This is a space of TRUTH where you can get inspiration to Impact your personal life and the life of others, I chronicle some of the things I have done, I share my failures and successes in regards to personal finance, personal leadership etc. I also share other inspirational stories of men and women who have shaped this world in this area.
Your attitude and mindsets will be reset to start believing that you were designed to do more with what you have (I call it re-writing personal finance).
For a whole month now, I have been interacting with the youth in S.6 Vacation at Bugolobi Church. We have had an interesting talk on personal finance, the series ended yesterday and we dealt so much about habits and mindset change. The testimonies that came in yesterday were so amazing. These young guys are determined to do whatever it takes to improve in this area starting now.
Everything else is taught in school except financial literacy. I never had the opportunity of being taught about money, the only thing I would hear from my dad is that, "Money isn't picked from trees".
When we use the Jewish model of teaching the young people, we are preparing them for now and the future.
In his book, SMART MONEY, SMART KIDS, Dave Ramsey talks about a middle aged lady who walked up to him after he had just finished a seminar talk on Financial Peace. In this book he writes,
" I’m sure as that first person—a middle-aged woman—walked up to the book table, she saw a young speaker relieved that his big speech was finished. I will never forget her comment. Holding my little book, she looked at me and said, “Dave, that was great information. Why don’t parents teach their children about money? Why don’t we teach basic money skills like this in schools? Our kids need to know this information.” "
Indeed Children, Youth, Young Adults are being taught everything else and this is one part that is almost forgotten. I believe that if we raise young people who are disciplined, corrupt tendencies will be dealt with, laziness will be dealt with etc
"From age five on, I operated on one general rule about making money: Work, get paid; don’t work, don’t get paid. That’s a basic principle that a lot of parents miss with their little kids. If a child can understand that money comes from work at age four, then she’ll be ready to hit the “real world” running at age twenty-four" -Rachel Cruze "
Nanjira Daphine, Awana Aitaa Carl Laban, Fortunate Ashabire, Joel Kadaya, Mich Mitchell are some of the young people I have had some good time with. They are already budgeting, planning, putting aside the little change, gaining skills like making bungles, T-shirts, etc
In the Picture, they were watching a short video by Myles Munroe
It has been said before that if you don't plan for your money, someone else will. To get through life without a plan is just a big time tragedy.
Sometimes people will tell you, just live by faith or let life take it's course. There are so many things taking out money faster than it came in. If you don't put a front foot and have clear goals, make some sacrifices towards financial peace, then you will remain in the same pit of living from pay cheque to pay cheque or hand out to hand out.
The jobs we have keep us in limbo, we believe we are secure yet it isn't entirely true, you can be fired any time or fall sick and they can only go as far in taking care of you.
Many times you will not feel like leaving the job because it's the only source and hope you have. As you work put some money aside, have a long term plan, mind your business of becoming financially free as you work for someone or an organization.
People seek better jobs but also that is still tying yourself and freedom down, I have seen that on top of the list of job seekers that many of us are, we keep looking at a bigger bank account yet we remain in-disciplined in planning and being faithful with the little money, how sure you that more money means a better life. Remember that as money increases, those who spend it also increase, the banks will come running, you will desire a new car, a new apartment, better clothes, better this and that etc
Your Discipline is Key
Too many people skip the discipline and try to go straight to the enjoyment. That’s a recipe for disaster. That’s how so many people get hooked on playing the lottery or go broke in a horrible get-rich-quick scheme that falls apart. Wealth building is a marathon, not a sprint. There really aren’t any shortcuts. That’s why most people don’t do it; if building wealth were easy, everyone would be rich! - Dave Ramsey.
You can not get any far in your personal finance goals if you aren't disciplined. There is a lot of pain involved, a lot of falling and rising up, a lot of not hitting the targets, but you don't have to give up. Sometimes you will find that your money will get wiped out on a bad deal, you will probably be conned but all these become life lessons that make you wise, you don't have to lose sight of what you have to do to get where you believe you should be.
