What would life be like if you were broke?

Harvey the Harvard MBA meets a mexican fisherman

Poor and broke are not the same. Being poor is a mindset, having no money is being broke.

Life wouldn't all be that bad if you went broke. I am not coming from a position of having nothing right now, but I was at one instance at my lowest point in my life when I had nothing, in fact I was in debt many thousands of dollars.

Strange things happen when you are cornered. You begin to fight your way out, you do things you normally wouldn't when you get outside of your comfort zone. You take on challenges and you find grit within you.

Your true hustle comes out when things are tough, the trick is maintaining that hustle once things get comfortable again. Many millionaires went from being rich to being broke, then back to being rich. Donald Trump comes to mind.

I am veering off topic here, so let's stay on track by analyzing what life would be like if you were broke.

Life is a miracle, every sequence of event that occurred in your life, in your parent's life and so on and so on made it possible for you to be here now ( more on this subject later). So why do we appreciate more when we have less, and appreciate the wrong things when we have more.

I think distraction play a big role in our lives both, extrinsic and internal. We forget that necessaties are vital when we have an abundance of them. Abundance distracts us by thinking about how to attain more instead of living in the present and appreciating what we have already.

Not experiencing first hand how people live simple lives who have nothing except for each other. Really you don't need to go to a third world country to experience this kind of amenity. It can happen to you at any point in time.

You can lose everything. 

I did. 

What has that done for me?

It has made me work harder, think differently about the journey I am on. Respect myself and others around me. But it was until I began to not feel financial restraint again that I started to understand myself more. I began investing in myself and appreciating who I am.

When I began appreciating who I am that is when things escalated for me financially and emotionally in my life. I can't speak for the people around me, but I am sure that the impact I made in my life is emulated to the people around me.

Life is a test, it will test your character, it will test your willingness, it will test your beliefs and your mindset. The true test will come when you are put in uncomfortable situations.

Just remember money comes and money goes. You can always make more and you can always lose it all. 

What you can't do is gain more time. 

What you can't do is lose your wisdom. 

What you can't do is live without oxygen, water, or food.

This we know, yet we are resentful if our coworker gets a promotion, our neighbour gets a new car, or our brother buys a new house.

When I came back from my deficit and began earning and saving more, it gave me the freedom to be able to work on myself. If you yourself is broken then everything else will be broken too.

What I mean by that is if you don't know and understand yourself it will be a challenge. I don't want to use the word impossible, because everything is possible. It will be a challenge becoming better and growing.

Don't get lost in the hustle. Instead be conscious of the hustle. Know yourself and how you can push those boundaries of challenging your growth.

Just remember you can always get more, so why not appreciate what you have already. The saying goes "someone else is happy with less than what you have".

I am not saying being broke is fun and that's where you should be. What I am saying is that you should not have a poor mentality, and that whether you are broke or rich, understand how you got there in the first place, and how you were before getting there.

Money was essential for me to be able to discover myself, and focus on my formal and informal education.

Let's leave you with a story that I heard and I feel you should hear it too;

"An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.  The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos.  I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

I am urging you to be open minded, and you don't need money to do that. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. To be continued....

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