By Lamija Busayo
Financial freedom is the ability to conquer lack, poverty and the negative effects of such.
Just last Tuesday, I was caught up in a traffic jam in Benin City, the ever-buzzing capital of Edo State, Nigeria. After waiting for about 10 minutes, I could not bear the heat anymore, and so I decided to take a stroll down the road. Little did I know that the next few minutes would be golden.
Walking down Kings Square, I took note of a young girl; a sachet water (pure water) vendor who at every point simply smiled, jumped or even laughed hysterically at some silly act or passenger gestures. She was absolutely happy!
On the other hand, seated in a fully air-conditioned Range Rover was a robust man with an apparently good income, and a little boy who looked so much like him. Their package had a lot to tell about their status. However, neither he nor his son broke into a smile all through the long wait.
Can money make you happy?
Is that even a question???
Goodness gracious! Money gives you optionsssssss but wait…
Two lives, same situation, different approaches to life. Imagine what would happen if the little girl had an opportunity to become wealthy the right way. She has learnt to make the little things count. Despite myself, I found my lips slowly whispering to myself, “You do not have to be rich to be happy!”
On our journey towards self-discovery, personal development and purpose, the tendency to slip into depression and sadness can silently tag along if we do not first define what makes an individual resilient or laughs in the face of unending troubles and unmet expectations.
Are poor people happy?
If you live in Africa, you’d most likely have come across shoe menders, water vendors (Mai Ruwa) as they are called in Northern Nigeria and even bean cake (akara) sellers who live happier than a lot of wealthy people. Yes, I mean it.
Let’s not even talk about familial intimacy, love, and care which is more prominent in close-knit average income earning homes than the extremely rich ones.
Am I trying to say poverty is good?
Am I saying you shouldn’t strive to acquire wealth and be better?
NO! Poverty is like a thief, and until you begin to put structures in place that keeps it out of your mind and environment, you’d watch it steal your joy, wife, children and even the very happiness you are searching for.
I am simply saying success and happiness are available to everyone who commits to being successful and happy.
Happiness is a lifestyle, a state of mind that is regulated by your inner sense of being and contentment. Your financial status has little role, your attitude, your contentment is what matters!
Why choose to be broke and happy when you can be rich and extremely happy?
There is this misguided belief in Africa that teaches the average young person who is trying to become wealthy or who is trying to carve out a niche for him/herself; that the lesser amount of money you have, the greater your chances of happiness are.
Lies! I tell you.
That analysis is incorrect!
If you have been following us from the start, by now you should have understood why that is incorrect. If you missed it, then scroll up: Success and Happiness is available to everyone who commits to it!
Your Escape Route!
Here’s your escape route out of a life of endless cycles of wants, mediocrity, and unhappiness: a change of ATTITUDE!
Attitude is everything, and this is what makes the difference between the poor and wealthy, sad and happy, broke and comfortable.
Because BlackSafaya cares about your finance and happiness, starting with the Haves and Have-Nots, we shall be discussing:
ü Money as a store of value
ü The series will climax into an analysis of what the rich do differently and finally, #SafayaMoney 7 super steps to becoming rich and enjoying life all the way.
Read keenly, pay attention, enjoy the series and remember:
You do not have to be rich to be happy!
7 Comments
Absolutely fabulous. True words in practice are found in this article. But I still so much support equal portion of being rich and the former because life is like a phrase which has no traceable definition. Happiness without money is most times in disguised and may be ruling. Contententment is a subject matter of the day but still money is a ruling vessel. Thanks dear Lamijo Busayo for your acknowledgement.
Wow!!! lovely, you don’t buy happiness. Happiness is free, so u don’t need money to be happy.
Nice one,I love this”On our journey towards
self-discovery , personal development and purpose , the tendency to slip into
depression and sadness can silently tag along if we do not first define what makes an individual resilient or laughs in the face of unending troubles and unmet expectations”.
Indeed this piece of information has thrown more light on my definition about happiness, one really doesn’t need to have all account in every banks in order to be happy or comfortable with banking systems, the quest to be comfortable is generally incline.
Thank you dear for this awesome transforming information.
Well written and moltivating
Such a lovely piece… I once told someone you don’t need to have all the money in the world to be happy, you can be happy even with the little you have and the person outrightly replied “I prefer to cry in a Range Rover that to laugh in a keke”… Lols. Meaning he prefers to be wealthy and unhappy than to earn little and be happy… I just hope he comes across such a beautiful piece like this , it’ll help in changing the way he views money and happiness…
Beautiful write up.