financial knowledge

It is our limiting beliefs that hold us back from becoming rich.

Let us examine some of the myths about money that were drilled into our subconscious when we were young. You may relate to some of them:

• Money is the root of all evil.
• Behind great wealth there is a crime.
• It takes money to make money.
• Money can’t buy you love.
• Money isn’t everything.
• It takes hard work to make money.
• The best things in life are free.
• It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
• You can either be an officer and a gentleman or rich.
• Wealthy people are snobbish.
• Money does not grow on trees.
• Money can’t buy happiness.

Whew! Even if you believe in a few of them, they are designed to keep you poor for life. In fact, you might even decide to get rid of whatever little money you might have.

Let us examine some of these limiting beliefs to know if they are correct. At one point of time, people believed that the earth was flat. This belief made people behave as though it were flat. As a result, it limited exploration and expansion. Only when it was known that the world is round did Columbus set out to find a sea route to India, and in the process discovered America.

The same is true for our limiting beliefs regarding money. So long as we believe in them, they will restrict us in our imagination.

 Is money the root of evil?

The answer is a definite no. In most of the cases, it is extreme poverty that drives people to steal, become dishonest and even resort to violence to . Money is neutral; it is neither good nor evil. It is, however, a very powerful commodity. When in hands of the right people- it can do a lot of good or it can become a destructive force, when used wrongfully.

It is an extreme lust for money that can sometimes make people go wrong. If anything, it is poverty that is evil. It makes people do things that they otherwise will not do. We have to rid the world of poverty from this planet to make it a better place to live in.

Behind great wealth there is a crime

In the initial stages of wealth creation, we do not have access to the right advice as we do not have sufficient money to buy it. Also, at times, our haste to get rich quick makes us cut corners which leads to problems with the taxman or law.

At some point during our growth, dawns the wisdom, that the best and fastest way to create wealth is through a legitimate route. A crime behind every great wealth is a very sweeping statement. In every great endeavor, mistakes are made and a majority of them happen to be genuine.

It’s hard to believe that wealth creators like Edison, Carnegie, Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates had anything to do with crime. This is also true for 99% of the wealth creators who do not fall in the same league.

It is ideas that can be converted to wealth. There are still billions and billions of undiscovered ideas that will create future millionaires and billionaires—one has to simply tap into a few of them to receive a never ending supply of wealth.

We will come to some them later in this holy grail of money. Yes, money does make money when invested sensibly, but it is only a very small aspect of wealth creation.

It is ideas and an educated mind that create wealth and not crime. There are criminals who succeed in the short run but the law invariably catches up.

 “Money can’t buy me love…”

If there’s one thing that stills hums in my mind, it’s the lyrics made popular by the Beatles number. Ask any sensible girl – who is also honest – if this assumed correlation between money and love holds true. You will get the right answer.

Someone rightly said, ‘Whoever said money can’t buy you love doesn’t know where to shop.’ The love you have for another, when expressed through something that only money can buy, can bring love in return. Make no mistake on this one.

Money isn’t everything

I fully agree with the statement: ‘Money isn’t everything.” There are much more important things in life than money: our families and friends, health, spiritual wellbeing, pursuit of art and culture are definitely more important, amongst many other things. However, money makes it possible to pursue the other important things in life.

It takes hard work to make money

The rich and the poor have the same number of hours to work. It definitely does not take extraordinary hard work to become rich. Even the poor work hard at what they do. In fact, people who are relatively poor work harder than the rich. The rich work smarter than but not as hard as the poor.

The best things in life are for free

This is very true. Some good things in life do come for free. Like the beautiful sunset or the fresh air we breathe. However, some of the most delightful things in life that we as humans enjoy come with a price tag.

Having money at our disposal does not mean that we cannot enjoy the free things that God bestows on us. With money, we have the power to enjoy both. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God

I will take the privilege to have my own story account for this; I have seen such extreme poverty which I hope no one ever gets subjected to.

Was I ready for spiritual development in those earlier years of poverty? The answer is a definite no. In those initial years, I was just fighting for my survival. God was absent from my conscious mind. I started on my spiritual quest once I was settled in a regular job and had some kind of an income.

My spiritual development has progressed along-with my material advancement. It is never the material world – of being rich or poor – that comes in the way of our spiritual advancement, but the attachment to the material world.

Heaven is not for you, in so far as you’re attached to your few possessions; person with an enlightened view to wealth has better chances of making it to heaven.

You can either be an officer and a gentleman or rich

I was invariably imbued with this ideology during my training at the military academy. I instantly identified myself as an officer and a gentleman. This one belief kept me poor for the larger part of my life.

Wars are about financial control and power. Once this knowledge dawned on me, I decided to apply for a premature retirement from the military to follow my destiny.

Wealthy people are snobbish

I have met some of the nicest people who are wealthy. However, it is true that anyone who values their time may appear snobbish when they do not give us adequate attention. Approach a wealth creator with a brilliant thought or an idea and see how attentive they get.

Most enlightened wealth creators are exceedingly humble—they have a spark in them that will kindle a spark in you provided you have the right mindset.

The fault can also lie in our judgment stemming from our own insecure self.

There is a saying, “ Before passing judgment on others, it is imperative that we have our hearts and minds in the right place.

Money does not grow on trees

On the contrary, money does grow on trees as you further your reading and increase your financial knowledge.  The only thing needed is to prepare the soil, plant the right seed, nurture the plant through the initial stages. Once it grows big and strong, it will not only give you all the money you need, but also new seeds to plant more money trees.

Money can’t buy happiness

This is very true because happiness is a state of mind. Money, however, can provide you with the freedom to pursue whatever field of activity you may choose, which in turn, helps create a happy state of mind.

It gives you the freedom to travel, go on holidays, get involved in charities, learn new hobbies, indulge in personal development and spend more time with your family. The choice is entirely yours according to your definition of happiness.

Stress-filled, unhappy moments in my life have been – when I could not meet my financial commitments – like paying bills or providing for the basic needs of my family.

The list of attitudes that hold us back from getting rich, discussed in the preceding paragraphs, is not comprehensive. I am sure if you look back at your life, you can compile your own list and find out what holds you back.

Compiling this list may not be as easy as it may seem because we do not understand how our mind works and the power of our attitude. Our inner nature or attitude built over the years resists change. It likes status co to remain. It holds us back.

We have layers, and layers of impressions buried deep within our subconscious. Our subconscious guides us what to do. We are like prisoners of our inner nature. If we want to try out new things the data stored in our memory bank tells us this is not possible. It has never been done before. Our teachers and parents warned us against this. If you try this, there is a considerable risk involved. We can’t change in spite of our best efforts. We get paralyzed.

If we wish to be successful: managing and training the mind are the most crucial skill sets that are required. We will need to free your perspective from the prejudices of the past.

If your ambition is to become rich then take out piece paper and pen and write down your limiting beliefs. Examine them in the light of knowledge whether they are true or not, By simply understanding your limiting beliefs you will free your mind and set yourself on the path of becoming rich.