In 2008, I started using a mobile phone. What a privilege it was for me back then. I vividly remember the excitement that came over me when I received my Nokia with an MTN SIM card loaded with airtime already inserted. Wow! Finally, I can also get to talk about my own experience with friends using a phone.

After ten years of owning and using a mobile phone, I realised that I have stuck with only MTN as a network even though I have used different kinds and brands of phones both feature and smart ones. I had some good experiences using MTN as well and sometimes I felt like dropping it for other networks. However, due to the negative feedback I received from users of the other networks, I remained paralysed.

Just last two months, I decided to give Vodafone a try with the same amount I invested in MTN for a month. The results after two months with the same investment are more rewarding. There, I realised what I had missed all these years simply because I was comfortable in my nest and refused to explore others.

As I thought about it, it dawned on me how similar this experience is to our day-to-day living. We tend to hold onto a bad experience with a person for too long that it prevents us from seeing them for who they really are. Yes, the first impression lasts but they are not always true. The first impression is only one experience of an individual which can be influenced by other factors. My point is, that we mostly go with the flow of an individual for too long that we don’t even see it when they change. Don’t be quick to write them off because your first encounter with them sucked. Have you tried the second time, then the third? Give people time to prove their worth. Only one experience is not enough to draw a conclusion on them.

There is an adage in Twi which says, “sɛ nsuo fa wo dɔfo bi a, ɛno nkyerɛ sɛ gyae nsuo nom.” This literally translates as the fact that your loved one got drowned in water does not mean you should stop drinking water. Things happen, people err, and disappointments come, but you should not be too quick to make a permanent decision over these temporary occurrences. If you have been hurt by a loved one, give yourself some time and allow it to heal. Has a relationship you invested in with much time, resources and effort just torn apart in your face? I am sorry about that. I am not going to tell you I understand how it feels to be heartbroken when I honestly do not. But sweetheart, don’t say you ain’t going to love again because of that single experience. You deserve better. Don’t allow one bad experience to ruin the ecstasy that awaits you in the subsequent ones.

How about you? Have you been paralysed by an amazing experience you have had that you have refused to explore the equally splendid ones out there? Yes! That job is good. It gives you a steady income and you don’t need to put in much effort. Maybe that is why you are not growing. You’ve been the same person for years now and everything is still the same. Meanwhile, with your smartness, resilience and the strong network of people that you have, you could establish a billion-dollar company and employ thousands of people, but for your love for a steady income. Stop giving yourself an excuse for your underachievement and paralysis. Don’t be content with what you have when you were built and destined for much more.

You cannot rank an option better or better without comparing it to others. Neither can you make a good comparison without trying other options? Don’t be too comfortable with only one option and deny yourself a better alternative. Eleanor Roosevelt puts it this way, “the purpose of life is to live it, taste it, experience it to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences”. We were born to be free, to expand our horizons by going where we have never gone before and not hanging out in the relative comfort and safety of the known. So try other things. It’s good to celebrate other people’s achievements, but far better to achieve something and watch you celebrate. Financial security is good, but financial freedom is better if not best.

In conclusion, expand your experiential scope. Don’t hold on to a good experience more than necessary and become paralysed by it. Similarly, don’t give a negative experience more time than it deserves. As you experience life, the good, the bad and even the ugly will come your way. Accept them when they come. The bad moments are meant to give you experience and make you wise, and the good moments will boost your confidence but none of them deserves to stay forever. The bad must make way for the good, which must also bow for a better experience. Learn to know when to move on. If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you settle for the ordinary. From today, decide to either let go of an experience that has been with you for years and challenge yourself to do more because you deserve better.

Making money and building wealth seems to be an objective for a majority of people if not all of us. With technology taking the centre stage of our lives, making money has become a lot more easier than it used to be some decades ago. However, building wealth is rather becoming more difficult now. Everyone seems to be chasing money, a few get it and just a fraction are able to keep it (build wealth). This is because those fraction have decoded the mysteries around and have become masters of wealth creation. Do you want to unravel this mystery and become a master too? Read on.

Let’s start with the basics. Robert T. Kiyosaki in his book, Rich dad’s guide to investing revealed. There are two main problems of money: not having enough money and having too much money. Every individual according to him have one of the two problems of money. The former is quite prevalent and obvious but the latter although rare is still alive and with us. To not afford to pay for your hospital bills, purchase the apartment you so admired or even embark on the trip you wanted to are all instances of not having enough money. On the other spectrum, some get born into riches, grew in it and inherited it. But somehow, they become slaves of money living from hand to mouth few years after they inherited it. This also is just an instance of the problem of too much money. None is better than the other. They are equally disturbing and must be solved.

In George S. Clason and Robert T. Kiyosaki’s books, The richest man in Babylon and Financial IQ respectively, they reveal the hidden secrets of solving the two problems of money. One of the amazing revelations George Clason gave to growing a lean purse (the problem of not enough money) is the habit of paying yourself first. This principle states that, any amount that comes into your hand, set aside not less than 10% for yourself after which you try and live within the remaining 90% (for those who believe in tithing, this amount will be after your tithe). That is, love yourself enough to pay yourself before you pay everyone else.

