By J.P. Dahdah, Founder & CEO of Vantage
I recently has the opportunity to watch the Academy Award winning movie titled Twelve Years a Slave. The movie had a lot of impact moments but the line that really hit home for me was when the main character, Solomon Northup played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, is in a dialogue with a fellow slave about how they should behave and what choices they had given their horrifying circumstances. The fellow slave says “if you want to survive, do and say as little as possible” to which Solomon responds “but I don’t want to survive, I want to live.” It was this clear distinction of Solomon’s mindset that enabled him to overcome all of the obstacles placed in front of him and eventually led him to his freedom.
Freedom is about choices. Choices we make or fail to make. Investors typically talk about financial freedom as if it were a destination. “I want to be financially free and independent by the time I’m 65.” Like Solomon, I challenge this way of thinking. Does money control you or do you control your money? Self-Directed IRA investors are living financially, not surviving. We take personal responsibility over our financial decisions and outcomes. We don’t let fear drive our behavior. On the contrary, we are empowered and driven to do whatever it takes to reach our financial destination even if that means going through some hardships along the way. Successful investors understand that a strong mind will outperform a strong investment strategy every time. Wealth building is not about intellect, it is about temperament. Each of us must choose how we want to design our financial futures, but the hardest work is done within ourselves every day. Regardless of your current financial circumstances, your financial freedom starts now. Choose to LIVE a better financial life today and break yourself free from the shackles of a survival based mindset.
Happy investing!