A whole 500 Naira?

...my African mother must not hear this.

I stood in line at the supermarket that day, lost in thought about how much I had spent compared to the few items I was taking home. 'How is everyone coping?' I kept asking myself. Suddenly, a voice interrupted me. 'Aunty, move jorrr,' the young boy behind me said, clearly frustrated, probably from how much he had spent and the fact that the line had moved while I stood still. 'Oh, sorry,' I muttered, grabbing my basket and stepping forward.

Hartleys supermarket, Landmark, VI

I tried my best not to get lost in thought again, I wouldn't want that boy knocking me next time. The fear of Bariga boys, no matter their age, is the beginning of wisdom, lol. To distract myself, I decided to look around the supermarket and admire the lovely items in stock. Then I spotted the stationery section and remembered my pen was running out of ink. I turned around, smiled at our friend, and told him I’d be back; I just needed to grab something. He nodded but didn’t return the smile. 'What exactly is this boy’s problem?' I mumbled to myself, but I couldn’t blame him. The queue was long, I mean it was the end of the month, after all. Leemao!

If you know me, you know I love good pens, and lately, I’ve been obsessed with the various designs and ballpoints of M&G ink pens. Anything between 0.5 and 0.7mm works for me, but a 1.0mm ballpoint? Count me out. I picked up two pens and returned to the line. Thankfully, only one person was ahead of me, and our friend had kindly moved my basket forward. When it was time to pay, I saw that one of the pens was N500. '500 naira? For a pen? How?' I thought to myself in surprise. I checked the other design, it was N250. My curiosity kicked in again: 'Why is this one N500, then?' I bought it anyway. Good pens spark joy in me.

As I sat down at my table the next day, scribbling in my journal with my N500 pen, I began to reflect on moments in my life when I would have never considered spending that much on a pen. I smiled, shook my head, and felt grateful for my growth.

the pen in question. photo by me.

I recall one of the key points that Patrice C. Washington opens her book, Real Money Answers for Every Woman, with tackling certain beliefs about money. She encourages us to assess what we were taught about money, examine our relationships with it growing up, and consider the beliefs about money held by our parents and pastors, all while embracing a new mindset. Personally, I’ve had to consciously work on shifting my mindset by changing my environment, what I consume, the people I engage with, etc. Honestly, that’s probably the only reason I’d spend N500 on a single pen, lol.

A screenshot from Real Money Answers for Every Woman

What beliefs do you hold about money and prosperity? While I don’t advocate for reckless spending, it’s important to embrace a new mindset around abundance and financial growth, especially if you’ve held limiting beliefs all your life. It wasn’t your fault, but now it’s your responsibility. You’re responsible for challenging old patterns, setting new ones, evolving, and growing beyond that scarcity mindset. Embrace abundance and live abundantly. FYI, your prosperity is linked to how much space you create for abundance in your life.

Give yourself room for expansion, I mean, it’s all about mindset. When you say, 'I’d never buy a Rolls Royce, no matter how rich I get; that’s too much money to spend on a car,' why is that? You’re speaking from your current circumstances, beliefs, and past experiences. Until you decide to break out of that mental cage, you may never build the capacity to earn the kind of money that could afford you that luxury.

I’ll leave you with this: It all starts with a decision, unlearning old beliefs, a change in mindset, and a willingness to embrace new perspectives on prosperity, money, and abundance.

What limiting patterns have you held on to and need to break? Share your thoughts with me!

Nos Vemos,

Gbemi.