Keep Sacrificing
Without a sacrifice, you won't realize how important it is in getting you what you need. It could mean forgoing summer holidays to make sure you put off some money aside to buy land, invest in a mutual fund etc. Sacrifice many times will mean that your comfort will be disturbed. You can check out this link on Make Those Sacrifices or Be Comfortable
If you make some sacrifices, inject some discipline, and get intentional about winning with money, the future is wide open. You’ll be blown away at the opportunities you’ll have to serve and bless other people, and you’ll be amazed at what life feels like without worrying about money all the time. It’s a great place to be - Dave Ramsey
On Friday the 16th of March. I had a good time speaking with S.6 Vacationers about personal finance. They asked me to go share with them a few insights about this thing. I am humbled that young people are starting to think about this thing and I wish parents and schools were given such talks at the dinner table, in the cars or even in school parades, we can develop many young people who have good financial I.Q and the rewards could be enormous in the long run.
Never Thought About Learning Personal Finance
I remember while in my S.6 vacation, I never ever thought about learning anything to do with money and I was so humbled that this group of young people wanted to understand some principles that they can apply in their lives now. I asked them what they wanted to learn, and the thoughts ranged from learning how to save, invest, use their skills to make money etc.
Time: Start Early, Start Now
There is no better time to start learning something than "EARLY". Many of us at the time were either watching movies the whole day or just moving around going from one hang out to another (I understand it is a phase of life but if you are grounded with truth, you can understand your purpose early and start living it out). On a personal note I did some crazy things to make money but eventually it got wasted on drinking out, hanging out etc. You can learn more of what I did in this article. Now I pray I can help some of these young people avoid what costed me, they would rather make new mistakes but not the ones I made.
I told these young people to start now! I talked about how they needed to check their lifestyles. I told them that their lifestyles would dictate a lot about how money would play out in their lives. I reminded them that personal finance is 80% behavior and 20% head knowledge. When I asked them what they would do with money when they get it the first time, I wasn't shocked at their answers, everything showed the consumer mentality and there was nothing to show how they could earn, save or even invest. I asked if some had saved money before and they said that they did and I asked them what they did with it, the reply was a hearty laughter, some couldn't even tell in simple terms it was all consumed and nothing was invested. In my article deal with consumerism, I highlight how the culture is draining us more than ever.
I asked them a few pertinent questions like "Do you feel like schools are not really preparing you for the real world? " This was a question asked by Robert Kiyosaki. I told them to think deeply about these questions and many more. I reminded them that they should not just subscribe to the thought that, " I went to school to get good grades and get a job'' jobs are so few that we need entrepreneurs to create them, I said that as they study, they should think of how they will use that knowledge to solve problems, In solving problems they add value to humanity and in many ways they will get rewarded.
Get Practical
I encouraged them to get practical by writing down their expenses so that they can get to know where their money goes. I also told them to start having short, medium and long term goals irrespective of whether they are earning much or not or even still getting financial support from their parents or guardians or even well wishers.
I told them that they should have a budget and that their budgets should not only have airtime, data, hanging out, transport, smartphones, new shoes, new clothes (to keep up with the joneses) etc but that it should have an element that shows that they are working towards their goals, it could be things like tithe, a book, support to the needy etc.
Stop Wasting Time
I encouraged them to stop wasting their time and start converting it into tangible results. I gave them a challenge to read the book Make Sense Of Your Money and I will be meeting them soon to continue the chat.
Are you mature and haven't started thinking about this area of personal finance. It has been said over time that our mindsets play a big role. People are poor not because they were born poor but because they haven't made some hard choices. Others don't want to risk, others don't want to learn, others say ,"My parents are already rich, why do I have to work or even think about learning these things".
Lastly I told them thinking about changing the status quo takes work, I told them deciding to start being a good steward of money takes a mindset shift and that is work itself. I left them with this quote
“Hard work is always profitable in some way, it builds your character, your bank account, and your reputation. But when you’re one of those people who always make plans but never actually do anything about them, you will never succeed” – Jason Cabler
Philippians 2:14 Do all things without complaining and
disputing, 15 that you may
become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst
of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the
world.
There
are many ways we can help this world; I believe it starts with us seeing
ourselves as problem solvers. Are you seeing yourself as light to the darkness,
arrogance, hopelessness etc.
