Lessons About Money: What The Season of Being Broke Has Taught Me.
Money is not everything, but it is a whole of something.
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Money is important.
When you lose access to it — you lose your job and run through your savings — you are reminded of this fact even more.
Money gives you options.
It allows you to make choices on your terms without caring what anyone else has to say or thinks.
Money dignifies you.
Only because the world has decided your value is attached to your financial stability. That means people will decide what respect or disrespect to give you based on your money situation.
As an idealist, I wish this was not the case. People are more than their bank accounts. However, the reality on the ground is different. You’ve got to have resolve within yourself to go against the grain.
But that is also not a walk in the park.
I have seen how people have treated me differently in my season of being broke.
I have seen how some people have chosen to distance themselves while others think they can talk to me without care.
As a believer in Christ, I try to wrap my identity in Him — not the things I have or who I am. It’s a healthy strategy. However, being human, I fall by the wayside and get caught up with other people’s opinions.
I’ve never thought money was evil — the love of it though can lead to a lot of evil, but being broke and in my mid-thirties has helped me appreciate what money does.
It’s also shown me what I don’t want to be like once I rebuild myself.
Because I have been on this side, I want to be the cheerful giver the Bible talks about — the one where my left-hand does not know what my right hand does.
I want to be someone who will meet a need when I see it and not wait to be asked.
I want to be someone who will dignify people when they go through a rough patch without lording it over their heads.
So, while it’s been a sucky journey, I think I’ve received some character development. I can’t wait to get to the other side, and I’m glad about the values I have picked up.
XO,
Adoyo.
P.S. I’m open and ready to work as I continue to build mastery as a writer. So, if you read this and you have an opportunity (legal), let me know. I’m a quick learner, committed and hardworking.
