As you work towards becoming financially free you need to raise your head from the hole in the sand and stand up straight so as to get a better view into the horizon.

After many years of being deemed as stupid, the Ostrich has finally been vindicated in the issue of burying its head in the sand. It was assumed for many of years that when the Ostrich detects danger it buries its head in the sand, but more in depth research has found that this is not the case but that the worms are so inviting that it throws caution to the wind as it pursues them deeper and deeper into the ground.

This is exoneration for the Ostrich but not the rest of us who still behave the same when it comes to issues of financial security.  We chase the payslips and place all our faith and trust in them, completely forgetting that we are wholly exposed to attack from all directions.

Like the Ostrich which is ignorant of the risk it exposes itself to by burrowing its head totally into the ground, many of us make huge financial commitments based on the thread thin attachment to a salary.  Think of it this way, the payslip is the Ostrich’s head where as the commitments you are making are the body of the beautiful flightless bird.

From the 1^st payslip you receive you must begin your journey away from a total dependence on it otherwise you will keep digging yourself into a hole which as every day passes becomes more difficult to fill.

In my past 2 articles (http://quadrantshift.co.ke/investing/wealthy-by-death) I have tried to get you to take a critical look at your current financial situation after which you can then plot a path forward to financial independence or should I say payslip independence.

Eliminate dependence on salary

Yet what seems to be coming through is that we are more content to remain ignorant of the dilemma we are in as it is too painful to confront, knowing very well that we carry the weight of the Ostrich’s body with the resources the size of its head.  However blissful ignorance must feel it is not the reality and sooner or later every one of us must confront the truth.

Earlier in the month I had the privilege of facilitating a Cashflow 101 session for a group of senior managers of a multinational company headquartered in Kenya, interestingly convened and paid for by the employer.  It was interesting to have had the group CEO, who also happens to be a majority shareholder present through the 3 hour session.

During the pre-session briefing I asked the CEO if he was aware that the objective of the training was to help the participants find ways to reduce their dependence on their pay cheques of which he was currently in control. His shocking response was that he would be more than happy if his employees could become less dependent on their salary whereby they would come to work because they wanted to and not because they had to.

This answer is an indication that there are many employers whose thinking is changing in relation to what they expect of their staff, there is an appreciation that employees need to take control and responsibility for their financial well being as a financially destitute employee is a liability.

For a long time the banks only offered owner occupied mortgage financing for their staff, but more recently forward looking banks like KCB have been offering income property mortgage financing to their staff which would explain their almost exponential growth.

Principles of making wealth

You need to understand that your salary is not an end in itself but a means to an end, spending every penny you earn without making tangible income producing investments is folly.

As you work towards becoming financially free you need to raise your head from the hole in the sand and stand up straight so as to get a better view into the horizon.  It’s not an easy or painless task to break away from your old inculcated habits that are deep rooted across generations.  Like a cancerous growth you need to bite the bullet and cut it off, then follow through with the necessary therapy to remove any remnants and finally continue medication to prevent relapsing.

I offered twelve readers of my articles an opportunity to participate in a Cashflow 101 session, at no cost.  Of the first twelve to respond, eight did not confirm. I then sent out an invitation to an additional eight of which six confirmed.  But the most interesting thing is that only four actually showed up for the session.

As the cliché goes it’s the quality not the quantity that matters, we had a very fruitful session followed by an open discussion session that went into the night.  I thank those who attended. A fifth person, who was not one of those who had been invited, attended and paid for the session, which was reassuring.  I remember during a marketing class I attended it was indicated that only 1% of those who read an advertisement will actually buy.

It has finally downed on me that you can lead a donkey to the river but you cannot force it to drink “however heavy its load may be”.