There are 2 types of poverty
The stoics believed in not one, but two forms of poverty.
We're all aware of the first form - it's the one we're most commonly exposed to or have been made aware of.
Maybe you're experiencing it yourself right now.
It's the poverty of going without.
Maybe you don't have enough money to pay rent or buy food for your family, maybe you can't pay your rego or afford to go to the doctor.
In the above situation you're poor because you are lacking in the resources to cater to your basic needs.
That's a shit place to be and I don't wish that on anyone.
You can still be happy in this place, but it's tough.
Then there's a second form of poverty...
Seneca gives us a definition here:
“It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor. ”
What he is saying is that having enough, and still wanting more, is a form of poverty.
We've all been there too.
Life is going good, you start building momentum in your career, side hustle, hobbies, fitness, investments, relationships etc and then you start wanting more.
More money.
More contacts.
More fame.
More muscles.
More attention.
More stuff.
You become fixated on what you don't have, not what you do have... and then you start to cut corners to keep up with your own expectations.
No one is forcing this on you, you're doing it to yourself.
It's happened to me more times than I can count.
The expectation creates a false reality that we feel like we need to uphold.
The pressure of trying to uphold this false narrative that we've created is where we tend to cut corners or put pressure on ourselves to try to obtain or seek things we never actually cared about.
Money, prestige, fame, attention etc.
Although the first form of poverty is hard to predict and therefor avoid, this second form of poverty can be tampered.
This second form of poverty is in our control.
But how...
How can we address it and ultimately overcome it?
I'll give you 3 ideas to help you avoid this 2nd form of poverty.
1. Gratitude
Gratitude is genuinely such a hack. It provides someone the opportunity to transport to a more joyous and optimistic head space, despite what is going on. There is always something to be grateful for, there is always something to point gratitude toward. Gratitude can help you escape this 2nd form of poverty because it allows its user to enjoy everything that inhabits ones life.
For example, if you are feeling overwhelmed because you don't have enough money to cover the rent in your 3 bedroom house for this month, consider being grateful for having a home and job to begin with and that even under duress you could reconfigure things suit your family and conditions.
Gratitude is a superpower that transmutes every shitty situation and turns it into something to be happy about. With this mindset you can constantly feel enriched with what you actually have and thus avoid the pitfalls of the poverty mindset.
2. Meditation
Slowing down your mind is one way to really become present and feel positivity toward your actual circumstances (ps. I'm not referring solely to the 'eyes closed, deep breathing, woosaaah' variety of meditation). I believe that meditating on things, ideas, moments and concepts in anyway or at any time, can provide a portal to be able to slow life down and create room for an abundance mindset.
Disconnecting ourselves from the rat race and the 'more more more' mentality for even a few seconds should be enough to allow you to see how wealthy you are and again defer you from being stuck in a feeling or position of poverty.
3. Study
Knowledge is power. Plain and simple.
The more we know, the wider our perspective, and the wider our perspective, the more powerful our base of understanding. Whether through podcasts, books, news, twitter or random conversations in our day to day operations, I believe it is super important for our own reality (but especially our worldview) to become involved in the study of humanity and history.
Curiosity is a powerful tool.
Become interested in things, not just your own progression and success, but also in our history and the betterment of society. Care about yourself, your neighbour, and any other human. Because, why not?
I probably won't give you my shirt if it means I am going to freeze to death, but if I like you and you're respectable and I wish to better the world I want to live in, then I might give you my second last shirt and hope I don't lose mine.
Either way, study of ourselves, our ideas and thoughts, as well as the world around us, is a great investment of time and money and will almost guarantee that you poverty-proof yourself.
What are you guys doing to make sure you avoid being poor in your mindset?
Thanks for tuning in and I'll catch you next week.
Sav.
If you like my content and want more, there's 2 ways to go deeper:
- Lil Gratitude Journal: My gratitude journal has been carefully designed for the busy modern day creative/entrepreneur. It's efficient, effective and affordable.
- Subscribe to my Youtube: I post all my podcasts as videos on my Youtube channel and also have lots of great content including my music videos and interviews.
