Know Your Asset and Liability

"Your greatest asset is your earning ability, your greatest resource is your time," quote attributed to American Television Host, Brian Tracy; if this quote is true, then it means, we all have what it takes to increase our net worth (by compounding our assets and annihilate our liabilities). But what are these personal assets and liabilities from financial point of view? and how do they contribute to one's personal net-worth?

If you apply for an unsecured loan from any responsible lender, they will run through some personal questions to establish your credit worthiness i.e. ability to service the loan repayment by going through your income and expenditure, establishing whether your personal finances run on deficit or surplus. If you apply for a secured loan, your financier would want to know not only your credit worthiness but also your net worth as well by establishing your assets and liabilities.

An asset is anything owned by an individual (or organization) that can (potential to) generate income, in other words it is anything that has economic value which could be converted to cash; for instance a car, property, 'skills', cash, securities, bonds, etc

Liability on the other hand is anything that which takes cash from an individual, for instance a loan, mortgage, store cards, credit cards etc. Liability is also defined as an obligation that binds an individual (or organization) to settle a debt.

Most people think of their houses (bought on mortgage as primary domicile property) is an asset. Strictly speaking, it is only an asset in a long term (assuming that in the long term the property value will increase-we've all witnessed in the recent recession, house values have gone into negative equity i.e. purchase value being greater than current property market value). In a short term though, the house you live in (and the car that you drive) is really a liability as it takes away from your income with no short term returns.

A person's net worth is thus computed from the difference between one's asset and liability - if all of one's assets are sold and the cash generated used to pay off one's liabilities (debts, obligations) what is left is the person's net worth. This means, it is possible to have negative net-worth, i.e. when total value of assets is less than total liabilities.

Forbes (Nov, 2009, website) published that Bill Gates, net-worth estimated to be US $22bn, has regained his title as the world richest man, overtaking Warren Buffet whose net worth was estimated to be US $12bn (both affected by recent recession, Gates lost $18bn whilst Buffet lost $25bn). These two billionaires had their net worth decreased drastically by decrease in their assets. Another way of decreasing one's net-worth is by increasing one's liabilities.

I did a quick survey of twelve adults I know socially and it turn out none of them knew their net worth and only 3 out of 12 (25%) knew what net-worth was and how it is computed from one's financial data (information). This is sad because a person's net worth is the greatest leverage (financial muscle) that one can have and use in the financial arena.

I think it is worth to say that on a non-financial level there are things and people who are assets and others liabilities. People (friends, family, acquaintances), skills, knowledge etc which adds joy, peace, understanding, courage, wisdom and insight for you to be and do more in life are 'rare and an asset' to you. Otherwise same lots can become a liability... if you want to be a success in life, you must distinguish and extinguish any relationship and personal habits which is a liability to you.

Financial Freedom begin with ABD

One of the pre-requisites for financial freedom is a desire; your desire to become free must be strong…in fact, it must be an obsession. If you are to overcome your fears, pre-conditions habits and belief you must have strong desire rooted in a worthy call, cause or assignment.

The most wise King who ever lived, King Solomon, was recorded saying, “a good man leaves inheritance to his children’s children” [Proverbs 13:22, NIV] so what does it mean if a man leave nothing or worse, debts to his children…let alone his children’s children. My desire is my own financial freedom, but more importantly to be able to leave a legacy to my children and my children children.

Your motivation must be ABSOLUTE BURNING DESIRE (ABD) to succeed and not the fear of failure. Your desire to succeed must be greater than your fear of failure if you are to be and do anything worthwhile in life. As you meditate, feed on and commit to writing your desire…it will begin to grow in you and expand into a worthwhile cause.

Don’t think of negative thoughts, you will know what to do with them later when you have your dream on ground. Continue to meditate and adding one good thought after another on your dream until your dream/vision becomes greater than your fear, then and only then will you be able to act according to your dream, until then, you will continue to act according to your fears.

