Recently I was asked what the solution to poverty, racism, and injustice is.

If I had that answer, I would have shared it many years ago, but here is my best guess.

History has proven that fear is the leading source of what ails the world, and I don’t think it’s leaving anytime soon. The question is, why is everyone so afraid? 

There are thousands of fears, but one overriding concern is that life could go dark fast without warning. The thought that it may happen at the hands of others entirely out of my control is unbearable. People fear becoming or remaining moneyless, powerless, and left in the dark, scared to fend for themselves.

In society, we have the haves, the have-nots, and the worker. The worker is between the other two, so the workers are called the middle class. The worker is the glue that keeps the haves having by purchasing with almost every earned dollar life’s necessities and luxuries. On a revolving basis, workers vacation twice a year and, on average, carry $15,000 balances on credit cards. 

Have or Have Not

The Have’s don’t want less than their current ease of life, money, prestige, and power. The Have-nots see cash, influence, and power and want a taste of the good and easy life. Theorists and scientists have exhorted through studies wealth in the hands of the top 1% of society is no accident and that monies, if equally distributed amongst the community, would eventually end up in the same original hands. Why?

We are all creatures of habit, and our beliefs and practices dictate how we use money in our daily and generational lives. The majority have bad habits, ideas, and actions, which is why they stay broke.

There have been pockets in history, such as Black Wall Street, where those outside the top 1% began to thrive and build a tower of Babel only to see it burned and torn apart by fear of the majority. Nothing worthwhile is easy, and only the strong thrive and survive, meaning that the fight should never end. 

Several axioms should or could be used to inspire further or encourage society to be a better place. The adage that comes to mind is “Knowledge is Power.” The key here is to position yourself to consistently learn from past mistakes that don’t enhance your money situation or your power. Realize that power is all about choices. The more power one has the more choices and options. 

Here are four ways to fight back and win. 

  1. Fortify your house
  2. Follow the money
  3. Evaluate and expand
  4. Duplicate 

FORTIFY YOUR HOUSE

No matter the situation, you can not protect or attack to advance your current status from a position of weakness. It is critical to solidify your house by working to guarantee your cash flow. 

When you work for hire and maintain a neutral to negative cash flow, you are a servant and slave. You have sacrificed your freedom and are being devoured every paycheck that you sift away. 

A solid or fortified house is independent and secure in and of itself. Many will tell you that saving everything is critical, and others take the opposite approach and say invest all you have. With careful introspection, you will find that the significant saver lives in fear and never has enough. By opposition, those that say invest it all either have massive stashes or were silver spoons. 

The best strategy is to begin your fight by minimizing debt and start to stash $50,000 – $100,000.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

The Golden Rule is he who has the gold, makes the rules. The golden rule is important because, to control our lives, we need to side with those that make the rules. The more gold you have, the more rules you get to make. While you are saving, producing, and creating more gold, you need to know where you are spending your money and how they make their rules. 

I’m talking about politics and corporate leaders. If your favorite hobby is owned and operated by someone who devalues minorities, guess what? You are contributing towards that which you hate. It’s always about the money, and when it’s not, it’s about power. However, don’t be fooled, money begets power. They are two chambers of one heart.

If you want to diminish power, stop feeding it money. I promise you interest and policy follow the most money. 

EVALUATE AND EXPAND

By evaluating your strengths, you automatically reveal your weaknesses. When attempting to break free of restraints (meaning poverty and bullsh*t), it’s critical to know where and how you can move. The evaluation of your position is a necessary look or preview of where you are before you take decisive action to expand. What are you evaluating?

Do you have a bulletproof bank account?

Can you survive with no new revenue?

Can you afford to lose the investment of money and time?

Have you allocated time and money to survive the learning curve?

Will this new move affect your credit?

Some of these questions should be answered in and through the fortifying process. The other items are a matter of expansion. To divert your attention from your initial income plan and begin to add additional revenue is a dangerous task. You need to add multiple sources of revenue, and you must not jeopardize your main cash flow. 

Consider expanding the area in which you are prolific. Most will advise you to follow your passion. That’s great if you are one of the best at that passion. If you are mediocre, it’s a lousy piece of advice. I’m not your life coach; I’m your money coach. To make more money, you need to be exceptionally good at whatever you offer or do. Greatness is the sword you wield to protect and conquer. 

DUPLICATE

Once you have completed these three steps, you have to do it better, faster, and again. To keep pace with the life you are building, the best way to remain secure is to double down on your activities consistently. Make your last hustle your new second column that fortifies your house. With that additional fortification, you have become not only more significant but more substantial and more impenetrable. 

Duplication means that you continue to improve and build; just do it better. Building better and faster insulates you and hopefully gives you more time to enjoy life as you see fit. 

We must all burn ourselves by our own flames in order to rise from our ashes a new and improved version of ourselves. 24K LIFE

“The snake that can not shed his skin perishes.” 

                                            – Nietzsche 

Be your Best, Bring Your Best, Leave Nothing To Chance.