poverty mindset

Jul

2022

Your Mindset Affects the Direction of Your Life

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Your mindset affects the direction of your life. It determines your future. Your mental attitude and disposition will lead the way to either your success or failure in life.

Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset

A growth mindset is an underlying belief that you are in control of your destiny. Thus, the power to change things is in your hands. On the contrary, a fixed mindset just accepts what is given. It focuses on what you do not have.

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The hare was so sure that he would win that he slept during the race. The tortoise on the other hand, believed that if he worked hard, there is a chance that he could win the race. Despite the odds against him, he was not afraid of failure and tried his best to win the race. Do you remember who won in the end? Was it the tortoise or the hare?

Youtube video by Pinkfong

The hare and tortoise exemplified the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset respectively. Their mindsets ultimately determine their success and failure.

Carol Dweck, a psychologist and researcher at Stanford University, stated that the two mindsets lead to different behaviour and thus different results. In reacting to setbacks for example, a growth mindset sees failure as a way to improve while a fixed mindset will be discourage and ultimately give up.

For example, as a student if you are not good in Math, a fixed mindset will just accept that Math skills are an inborn talent. It is either you are good at it or you are not. A growth mindset believes that the brain can be developed. Thus, even though you are not a Math person, you will try your best to develop your skills. As a result, persons with a growth mindset are more likely to maximise their potential.

A growth mindset is an integral part of a success of an individual.

Scarcity Mindset vs Abundance Mindset

Stephen Covey, in his best-selling book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, defined scarcity mindset as a belief that there is simply not enough for everyone. People with scarcity mindset “see life as having only so much, as though there were only one pie out there. And if someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everybody else.“

One indicator that you have a scarcity mindset is if you are sad or jealous if a co-worker gets a pay raise and you did not. It is like a feeling that somebody else got the raise and there is nothing left for you.

If you spend the whole of your pay cheque as soon as you receive it to buy stuffs you don’t even need or to spend it on partying, travelling or any kind of entertainment even though you don’t have enough money is another example of a scarcity mindset. Moreso, if you justify your spending, saying that “if I will not enjoy my life now when I am still young, I will never have a chance later on.” This kind of mindset focuses on short term decisions.

An abundance mindset on the other hand focuses on the long-term. It is a deeper understanding that not having something now does not necessarily mean that you won’t have it in the future. As Steven Covey said, “it is the paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody. It results in sharing of prestige, of recognition, of profits, of decision making.

With an abundance mindset, instead of spending all your earnings now, you would rather invest first and spend later on.

Poverty Mindset vs Millionaire Mindset

A fixed mindset and scarcity mindset are both indicators of a poverty mindset. In the same way, a person who has a millionaire mindset has a growth and abundance mindset.

Your mindset is very important. Your future is dependent on what mindset you have right now. It is crucial in ordinary times, mores when you are faced with challenges. Having the proper mindset especially during a crisis will greatly influence the direction of your life.

What kind of mindset do you have right now? If you want to have a better life, your first step is to change your mindset.

First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 12.28.2018

Feauture Image by John Hain from Pixabay

Feb

2021

Change Your Poverty Mindset To Wealth Mindset

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Do you want to become wealthy? The key to wealth is to master the wealth mindset. The difference between the rich and poor has nothing to do with the amount of money that they have in the bank; rather, it is all about their mindset. Your mindset is your set of beliefs and attitudes about certain areas in your life. If money is your concern, then chances are you have symptoms of a poverty mindset. You need to be able to change your poverty mindset to wealth mindset.

Your first step towards financial prosperity is to break out from your poverty mindset. Having a poverty mindset is ruining your chances of success. It is not yet too late to change your life for the better. Once you have the correct mindset, you can slowly rise from whatever position you are in right now in your life.

Here are ways on how to change your poverty mindset to wealth mindset.

1. Have a Grateful Heart

Did you know that about 150,000 people die each day around the world? That number is even greater now that we are in the middle of the pandemic. The fact that you woke up this morning is already one big reason to be grateful for. I’m sure if you take a closer look in your life, you will find so many simple things to be grateful for,

Unfortunately, most people take their blessings for granted. Everyday life is full or worries, challenges and busyness. In the midst of all that pressure, it is very easy to forget to be grateful.

I remember a story told by preacher and best-selling author Bo Sanchez in one his weekly prayer gathering called The Feast.

A woman approached him complaining how everything is wrong with her life. Here is how Bo Sanchez replied.

Bo asked, “Do you have cancer?”. The woman replied saying “no, I don’t have cancer”.

Bo then asked, “Is your husband having an affair?”. The woman laughed saying “no, my husband is ugly. The only two persons in this world who likes him is her mother and me.”

Bo then asked, “Is your child a drug addict?”. By this time the woman was laughing, “no, Bo. My child is only three years old.”