That desire, must then be transmutted into hope, hope into belief and belief into action. By faith the things WE DESIRE are brought to us, but it is by confident ACTion we recieve whatsover we desire. If you believe, really believe that what you desire will come to you, you will instinctively act in that direction.

Remember, WEAK desire brings about weak action which translates to weak results; STRONG desire (obsession) translates into strong (passionate action) which translates to great results. Dr Mike Murdock of Wisdom House says that your desire must become your obsession in order to get great results (paraphrased from his book-the 3 most important things in your life, 1997)

Build Castles in the air!

It is said (author unknown) that a neurotic person builds castle in the air, psychotic moves into it and psychiatric collects rent. But before you dismiss this idiom as an old adage, think of this other expression: be careful what you wish for because it may come true. Also, think about what the Holy Scriptures says…as man thinks in his heart, so is (s)he (Prov 23:7a, par).

There are so many idioms, phrases, expressions and sayings about what we ‘think’ vs what we eventually become, do and have in life. For instance it is said if you think you can, you can, if you think you can’t you are right…emphasis on what you think and not in your ability or lack thereof…why is this? It is because there is a strong connection between what occupies your mind-thoughts (obsession, passionate dreams) and your destiny!

Yet we hear of wishful thinking which will take us nowhere and how we are admonished to abandon daydreaming and go to work. So what type/kind of thinking produces results? For instance, if I think daily I have lost weight, will my 100lbs disappear while I sleep?

Images not Letters:
When we talk of thinking, thoughts that produces results we are talking of ‘an image’ that you predominantly hold in your mind. Emphasis on ‘predominantly hold’, furthermore this image you hold must be held with ‘passion, emotions’ until you become one with the image. The more the passion-emotionally charged visualization, the faster the translation.

But what really happens to bring about your thoughts into existence? This is what happens, say you want to loose that 100lbs, take a photo of a person who looks like the weight you want to achieve…stick that on your bathroom mirror, fridge, above your TV, car windscreen and on your computer screen, make sure you see this image constantly throughout the day, before you go to sleep and first thing when you wake up.

Comfort Zone:
God has created us to make both conscious and more importantly sub-conscious decisions to keep ourselves in our comfort zone-place of familiarity, comfort and safety. So when we move away from our comfort zone, we begin to make decisions (consciously and sub-consciously) to move ourselves back to our comfort zone.

This is why, you can take a person (with poverty mentality) from poverty environment put him in rich environment and given time they will transform the rich environment into poverty environment. This explains why most lottery winners end up back in poverty, and some in worse financial situations than before the ‘big win’…the comfort zone!

Back to our example, as you look and intently hold the image of the weight you want to achieve; slowly but surely YOU SHIFT your comfort zone from where you are to where you want to be. Given time and persistence of holding the image, you completely move your comfort zone and begin to be ‘uncomfortable’ in your status quo.

Soon you begin to make decisions compelled from within to change your status quo; you start eating responsibly and exercise for you are not comfortable with where you are. Loosing weight to become healthy begins in your mind not in the kitchen or gym.

This is why television commercials are so effective and sponsors are willing to pay a fortune for prime time telecast for they know it works. They show you a grocery product being held by someone you are familiar with, have warm emotion with…daily, over and over again. 

The image of product plus emotion of your favourite sportsperson holding it eventually moves you to be comfortable with the product regardless of price. Next time you visit the supermarket, your mind is convinced that this is the product you should have “…because you are worth it” says one commercial.

Resources and Opportunities: 
Once your comfort zone has completely shifted, you not only begin to get ideas and start working towards restoring yourself into the ‘new’ comfort zone but you also become aware (start seeing) of resources and opportunities around you that you need to do just that.

For instance, have you ever decided the next type of car that you want to purchase and immediately you begin to notice/see them all over town? Where have they been all this time? The reason is simple but profound, once your sub-conscious mind is informed of what is important to you, it informs your conscious mind the next time your paths crosses with what is important to you to enable you to shift to your comfort zone.

