One of my bosses Tony Fotizo shared something I'll like you to read.
Particularly because of the many lessons here.
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It’s “important” what it is that makes you “happy”.
And what it is you are willing to “sacrifice” for what you call “happiness”.
Being in your feelings and just doing what "feels" right at the moment can cause grave consequences.
I have heard stories of single mothers who drove themselves to see their boyfriends.
And locked their two-year-old in the car for hours.
Just because they wanted to f4k.
And they thought that bringing the kid into the house would spoil their moment of joy.
After hours of stupid selx, they came back to meet the lifeless body of their child.
Did they enjoy the selx? Yes, they did.
Did they end up in jail? Yes, they did for many painful years.
There was this British girl who locked up her 18 months old child in her flat and travelled.
She travelled to celebrate her birthday with her boyfriend in another city.
She left that child unattended for six good days.
Celebrating her birthday and going on a f4king spree was her idea of "happiness".
She returned to a dead child.
She's now in jail.
What do you call "happiness"?
Is it balling every weekend?
Do you find joy in wasting money?
What lie have you told yourself?
What lie makes you feel good?
I heard somebody say this a few years ago and I agreed with him.
He said, "if you have ever at any point in your life had N200,000 and today you're penniless, then you are the cause of your poverty".
I agreed with him because if you ask anyone who has made something out of their life, how they became rich, they'll likely tell you that they started with little capital.
They starved themselves of "fun" for a while.
They saved, they occupied themselves with thoughts of how to "multiply" their revenue.
They sort knowledge passionately.
They were intentional.
If you were ever a sports person, you would understand what it means to intentionally go through pain in order to become a stronger person.
Discipline is not sweet.
But without discipline there can never be success or sustained success.
In my field, a lot of internet marketers want to live like fraudsters.
They make money today, post screenshots tomorrow, blow the money in a week and live “delusionally” for a season.
You run into them, and you wonder if they ever made the millions they bragged about.
Sometimes I don't blame them.
I blame their so-called mentors.
I can't count the number of times I cringe when I hear the following advice from these mentors.
It goes like this...
"To cure yourself of poverty mentality, move to a rich neighbourhood"
"Go stay in an expensive hotel"
"Go buy an expensive car" Etc.
This advice itself is born out of a poverty mentality.
No truly successful wealthy person, who has been for a while will tell a young up coming person to do such things.
In fact, usually, if you speak to such persons, they will tell you that doing these types of things were the biggest mistakes they ever made in their lives when they first made some money.
For example, do you know that Mr Dangote sold off his first jet?
He sold it off because he later realised that owning a jet at that time was a misplaced priority.
Do you know that Mr Dangote thinks that the first key to success in business is not renting a high rising office in a high-brow area?
He says that the problem with many young African entrepreneurs is that they think that “living rich” is the same as “being rich”.
I am not your mentor.
So by all means listen to your mentor.
"Cure your poverty mentality by buying expensive food, cars and by paying expensive rent."
If that works for you in the long run, I will be surprised.
But what I know for sure is that "investing" and growing your money is the right way to truly cure poverty.
Don't have a so-called "wealth mentality" yet have a poor financial sense.
When you speak, people will think you have “sense” but you are just an empty drum.
You have vacationed everywhere in the world, yet you’re worth nothing.
You can’t end a conversation without mentioning that you have been to New York.
Erm, see, “I have been to New York” is not a legal tender.
In fact, this is exactly the problem with so many young ladies today.
They call themselves “high maintenance”.
They live "first class" lifestyles.
You could say that they have cured their "poverty mentality".
Yeah, they live in expensive neighbourhoods, drive expensive cars, etc.
But someone is bankrolling them.
They themselves don't have money.
They don't have the brain for multiplying money.
They have brains alright, but their brain is for spending money.
They must have been listening to your mentor.
Because truly they "don't have a poverty mentality anymore”, lol.
But in reality they are just future "broke asses" waiting to happen.
My friend, how can you have just ten million to your name, and all you’re obsessed about is going on a vacation?
Is Hushpuppi your mentor?
If you are a young person who is willing to secure your future today, then learn from the following scenario.
Many years ago, as a young teenager, we had a tenant.
He was a cobbler.
Let's call him Godwin.
Dude was an honest hard worker.
But he had a problem.
Almost every night, he brought hookers home.
He was married but his wife lived in his home state.
They visited themselves periodically.
In hindsight, I think Godwin was using selxjual performance drugs.
Because the screams of the women he brought home usually disturbed everyone.
There was an occasion where my father had to go set one woman free from his hard long-lasting erection.
On this day, power had gone off, so the screams were louder, it echoed across the vicinity.
"Help, he wants to kill me ooo".
"Take your money and leave me alone, my puna is paining me ooo".
I held the torch light for my dad as he marched to Godwin’s apartment.
Dad banged on his door severally and asked him to let the women go.
At this point, it was almost midnight.
I could imagine what would have happened to that “innocent” hooker if dad didn't intervene.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes these women scream in pleasure, I guess.
Well, I am not so sure.
But I know that the screaming was constant.
And among all the screamers, it was only on this occasion that someone begged for the help of a third party.
So it is safe to assume that the other screamers were screaming for pleasure.
Who knows, maybe I am wrong.
Anyway, Godwin fell sick.
He got worse by the day.
He wasn't responding to treatment.
No one visited him.
We thought it was HIV.
It seemed like it.
He could barely walk; he was so weak.
Then, he ran out of money.
And this was when his suffering turned to a living hell.
We eventually found one of his townsmen, who took him back to his village.
We never heard from him again.
If he died or lived nobody knows.
Many of us in this country live like Godwin.
First, we live recklessly.
But we don't call it reckless, we call it happiness.
Then, the worst part is that our financial situation is set up in such a way that if we don't work, we don't earn money.
If you stopped working today, would you still make money?
If your answer is NO.
Then, you, my friend, are walking on ice.
Here's what I mean.
One day, you might fall sick. You could lose your job. Your business could hit the rocks.
And there won’t be an income because you stopped working?
Don't you see the danger in that?
Is that the way to live?
If you can do something right now to change this situation, do it immediately.
If you don't know what to do, and you want someone to tell you what to do, then read till the end.
You should be able to earn money without working, believe me, it is possible.
I guess all I am really trying to say is let's define what "happiness" means to us.
And let’s do so with sound judgment.
Define it now, be fast about it, or don't and wait until life attacks you with pepper spray .
Some people love experimenting dangerously with their life in hope that there will always be a second chance.
The fact is not everybody gets a second chance.
I rest my case.
But this is not the End.
© Tony Fotizo.
PS: Mr. Godwin should have been evicted as soon as the "screams" started.
I don't know why dad let him stay for so long.
There were young boys in the house.
The situation was unhealthy.
Those screams did something to me; I don't think I will ever like quite selx.
In my head, I just know I won't. But since I haven't started having selx, I can't say for sure.
But my gut tells me that I won't. Screaming should be fun, at least it seems like it.
Don't blame me, I am just a victim of circumstance.
Blame Mr. Godwin.
And maybe dad, for not evicting that man.
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PPS: If you sell a product or service,
Or you have a skill, i.e., Coding, Web Design, Copywriting, Graphic Design etc.
And you're obsessed with selling your brand to the world,
While making very decent amounts of money
I have put together a 30 day sales and implementation called the $1000 Sales Challenge.
I'll give you more details about this on Wednesday.
JD.
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