We
live in a world where everyone is pointing a finger at the other. They say you should
have done this or you should have been doing this. Often the complainants have
no solution to the underlying problems. Instead of being problem propagators,
why not think? As problem solvers.
Often
people will blame their money problems on the government, on high taxes, on how
the rich are unfair and don’t want to share their piece of the pie, on how they
did not get the best education. All this holds some bit of truth but I believe
that when people come to their senses, then nothing can stop them.
The
first solution to our everyday problems is to firstly accept that there is a
problem and you are part of it. You find the person with a poor mindset talking
about how he or she wants to drive the latest car, they are talking about how
they want the biggest house and how they want to be just like that rich person
in the village. They don’t talk about how they can get wisdom, understand the
value and ethics of work that those whom they are admiring are adhering too.
You find such people even plotting on how they can go rob such a person, they
want to get rewarded where they haven’t worked.
When it comes to money, someone will tell you, "I can't budget" that stuff is for stone age. They will tell you, I will start planning for my future when I get that big break through. Some will say, ah! For me parents are already rich, why do I have to work, others will say I can't afford, my money is too little. When they fall into deep trouble, they remember and start regretting. Choose to be wise and walk like wise people
Two stories of women who are solving
problems in this world
Ephesians 2: 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk
in them.
Esther Kalenzi’s story
“I realized that the children’s needs became
my needs and I was always on the move trying to get funding for my new family”
– Esther Kalenzi
When
I think of problem solvers in Uganda, I can gladly mention people like Esther
Kalenzi. Esther Kalenzi is the founder of Forty Days over Forty Smiles
Foundation, a local NGO that helps the needy; especially children and youth.
From her story, helping the needy is a passion that was first shown when she
was a student in Agha Khan High School. She raised funds to pay school fees for
fellow students. She says that she looked at the spending pattern of students
and realized that they had more than enough pocket money. She was reported by
fellow students for what she was doing, she was summoned and it turned out that
the school administration offered the student a scholarship.
If
we all had an eye to see that we can solve an issue, then we can make the world
we live in a better place. Today people are longing for inspired action, not
just mere talk that is full of emptiness, no vision and no purpose.
Recently Esther was recognized, her works moved the queen Elizabeth II, Click this link for more.
Malala’s Story
“I
told myself, Malala, you have already faced death. This is your second life.
Don’t be
afraid — if you are afraid, you can’t move forward” - Malala Yousafzai
Another
person with a great story is MALALA Yousafzai
I believe we have all heard of her. She is the girl who stood up for EDUCATION and was shot by the Taliban.
These were her words, “I don’t want to
be thought of as the “girl who was shot
by the Taliban” but the “girl who fought for education.” This is the cause
to which I want to devote my life”. She demanded that girls be allowed to
receive education. How many of us can put our lives on the line to see a dream
come through? I guess it takes more than just surviving a bullet, weathering a
storm, I believe it takes purpose.
There
is so much to write about the life of Malala, All I can say is that her, Esther
Kalenzi and many people out there who are solving problems are in the bracket
of those who are Fixing issues and not the ones throwing blame. The question I would ask is, "What Problem Are You Solving?"
We
read about levels of poverty rising every day, we see reports that the poor are
getting poorer, probably you and I fall in that bracket, but on my side and the
side of my friend Edward Yosia Hire, we want to teach financial literacy, we
want people to win, we want to hear a new song that will be sang by the media
of how people are changing their lifestyles, becoming more purposeful with
money. A story of hopelessness turning into one of hope. A story of people who
are seeing opportunities in problems and doing something about it.
We want to liberate
and change mindsets, we want people to believe that God has given us wisdom to
create wealth and do it the right way. We want to see ventures that are created by people to serve people, better schools, better health services, better education, better systems of justice, better leaders of integrity etc. Please read Never Broke Again to be inspired more. #Impact #Empower #Transform
“Don’t
be committed to the physical environment,” Nichols said. “Be committed to
what’s in your mind. I fed my son possibility even when we didn’t see a lot.”
