despite internal disputes, the PDP went ahead with its highly anticipated two-day 2025 Elective National Convention at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan. Tagged #Ibadan2025, the convention drew thousands of party delegates and leaders.
The convention was expected to elect a new National Working Committee (NWC), including a National Chairman, who would steer the party ahead of the 2027 general elections. The court’s ruling casts uncertainty over the legitimacy of the leadership and raises questions about the party’s preparations for the next electoral cycle.
Party members and legal experts are now awaiting further clarification on the implications of the judgement for the PDP’s national leadership structure.
