Rich Mind, Rich Life: Part Three

Do you know who you are at the core?

There's a difference between someone who wants to attract money because they see other people getting money and someone who chooses to attract money because it's connected to a strong philosophy they stand by after careful reflection and deep soul-searching.

The man whose need to acquire money is more connected to his being and core beliefs has a more solid foundation, and he won't be easily derailed.

He will be immovable when challenges come knocking.

The man who runs after money because he sees others doing the same is more likely to be distracted on his path.

Because he is more connected to a highly variable factor: the crowd.

But if you know who you are at your core, and it's connected to abundance and wealth, you will be more focused on your path to financial success.

There are several examples of successful people who know who they are at their core.

I recently watched a video that revealed Elon Musk being asked about why he's working, which I think is a good question since he already became the richest man in the world and would never have to work again if he chose not to.

In his reply, he referenced the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and discussed some interesting concepts, like the concept of expanding consciousness and asking the right questions about the universe.

Interestingly, his life reflects this mindset.

Not only is he one of the richest men in the world, he ended up creating a company in the aerospace industry.

A financially poor man would not be able to afford the resources to take on a project that could send humans to space.

Also, Musk is known as an advocate for space travel and settling outside the earth.

It's very possible that he is highly motivated to make money because it aligns with his core philosophy of expanding consciousness.

There are several more examples.

Warren Buffet has a strong philosophy of not spending lavishly.

Jay-Z talks about equality and living out through a God-given ability as opposed to the goals being success and fame.

Now that you know why having a core philosophy is important, what next?

No, I won't leave you hanging.

This newsletter is a guide for finding yourself and your core philosophy.

You will benefit if you find yourself in the following situations.

1. You don't know who you are.

2. You feel torn between different philosophies and goals.

3. You don't have a core wealth-attracting philosophy.

4. You lack the motivation to make the right moves to increase your net worth.

5. You hope to develop a consistent routine and drive to achieve success instead of giving up easily.

To develop your core philosophy, you will have to answer the questions I provide below.

Also, I have chosen to provide my own answers, share some stories about my personal experiences in relation to these questions, and shed light on why I feel these questions are important for finding yourself.

Important Reflective Questions for Discovering Your Identity

1. Who are you?

This question is direct and simple.

However, regardless of how simple this question is, I don't think many people will give great answers to it because most people are distracted by entertainment and constantly chasing a desire imposed on them by society.

If I were going to answer this question, I would say I am a cheerful, disciplined, flexible, optimistic, thoughtful, empathetic, creative, energetic, friendly, curious, forgiving, and altruistic human.

I would say I am a go-getter, a rebel, and a creator.

I am a conscious being whose mindset is shaped by thoughts about the timelessness and scale of the universe, reflecting an independent perspective that's not solely focused on the present customs or opinions of others.

I thrive in being truly alive and letting the world pass through me—not just the human artificial one but also the natural world and the patterns of mother nature.

I am this and more.

Who are you?

2. What would you wish you had done more of or less of on your deathbed?

Sometimes, we get carried away with the journey and forget or derail from our destination.

If you never stop to check the map or remember where you wish to travel to, the path will keep you trapped.

To discover your path, you can try picturing your final days on Earth, probably in old age.

Try to imagine the regrets you feel you would have.

This will help you snap out of your current distractions and rediscover your mission.

When I did this, I realized I would regret spending a lot of time scrolling endlessly on my phone, not making enough music, and not having as much fun with people as I wished for.

I have since been active about moving towards steering clear of these situations I dread.

Now, it's important to note that this mindset reflects my current situation, which may be linked to my level of exposure and brain activity (or introspective thinking).

It would be advisable to keep my mind open to discover a better perspective because having a rigid mindset in an ever-changing world is risky if not suicidal.

3. What are you motivated by?

Are you motivated by fear, pleasure, serving, or thriving?

Why are you motivated by what you think you're motivated by?

Are your actions reflective of an inspiring survivor, like the king of the jungle?

Or do you feel like you're being chased about like a rat with a cat on its tail?

These are the questions you want to consider to determine what motivates you.

If you find yourself feeling fearful about the future, it's safe to assume that you're motivated by fear.

If you find yourself excited about the future, you are probably motivated by thriving.

For me, I am motivated by thriving and living in unity with nature and people.

Though I'm also motivated by fear, it is not my strongest motivator.

Of course, I dread being broke like the next guy.

However, I am more excited about the art I can create in the future, whether by music or writing.

I am delighted about the new connections I would forge, the places I would go to, and the foods I would eat.

I am excited about the people I would impact positively.

I am excited about how I would practice living in the moment while working on my goals now and in the future.

There's a lot more I feel happy about, and I find myself smiling when I think about the future.

You could have different stages for different motivations.

I was once mainly motivated by fear because I was very close to the ground as a broke young adult who needed to leave the safety of his nest.

I dreaded having to depend on my father, whom I felt I needed to get away from.

But once I was able to leave the house and stay on my own, I decided to realign more strongly with the part of me that seeks positivity and thriving.

I must point out that I had a plan to realign with thriving once I got more comfortable while I allowed fear to motivate me.

So, it wasn't completely fear.

It was fear mixed with hope.

So even if you find yourself in an uncomfortable place, you can choose to stay focused on a goal while maintaining an underlying, core desire to get back to a more positive reality once your feet find a more solid ground.

