7
SYMPTOMS OF
POVERTY MENTALITY
Have you ever wondered why some people make it past the financial constraints
of poverty while others don’t? It all boils down to interests, attitude and
focus. Read through these 7 Symptoms of a Poverty Mentality, to be sure you
don’t need to be diagnosed with this undiscovered mental illness.
You might have the Poverty Mentality if…
1. The majority of your spare time,
money and focus is fixed on entertainment.
Did you see that game? Did you catch Scandal last night? If you find yourself
asking these questions often you may be a victim of the Poverty Mentality. Of
course, we all deserve to treat ourselves to nice things because we work for
them and life should be pleasurable. However, when you focus solely on the
pleasures in life, acquiring things, laughing with friends and reaching your
“high” through any means necessary, you take away from the time and money you
could use to learn a new skill or upgrade your lifestyle by investing in
yourself and taking the risks necessary to leave the world of poverty behind.
2. You receive government assistance
and you don’t plan to stop.
Government assistance was created to assist people during hard times. It was
not intended as a form of income to base your household needs on. If you and
your family are dependent on food stamps or welfare or SSI or SSDI, please
figure out a way to get off of them as soon as possible. From my research,
those who receive these type of so-called benefits, usually lower their
earning potential in favor of receiving what is free and easy.
Government assistance is a trap. It requires that you remain at a low income
level to continue receiving it. Sure, it is safe and easy money, but to fully
care for your family you will have to create an alternate stream of income
which, if reported to the government, would decrease the amount of government
assistance that you receive. Because of this glitch in the system, many won’t
bother to try to earn more money outside of the government check and others
will resort to illegal means to bring in that extra income which will hurt the
entire family in the long run when you are caught.
3. You daydream about winning the lottery.
If you took the time to calculate how much money you have spent on lottery tickets
you would probably faint. If you spend $10 per week on lottery tickets that is $520
per year that you have wasted, hoping for that one shot at easy money. It’s a lost
cause simply because even if you did win you have not developed the skills necessary
to grow your money into a nest egg that could change the financial future of your
entire family.
When you buy a lottery ticket, what you are essentially doing is standing by the lake
hoping for a fish to jump into your hand. Even if it does, once it’s gone you will be
hungry again. Are you going to try everyday, hoping you’ll be fed by lady luck or are
you going to get your arse out there and learn how to fish? Once you acquire the skills
to create wealth in your life, those skills will never leave you no matter how many
times you gain or lose. Learning the skills you need to create the income you desire is
more important than wishing for money to drop out of the sky. You want to teach your
children the skills to create and maintain the wealth you pass on to them instead of
opting for some common fantasy shared by people who have no clue what to do with the
‘blessing’ that will probably never be bestowed upon them.
4. You have to have all the latest trends.
Did you buy that $120 Kanye West t-shirt? Don’t lie. Are you carrying a purse that
costs more than your car note? Why?
Yes, we like and deserve nice things but if you want to get rid of the symptoms of
a poverty mentality you must understand that the things you acquire as a result of
your wealth or abundance mean nothing compared to the lessons you learned while you
were creating it. Creation is the most powerful force that exists. We create our
world through our perception of everything around us. We offer value to our world
with our focus and our intention. Whatever you believe is valuable, will be.
If you have decided that your car, purse, wardrobe or jewelry are the most valuable
things you own, you can shift that perspective to create a lasting impression that
will benefit your children’s children. Instead of focusing on showcasing your wealth,
look within and delight yourself in learning many ways to create wealth in your life.
You have nothing to prove to anyone. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. Be a creator,
not a consumer. CREATE WEALTH instead of fueling someone else’s empire. Create your own
empire.
5. You won’t invest in yourself.
You’ll spend $2,000 on a cruise to the Bahamas but you won’t take a specialization course
in your field that will add an extra $5,000 to your annual earnings. You’ll splurge on
drinks for all of your friends but you place that business management book back on the
shelf because it costs $25 and you figure you can find the information online for free-
but you never do.
It is highly important to invest in the tools you need to position yourself to prosper.
If you need to buy paintbrushes to create your art, do not deny yourself the tools. If
you have $400 and the top of the line cake mixer you need to start your cupcake business
is on sale, buy it. Invest in your dream. Your vision is just as important as your day to
day activities. Invest in yourself FIRST, reap the benefits of this investment and then
you’ll be able to treat yourself more often. You are your own biggest investment. Take
care of yourself and understand that the tools you need to prosper are vital to your well
being. You have permission to get what you need to succeed. It is not a risk, it is an
investment. Do something.
6. You view sex as a leisure activity.
Sex is fun. It’s amazing. It’s awesome. BUT- you can’t go around having sex with people
just because you’re bored or can’t afford anything else to do. The number one reason why
low income families are so large is- drum roll please- they can not afford any other
leisure activities so they use sex as a substitute for traveling, going to the movies,
going to plays, etc.
Are you sleeping with someone who adds absolutely nothing to your desire of changing the
financial future of your family? Are you with him because he has 8 inches? Are you with
her because she lets you get that from the back? We all need a release from the pressures
of life, but I’ll share one piece of advice a VERY wise woman shared with me.
Never sleep with anyone who can’t teach you how to grow your business. If you’re going to
be intimate with someone, make sure they can add value to your life goals or you may end
up stuck with a Baby Daddy with 8 inches who is living off of you or a Baby Mama with a
fatty who takes all of your money in child support. Time to grow up and make your sexual
encounters become an investment for your future.
7. You rallied alongside the 99 percent.
When the 99 percent movement geared up, did you sympathize with their plight? Did you become
angry at corporations and the wealthy elite because they own everything and you don’t? Well,
that was a definite indication that you are mentally aligned with the lower class instead of
being mentally aligned with the elite.
Regardless of your current income, if you are truly grinding, you KNOW you are going to break
through to the wealth you desire in order to change the financial future of your entire lineage.
Since you KNOW this you would NEVER side with those in poverty because you do not believe you
are one of them.
Your perception of yourself right now means much more than the evidence of your dream coming true.
You demonstrate the poverty mentality when you view the world through the lens of someone in
poverty instead of the super wealthy, tycoon, game changer you really are. Those who SEE themselves
as wealthy and prosperous without a shadow of a doubt BEFORE it happens, are almost guaranteed to
experience it in reality. We are who we think we are. Sometimes it just takes a minute for our
physical lives to buffer and catch up.
7 Symptoms of a Poverty Mentality
https://urbanintellectuals.com/2013/09/05/7-symptoms-poverty-mentality/
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