THE BIG BREAK MYTH

So I heard a story few days ago about a man who has owed his success in the big screen to the mythological goddess of luck. This man was nearing his 40s when being at the right place at the right time turned his life around. Now prior to his life changing event, he wasn’t the best student in class and as a matter of fact he had to drop out of college, married his college sweetheart and moved to another city. He became fascinated with the whole idea of carpentry that he soon took it up as profession. So how did a carpenter end up with several accolades, the Golden Globe Award nominations and then going on to becoming one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood?

History has it that one day, as busy and eventful as any other day in the studio can be, a movie director spotted a carpenter trying to make a door on set for the movie being shot and then thought to himself that this young man would have what it took to play the leading role in his movie. So he convinced the young carpenter to audition for this role and he was PERFECT! The movie later went on to break box-office record and skyrocketed the young carpenter to unimaginable fame. By the way, the movie – STAR WARS – gained credence and popularity and the Harrison Ford (the carpenter) who took on the character of Han Solo became the guy you would want to cast in your next blockbuster. He also starred in more box-office smashers like the Indiana Jones sequels as the adventurous archaeologist Indiana Jones getting him to charge an unbelievable fee of $20 million per movie and the rest they say is history.

There has never being a time where humans have been void of hope. Hope is the element that keeps us moving, it is the pulse of every living entity, it resonates and takes shape in every breathe drawn, every move made, every wake from sleep, every pregnancy conceived, every job engaged, and every business tried.

However, the concern arises as to what the hope is based on; what is the substance of your hope? Is it in the authenticity of seed and harvest (seeing your abilities as an exchange for value and livelihood which would compound overtime with the principals of skill improvement, consistency and dedication)? Or in the famed and overly celebrated notion of Big Breaks. 

The concept of big breaks is really ancient rocket science, it still cannot be understood. Where did we get it from? A few guesses: short clips interviews of a few successful people, media outlooks, comprehensive journals, hearsay and my story above However true these are, one is thing holds truer, you should never leave your personal finance state to the mercy of a story, article, book, journal, podcast, vlogs, blogs and short clips about successful individuals that cannot be tied to a process.

Should I hinge my job promotion on the story of a colleague who did nothing obvious and substantial as regards to self-development and then got promoted? Or my grant or scholarship on someone that prayed and got their grant or scholarship overnight?  Or my business model on someone that just maintained the status quo and landed a big client overnight that tripled income? Or on a media content creator who just landed a huge advert deal? Most of the times these individuals, however sincere say they didn't expect these BREAKS (that sends me a message saying "don't bank on this.") Don’t get it wrong these are possibilities but the clause in it remains that they are as unpredictable as the sex of a 3 months old foetus, and it happens to one in every ten thousand people and chances are that you aren't that exception. However, there's something predictable, something that can be hoped in, principles that can be trusted, in improving your finances. Books have been written on it, talks have been given, and speeches has been made. The financial world is based on systems, principles and cycles that have been proven and trusted.

ü    Live in the now. Insufficiency is a myth where there's still breathe, make do with what you have, there's something you can trade, there's something you can save. With your present income, develop knowledge and understanding in making the best financial decisions you can with what you have.

ü    Money gravitate in the direction of value. Improve your values to posture yourself for more money, living in the status quo will never improve your income. Money is a response to meeting a need. Get an extra degree, learn a new skill or develop your current skill set. This way you'd step into more financial coincidences.

ü    Study patterns. Take out time to look into finance gurus and individuals that has fared in the areas of your interest. This arguably is the most important of them all. Yes, really look into what they did, how they did what they did and why they did it how they did it (hope I didn’t confuse you there.) Really it’s that important. It might interest you to understand that one of the first places to look might be in the lives of your parents. You probably learnt or did not learn everything you know or did not know about finances from them. Study them and you might know what not to do. Better is a money that is built and grown than that which is won or encountered mysteriously.

Now to end my story. The thing I did not tell you earlier was that Harrison Ford took on carpentry to compliment his income. He played little known roles in few movies and sometimes cast in minor roles. This show that he was already in the movie industry as a struggling actor before he became a successful and accomplished one. Lastly, he had a close relationship with one of the producers of his break-through movie. This is by no means a ploy to discredit his abilities, obviously he’s great, but my advice – don’t take a story at face value not until you get the full story.