The woman then proceeded to explain that she is having problems with her boss at work.

Then Bo answered by saying that “It is not true then that everything is wrong with your life. Only a small fraction of your life is not doing well.”

This story is a classic example of how a poverty mindset works. People who have poverty mindset focuses on the negative aspect of their life. In order to be happy and to grow, you need to focus on the positiv e. Be grateful to all the blessings in your life. Always start your day by thanking God for all His blessings. Be thankful also to the people around you have always been there for you.

2. Spend Time with People who have a Growth or Millionaire Mindset

Did you know that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with? Your mindset is a product of your environment. If you have a poverty mindset, chances are the people around you have the same mindset. In order to grow, you need to get out of your circle. It does not mean ditching your old friends, it only means that you should spend more time with awesome positive people. If you spend too much time with negative people doing meaningless things, you will never get anywhere.

He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
– Proverbs 13:20

3. Set Goals

When was the last time you set a goal for yourself? Setting goals will make you look at things in the long term rather than the short term. A millionaire mindset looks at things in the long term while a poverty mindset looks at things in the short term.

What you should do is to imagine yourself in the future living the life that you want. What will your spring day be like? Discover where you want to be in one, five, ten or even twenty years from now. Remember that success always starts with a vision. Then, write them all down in paper. Read them everyday in the morning to remind yourself of what you want to achieve or better yet, have a vision board. A vision board will inspire you and keep you motivated to achieve your dreams.

Setting goals is the first step to turning the invisible to the visible.
– Tony Robbins

4. Refrain from Speaking the Poverty Language

How many times have you said the following statements?

“I cannot afford it.”
“That is only for the rich, not for us.”
“We don’t have money.”
“I can’t do that.”

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits.Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
– Lao Tzu

Be conscious of the words that come out of your mouth because your words are simply a manifestation of your thoughts or your subconscious mind. Speaking the poverty language indicates that you have a negative state of mind regarding your situation. If you want to get out of your situation, you need to get rid of the negative, only then can you change your future.

5. Educate Yourself

For most people, education ends the moment they graduate from college. If you are one of these people, this is probably one the biggest mistake that you can do in your life. Continuous learning is an essential strategy for your success. Education does not not necessarily mean that you need to go back to school to get your Masters or PHD. There are many ways to learn. You can attend training or seminars, read books or simply have a mentor.

For starters, do you have idols? Who among the successful people out there do you wish to become? Then, study those people. Study their lives, their values, their life strategies. Find out what they did in order to get to where they are now. Their stories will definitely inspire you.

By educating yourself, you are improving your skills. You need better skills to be more qualified and successful in whatever field you are in right now. For example, if financial freedom is your goal, have you studied about money and how it works? If not, how do you expect to gain financial freedom if you don’t spend time learning about money?

Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.
– Brian Tracy

Follow the steps above and you will just wake up one day with a different mindset. However, this is not a one day to do list, it is something that you have to do on a daily basis.

Good luck!

First Published in Pinoy Smart Living on 09.04.2018

Feature Image by Alexas Fotos from Pexels

Jan

2021

10 Symptoms of a Poverty Mindset

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Do you have a rich or a poverty mindset? Did you know that a poverty mindset can lead to financial scarcity? Yes, our belief about things can influence our decisions and behavior about money. Thus, if you want to have financial abundance, you need to start with your mindset. So, how do you know if you are suffering from a poverty mindset. What are the 10 symptoms of a poverty mindset?

Half Full or Half Empty

Look at the featured image above. Do you see the glass as half full or half empty?

Some of you will probably say it is half full while some will say it is half empty. Your answer will depend on your attitude and perception of reality.

It is amazing how a single photo can be perceived in two completely opposite points of views. This simple test is actually used by psychologists to determine whether a person is an optimist or a pessimist.

Why is our perception so important? It is important because it will affect how you live your life.

Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.
– Gautama Buddha

Our mindset greatly affects the direction of our lives. It influences our happiness, health, relationships and yes, even our finances. The financial gap between the rich and the poor is not because of the money, neither is it because of level of education, nor any other external factors; but rather it is all because of the difference in mindset.

So, if you feel like you have been working so hard all these years and yet you are being held back, maybe you are suffering from a poverty mindset.

10 Symptoms of A Poverty Mindset

To verify if you really have a poverty mindset, take a look at the following symptoms and ask yourself if you have it in you or not:

1.You Complain A Lot

You complain, complain, complain and complain. Did you know that complaining is the worst possible thing that you can do to yourself? When you complain, this means you focus on the negative aspects of your life. You focus on your problems when there are in fact a lot of things to be grateful for.

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.
– Oprah Winfrey

Your mind is like a magnet. What you focus on expands. If you focus on the negative, more bad things will happen in your life.

