25/08/2025
UNAVAILING THE PERFECT MINDSET FOR SUCCESS.
By Starlight Ikechukwu Ugwuoke;
# Understanding Poverty and Riches.
The Nature of Poverty
No human being is created poor, even though some are born into poor conditions. Poverty is not just a curse or superstition; it is often a choice, a mindset, and a product of one’s environment. Being born poor does not permanently define you as poor. The line that separates poverty from riches is drawn in the mind. Some may begin life in wealth, others in lack, but every individual is created with the capacity for greatness and abundance. Ultimately, poverty and riches are shaped by mindset and environmental influence.
The Influence of Environment and Mindset
Although many begin life in poor families, that beginning does not determine the end. Poverty draws its strength from the way one thinks and from the limitations one accepts. It has no inherent power of its own. Often, poverty persists in families because parents themselves could not overcome it before raising their children. Beyond that, teachers, peers, and even communities can reinforce a poverty mindset by shaping how you perceive yourself and your future.
Questioning the Status Quo
Consider this: If God created humanity in His image and likeness, and if silver and gold belong to Him, why then should you live in lack? The reality is that you are not poor by creation—you are only living beneath the design and expectation of your Creator. Poverty is not your identity; it is a condition influenced by environment and accepted by the mind.
The Truth About Poverty
You are not poor; you were simply exposed to poverty. You are not poor; you were influenced by parents, schools, religious institutions, and peers that carried a poverty mindset. Many people inherit this way of thinking from their families without realizing it. Poverty, in many cases, is one of the easiest legacies passed from parents to children, particularly in the early stages of life when the mind is most impressionable.
Realizations and Acquisitions
Reflect for a moment. When did you first realize you were “poor”? Was it the day your father could not pay your school fees? Was it when your parents could not afford a uniform? Or perhaps on that Christmas morning when you lacked new clothes while other children showed off theirs? Poverty is often “acquired” at the point when a child becomes aware of lack and begins to identify with it. It may sound unusual, but that is the reality: poverty is more learned than inherited.
Inheritance of Poverty
Poverty, just like wealth, can be inherited. Families hand down both opportunities and limitations. Parents who have not broken free from poverty may unknowingly pass it to their children. This transfer is not just financial—it is mental, emotional, and social. In many families, mothers play a crucial role in shaping a child’s earliest understanding of abundance or scarcity, since they are the ones who first provide and nurture.
Childhood Perceptions
As an infant, you never worried about food or clothing. Your mother always fed you, your milk was always available, and you trusted her completely. In those early years, life seemed abundant and unlimited. But eventually, reality set in. There came a day when you asked for something your mother could not provide—whether because it was unavailable or unaffordable. That was the beginning of your awareness of limitations.
The Reality of Limitations
The awareness of limitation is often the seed of poverty. Poverty is not merely the absence of money; it is the acceptance of limitation as permanent. Once lack becomes normal in your thinking, poverty begins to take root as your identity.
Conclusion
You were not created poor. You simply found yourself in an environment shaped by scarcity—whether through family, school, religion, or peers. But that environment does not define your destiny.
You are not merely a product of external influences—you are a destiny designed for wealth, greatness, and impact. The choices you make will either keep you bound in poverty or elevate you into riches.
Poverty is not your birthright unless you accept it. Fear of poverty is a weakness we choose to embrace, but freedom from poverty is a decision we can all make.