Let’s put this in perspective. For instance, if you are a worker with an expected monthly income of $100, set aside not less than $10 for yourself (It could be more). After that, make all your budget fall within the remaining $90. This must be the approach, but not the reverse as some people try to do. A logical question to ask is that, how can I survive on $90 when I am struggling even with $100? The truth is that, eventhough the money is not enough, it is not a reason enough to rob yourself what is due you. Self-love is never selfishness. A research was conducted on a group of workers to find out their income satisfaction. The first’s salary was $50 a month. The second received $200 monthly. The third took home $3000 every month whiles the fourth had $20,000. The findings showed that inspite of the difference between their income levels, each of the workers believed at least a 50% to 100% increment in their salaries would make life more comfortable foe them. This is a reflection of a research conducted by Cyril Parkinston, a British Navy and historian, which later became known as the Parkinston’s law.

The Parkinson’s law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. This can be applied also to money and expenses as this “expenses expands so as to fill the money available for its consumption”. That is, if you are issued $500 check to spend with a strict warning of neither lending nor borrowing, you can force all your expenses to fall within the stated amount. If the amount is increased to $1000 with the same condition, certain expenses will find its way into the budget just to help you spend the amount. On the other hand, if the amount is reduced to $100 with the same conditions, you will spend that amount only on your most pressing needs.

Again, Let’s put this in perspective with the Ghanaian system as acase study. For instance, as a University student surviving on your parents’ income, there are certain items you will never think of buying. The reason is not because you are not interested in having it, but you simply cannot afford it. However, when you become a National service personnel with a little cushion from the government, you start paying attention to some of those things you ignored when you were a student. Further interest will be expressed when you land yourself a job with certain benefits. The list goes on and on. The truth is, your wants are limitless and your needs are expandable. No amount of money will be enough for all your needs and wants.

Following the timeless principle of paying yourself not less than 10% first is proven and tested. It has created a number of multi billionaires since the ancient Babylonian era and it is guaranteed that if you follow it diligently, you will live to testify of its efficacy. If you are suffering from the problem of not having enough money, or knows someone who does, like and share this piece to them. Discipline yourself to follow it consistently for at least six months to a year and you will be proud of your own achievement.

In the subsequent write ups, we will unravel other principles and secrets of making money, keeping the money you make and making the money you keep work for you. Stay tunned!

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The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.

John C. Maxwell

A story is told of a sheep who found itself in a deep pit and needed help to escape. After bleating for a while, someone finally passed its way and drew closer to the pit. To the surprise of the sheep, instead of being rescued, the individual started throwing sand into the pit. The sheep, however, shook off the sand at every throw and stepped on it. It repeated the action to the point where the sand filled the pit enough to support the sheep to leap off the pit. An important lesson to learn from this sheep is its perception and approach to the challenge. It turned the sand meant to kill it into an opportunity for its escape.

Whether you are in your early twenties or late sixties, there is one truth you will surely come to know if you have not encountered it already. That is, difficulties are an integral part of human life. Whether rich or poor, young or old, black or white, educated or illiterate; as long as we are in this business called life, you will certainly encounter difficulties. The question, therefore, is not about whether or not you will encounter difficulties but how to respond to it.

As John Maxwell posited, the difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure. Perception is simply the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted. Ryan Holiday, in his famous book, The obstacle is the way, said,” You will come across obstacles in life – fair and unfair. And you will discover, time and time again, that what matters most is not what obstacles are but how we see them, how we react to them, and whether we keep our composure. You will learn that this reaction determines how successful we will be in overcoming – or possibly thriving because of them. There is no good or bad without us. There is only perception. There is the event itself and the story we tell ourselves about what it means”. The secret simply lies in the change in perception.

Let’s put this in perspective. If you have ever stayed in a rural area as a youth, you will notice that such an area has both a blessing and challenge that comes with it. One person might see the unavailability of certain resources and facilities. For instance, the absence of recreational facilities and proper network connectivity. Another person might see the lower cost of living, being close to nature and having an opportunity to spend time with him/herself without distractions. There is no right or wrong. The difference is the perspective from which the person sees it.

The saying, “every challenge is an opportunity in disguise”, is not just a cliche but also true. Instead of seeing challenges, obstacles and failures as events to avoid, see them as the way to success. Get a new definition of failure because contrary to what most people think, failure is part of success but not the opposite of it. As part of success, failure is inevitable and unavoidable but not irreversible. If you are not failing at something, you’re probably not making progress. You are not a failure because you failed at something. People will like to personalise your failure at something and call you a failure. Do not accept that. A failure is never a person but the results of a particular action. Always put it in perspective and see it as a learning experience. After trying several times, Thomas Edison’s critics, as usual, wrote him off and tagged him as a failure. However, his response to them was “I have not failed 10,000 times, I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”. That should be your attitude and response to failure. See it simply as a price you pay to achieve success.

Struggles are required in order to survive in life. If you are going to stand up, you must know what falling down is like. I am not going to deceive you that the journey to your dream is going to be easy. In fact, to your surprise, it will be tougher than you can imagine. But that is the worst it can be. To succeed, you should be prepared to fail at something. So instead of trying to avoid failure, embrace it. Start early, fail often but fail forward. John Maxwell puts it this way, failing forward is the ability to get back up after getting knocked down, learn from your mistakes and move forward in a better direction. Again, if you are ever going to succeed, you must learn to fail early, fail often and most importantly fail forward.