Once you have convinced your sub-conscious mind of the fact that you are not in your comfort zone and HAVE SHOWN your sub-conscious mind what/where is your ‘new’ comfort zone; then your mind goes to work for you showing you the path back to the comfort zone-resources and opportunities necessary to do just that.

So if you don’t see your path clearly-resources and opportunities to move-perhaps your new comfort zone is not clear (clear mental picture) and that you have not fully convinced yourself that you are currently not in your comfort zone.

Do you see now how it works? Now replace that image of the weight you want to achieve with life you want to have-car, house, family, business, job, ministry, health, wealth, happiness, holidays. If you persistently and stubbornly hold the image (what you think, idealize) you will soon translate your image into reality through shifting your comfort zone.

Napoleon Hill, upon studying hundreds of self made millionaires, wrote an entire book titled ‘Think and Grow Rich’, get hold of this book and read it with an open mind. James Allen wrote a timeless classic titled, ‘As a man thinketh’ and before I forget, read ‘Acres of Diamond’ by Russell Conwell.

I love what Dr Murdock says ( http://www.mikemurdock.com ), pick a wall in your home and remove all the photos (images) of the past and replace them with the photos (images) of the future…magazine clips of the car you want to drive, the house you want to live in, the family you desire to have, size of the ministry you want to head, the business you want to have.

God tells Joshua, leader of Israel, that if you want to ‘make yourself’ a success you must meditate on whom you want to be ‘DAY and NIGHT’ (Joshua 1:8). Again Bob Proctor speaks of writing what you want to achieve in little cards and read/meditate on these throughout the day and watch your sub-conscious mind working with you to go get them.

This is why Ryan Higgins and Natalie Ledwell of Mind movies ( http://www.mindmovies.com ) have done; they have gone beyond still images to create moving images which are more powerful into shifting your comfort zone and hence work with your sub-conscious mind and spirit into identifying and making critical decisions to create the future you want.

Start right now to build your castle in the air, convince yourself and believe passionately (mind and heart) that this is where you belong-where your comfort zone is-and watch yourself as you begin to build foundations for your castles.

Separate Facts from Opinions

“the greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions” goes a quote generally attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.

If you are to change your financial status quo, you will have to learn to separate opinions from facts. News paper, TV, journals, friends and family will feed you day and night with information…some useful some not so useful to say the least. How you progress in life will be determined by your capacity to separate facts from opinion, truth from myth.

I am sure the wise wo-men in 1903 rebuked the Wright brothers, “stop this nonsense, you will kill yourself, you can not fly anything heavier than air” believing this to be a fact.

The geniuses of the pre-modern world believed that the earth was flat. Ghandi’s vision of fighting colonialism in India (winning by will power not fire power) was criticized that it won’t work, but he won against all odd.

Thomas Edison was told his electric bulb ‘adventure’ would never work, up until then lighting domestic houses was by candles and smelly smoky gases; but Edison moving steadily and full of belief investing $40k and 1,200 experiments, the filament bulb became a reality in 1879.

Your progress will, to large extent, be determined by your capacity to filter through all this information to get facts from opinion, so that you can use them to build your own belief, which is a pre-requisite for success in any endeavour.

Georg C. Lichtenberg tells us why, he says, “…accumulate our opinions at an age when our understanding is at its weakest…” so if you want to do away with opinion, you must plunge into increasing your knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.

What opinion (belief?) do you have (or have received from people) about money, wealth and freedom:
- money is evil and corruptive in nature,
- money destroys people and community,
- it takes money to make money,
- you need to know somebody to make money,
- if you are born poor you’ll die poor,
- you need good education to make money,
- you have to take high risk to get high profits,
- one can’t be both wealthy and good person,
- you can only become rich by oppressing the poor,

Are these facts or opinion, truth or myth? what is yours…whatever you opinion you accept, you will build your belief and hence your action upon it.

On the other hand, people’s opinion is the cheapest commodity you can find plentiful in the market today. You can’t do this…you can’t do that…you can’t have that job…you won’t succeed in that business…you are too young…too old, uneducated…blah blah blah!

