Tag: Self-awareness (page 13 of 16)

June 9, 2024

Young Money: The Delusion and Unrealistic Financial Goals

Having young money simply means having wealth at the early days of your youth.

This is the delusion of getting rich quickly. You can tell yourself that you will become a millionaire in five months but that doesn’t mean it will happen.

If you aren’t happy with how you have not achieved your financial goals, it may be time to take a brutally honest work at what you are currently benchmarking yourself against.

It does not make sense to compare yourself to someone who is born into a wealthy family and has never worked for money in the early days of their youth. It makes sense to compare yourself to someone who has the same background and attended the same school you graduated from.

Young Money

Why?

You can tell yourself that yourself can become a millionaire in dollars by the end of 2024, but six months isn’t enough if yourself have not even achieved 100,000 dollars by now.

This financial goal was unrealistic in the first place. It’s possible you have compared to your “peers” on Instagram, X or LinkedIn who are currently millionaires and “crushing it.” This can create a distorted view of what’s achievable financially.

Or do you have an overambitious mindset? You enthusiasm and optimism as a young person can sometimes lead to setting overly ambitious financial goals without considering practical limitations or timelines. How did you even arrive at this figure when setting your financial goal?

The only option is to revaluate and set realistic financial goals.

The Conscious Wealth Builder

You are worried about your financial future because you fail to consider your current income levels, expenses, debt obligations and other financial constraints. And these things are leading you to set goals that are not feasible.

Wealthy people aren’t worried because they understand what makes anyone wealthy.

The financially free individuals are the ones who live life on their own terms, with no constant worry for money.

The financially free individuals are not those who are the highest paid, nor the hardest workers, but the ones with full control about their work and lifestyle.

If you want to set realistic financial goals, you need the qualities that allow you to keep making and managing money no matter the circumstances.

These qualities comprise The Conscious Wealth Builder:

Discipline: Consistently following a budget, saving regularly, and avoiding impulsive spending.
Patience: Understanding that wealth accumulation is a long-term process.
Adaptability: Being flexible and willing to adjust your financial plans as circumstances change
Resilience: Overcoming setbacks and learning from financial mistakes
Focus on Value Creation: Focus on enhancing your skills and seeking opportunities to add value.
Perseverance: Continuously working toward your financial goals, even when progress seems slow, or obstacles arise.

If you want to consciously build wealth, you are required to always achieve financial goals.

How to Set Realistic Financial Goals

Be Self-Aware

Be honest about your current income, expenses, and debt. This is the foundation for setting achievable goals.

Assess your current financial situation. Take an honest look at your income, expenses, debts, and overall financial standing. This will provide a realistic baseline for setting achievable goals.

Research and Plan

Research what financial goals are realistic for your age, income level, and career path. Use online resources or consult a financial advisor for guidance.

Consider consulting with a financial advisor or planner who can provide personalized advice and help you set realistic goals based on your unique circumstances.

Set SMART Goals

Make your goals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Instead of “become a millionaire,” aim for ‘save 42,000 naira monthly in an investment account in two years.’

Educate yourself on personal finance

Seek out resources, books, or workshops to improve your financial literacy and gain a better understanding of budgeting, saving, and investing strategies.

Focus on Progress

Celebrate your milestones along the way!

Reaching smaller goals keeps you motivated and reinforces positive financial behaviors.

Now, it’s time to look back at those financial goals you set this year and validate them with these steps.

Turn them to goals you can still achieve in 2024.

May 19, 2024

You Must Have No Enemies

No Enemies

You must have no enemies to succeed. If you feel left behind in life, pay attention to this story.

In 2023, MAPPA released the masterpiece “Vinland Saga Season 2”. This show tells the story of Thorfinn, a young Viking warrior who killed his longtime enemy, Askeladd to avenge his father’s death.

When Thorfinn eventually kills Askeladd, he loses his purpose in life. He turns from a mighty warrior to a slave with a broken spirit working for a farmer.

However, as the years go by, He works alongside Einar, another slave, and the two develop a strong friendship.

Thorfinn slowly discovers purpose through hardwork and starts to consider a more peaceful existence.

The truth Discovered by Thorfinn

You see, during his enslavement, Thorfinn realizes a harrowing truth: the mile-long road of men he’s slaughtered in pursuit of avenging his father’s death led to his undoing.

With this truth, the once-fearsome Viking warrior chooses a new purpose: rid the world of war and slavery.

