Being an average citizen, there are somethings you learn just as fast as a child learns to crawl. It isn't some supernatural knowledge a child is born with, he or she just have to learn the skill because survival depends on it. Being a citizen with limited resources means you have to learn what it feels like not to have enough and watch every vein in your body aspire for something you might never be. What is the word for it these days, it is called hustle mindset. That fire that burns within an average person, driving them like a loose train, in their aim to get a shot at their goal.
In order to have a chance of having a shot at what could be, you must be capable of managing yourself to a particular extent. It might not be known to those born with silver spoon but being an average citizen, you get to understand how much control finance have over people. For you to claim to have control of your life, it means you must have what it takes to manage your finance. Finance might be a course studied within glittering walls of renowned institutions but it is best thought by life. It takes awhile for some people but it will set in eventually, when you figure out how little you feel without financial literacy.
When did I first learn about financial literacy? It is from the moment I knew what money looks like, the impact it could have on me and my surroundings. I was told once, "you grew faster than your age which has deprived you of the joy that comes with childhood. It was a compliment but it sounded like an insult. At that moment I knew what it meant and I wasn't pained, It just better confirm what I have always knew, every living human mind is made up of experience we have endured and it is projected through our every action like a live show.
I was born into a family with business minded parents, they made our needs their priority. In order to do that they needed to do to make more money, which resulted to my parents spending lesser time with their children. They tried their best to keep the family together and also keep their business running but it wasn't going as smooth as they expected. Being the kind of parents willing to protect us from any earthly danger that seems to be plaguing every community, they did what was best at the moment, the only thing that can ensure our safety and also give them time to oversee their business, I and my brother were both enrolled in a boarding school. It was just two of us in those days, we didn't have any siblings.
I was a very sensitive kid and frankly, I haven't changed. Seeing how the need to manage our finances drew my family apart, that was the first lecture I got about finance, it wasn't formal but the lesson was well understood. The concept of financial literacy is understanding the role finance plays in our lives, learn to control it, manage it and make the best out of it. It isn't so difficult, it is just like playing card games. As long as you know the basics, you can upgrade your skills as you grow in the game.
This how financial literacy is for me, I only learnt more about it while moving through the academic structure but the basics, I had already been taught by life. Which is one of the reason why it is difficult for me to be passionate about a specific career, to me it is all about survival.
How long does it take for me to grasp it? understanding the basics, I would say, at a very your age but you see grasping it, I believe time will tell. Financial literacy, is an eternal well of knowledge, the more productive you are in life in terms of your finances will determine where you are in the learning curve. As long as I haven't gotten to where I wish to be in terms of my finances, I can't claim to have grasped the concept of financial literacy.
When should financial literacy begin for everyone? I would say very early in life because without possessing financial literacy, a person would never be able to manage their life appropriately. The fact is, the time frame differs for everyone. While some people are lucky to have people around them to assist them with their finances which wouldn't make them think much about the importance of financial literacy, there are others who are not so privileged. They would have to learn the basics of financial literacy as fast as possible if they wish to survive in this cruel world.
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled Financial literacy in hive learners community.
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