I have grown.
The way I spend now baffles me, especially because I don’t panic like I used to. It’s not because of my increased income, it’s because of my mindset and my belief about money. In my former life, driven by a scarcity mindset, I tried to hold onto money and even deprived myself of certain luxuries I could clearly afford. But because I associated spending with depletion, I would make excuses for treating myself to a massage, for instance.
All the while, I boasted of being disciplined and frugal. But in my late 30s, I began to realize something. I started to notice that my financial growth was slow, and my wealth wasn’t growing as I expected. My first instinct is always to draw a map to notice patterns. I began to deeply investigate my life, and it hit me. The fear of losing money had me in a chokehold. I was terrified of being poor, and that thought drove my spending habits and behaviours.
I drew a parallel with my upbringing. We were a family of small beginnings, and that experience was something I never wanted to return to. So, I started to consciously make “moves” to change things. I made a bold move a few years later in the agricultural space. It was the boldest I had made since starting my fashion business (La’tush) in 2011.
This move turned out to be a disaster. The pandemic and government policies played a critical role in the destruction of this opportunity, and unfortunately, I also went into business with a thief. I attempted another big move a few years later in the mining space. This time it was a seven-figure investment with unlimited possibilities. Well, I am here to announce that this also didn’t yield.
After these incidents, what do you think happened to me? I was out of gas at this point. I thought that by recognizing my scarcity mindset and doing “something about it,” I would automatically turn things around.
Let me tell you how things finally changed. All this time I was making big moves; I was still in scarcity mode. I was still afraid of losing money consistently, and guess what? Our greatest fears become our most prominent thoughts, and our most prominent thoughts create our experiences.
Finally, I stopped. I stopped trying to become rich by only making moves. I also actively started to work on my mind. I listened every day to mind-shifting conversations about money, I prayed for God to change my beliefs about money, and I used affirmations of my own to call forth what I wanted. I really began to use the art of visualization too.
With the scriptures, I began to repeat God’s money promises for my life and really sat with those promises. I still do this every single day. Over time, my beliefs began to change. I’m no longer as fearful about spending money as I used to be. I don’t deny myself the pleasures I know I deserve. I will pay premium for quality raw foods (I make most of my meals), and I upgraded myself to premium economy when I travel (something I would never have considered in my former life).
The abundance mindset as it relates to money isn’t necessarily about current financial status; abundance is about your belief about money. When you really believe that God will provide all your needs according to His riches in glory and you know that God has unlimited riches, then why would you hoard rather than spend?
I’m not talking about financial irresponsibility or extreme frivolity. I’m talking about making decisions not limited to only the money available to you and living your life with complete belief that you will never lack.
I’m talking about being able to live well, eat well, travel if you desire, shop in expensive stores if you desire, upgrade your space whenever you desire, take care of your parents, and have enough to spare for those who might reach out occasionally.
In a scarcity mindset, you don’t ever want a penny to drop.
You are constantly calculating what’s left after a bit leaves your account. You know how much you have every single second, and you never help those in need. You can have N20,000,000 and be afraid of spending N100,000. This mindset keeps you in bondage because money is literally your master.
I’m glad I am making the shift. It’s been an interesting journey, and I know there are levels to it. I am no longer a slave to my current finances because I know it’s part of the seed, I need to create an even bigger financially rewarding future. So, I’m happy to make investments in myself or others to progress towards the next level.
If you are not enjoying financial bliss, you need to sit with yourself and figure out why. God’s plan for you is to enjoy this life, and whether you agree or not, money makes enjoyment possible. My former self would say “money is not everything” so many times that, unconsciously, money started to stay away from me. While I’m not saying, “money is everything,” I have lived long enough to know that money is very important. I wanted to share this because I know there are many like me. Working hard, doing all that needs to be done but experiencing slow financial growth.
I hope you do the deep work required so you too can enjoy the freedom that comes with an undiluted belief that abundance is your birthright.