2.You Play The Blame Game

You blame your parents. Sometimes, you blame your siblings. At work, you blame your boss or your employers. You also blame the government. At home, you blame your spouse. Some even blame their genes. You practically blame anything and everything around you. It is always somebody else’s fault but you. You refuse to take responsibility for the undesirable things. That’s a poverty mindset.

Many people who always blame the government for their situation. Yes, that may be true. After all, governments are far from perfect. However, how come there are people who became very successful in the same environment? The difference lies in the mindset. You can either play the blame game all you want or you can begin to take responsibility in your life and do something to change your situation.

3.You Believe You Are Always Right

Do you love saying “I told you so“? Do you always have to have the last word? If you answer yes, then you are a narrow-minded person. A narrow-minded person is a person who is not open to new ideas. They believe that their opinion is always right. You will never win an argument against this kind of person. If you are this kind of person, then that is another symptom of a poverty mindset.

To become successful, you need to accept that you don’t know everything. You need to be open to new ideas and embrace new ways of thinking.

The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing.

– Socrates

4. You Won’t Invest in Yourself

You have money to spend on travels, gadgets, clothes and entertainment but you don’t have a budget to spend on further studies, seminars or even to buy a book. Some argued that they simply have no time. All those things are just mere excuses. What people do not realise is that the greatest investment that they can do is to invest in themselves. Your future is largely dependent on your willingness and ability to invest in yourself.

For example, if you work in a company and you think that your salary is very small, then ask yourself this question, is there someone else in your organization that is earning more than you do? Then why do you think the company is paying that person more? The answer is simple, most of the time, your compensation is based on your knowledge and skills. You want to earn more? Then invest in yourself.

5. You Believe is That Money is the Root of All Evil

If you believe that money is the root of all evil and all rich people are greedy, then you are already unconsciously derailing your way to success. These negative beliefs about money are products of your environment. If people around you believe in this idea, then your belief and value systems were definitely influenced.

For the record the bible verse where this belief system originated did not state that money is the root of all evil.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
– 1 Timothy 6:10

The verse clearly states that it is not money per se that is evil but rather it is the love of money that is the root of all evil. Money is nothing but a tool. Money can also be use for the good of others.

6. You Avoid Your Finances

Do you know your personal net worth? Your net worth is the amount of everything that you own minus everything that you owe.

People who have a poverty mindset avoid looking at their finances or they simply don’t bother at all. Some people are even scared of looking at their monthly credit card statements. If you are scared to take a closer look and examine your finances, then that’s a symptom that you have a poverty mindset. You are scared to face reality. You keep on buying stuff you do not need and you don’t want to pay attention to where your money is going.

You need to keep track of your personal cash flow. You can only improve your financial situation if you are fully aware of your present financial situation to begin with.

7.You Focus on the Now

What are your plans 5 years from now? How about 10 to 20 years from now? If you have no idea how to answer these questions, then that is another symptom that you have a poverty mindset.

You put importance on the short-term rather than the long-term. You want everything now without considering the future consequences. You have no plan for the future. A financial goa l should be a must for everyone.

8.You Have All the Latest Trends on Credit

Take a look at all your possessions. Do you own the latest gadget? Are you a walking advertisement of signature brands? If you can afford it, then that’s a different story. However, if you have been using your credit card to pay for the purchases in monthly installments, then you have a problem. If you are this person, then that’s another symptom of a poverty mindset.

Spending on things will only make you feel better temporarily. Remember, you have nothing to prove to anyone. Don’t be so concerned in showcasing your wealth to people you don’t even like.

9.You Focused on Me, Myself and I

A poverty mentality focuses on getting rather than giving. If you are not willing to do anything for anybody without receiving anything in return, then it is a sign that you have a poverty mindset. You always think of yourself first. You always look into what’s in it for you.

For example, in business, are you more concerned about how much profit can you make rather than how much value you can add to your product or service? In a relationship, are you focused on what your partner can do for you rather than what you can do for your partner?

You need to give first before you can receive. That is the law of the universe. The most successful businesses in the world gave value to consumers first before their businesses grew.

10.You are A Consumer Rather Than An Investor

A few days before your salary, you are already thinking about what you will buy. You prioritise spending rather than investing. You spend first and save whatever is left behind. Most of the time, there is nothing left to save. So basically, you work to spend. All wealthy people save first before spending.

If you score 0 to 2, congratulations! You have a wealth mindset. It is just a matter of time before you become wealthy, if you are not one yet.

If you score 3 to 5, you are not yet there but you are on your way to overcoming your poverty mindset. Having the correct mindset is your first step towards financial freedom.

If you score 6 and above, that is a clear indication that you have a poverty mindset. Fortunately, mindsets can change. You need to deliberately immerse yourself on a growth mindset on a daily basis. That’s the only way for you to change your financial situation.

Edited Version. First Published in Pinoy Smart Living on 08.07.2018

Feature Image by Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.