Philippians 3:13 NLT "No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this
one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,"
Ever
been in a place where you are at the edge. There are people who have lost
everything and been written off, there are people who have been to the darkest pit and had no one to help them but themselves. Has that been your story or
have you seen someone who has gone through it and still see them come out? Indeed,
the light at the end of the tunnel is there for everyone to receive but some
people choose to allow the worst of circumstances get to them, some give up and
say, “I will never amount to anything”.
My
dear reader, I want to share with you the story of Lisa Nichols. This story sent
chills through my spine. I know I have seen some situations that are similar
but can anyone come to their senses and declare, “I will never be broke again”
some say these things and do nothing about them, others say these things and
have it on their wishful list but still keep hoping and never get out to act.
Every
problem is a gift — without problems, we would not grow - Anthony Robbins
“Most
people want the convenience of transformation without the inconvenience required
for transformation” – Lisa Nichols
Lisa Nichols Story –
Never Broke Again
“Your story is not meant to be your fortress but your fuel” – Lisa Nichols
In
a nutshell, while growing up she relatively had a good upbringing but she was a slow learner in school and her teacher told her that she should never speak in
public because she wasn’t good. She got pregnant while young and the father of
her child went to jail while her child was 8 months old and she was left to
fend for herself and her son, she was on welfare and as time went on, she
realized that she was unable to provide pampers for her son as she had $11 42 cents and she had to wrap him in
clothes for two days, this was her turning point and she told her child, “Don’t
worry baby, Mummy will never be this broke or broken again”. She
continues to say in this interview, that that day what shifted from me, “I
was willing to completely die to any form of me that I had been so that I could
birth the woman I was becoming, the reason why a lot of people won’t become who
they want is because they have been attached to who they’ve been” This story reminds me, You Are Not Less Than What You Ought To Be.
“When
I go study something, I learn it and own it” – Lisa Nichols
She
was willing to become a student, she was willing to let friends go, she was
willing to come out of what wasn’t working, come out of the company of people
who weren’t pushing her forward. The problem with many of us is that we stick
to the same company of failures and expect different results. The definition of
insanity is doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results. Remember to study, it is a good way to invest in yourself.
In her book No Matter What, she shares a lot about some of the things she went through. Lisa
got a wake-up call when she wasn’t able to provide one of the most basic needs of
her child. In her story, while ravaging through life, she had a dream, even if
she was a good writer, she kept writing, she kept volunteering and speaking to
youth, there is a time she wasn’t able to pay for a conference that she knew
would greatly help her, she decided to offer to do some work by cleaning and
that would pay for her dues. But she chose to be a lifelong learner until the day she got a call to go speak on a show, she couldn’t believe such a moment
had come in her life. She asked her prayer partner to pray with her and his
words in prayer spoke so deeply to her that she knew that as an imperfect
person, she would be helping other imperfect people.
You can rise from any
pit
Our
greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.
—Confucius
There is no pit no one can fail to rise from,
someone might want to say show me how but I would say get inspiration from the
stories of those who have been to the darkest pit. The bible tells us of
Joseph, Job, and many others. Never lose focus, never keep your eyes off your
dream, some people will laugh at you but who knows if what you are doing won’t
come to their rescue.
Let your problems be
a springboard for you to rise up
"Problems
are only opportunities with thorns on them" -Hugh Miller
We
all face problems at various levels, some are devastating, others just suck the life out of us. I strongly believe that anything can be conquered, I believe
that with God nothing is impossible, I believe God gives us the wisdom to sail
through any storm. I believe problems are an opportunity to become innovative,
to bring out our creative drive, and to enable us to bring long-lasting solutions
to issues. I know with changing environments and new technologies; new problems
will come but some of the old ones we know must be dealt with so that we can
face new things.
When
I resigned from one of the jobs that I had, I knew that life wouldn’t be easy.
For 6 months I looked here and there and there was just no sign that I would
come out of joblessness. I did not give up on doing what I was passionate about
and trained to do. I kept telling myself, this is an obstacle along the way, I will
get past it someday. I kept telling myself, things will change for the better.
