NAVIGATING THE CURRENT FINANCIAL HARDSHIP

2009 was a year I will never forget. I went through a severe financial hardship. It was as though the whole world were coming to an end. Things became unremittingly hard, so hard, I had no money to feed, clothe and transport myself. I lost count how many times I had to trek long distances and beg commercial bus drivers to transport me for free. In one instance – I boarded a commercial bus from Oregun to Ikeja - in Lagos, Nigeria. As I sat in the bus, the following conversation ensued between the conductor and I:

Conductor: Where is your money?

Me: I just boarded the bus now. Calm down!

??????????????????????Five minutes later

Conductor: Chairman, give me your money!

Me: Relax now! Haba!

????????????????????Eight minutes later

Conductor: When are you paying your transport fare!

Me: Am coming!

For the last time, as we were about to reach the last bus stop,

Conductor: Where’s your money?

Me: I will see you…

We got to the final destination. I alighted. As I was about to explain my plight, he snatched my bag and the bus zoomed off. That’s a snippet of the kind of financial crisis I had to navigate through. It was no fun at all.

The current financial hardship being experienced all over Nigeria, and indeed the world at large is no child’s play. Some of us have money in our bank accounts but we cannot simply access them. Sometimes you want to ask yourself, ‘Who did we offend sef that our country’s economic situation is always going from frying pan to fire? I was at the bank the other day, and I saw a mammoth crowd by the automated teller machine (ATM). If care is nothing taken, one could lose his/her sanity simply thinking about the myriads of issues we are grappling with. I want to make a few suggestions on how you can better manage the current financial and economic crisis.

First, always think in terms of resources. Never allow the availability or non-availability of cash to stop you from pursuing the realization of our heart desires.?I suggest that you think in terms of resources, and not in terms of cash. Though you may have no cash at the moment; take stock of all resources you have at your disposal; and leverage them to achieve your financial obligations. You would be shocked to discover how much of resources you have at your disposal; to resolve any financial issues. Personally, I have decided to leverage the resources I have. I now use what I have to get what I want. A wise man once said, “It’s not what you don’t have that limits you. It is what you have but do not know how to use.” Everything cannot be bad at once. There’ll always be resources – relationships, integrity, goodwill, assets, gadgets, knowledge, education and information, anything – that you can use as leverage.

Second, watch your utterances. I know this may sound somehow, but I want you to keep an open mind. I am about you with you a very powerful principle. In order to overcome the current cash crunch et al, you need to cultivate and sustain a wealth consciousness/mind-set. ?And to do this effectively, you need to watch what you say in reaction to issues. If you don’t have anything positive to say, keep quiet. Whether or not you agree, your words are shaping your circumstances. Poor/bad words result into, and reinforce poor circumstances. On the other hand rich/positive words result into rich circumstances. Why not be in charge of your utterances by creating an affirmation statement. Affirmations are simply any positive or negative statements we make, as we go through life. They can be natural, automatic statements or statements made on purpose. We are going to concentrate on the second type that is, statements made on purpose to spell out our desired future.

As you are going through the current financial crisis, you may be feeling poor, helpless and hopeless. Break that pattern so it does not result in despair and depression. All you need do is create an affirmation statement to reprogram your subconscious mind. The wonderful thing about affirmations is: the more we use them, the more our circumstances become moulded in their image. Talking to yourself positively is like revving yourself up, like pumping a tyre tube, you inflate your self-esteem. First thing in the morning when you get out of bed, start talking to yourself positively. Say: “I am a money magnet and money flows into my life effortlessly today.” Another one: “Every day in every way I am getting richer and richer”. It’s pretty easy to create an affirmation statement; just do it.

Lastly, cultivate and sustain a positive mental posture. There negativity out there is like a virus; and it is very infectious. We must do everything within our power to stop it from infecting us. Years ago, I came across a very compelling quote that completely changed my mind: “All the days of a negative person are evil. But he that has a positive attitude has a continual feast.” Put simply, negative things happen to negative people. When you allow negativity to run your life, you would seldom attract good tidings. Every one of us is currently going through one financial issue or the other. And we must cultivate and sustain the mental posture that would give us the courage to act positively and with grace. A positive mental attitude doesn’t mean you have sidestepped a hard life. It simply means you choose to see and take part in the good things life has to offer, as opposed to the negative. We must not allow the current issues to change our outlook. A positive mental attitude means you are in control of your thoughts and feelings.

In conclusion, I once read a fantastic book, Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, an extraordinary Holocaust survivor. He talks about finding happiness and purpose while in a Nazi concentration camp. He argues: “we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose.”

Benjamin Aduroja

Global Financial Consultant