When you think his tale is going to end well, the past comes to haunt Thorfinn.

An all-out war breaks in the remaining parts of Europe and the new king decides to attack the farmland where Thorfinn stays.

Thorfinn’s new philosophy is put into test when he comes to face to face with the new king and his army.

The Quest for no Enemies

War for Vikings serves as a testing ground where victors reap the spoils on the merit of how many people they slaughtered and sold. Or vie for a warrior’s death that would grant them entry into Valhalla – the promised land.

Thorfinn then realizes that his initial brutal and revenge seeking lifestyle has been caused by a series of tactical errors.

I’ll come back to tactical errors in a bit.

While contemplating on how to convince his enemies to stop this war, he remembers the words of his father who had embraced a life of peace:

“You have no enemies. No one in the world is your enemy. There is no one you need to hurt.’

Think on the above line for a while.

When its meaning is clear, then continue reading.

Now let’s talk about tactical errors.

Tactical errors

In football, a tactical error is when a manager makes a mistake without external pressure.

It’s a mistake that happens when the team’s strategy itself is flawed or players don’t execute it properly.

Can you imagine being at the top of your league, yet your mistakes keep costing you the trophy.

The best managers in the world have suffered this.

Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola, and Mikel Arteta are known for their consistency and discipline. But they have all made tactical errors that cost them trophies.

In the 2005 Champions League Final, Ancelotti’s Milan were up 3-0 at halftime but made errors that allowed Liverpool to come back and win.

In the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final, Guardiola played without a natural defensive midfielder. This was widely seen as a tactical error. Chelsea won the match 1-0, exploiting the gaps in City’s midfield.

Just this weekend, in the 2023/2024 Premier League final run, Arteta made a tactical formation error in a decisive match against Aston Villa and lost the game. This gave Manchester City the chance to go on top of the table and eventually win the Premier League.

While I don’t know what went through the minds of these managers in those moments – the leading cause of these errors is ego and flexibility. Some managers are overly wedded to their tactical philosophies and struggle to adapt during the game, even if the initial approach isn’t working.

Beware of your tactical Errors

Now look back at some of your tactical errors in the past few months.

Those moments when your ego caught up with you, preventing you from doing your best – not because you lacked the abilities, connections, or resources to pull it off.

The moments you tried to hide your talent from the public because of resurfaced rejections from the past.

Those moments you refuse to share your ideas because you don’t want to go the extra mile and be held accountable.

I can totally relate…. It’s difficult to reflect on, but dodging problems is a game for babies.

I need you to go to your battlefield and confront the enemies in front of you.

You will still win in life, my guy.

You are the deserving favorite and have spent your entire life preparing for this premier league title. But you must end the mental battle.

These are the different endings to those movies you keep seeing over and over in your head. That heart break, that wasted chance, the absence of a parent.

The conversations you can’t stop having in your head with your ‘village people’. But you eventually found your voice long after you realized you stay in the city?

Do you get the gist?

You can’t bring all this extra luggage around with you in the end game.

Yes, we are all not immune, but raising awareness is the first step.

Focus on what truly matters.

Tell yourself – “You have no enemies. There is no one you need to hurt.”

And then do your utmost best.

May 5, 2024

All Hits No Misses: A Review

All hits. No misses. 17 articles in total written in 2024 so far.

So here is the list:

JANUARY 2024:

FOCUS: How to Keep Accomplishing Tasks Until You are Successful

To always accomplish your tasks and activities successfully, the ability to be composed, clear-headed and cool even under pressure is what will separate you from the non-doers. You must practice being able to focus.

Learn how to stay focused, avoid distractions and keep moving forward till you accomplish your tasks.

A Solution to Always Complete Your Goals

You need consistency. Consistency helps you get better at things. When you consistently work towards a goal, you are more likely to succeed. It’s like taking small steps every day towards something big.

Learn what you need to be consistent and always accomplish any goal you have.

Is it Time to Change Your Attitude?

Your mindset can empower or hold you back. This means you must always choose the mindset that serve you best. The right mindset leaves room for curiosity and innovation. With the right mindset, you’re more willing to learn and try new things, leading to personal and professional growth.

Learn how you can have a resilient attitude that you can be proud of.

Master the Art of Deep Work This Year

Think of deep work as your brain’s ultimate gym. It’s about getting into “the zone,” where hours melt away and you emerge with a masterpiece, a new skill conquered, or a problem cracked wide open. When pursuing your goals, it’s not just about working hard, it’s about working deeply.

