4 Ways Poverty Occupies Our Greatest Real Estate: Mind

Poverty is a common circumstance  in which 24% of people exist worldwide. And, too, it is the place from which many of these individuals escape to join the upper class, occupied by an even smaller 1%-2% of individuals/Americans, in a stunning feat of realizing a self-made legacy. 

But without thoughts of poverty and a need to escape, what other thoughts [w/] could preoccupy our minds? Poverty owns us or fuels us. Either way, every action is a consequence. 

Poverty parasitically originates or develops a certain fear in its hosts: procrastination. Continue reading to find out the top 4 ways that poverty occupies our greatest real estate: mind. 

As of late my mind has been preoccupied by poverty. Then there was the nagging realization that it has always been. Go to bed with it and wake up that way too. Poverty doesn’t have a place of its own, so to be in our life it borrows the greatest real estate we own: our mind. For many, it never leaves. Others are adamant to evict it.  

Here are four (4) ways poverty occupies our mind. 

1. Fear 

The thing that desperately holds us back from achieving a holistic life is fear. There is just something about that still small voice in the back of our heads that people have allowed to hold them to the limitations of their circumstance and not their potential. The definitive characteristic of poverty is that one never seems to have enough or even adequate resources. This goes for time, money, knowledge, and otherwise. This lack creates a cycle of repetition in our mind, where we aim for these things seemingly unable to ever truly grasp enough/them. It is inevitable therefore that it will generate an emotional response from us that we constantly fear. 

Imagine the things that could preoccupy our mind if we had no need to be afraid. The crazy fact is that fear changes nothing, unless you let it. It doesn’t bring one closer to their goals and neither does it take them further from it, but in some instances depending on how you deal with it, it can delay reaching them. Delay is not to be despised either. It is normally a moment that you are working through. It is fear that will cripple you and the factor, therefore, that should be eliminated.

When you find yourself afraid, stop! Take a deep breath. The world is not ending, even if you should not be there later today or tomorrow to see it. And if it really is ending, what can you do right now to change that? Do that. It is the little things that we can do today that will help us to secure our tomorrow. Worry / fear is not a thing to do, it’s a concern to have. It should motivate us, never cripple us. 

2. Short Term Planning 

Children are frequently encouraged to plan for what they want to be / do when 

they grow up, but for those who “grow up” and it is not quite what they anticipated or they haven’t quite arrived where they are headed yet, their process changes. They get a job and live the grown up version of life oftentimes neglecting the urge to dream of or plan for who they will be in the distant future. Otherwise they are considered lazy. People who are expected to have it together by a certain age / time where they “grow up” experience the effects of poverty as a tenant in their mind admonishing them against future goals and creating short term obstacles that hoard our mind. 

Planning has been an essential element of existence for centuries; the structure of 

the society that we live in was not created in a single day. People hoped for a better future and planned for the moment they would get to experience one. Whether they did or not, the journey was worth it and the results are indelible. History records it. 

So too can that be your story. The time frame for when people “grow up” is not a one 

size fits all. If you still aren’t where you think you should be, but you believe that you are too poor or broke to go further, make a plan for getting there. Write down your vision and set out actionable steps over a long term period of time. Then start checking the steps off your list daily and you will be surprised by the growth you experience along the way. You’ll be proud of you, too!

3. Missed Opportunities (opportunity cost - time / money / knowledge)

We all have them. The moment we realize the dollar sign on the tag and end up walking away. That can be in a store or in our daily life experiences. There is always a price to pay. Poverty does not pay rent for its occupancy so it provides no financial recourse to obtain most of our dreams. In the aftermath we lament on the things we didn’t do, places we didn’t go, or chances we never took in life. What we fail to realize is that the price tag of missed opportunities is similarly too high. 

What opportunities are you constantly missing out on and how could they improve your life? Too, be aware of any that may arise in the near future that will take you outside of your comfort zone. Our life is lived in moments and some missed opportunities rob us of some of these moments. Living a full life means taking chances on opportunities that will propel us to the next stage in life. 

Analyze each opportunity that presents itself in your life and decide whether they are 

worth [m/] taking by creating a comparison chart of what you stand to gain from the opportunity or to lose in the case of a missed opportunity. Remember that every opportunity costs so financial [in/] ability shouldn’t be the only deciding factor. 

4. Self Doubt

Let’s start by reminding you that you are the shXt! Pardon the French, but you are CEO and Executive Director of your own life for the past [insert age here] years (Level Up Affirmations). No one can take that away from you and neither should you. Self doubt is an unwanted side effect of many things, poverty included. 

When you know your worth and resonate in that deeper understanding of yourself nothing will dare to phase you. There will be no obstacle too insurmountable, no valley of shadow, only your unwavering belief in yourself. That is a crazy concept for many to comprehend but those who do yield such satisfying returns. No timeline matters, no failure worth ruminating on, and no dream that cannot be achieved. Belief in self has permeated the life sacrifices of [G/] gods, [G/] goddesses, kings, queens, and great [wo/] men across the ages and the globe. You are just as worthy, too. 

Self doubt is an intrinsic termite released at the command of poverty. You don’t have 

enough to do this, that, or the other which can then translate to “I am not enough” in the mind of some people. There is no truth in it. What you have and who you are are two different aspects of your multifaceted life. Practice mindfulness, take deep steadying breaths in the face of doubt and remind it firmly that it has no business / place here in your mind or mouth. You will no longer think of it or utter it forth in your words. You will stop engaging with it and it can find someplace else to reside. Simple. But for others, not so much. Take the steps you need to realize when you doubt yourself, the effect it has on you showing up for yourself as CEO and Executive Director, and what you can do in small ways to steer clear of harboring any negative thoughts about yourself or your limitless potential. You are enough! You are worth it! Never forget. 

Poverty infiltrates our minds and encourages its own reproduction. Poverty acts according to the law of resonance. The more we believe to be in poverty the more our circumstances reflect that. Only a mindset change can result in a positive shift.

Let us make a commitment to never again act with the foremost thought in mind that I do not have enough to achieve this, whatever it may be. Abundance be yours! 

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