Many of us have our minds fixed on getting the most out of life. We try to make the best living we can, the most money the fastest way they can, but what for? If we died tomorrow would we want our greatest accomplishment to be our house or car?

These questions have often lead me to wonder what is true wealth and poverty? And whilst I'm sure there's not one definitive answer to this question, I do know that materialistic gain or loss has very little reflection on the true wealth of a man. 

Many of us often work so hard to avoid poverty that we can often neglect to share or teach our children the valuable lessons we have learnt along the way or the vital information that has been passed down through the generations for the sake of progression. Does that not leave our child a little less prepared for adulthood than they'd ought to be? Could they have to work a little bit harder or remain lost for a little longer due to lack of preparation, insight or information? Could this leave another generation more susceptible to poverty?

In this episode of the Fatherhood Series, father of 3 Clinton Jordan shares his belief that "poverty is a state of mind" and the acceptance of it can produce a life poverty. Understanding the concept of poverty from this perspective means that protecting our children from poverty is far more than providing materialistic things or throwing money at them in aim to feel like we are fulfilling our roles as fathers.

It has a lot to do with transferring an inheritance of intellectual property, morals, values and a blueprint that will enrich their life, children and the world around them.

Here are a few ways we can enrich the lives of our children and enable them to cultivate the wealth that lives inside of them.

Eat And Commune With Your Family At The Dinner Table

It may sound old fashioned but just like every great team, the team huddle should be essential!

Sharing a meal once a day at the table can do wonders for the strength of the family and present opportunities for all members of the family to build upon their lines of communication. It's a great time to share visions, provide clarity and demonstrate unity.

All essential ingredients for keeping a healthy family together.

Share Your History

There is so much a child can learn by simply understanding where you have come from; where you were born, your personal journey, your successes and failures, the journey of your parents and grandparents. Your child will be able to recognise beneficial family traditions and prepare to navigate around common pitfalls. 

Celebrate Individualism

Celebrate and support your child's creativity. If your child's curiosity, creativity or problem solving skills appear to be getting them into trouble take the opportunity to harness and redirect their skills in a positive way they can enjoy and develop from.  

Encouraging your child's individual approach to life can help expel the insecurities and fears that often come with trying to be "normal". This also helps your child develop great leadership skills and cultivates an eagerness for exploring and discovering not only their own capabilities but their ability to contribute to the world around them.

Establish your Child's Significance

No child should feel insignificant or of lesser value to others. It's important that we do all we can to ensure the voice of our children are heard. If your child is less forth coming try not to leave them in a world of their own.

Make a conscious effort to ask them how they are feeling, thinking or how their day has gone. Involve them in some of your decision making processes to remind them of how key their role is within your family.

Empower your child with the confidence to be proud of who they are and where they are from. If the media does not reinforce a positive identity for your child, try exposing them to new cultural experiences or become more intentional about exposing your child to the types of role models, music or media that you believe will inspire a positive self image for your child.

It's our job to instil the type of self worth within our children that is unwavered by fashion trends, peer pressure or money as all these things will come and go. When we leave our children to build their significance upon these shallow things we really do gear our children up for a turbulent ride internally. 

Does that mean our children should not acquire money or be fashionable? No, not at all we should all be free to be as fashionable as we'd like, however these things should be an expression of who we are and not the foundation.

Teach Your Child The Purpose of Money and How to Manage it

Money can often be perceived as a dark, mysterious, substance that is highly addictive and should only be pursued by adults.

We tend to personify money with a view of protecting our children from it as long as possible rather than introducing the idea of stewardship, money management and the opportunity to learn important financial lessons as young as possible to help our children navigate through life.

Our children need us to teach them to save in line with their short term and long term goals, how to differentiate between their needs and wants or how to think about sharing their money with someone in need or donating a portion of their money to support a worthy cause. Introducing these methods can help to form a sobering mindset towards money and develop a clear understanding of it's purpose to facilitate goals, visions or maintain a lifestyle.

Without this important educational process a child's curiosity for money could lead to an unhealthy crave for fast cash, a need to associate money with self worth and happiness or frivolous spending habits that can easily result in the accumulation of debt.  

The family unit has the ability to function as a great incubator, cultivating the mind, body and spirit to produce well rounded children who approach the world ready to realise their full potential and leave their mark on the world. The concept of materialistic wealth and poverty is a man made disposition that does a very good job of distracting us from discovering our true worth, creating a legacy and leaving a blueprint for future generations to build upon.

Let's continue to be an effective presence in the the lives of our children and protect them from poverty.

YOUR THOUGHTS 

Is poverty a state of mind?
Can poverty and wealth be inherited?

Leave a comment and share your thoughts.