In life, desire is not enough. We can yearn for good things but nothing ever happens unless we make things happen. Wealth creation doesn’t happen in a day neither will it happen just because you desire it. It takes consistent deliberate effort to build lasting wealth. Which means wealth creation requires continuous (daily) work and a key fundamental aspect of it is knowledge – in other words, wealth literacy – or as many often put it; financial education.
Our school system has downplayed the importance of financial education so it is up to us to get the knowledge we need outside the four walls of the school. Education is in fact “the first step toward changing your life” (Kim Kiyosaki). The rich get richer because they never stop learning. You cannot achieve anything great if you refuse to learn. As a result, if you truly desire to be great, you MUST imbibe the habit of continuous – DAILY – learning.
WHAT IS FINANCIAL EDUCATION
Financial education goes beyond teaching your kids or yourself how to save money. It is about knowing how to make, manage, plant, grow, multiply and keep Money. It is the understanding of the language of money and the skills required to multiply it. Financial Education is the education you MUST HAVE to BE RICH! Financial education is very important in wealth creation; which is why the absence of it in our traditional learning environment affects your finances and your ability to make good financial decisions.
It might surprise you to know that some people do not believe there is much to know about money. Why? Because they’ve been conditioned to think wealth creation is for a selected few and that it’s a thing of “destiny”. Beliefs like these are the primary reason why people underrate financial education.
However, for those who desperately want a way out of the limbo that society has created, you need to know just how to educate yourself about money. Luckily, knowledge can be acquired in different ways.
Read
There is something common among all the billionaires and millionaires of the world and that is they all read. Books have proven, since the beginning of times, to be great and necessary resources for achieving greatness. Every rich man knows this. Never underestimate the power of reading a book. Mark Cuban reads for 3 hours each day, Bill Gates reads a book every week (52 weeks equals 52 books), Warren Buffett reads 500 pages every day; news alert – they’re all rich! The thing about knowledge is that it builds up like compound interest. It’s never a mistake to read. Develop the habit of reading. It doesn’t have to be a book, it could be a blog or an article. In fact, you’ll never know how much you can learn from reading the business column of the newspaper every morning. A great place to start is by visiting ngmoneyseries.com daily. Our blog posts promise to equip you with the right knowledge needed to get you to financial freedom.
Listen To Podcasts
Not everyone is a good reader and that’s okay. If you do better at listening then podcasts were made for you. Podcasts are a great way to learn about various topics of interests. You can learn at your own pace and you can listen anywhere anytime. So instead of listening to pop music on your way to work, tune in to a financial podcast. The iTunes store has plenty of beneficial podcasts, so you can start there. You can listen in chunks and learn from different people from different parts of the world.
Follow NgMoneySeries weekly podcasts on Instagram and Youtube.
Play Games
Okay, this might sound hilarious to you but do not ignore this point. Games are effective tools for learning. For example, Chess teaches you strategy and emotional intelligence. Even video games can teach you a thing or two about leadership and cooperation especially if you’re playing in a team. In Economics, there is in fact something called Game Theory. It teaches how to use the principles of games to make wins in real life. As it turns out, game theory can be applied in every aspect of life. So in addition to reading and listening to podcasts, challenge yourself each day by playing a thought-provoking game. And in turn, use what you learn in trial financial games online. That way you get an insight on reality. Besides it is better to practice with fake cash than your life savings.
One of the games you should learn how to play, and also play often is Monopoly. It teaches you a lot about money management, wealth building, and financial freedom.
Build Good Relationships
Every day is a chance to connect with someone new. The power and position of men are too crucial to be ignored in finances. You picked most “life lessons” you know today from someone, either consciously or subconsciously. Your parents/guardian, teachers, spiritual leaders, siblings, friends, colleagues, neighbours are all practical examples of why you shouldn’t ignore the effect of relationships in your success/failure; because they’ve all influenced you (habits, behaviours, mindset, thoughts, aspirations, desires) one way or the other, either positively or negatively. Your network of people can either help you achieve financial freedom or lead you to poverty. So every day, build on your existing relationships with the right people and connect with more. Have conversations about money and you’d be amazed how much people know or don’t know. One financially sound man in your life can change so much for you.
It doesn’t really matter how you learn, just that you learn. Go online, sign up for courses, talk to people, attend business conferences, read blog posts like ours, do what you need to! And do it every day.
I’ll leave you with this quote below;
“Focus first on your education, then the money will follow”
Robert Kiyosaki