My attitude changed and this was one of the most important things that happened
to me. A job opportunity came and it wasn’t paying like the previous jobs I
had, from earning something fairly good, it was like as if I was just starting out as a fresh graduate. I humbled myself and sailed through. I kept saying that, one of the reasons I
should work is so that I can prepare for the future better, learn so much now,
invest wisely, and be free of working for people. I am still on my journey and I
know that am preparing myself for many things ahead, I still need to climb one
mountain, maneuver the valleys and climb more mountains – I will get there.
Lisa
Nichols said this in one of her books, one of the main mistakes I see people
make is forgetting to put their thoughts and desires into action. They believe
that thinking about something really hard or talking about it a lot will make
it happen. Sadly, those things are not enough. Desire thought, and action all
have to be present for transformation to occur. Without action, it’s just a
great “aha!” Action is the most pivotal step—it’s the catalyst for change and
movement.
Focus on your goals,
not on your worries
When
you focus on your goals instead of your worries, you can begin to live more in
possibility and peace and less in fear of deprivation, scarcity, and lack. Bad
things may happen, but they won’t determine the outcome and the quality of your
life.
Poverty
can be dealt with, sometimes we need those who have been hit hard to wake up,
dust themselves and do what they have been called to do by accepting where they
are, accepting to learn and accepting to grow through every hard bit in life. Don't blame everything on witchcraft, some people run so fast to say, so and so was bewitched, yet they are just lazy.
My
dear friends, financial education is one thing I am pushing for, Lisa kept saying that she was going to FUND HER DREAM, are you doing anything in regards to that, are you consuming instead of investing. I am tired of
seeing debt take over the lives of people, I am tired of seeing people go to
school, get good grades, and have no jobs. I am tired of money not being talked
about by parents at the dinner table, in the cars, in the market. This
discussion has to come to every sphere, the church, the media, etc. There is a
lot of truth that can help many. Our television sets are full of soap operas,
these things try and push an idea of a life of laziness, rage, unforgiveness,
lust, etc. We need to emulate the nations that are pushing the agenda of growth,
entrepreneurship, love for the nation.
Proverbs 24:5-6"The wise are mightier than the strong and those who have knowledge grow stronger and stronger. So don't go to war without wise advice, victory depends on having many advisers"
While studying and analyzing a few things about life. I have strongly come to the conclusion that is is disastrous to be arrogant and ignorant.
In my analysis, I looked at when homes are broken into, the things that get stolen are TVs, Laptops, fridges etc but never things like books, magazines or news papers. I believe people are driven by what they see that can give them temporary happiness but they aren't driven by what can give them eternal value.
A lot of truth lies in written pages, a lot of wisdom is shared by the minds we interact with when we read or listen to their messages. How about you take time to financially educate yourself in the areas that are really perturbing you.
Let me quote what Robert Kiyosaki said in his book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, he said, "If you want to fly a plane, I advise taking lessons first. I am always shocked at people who buy stocks or real estate but never invest in their greatest asset, their mind".
In his story he said he said, "I take a long view on my wealth. I do not subscribe to the Get Rich Quick Mentality most lottery players or casino gamblers have. I may go in and out of stocks but i am long on EDUCATION'.
Do whatever it takes to self educate or even learn from others, read, visit blogs, visit websites, buy books, listen to audios, it will help you a great deal and you will see the rewards, it will also be rubbed on others. Use the Kindle app on your phone or pc, it will help you access samples of some great books.
Till today I am grateful to Edward Hire Yosia for inspiring me to read and study. Many times i failed, many times i gave up, many times the money got wasted but with life long learning, you keep picking yourself up and getting better, you get to realize that principles are universal and they can't be the problem but you yourself.
“The
only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision” – Helen Keller
In
his book, “Vision less life, Meaning less
life” Dr Sunday Adelaja talks about a lady who broke the barriers of
adversity. Her name is Hellen Keller.
Helen
Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Keller was born
with her senses of sight and hearing, and started speaking when she was just 6
months old. In 1882, however, Keller contracted an illness - called “brain
fever” that produced a high body temperature. Within a few days after the fever
broke, Keller’s mother noticed that her daughter didn’t show any reaction when
the dinner bell was rung, or when a hand was waved in front of her face. In
simple terms she became deaf and blind.