Learn how to enter and master the art of deep work.

FEBRUARY 2024:

The Best Way to Handle People

Over 30 million copies of “How To Win Friends and Influence People.” have been sold worldwide, and even recommended by Warren Buffet. Carnegie’s book is full of timeless wisdom and insights that you can use to bring out the best in your relationships.

In the first section of the book, Carnegie shared the fundamental techniques in handling people. He also narrates stories of people who achieved extraordinary progress in their businesses, politics, and career. Because they applied these methods to bring out the best in their relationships.

This article shows you the main techniques, so you don’t have to spend hours studying his book. Or tens of other relationship books.

How to Make People Like You

Your happiness and success at work can be strongly influenced by how well-liked you are by others.

People that are likable are regularly better at influencing others—whether it’s convincing coworkers, winning over ideas, or boosting team spirit. Stronger, deeper connections with others can also be nurtured by your likability, and this results in sustaining friendships and partnerships.

This article shows you the four quick ways to make people like you.

Always Win People Over With These Techniques

You can build stronger relationships with friends, family, and coworkers when you can convince people of your points of view and effectively convey them. Gaining the ability to comprehend diverse viewpoints and communicate effectively can help you grow personally. This in turn boosts your flexibility, empathy, and critical thinking.

This article shows the principles you can apply to always win people over to your side.

How to Truly Change People as a Leader

The role of a leader is to coach, guide and inspire others. To perform this role excellently, a leader’s job often includes changing your people’s attitudes and behavior. And there are mistakes you must avoid in performing this role of positively influencing people for good.

These suggestions shared in the article are from the famous book – How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

MARCH 2024:

What It Means to Productize Yourself

Productizing yourself means that you must figure out what you’re uniquely good at and apply as much leverage as possible. It’s like taking the best of what you are and packaging it in a way that creates value for others. This concept is common in entrepreneurship, freelancing, consulting, and personal branding.

Read this article to apply this concept to yourself today.

Always Maintain a Main Character Energy

Getting through your work and doing your job (or business) to make money is a multi-player game you are currently engaged in. However, your mindset and how happy or miserable you are – this is entirely up to you. Because Life itself is a single-player game. And you are the main character.

Read this article to reflect on what it means to be a main character.

How to Fall in Love with Reading

By embracing the joy of reading, you unlock a world of knowledge and empower yourself to excel in all aspects of life. Reading also enhances your writing skills and communication abilities. And these are valuable assets in any profession.

Read this article to learn why reading is essential, what to read, and most importantly, how to love the process.

A Unique Way to Level Up Your Life

The modern struggle is Lone individuals summoning inhuman willpower, fasting, meditating, and exercising… Up against armies of scientists and statisticians weaponizing abundant food, screens, and medicine into junk food, clickbait news, infinite porn, endless games, and addictive drugs.

The concept of “Solo Leveling” is a brilliant way to learn how to level up your life. Read this article to see how the concept of Solo Leveling can apply in you in real life.

APRIL 2024:

Receive and Give the Best Form of Feedback

If you’re serious about rapidly enhancing your skills and achieving your goals, you need the best form of feedback – the kind that not only points out what you’re doing wrong but shows you how to fix it.

This article will show you exactly how to do that.

What it means to be Truly Happy

If you constantly walk around thinking, “I need this,” or “I need that,” trapped in the web of desires – you are not happy. Happiness is the state when nothing is missing. When nothing is missing, your mind shuts down and stops running into the past or future to regret something or to plan something.

This article talks about what it means to be truly happy. The guidelines are also gotten from the Almanack of Naval Ravikant.

The Simple Truths of Life

This is a list of simple life truths from a book – Habits of the Household by Justin Earl. These statements reveal the simplicity and truth of living. These truths should remind you on what life is really all about. No need to overcomplicate things. These truths might feel radical or religious, but the most radical truths are really simple ones.

This article lists these simple truths of life.

The Rules of a Magical Life

The ability to achieve in silence and celebrate in style can seem like a lost art form in a culture that frequently prioritizes oversharing and instant gratification. But this strategy not only has the secret to success; it also has similarities to the basic laws of magic, which, when applied to everyday life, open up a whole new range of opportunities.

Living a magical life is learning a secret recipe to success – hidden in plain sight yet accessible only to a chosen few. Read this article to find out more.