Do you panic when your bank balance drops below a certain number? Does your stomach tighten when you check your bank balance? Yes? Let’s look at that real quick.
Think About a Hammer
A hammer doesn’t care if you use it to build a house or smash your thumb. It doesn’t have feelings. It doesn’t judge you.
It’s just… a hammer. A tool that does what you tell it to do.
Money is the same thing.
Money is a tool for exchanging value. That’s it. You have skills, time or items and someone else wants those things. But instead of trading your goat for their shoes (trade by barter), money was invented so we could do more. It doesn’t care about you either. But we care about money. Way too much.
“Money is not the goal. It’s a tool. What you build with it, that’s the goal.”
Most of us didn’t grow up learning about money like we learned about maths or biology or physics. We learned through our feelings. Maybe you watched your mother stress over bills or your father refused to buy things “because we need to save.”
So now, money isn’t just a tool anymore. It’s loaded with emotions. And when a lot of emotions are involved, weird things start to happen:
- You become stingy (even when you don’t mean to) under the guise of being “frugal.”
- Giving money to others feels like a bad decision.
- Investing feels like waiting for nothing: It feels hopeless putting your money somewhere for it to grow when you can just buy another shoe that you can hold and wear and make use of.
- You panic when your account drops below “the number.” That number could be N10,000 or N20,000 or N6000. When it goes below that number, you freak out, can’t sleep, and deprive yourself of your own needs.
That’s when it becomes bad. So let’s tackle this, shall we?
Let’s Tackle This
“Money without financial intelligence is money soon gone.”
It’s all about the mind.
Always remember that money is a tool. It doesn’t define you.
You may have tried lots of Ponzi schemes or businesses that failed. Don’t bury your failures, get inspired by them.
You don’t need to earn more to start. You need to think better about what you have.
You’re going to earn money for the rest of your life. The question is, will there be anything to show for it?
QUOTE
“Financial intelligence isn’t a talent. It’s a skill. And skills are learnable.”
Now That Our Mindset Is Fixed, What Side Do You Pick?
Of course everyone wants to be rich, but not everyone does what the rich do.
Think of money like a game. And like every game, there are winners (rich) and there are losers(poor). You can’t sit on the fence.
The moment you started earning, receiving or spending money, you were already playing. But which side are you on?
Before you say “I want to be rich obviously.” Wanting to be on the winning side and actually playing like a winner are different. This is still about habits. Because lots of people earn big but die broke. A common example are footballers and actors who were prime in their time but after their career was over, so was their money.
| Winner Side | Loser Side |
| Thinks before spending | Spends first, regrets later |
| Saves before they enjoy | Saves ‘whatever is left’ |
| Uncomfortable now, comfortable later | Comfortable now, struggle later |
| Pays themselves first | Pays everyone else before themselves |
| ‘I’ll save N500 naira every day for a month’ | ‘I’ll save next month’ |
| Understands the value of education | Only understands how to entertain themselves |
Look at the list above, which one sounds more like you right now? That’s the point of this lesson, you can’t fix what you can’t face. You don’t need to have everything figured out today. But you have to decide. What side are you on? Pick a side and play like it.
Things To Remember
Your Financial life is a direct reflection of what you believe about money. If deep down you believe money is hard to get, you’ll unconsciously make it hard to keep.
If you grew up hearing “money doesn’t grow on trees” every time you asked for something, there’s a good chance you now have a scarcity mindset.
A scarcity mindset sounds like “I’ll never have enough” “enjoy it now before it’s gone” “what’s the point of saving”.
An Abundance Mindset doesn’t mean you have plenty of money right now, it means you believe more is possible, and your decision today can change your financial position tomorrow. It sounds like: “How can I make this work” “How can I afford it” “money works for me”
The shift from scarcity to Abundance Mindset doesn’t happen overnight but it begins with awareness. You have to catch yourself the moment you want to spend impulsively or telling yourself that saving is impossible or comparing your financial situation to others.
Choose differently today.
QUOTE
“broke is temporary, poor is eternal.”
Writer’s Name: Jesutofunmi Olowoniyi
Tofunmi is a multifaceted creative specializing in tech and design. With uncanny enthusiasm, she preaches the gospel of financial literacy, breaking down complex money topics into simple, actionable insights for Africans. Her goal is to help readers take control of their finances and achieve true financial freedom.
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