In
1887, Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her make tremendous progress with
her ability to communicate, and Keller went on to college, graduating in 1904.
This
is a unique story. It is unique in many ways because her parents and teachers
did whatever it takes to enable this young lady sail through life. She was so
determined to learn and she became a worldwide sensation moving from one nation
to another inspiring people with her story.
She
was given a thunderous round of applause after speaking to an audience of many
people. Everyone was eager and waiting
to hear every word she was going to say. The room was dead silent; you could
hear the drop of a pin. After her speech, it was time for questions. Her
translator shared the questions with her and she was able to answer. The
question was, “What would you prefer, being deaf or blind?” her answer was that,
“The
only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision”. Her
response was like a knockout blow that came from nowhere.
A
woman who lost her sight and hearing at childhood overcame this enormous challenge
and achieved much more than those who had their two eyes and ears.
Dr
Sunday Adelaja writes and says that, “Hers was an incredible life. Beyond
words, she had truly proven to her audience and to the world that ‘the only
thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision” and that she has
shown that vision is the greatest possession of a man, not eyesight.
See this video of her story
Don’t Despise or Look
Down On Yourself
My
dear reader, I hope by now after reading about Hellen Keller, you will sit back
look at how blessed you are and get rid of all the excuses. We have so many
excuses about why we can’t do this or that. There are many stereotypes we have
labelled on ourselves. Some of us have even said that, “These things are for a
chosen few”. I want to believe that in the uniqueness that God has created you
with, he has a purpose for you. Everybody has a significance, all they have to
do is find their significance, that
is what Noeline Kirabo would tell anyone she is inspiring.
"You can live for more if you dare to dream beyond your wildest expectations. Dreaming is free but success comes at a cost. Dare to dream and live for more" - Noeline Kirabo
I
still want to remind someone out there, that no disability, no lack, no
hindrance can stop them from fulfilling their purpose in this life. Be like
Hellen Keller, go out and study, go out and inspire, go out and do what seems
impossible. Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it is done”.
Stir Up the Gift
Within You
In
the Bible, Paul told Timothy to stir up the gift that was in him. Sometimes you
need to be reminded that you have value within you, that you are a world
changer, that you have the solution to the underlying problems. We only get
better when we convert our time into tangible results and use it wisely. Have
you been dreaming about sorting out the mess of corruption in this world,
helping street children find homes, feeding the hungry in this nation (Probably
doing farming at another level). Are you tired of our education system, what
are you doing about all these things? When you start getting disturbed about
some of these things, those are signs that you need to deal with them.
On
a personal note, I have seen how the issue of personal finance is a big issue
to individuals, families, churches etc I have seen how people are indebted and
it bothers me, I believe there is a solution, that pushed me to self-educate
and apply the principles I learnt in my life, and this is because I wanted to
first see change in my life. Now I can fully share and help people where I have
failed before. I am a long life student, learning doesn’t stop after one
success story. I have and continue to invest time in learning, I have found
truth is God’s word and books have read, it is so revealing how truth sets one
free.
Proverbs 24:5 NLT The wise are mightier than the strong and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger. You want to get stronger and stronger, don't sit back, seek knowledge, seek truth and be transformed by it
This
is what Michael Althsuler had to say about Time, “The bad news is time flies. The good
news is you’re the pilot”. King Solomon said it best, “Yet
another thing I observed under the sun is that races aren’t won by the swift or
battles by the strong, and that food doesn’t go to the wise or wealth to the
intelligent or favor to the experts; rather time and chance rule them all”
Eccl. 9:11 (CJB).
I believe Hellen Keller is a product of using her time well,
instead of complaining about her state, she embraced who she was and God used her to inspire and empower others.
Let me end by saying this, “You aren’t less
than what you ought to be, you have been made for more.” Be visionary like
Hellen Keller, you don’t need to see with your physical eyes, all you need is
insight from God on what he has purposed for you to do on this earth.
There are many other examples of those who never chose the status quo, who never chose to become victims of circumstance, they believed that all things work out for good, they let their lessons of hardship fuel them to achieve their dreams, and they have become a blessing to many. The story of Lisa Nichols on Never Being Broke Again is one that will propel you to wake up.