I would not recommend being solely motivated by fear to anyone because it is quite detrimental.

Apart from how the most fearful people attract what they fear, as seen in the movies where the jittery characters die first, the state of being fearful forces a fight or flight response.

And who wants to spend their lives fighting and fleeing when they could be dancing or growing?

The difference between when I was motivated by fear and when I was driven to thrive is very distinct.

I felt like I shut myself off because I retreated from all social activities and chose to only stick to making money.

I hardly stepped out of the house, and I continued in this state of self-imposed torture for about two months.

I felt like I was crawling and gasping for air because I was very bored and mentally drained.

I stayed mostly alone because I had a house all to myself in a compound with two houses.

My parents stayed in the other house, but they owned the two houses.

So I was very much alone.

To make matters worse, I didn't have any friends around me, and even my social life online was dead.

Also, I was working online and mostly interacted with websites and links—not so much with humans.

Needless to say, I felt like crap.

Currently, I am much more balanced.

I go out when I want but mostly choose to do so in the evening because the sun is crazy in the afternoon in my part of the world.

I still work online but do a lot more now, like dancing, making music, exercising, maintaining a social life, and running my newsletter business (a very creative project).

Despite being busy with more things, I am still growing financially and have created a space to grow even more instead of being stuck on the grind.

I could achieve this level of success because I put in the work when I needed to and saved up for more flexibility and thriving.

By finding out what you're motivated by and what you wish to be motivated by, you unlock a new level of self-awareness that brings about the riches you desire.

4. Who do you respect and wish to be like?

Having role models helps you attract and embody the characteristics you desire in them.

Though they're not perfect, many of the people I've mentioned in this series have some outstanding personalities that set them apart.

Even Kobe, as legendary as he is on the court, has been called a carbon copy of Michael Jordan by many.

As social animals, we cannot underestimate the value of human influence in our pursuit of excellence.

A person who represents a wealth-attracting trait might drive you to success more efficiently than your lust for gold.

I am inspired by seeing how motivated Kobe was to win even without being as naturally gifted as the other great players, as well as his infectious swag and energy.

The feeling I get from this inspiration is much deeper than the desire to drive around in a fancy, expensive box with wheels.

As you picture what you like about your role models, their personalities will resonate with a core part of you that shares similar energies.

5. Who are your friends?

As the saying goes: Show me your friend, and I will tell you who you are.

If you see yourself being constantly surrounded by people who are comfortable with being in the same spot, then you're likely to be stuck in the same spot and never change.

You might have to spend less time in certain environments and connect more with like-minded people if you wish to grow in this instance.

For me, I move alone most of the time.

But I follow like-minded individuals on social media.

I would not say it's hard to find like-minded people offline because I've not tried.

However, I imagine it is.

I only have one friend I talk to constantly, and we share similar perspectives.

Now that you know the questions to ask yourself, you can truly understand who you are at the core.

I am looking forward to getting replies about how you define yourself.

I will be featuring my favorite picks in my next newsletter and on my new X profile.

Speaking of my new X profile, I started my X journey again at the start of January with a follower count of 32.

It's an old profile I abandoned and finally decided to put to good use.

Though I get the benefit of not being subjected to the high scrutiny and attention that X seems to devote to new accounts, my followers would assume that my account growth is slow because of the year it displays as my start year: 2020.

I know this might compromise the rate at which I get followers, but I have accepted that nothing is perfect.

With my new account, I decided to stick to my core topic of financial advice and have gotten close to 400 followers by following the strategy I highlighted in the first newsletter of this series.

I also decided to reduce the rate at which I like and reply to comments on my tweets.

I went with this strategy because I was getting hundreds of replies per day, and my strange binge-liking-and-commenting behavior could have brought too much attention to me.

I have not been spending as much time as I hoped to spend on the platform, but I just developed a new strategy to fix that.

I would appreciate your follows and support on X @foluwrites_

Also, I got a new phone because my cracked screen finally gave up on me.

I couldn't use the phone as smoothly as I did in the past because the state of the screen worsened.

Yes, I could have just repaired the screen, but I chose to finally get a new phone and also repair the old one.

Also, I make sure I pay myself first before any spending, which I did in this situation.

Anyway, I digress.

Most people don't give themselves enough time to develop their mindset because they're in a hurry to catch up with the rest of the world.

This is why a lot of people get stuck in a rot.

Yes, some people need to survive and have no time to find themselves.

But some others waste time and money on irrelevant things even though they're living in poverty.

You will find many people who don't have much money spending a great deal of time on social media and binge-watching series.

Working at a job or a business is just a small part of what it takes to accumulate wealth.

Another small part of the various factors that lead to riches is having a wealth-attracting philosophy.

In the time you dedicate to making money, try to make space for knowing who you are and connecting with the energies of creating and thriving.

With the questions I offered, you can fish out answers to the question, "Who are you?"

Also, reading widely and regular journaling will provide you with a more refined and grounded philosophy.

Instead of defining yourself from a limited perspective, you define yourself with a richer perspective, which would be more functional in the sophisticated and highly erratic financial world.

A recap of the questions:

1. Who are you?

2. What would you wish you had done more of or less of on your deathbed?

3. What are you motivated by?

4. Who do you respect and wish to be like?

5. Who are your friends?

The other newsletters in the Rich Mind, Rich Life series:

1. Building the Mental Foundation for Financial Success

2. Simplicity and Loving the Journey

To be continued in part 4.