CONSISTENCY, NOT JUST INTENSITY!

Start Small, but Start Now.

EKUNDAYO’S EXCITEMENT.

A colleague of mine came running into the conference room at the office – where I typically hide my head when I want absolute silence, and I want to get plenty of work done.

In his excitement, he pulled out his phone and showed me his investment portfolio that we had worked on together.

He is up 50%!

“It is an Aggressive Naira Equity Fund, and we have been on it for a while.”

I immediately pushed my laptop aside to pay attention to him!

He wanted to buy more units, but more importantly, he was eager to help his friends set up their portfolios.

Of course I guided him on what to do, and jokingly said I will soon start collecting a consultancy fee and we laughed about it.

That scenario reminded me that the people in your circle truly matter, and you should be intentional about it.

He found something good and already wanted to share it with his friends.

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THERE IS POWER IN COMMUNITY!

Human beings are social animals, and we’re not created to be alone, we thrive on connections and communities.

Our communities and environments play a big role in our development and ability to reach our goals, and that’s why we have to be careful and intentional about it.

If you want to improve in certain areas of your life, you must find people who are already doing well in that space or are actively working to improve just like you, and be around them or at least their resources – videos, books, messages, etc.

I am a product of a great circle of friends and colleagues, and the kind of value and information that I have gotten just by mere association cannot be overstated.

Of course, you must also become a person of value to attract other valuable people.

Getting better at handling money is a skill, and it can be learnt, but if you have good examples of people who already have the skill around you, you will learn much faster.

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HAVE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS AND GIVE YOURSELF GRACE

Having the right people around you can be motivating, you have some who have gone well ahead of you, some who are at your level and perhaps you’re ahead of some others.

Understand that everybody’s race is individual, and every skill takes time to master.

Be careful of feeling inadequate just because someone has gone ahead of you, because doing so may hamper your progress, discourage you, or lead to unrealistic expectations.

Nobody got good at anything overnight, and even if you are just starting today, it's not too late.

It is a process, it will take time, but you will get better every day.

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CONSISTENCY, NOT JUST INTENSITY.

Building money skills is more about consistency rather than intensity.

It is much more important to start small with easy-to-adapt habits rather than trying to catch up on all the moves you have missed in a small space of time and not being able to keep up.

It's just like with exercise, a little 10-minute walk every day with gradual increases is much better than trying to run 30 minutes on your first day.

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HOW TO START

1. Understand your Current Money Position

• How much do you earn?

• How much do you spend?

• Do you have any debt?

• Do you have any major expenses coming?

2. Create a Budget

• Track every single Naira in and out of your hands

• Make provision for your Needs, Wants, and Savings

• Plan where your money will go before it comes

3. Build an Emergency Fund

• Set out a small and realistic goal

• Dedicate a part of your income to fund it

• Be consistent

This will lay a foundation for you, give you a sense of awareness and control and lay a cushion under you just incase life happens.

Most importantly, learn about MONEY!

Make a conscious effort to learn something new about money everyday. There are books, videos, social media handles, blogs, etc.

Let your feed show what you are about.