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Have you ever had to go without a phone for a few days?
How did you cope?
Tomie and phones. Whew!...that's like a match made in heaven NOT
If you ask my husband, he'll say '
We need to buy Tomie a phone whose screen can't break (even if you smash it on a rock), is water resistant, won't ever have issues with voice speakers and has, at least, a 20 yr warranty.' Lol
This week was a tad frustrating.
My house didn't get flooded (Due to heavy rainfall, we experienced a flood in some areas in Lagos, last weekend), but my phone fell into water.
I couldn't make any calls , put up a post on Instagram or do anything (Funny how our phones define our lives, right?)
I went from almost pulling my hair out to trying to force myself to stay calm
Finally, I took my phone to the service center to get fixed. When I was told it would take 4 days to get fixed, the reality of being without a phone for 4 days hit me.
Immediately, clarity came like a bang and I told myself, '
Tomie, set priorities and focus on what is within your control'
All of a sudden, I remembered I had an old phone I could scrub up to manage for a while.
I scrubbed up the old phone, put in my SIM card and saw that I had received so many messages I had to respond to. I responded to those I could respond to and took time off some social platforms.
[bctt tweet="Key lesson? Clarity will show you how to make the best of every situation." username="@tomiebalogun"]
Reflecting on this week, I decided to have a conversation with some people and show them how they can make the best of every situation.
So let's have a real conversation. Trust me when I say this is as real as it gets.
I don't have enough money to invest
This is a popular one I get all the time and I understand.
But, have you really tried to track your inflows and outflows to see where your money is really going? You will be surprised you can actually squeeze something out or you may just need to make some sacrifices
If tracking your 'flows' is a problem, try using
a mobile application I wrote about here
Ok, maybe I can squeeze something out, but I don't think it's enough to start investing seriously'
You can start investing with as little as N5,000 ($10-$15). There are investment options you can invest in with that amount of money.
I can invest with that little? What are my investment options with that little money?
To be honest, not a lot.
However, you shouldn't be focused on making the quick buck with that little money. Anyone that says you can is lying to you (Big ouch, right?)
At this stage, you should focus on building the habit of setting money aside to invest on a regular basis.
Investing is a long term play. It requires the discipline of habit and timing is very critical. If you keep waiting till you get a huge amount of money, you'll keep losing precious time.
Ok, fine. I get it, I need to start early, but I still need additional income
Oh yes, additional income is BAE.
and that's why you need to get creative. Creative thinking requires breaking away from a fixed mind-set.
Me- Have you considered freelancing?
Your response;
Hmm...I work 9-5 and I don't have enough time during the week.
Me -How about a few hours during the weekend?
Your response -
No, that's family time or rest time.
Fine. Can you create something you can sell based on your skills? Do you have people asking you to help them out because of your deep knowledge in a certain area?
The first time I realized I could earn additional income was when I got a request to do a business plan for about $500. In retrospect, I don't think I charged enough but I learned what is possible.
ok, maybe, you're really not the entrepreneurial type. Work hard for a promotion or a better paying job by increasing your earning potential.
Learn new skills, network effectively, attend a seminar, sign up for an online course.
You cant keep doing nothing and waiting for a miracle. Hope is not a strategy.
I plan to do an Instagram live session in the coming week. [Fingers crossed, I will get my phone back.]
If you're not following me on Instagram, please do
here
I plan to announce my new project this week.
If you
STRUGGLE with saving, get
CONFUSED about what to invest in,
have no
CLUE how to diversify your investment portfolio or just want to network with like-minded going-places investment-thinking people,
sign up for my new project, the How to Invest Academy, here
It's not a problem when you don't know how to invest
The problem is when you don't do anything about it.