An important question to ask ourselves especially if we have those old mental conditionings unintentionally imposed by the people around us which are still possibly holding us back to where we want to be in life.

BACKGROUND

Growing up, I was surrounded by people who adore Telenovela (soap opera) so much just like how millions of people enjoy sipping their cup(s) of coffee every single day. Now, if watching soap operas every weeknight is a part of your routine since God knows when, that would mean that by the time you are in your 30s-50s you have already watched hundreds of them. If you have seen a lot, it becomes easier for you to see common patterns. They would me more obvious and predictable.

Almost all of the hit dramas would consist of characters which are always present in almost all of them –whatever the plots and the twists of the story they revolve. For example, a drama series would always have a character who is/are the wealthiest and to illustrate the gap or to be consistent in providing what the masses need — inspiration, there’s always the poorest or the financially underprivileged. DISCLAIMER: Not that having them is a bad thing. Actually, I am a fan of movies, soap operas and etc. what/whoever the characters whatever the storylines involved. Anyway, back to the story, seeing those TV dramas and then talking about them by the time you and your same-soap-operas-every-night-neighbors meet up, everyone would end up sharing their opinions, their predictions of what is going to happen in the next episodes or how the story would end. And, I would always hear people around me saying how better it was that we were NOT RICH because wealthy people have major problems that we, who are NOT RICH PEOPLE, do not have. For instance, rich people struggle maintaining and managing their wealth or if not, rich people’s family member betraying or killing each other just because of money and whatnot. Though, for this matter, I am not saying that these brutal matters are not bad. Betrayal that would lead to murdering your family members just because of money is I think the worst and yet perhaps, they only happen often in TV soap operas?

People always highlighted how lucky we were we did not have to go through all that. However, what they failed to recognized was that we, poor people may never have to deal with those problems the wealthy have because we have also got our own problems to deal with everyday; far very different and a bit worse yet somehow similar from the rich people’s. This opinion from them, even from my parents sometimes, though subtly said but perhaps because I frequently heard it multiple times in my growing years, have been subtly implanted in my mind, too. Every time I dreamed, I aimed high or like daydreamed sometimes, these thoughts somehow would hold me back. It’s got a voice that echoes in my head saying, “Don’t be too ambitious. You don’t wanna have that much money. You know what happens when you do.” Luckily though, it does not hold the same effect on me anymore.

“We are lucky we are NOT RICH. We do not have to go through what the WEALTHY PEOPLE struggle with.” What they failed to recognize is that while rich people go through what they have to go through (either in telenovelas or in real life) because of too much money, the other side of the equation actually equates it like equally. A lof of unfortunates real events are being broadcast in the news daily, not because of too much money though but of the lack of it.

That’s why when I heard these lines “The love of money is not the root of all evil. The lack of money is.” for the first time, that time I had no idea it came from “Robert Kiyosaki” nor if I did knew, I s would not have recognized knowing him as I do now. Reading his books on financial matters are just so validating and so humbling. It makes me realized how long is the way I have got to go through to continuously educate myself about my finances–especially when it comes to investments.

Reading his book “Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing” , it highlighted how having a solid INVESTMENT PLAN is equally important as having financial education, experience and excess cash if we want to be a successful investor. Additionally, I think THIS IS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION we all got to reflect on especially if some of our old conditioning or beliefs are holding us back in getting where we want to be financially. We gotta reflect on this and decide WHICH MONEY PROBLEM would we rather have: HAVING TOO MUCH MONEY or NOT HAVING ENOUGH MONEY?”