The next time you get discouraged by a belief or a so called “sound advice” when God gives you a vision, dream or mission ask yourself…is this an opinion or fact? truth or myth? 

Why, because all financial and life progress begins with a vision-then they either die or flourish depending on the recipient capacity (belief) to handle them.

Personal Debts, what do I do???

“man is born free, but everywhere he is in chain” is a quotation from Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) The Social Contract, French political philosopher. Indeed, "I owe I owe and off to work I go" goes the lyrics of a song

But, I ask myself, was I really born free? Let’s see, at the time of my birth (early seventies), our national external debt was $677m, amounting to $48 debt per head on every baby born in Tanzania then pop 14m (Ajayi et al, 2000)…was I really born free? you tell me!

[By the way, Tanzania external debt has risen to $5.3bn (2008), with population of 41m people, every person born in Tanzania today is born with at least $129 debt…I should remember to add this to my personal loans, credit cards and mortgage debts ]

The truth is, I inherited more than just DNA from my parents (and parents’ parents). I should have been born free, but I grew up with not only national external (and internal debt) hovering over my head but also a way of thinking-mind-set, both from my immediate family and national paradigm (the old question, who we are today is it nature or nurture?)

I come from the family background where children are considered as investment-parents want payback from children they reared into society. So I have to fight to stand on my own feet not just for me and my children, but for my parents, my in-law, my younger siblings and some extended family members whom my father/mother (my in-laws) owes a favour.

Coming from such background, you will excuse me if I fight like a crazy man; I want to be free not just for me but to leave a legacy for my children and my children’s children. I don’t see or consider my children as investment. I consider it my duty (since they did not ask to be born off me) to make sure that I give them a head start in life-education, right mindset and capital.

The most wise King who ever lived, King Solomon, was recorded saying, “a good man leaves inheritance to his children’s children” [Proverbs 13:22, NIV] so what does it mean if a man leave nothing or worse, debts to his children…

Poverty is a Mindset

Poverty is a mind-set not absence of material things; one become poor because one believes he is (and there is nothing he can do about it), belief leads to thought pattern and thought pattern leads to corresponding action and ultimately action leads to destiny which further reinforces the belief and hence the vicious circle is complete.

Belief > Thoughts > Actions > Destiny > reinforced belief > Thoughts > Actions > Destiny...repeat circle!

You are not who you think you are, you are who you think (based on belief system) into being. One may think is inferior because he is inferior in reality; but the truth of the matter is, you began thinking (and acting as inferior) before you became inferior in reality. People cannot make you inferior without your consent.

Thus, you cannot ask a person who feels and act as inferior to stop doing so; the individual has only hope of change if he/she changes the belief, leading to change of thought pattern, action and ultimately wholesome change of experience.

Wealth and Poverty are not an exception; wealthy individuals are not wealthy because they simply are, but they become wealthy because they believe they are wealthy, think and act accordingly regardless of the reality surrounding them, and eventually wealth catch up with them.

People with poverty mind-set exhibit the following traits:
- act in fear; withhold themselves and their finances from ventures and investments lest they lose, just like a guy in the bible who was given one talent,
- would not take intelligent risks; they avoid risks at any cost...though they do gamble every now and then, but would not commit to real investment,
- believe that fate determines their destiny; they think if they were meant to be wealth, they will be regardless of their choices and actions they take every day,
- wait for opportunities to come to them instead of pro-actively seeking and searching for opportunities and making things happen for them, in many cases even when opportunities show up they wouldn't either recognize them or not be prepared for them,
- always search for quick fix (no risk) get rich quick schemes and would not humble themselves to submit to small beginnings and persistently follow through,
- don't take themselves or God seriously and so would not act (research, invest and work on) god given ideas and talent they know they are good in,
- they make 'get rid of pain' as their motive, passion and source of energy to work towards their dream, so when the pain is relieved they go back to old self until another pain shows up

So how is your mind-set? dead on poverty or wealth as God intended for you?