I'm always all about personal finance because I feel it's how one can eventually attain discipline, going through the experience of spending, managing, handling scarcity, making choices, and difficult decisions or even applying the concept of opportunity cost when it actually matters the most.
As someone who believes money shouldn't serve one means to an end i try to live minimally even when I feel there's more than enough. I've met a lot of people who feel that living minimally is being meagre or being stingy while this can be true, its not always true.
I have a notion that before someone can handle a state of scarcity or plenty he or she must have been exposed to both, lived through them, failed as a result of bad decisions and gotten the experience.
Personally, I believe having too much or having too little comes with pressure nevertheless coping with this pressure quite comfotably allows us to attain financial equilibrium. In this state, we're not too minimal neither are we too flamboyant.
It's often difficult to attain this stage especially when we have monetary responsibilities beyond our capabilities. There was a time I was spending some amount of money to put my village house in order, the people around me began to feel that I was cultivating a sense of flamboyancy.
They felt I was doing this probably because I was rich or wealthy but then shelter is one of the biggest necessities that is crucial for the survival of man, if I priotize food first, i'll prioritize clothing second and then shelter and this doesn't even matter if you're rich or poor.
While i'm not building a mansion, i have exhausted my savings trying to put up a little shelter and this happens when a need becomes a necessity that will now require urgent monetary attention.
If a person decides to live minimally or attain financial equilibrium they may decide to not own a TV set, a swimming pool or maybe a jacuzzi but then they might own laptops of $2000 or more and why is this? they have prioritized the utility that a laptop can bring them while ditching the comfort that a swimming pool might give them.
For example owning these laptops, they can learn skills online, have writing gigs, learn programming and coding of which these skills can be worth millions in the labour market and this is why I said, to some people money always serves more than one means to an end for them.
As for going on expensive tours and spending excessively on properties that are prone to spoilage, while these things are good, they're not necessarily too urgent or important for someone who prioritize other things, it's serves just one particular means; pleasure and comfort.
For example while I can wear a jeans of $10 or a shirt of $8 or a wrist watch of $20 i cannot buy a phone of $150, because the specs would never augument what I want. I can go ahead to own a 600$ high end mobile phone (not that I will, but I can). Living minimally can means prioritizing to spend hugely on things that can directly or indirectly earning you income.
The real deal with minimalism is avoiding ostentatiously spending on what might feel comfortable but not urgent or crucial, while i'm not necessarily a minimalist to an extent I believe these values are often what I cultivate in my personal financial journey.
Sometimes its not about having the opportunity, its about creating them. So many people feels they can only thrive when opportunities are created for them, they think people who are doing better had it easier for them.
This is why I spend or save every cent I have with caution. I'm all about sacrificing the "present" to own the "future" while some might sacrifice the "future" to own the "present".
A lot of people are planning their retirment and they're not even in their 40s yet. This is an example of cultivating the right personal finance. Most important we need to understand something; everyone has personal finance but the difference is striving hard to attain the right one. This is how we eventually get financial discipline.
Images done using Bitmoji
Interested in some more of my works?
DeFi In The Nigerian Space; Controlling Finances You Can Understand?
Understanding Cyclical Responsibility; Making A Case Scenario (3Speak)
Comparing Asians & African Food; What Determines The Unique Eating Habits Of Most Nigerians?
The Stench Of Change (An Original Poetry)
Some Of The Most Unique Things About Schooling & Living In Lagos State Nigeria
My name is @Josediccus, a young Nigerian student who is a Vlogger, A Psychologist, Poet And Sports Writer/Analyst. I'm using my contents as a process to create shared meaning as well as create expressions through which people on/off hive can relate. I believe content is a process to be enjoyed and relished and I'm up for any collaborations in my field stated above. Cheers
@Josediccus, your brother-in-pen & heart
I'm hoping to reach more people who are broken at heart and spirit, so share on any platform or reblog
My Twitter handle
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta