Mindset Over Training

Last Saturday was something I didn't expect to happen.

I kind of lacked sleep the whole day because of a party on top a mountain the night before, but I still had the guts to get up from my bed the next morning for work and for my postgraduate classes in the afternoon.

On my second afternoon class, while my classmate/reporter discussed about budgeting in the management process, our professor affirmed the importance of such aspect. Not because it is the most important part in taking hold of such position as an administrator or supervisor of the certain department, but because of its implication as a financial aspect of every individual's life.

From out of nowhere, my drowsiness seemed to have lost once she started talking about budgeting your own money. She relayed her own story about such moment in her life when she started budgeting during her younger years. When she entered her later years, a series of training courses made her realize that she was not really doing it right after all. There, terms like "pay yourself first before your bills" were mentioned. Even things about insurance, investments, and inflation were something noteworthy in her "out of the box" discussion  Stuff about money and personal finance became a hot topic as my me and my classmates were left in awe about what she had to say. She even talked about preparing for an emergency fund should an unexpected expense would come.


This short, informal discussion between professor and student made me re-learn everything I have learned in the past year about personal finance and how money works. And if there is just one thing that I could summarize the concepts and application of such topics into my financial aspect and my life in general, it all comes down to one statement:

I believe having a financial mindset is absolutely better than financial literacy.

The statement may sound familiar, but it holds true to me every time. Your education about money and how it works will only be useless if you do not come in with the right mindset to learn. The professor's topic on personal finance will not be a great help if you do not allow your mind to occupy it. Negating to learn something new may not be that beneficial for you. A discussion with a financial planner about what you can do together to make ends meet and achieve your goals will just go to waste if you don't come in with the attitude to help yourself in your finances.

No matter how old the topic may be for you, if you don't give a chance to unlearn and make it more meaningful for your life, the knowledge that's supposed to come to you will simply make a U-turn back to the teacher or to another person willing to learn it.

Remember the last time you went to school to attend class? There must have been some topic a teacher discussed that your classmates had fun learning but you didn't. It is either you were not interested to learn, or you did not set your mind to learn it because you think you know it already.

Some people learn about going beyond the bank account for their savings and investment options, but their limited beliefs and close-mindedness do not permit them to go beyond them for many reasons (fear is one of them). Most of the wealthiest people on earth value financial literacy, but they would even put more emphasis on having a financial - or wealth - mindset over it. When your mind is open to even a simple topic like that, other ways of gaining wealth and creating a fortune will come to you easily like daydreaming.

Allow me to end this with a Zen story that very much relates to this post.

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. 

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. 

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!” 

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

Your mind is so powerful, it can even affect your financial life. Use it properly, then the blessings will follow.