In 2010, the UNESCO Report claimed
that three out of four Zimbabweans are living in poverty. The Zimbabwe Poverty
Atlas for 2015 by Zimbabwe National Statistics revealed that 96% of the
villagers in Zimbabwe live on less than a dollar a day. The unemployment rate
is currently believed to be sitting at around 90% (this includes informal
employment). These alarming figures on the level of poverty in our country seem
to require much more than government intervention. The brutal truth is that we cannot entirely
rely on our government to save us. Of course the government has a critical role
to play especially in creating a conducive environment for people to do their
businesses but we have to take the initiative for our own lives and focus on
our personal economies.
Many researchers have found out
that the distinction between those who make money and those who do not is
predominantly in the way they think. This does not mean intelligence but
thought patterns. Some people have what is called a poverty consciousness. This
is because deep down at an unconscious level, they just don’t believe that they
are worthy of wealth or they fill their heads with thoughts of why they are
poor and why life isn’t fair. If you have thought patterns like that, it will
be hard to attract any wealth. The good news is that this poverty mentality can
be changed by activating your mind with vitamins of positive thinking.
The author James Allen shows the
power of thoughts in his book, As man
thinketh. He states that a particular train of thought persisted in, be it
good or bad cannot fail to produce its results. If you always think that you
are poor, then you will definitely be poor and if you think you are rich, then
you will be rich. Thus a man cannot directly choose his circumstances but he
can choose his thoughts and so indirectly shape his circumstances. In order for
you to do anything, you have to grow your mind. You have to develop the
mind-set of a champion and not of a loser. Munatsi Sande maintains that poverty
and lack are usually reflections of the state of mind rather than a state of
the pocket. He points out that a poor man’s excuse is a rich man’s reason to
make money. According to him, a man with a prosperous mind and a thin wallet
will soon end up attracting resources and wealth because the state of your mind
set will always take you further than that of your wallet.
Rahul Gandhi argues that poverty
does not mean the scarcity of food, money or material things. He states that if
one possesses self-confidence, then one can overcome poverty. So if you believe
that you are broke, it is not because of your circumstance but because of your
mind. A person who has a poverty mentality will be poor no matter what. If you
give them a million dollars, it will be gone with nothing to show. Being broke
therefore is not financially having any money, but it is actually being
mentally broke. Instead of lamenting about your current state of poverty, you
should actually think of ideas that can help you get out of that situation.
Nelson Mandela once said, ‘Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural.
It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human
beings.’ In the words of Jim Rohn, ‘to change your life, you need ideas,
because there is nothing an idea cannot change.’ The major problem is not
having any money but the lack of an idea on how to create the money and wealth.
When you have found a good idea that can create money, Jim Rohn suggests you
work on that idea until it takes root and begins to grow. Then it will
eventually show up in your bank account, your dressing, your personality and
your lifestyle.
I believe everyone has special
skills that they bring to the world and the use of them is a wealthy feeling.
Some of these skills include carpentry, weaving, sewing, running, swimming,
typing, hairdressing etc. Personally I
am gifted in hairdressing and whenever I run short of money, I do not need
anyone to think on my behalf that it is high time I use that gift to rescue
myself. Of course I have a degree and I can rely on that to earn money through
a formal job but when the salary delays to come or if the income is
insufficient to meet my needs, then I should automatically resort to making use
of my other skills outside of my job. Many people however are lazy to think of
ideas that can liberate them, or too often, they are scared to execute their
ideas. One of my favourite statements is one made by Strive Masiiwa in his
story of how Econet came into existence. He said: ‘Even in these storms, those
with the correct mind set will prepare themselves. They will train themselves
to understand the times and learn to prosper in its headwinds…they will mount
on wings as eagles. Most people however focus on their circumstances instead of
looking at the potential things that can actually happen.
My dear brothers and sisters, no
one is ever going to come along to cure your poverty. The best solution is to
do it yourself. Remember, it is not what happens to you that matters but what
happens in you.
Gloria Karawira
is an entrepreneur, economist, writer, leadership coach and life coach. She can
be contacted on +263775460368/gkarawira@gmail.com
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