In 2016, I was bankrupt.
My mother was calling relatives, asking if they had any job opportunities for me. We were struggling. Fast forward to today, and I can confidently say I am doing well for myself. The difference between those two versions of my life was not talent. It was not luck. It was not some secret shortcut.
It was a mindset.
I literally brainwashed myself about money. I changed the way I thought about money and that changed everything. This transformation did not happen overnight. It was built on five powerful rules that reshaped my relationship with wealth. But before I share those rules, you need to understand where I came from.
Growing Up Around Financial Struggle:
Money struggles were part of my childhood story. I remember people who had given loans to my family coming to our house, demanding repayment, and sometimes misbehaving. There were days when school fees were unpaid. Tuition fees were delayed. At times, even food felt uncertain.
In college, teachers would call out my name in class and ask why fees had not been paid. Imagine standing up in front of everyone while classmates stared. Some even laughed. It was humiliating. And the worst part? It was not my fault.
At home, I saw arguments about money. I saw stress. I saw tension between relatives. Yet, I also saw something powerful in my parents’ sacrifice. They kept us in schools beyond our financial capacity because they believed education meant a better job, a better college, and eventually good money. We lived in rented houses until I was around 23, but they ensured we had access to opportunities.
My father used to say, “Money never stayed with me,” and I watched him work extremely hard.
That is when I realized something: hard work was not the issue. Effort was not missing. The problem was the perspective on the relationship with money. So I decided to change mine.
Rule #1 – Stop Taking Advice from Broke People:
In our society, two things are cheap: tea and opinions.
Everyone has advice on how to make money. Relatives suggest career paths. Friends recommend industries. Random people tell you which degree to pursue or which company to join.
But I asked myself a simple question:
Are these people rich?
If not, why am I taking financial advice from them?
Many people love talking about success stories. They quote wealthy individuals. They repeat ideas from podcasts and books. But they never executed those ideas themselves.
Advice without execution is noise.
When I read Rich Dad Poor Dad, I understood this clearly. The book contrasts two types of financial thinking: one focused on job security and one focused on assets and investments. From that moment, I made a decision: I would only take advice from people who had the results I wanted.
If someone is not living the life you aspire to, be careful about accepting their guidance.
Rule #2 – Discover Your Money Superpower:
There are generally two types of financially successful people.
The first type is good at making money. These people understand stock markets, mutual funds, crypto, IPOs, company reports, profit and loss graphs. They enjoy analyzing numbers and studying trends. The second type is good at making money. They build businesses, create products, sell services, and generate cash flow. Very few people excel at both.
I tried investing aggressively in the beginning. I made mistakes. I invested randomly based on tips and lost money. That is when I realized something important: I was better at making money than growing it.
So I shifted my focus. Instead of trying to master complex investing strategies, I concentrated on building income streams. For investments, I chose safer options. I understood fixed deposits, gold, or professional portfolio management services.
The key lesson is this: understand your strength.
Are you a creator?
A builder?
A strategist? Or an investor?
You discover this by trying different things. You cannot choose your superpower on day one. You must experiment and observe results. Once you know your strength, double down on it.
Rule #3 – Track Money Like It’s Your Crush’s Instagram:
If you have ever had a crush, you know the feeling. You check their Instagram daily. You track everything: stories, posts, highlights. You know what they are doing at all times. You need to track your money the same way. When I started earning, I checked my bank balance daily. It became a game. I watched the numbers grow.
Even today, every month I track:
- Total income
- Total expenses
- Profit
- Investment returns
- Which source generated the most money
If you do not track money, it will not grow. It is similar to fitness. People who track their weight can manage it better. People who avoid checking it remain unaware.
Many middle-class families avoid discussing money. They think it attracts bad luck or jealousy. They check their bank account only when their salary arrives. Wealthy people know their numbers. They know them like they know their phone number. Tracking money creates awareness. Awareness leads to better decisions. Better decisions lead to growth.
Rule #4 – The 10 Percent Rule:
This rule may sound extreme, but it changed my life.
Your expenses should be 10 percent of your income. That means you save or invest 90 percent. Now, this does not mean living miserably. It means increasing income so that 10 percent comfortably covers your lifestyle. If your expenses are fixed and cannot go lower, increase your income. Income has no ceiling. Expenses have limits.
Instead of asking, “How can I reduce my lifestyle?” ask, “How can I increase my income tenfold?”
When your income grows while expenses remain controlled, wealth compounds, and remember, money is for freedom, not for showing off. Luxury cars, expensive clothes, and villas bought to impress others are liabilities. Buy things you genuinely desire, not things meant to impress.
Real wealth is peace of mind. It has choices. When you apply the 10 percent rule with discipline, your financial security increases dramatically.
Rule #5 – Value Over Money:
This was the biggest mindset shift. Initially, I kept searching for new ways to make money, different strategies, markets, and pricing tactics. I focused on surface-level tactics.
But I was not earning significantly. Then I understood a powerful truth: money flows to value. The richest people in the world became rich because they added massive value to people’s lives.
Consider large business leaders who built companies that transformed access to communication, technology, or services. They created systems that improved everyday life for millions more value equals more money.
If you run an e-commerce store, your products must genuinely help customers. If you are in education, your content must improve lives. If you create content online, it must solve problems. Money is a byproduct of value.
If you serve more people effectively, income scales. If you serve fewer people, income remains limited. If you add no value, money does not come.
When I shifted focus from
“How do I make money?” to “How do I create value?”
My income started growing naturally.
Reprogramming Your Money Mindset:
Here is the uncomfortable truth: getting rich is not primarily about strategies. It is about beliefs.
Open your banking app. Look at your balance. Ask yourself honestly whether you are satisfied.
If not, change your thoughts.
Stop taking advice from those without results.
Understand your money superpower.
Track every rupee.
Control expenses and increase income.
Focus on adding value to people’s lives.
Wealth begins in the mind before it appears in the bank account. If you keep thinking money is scarce, it will always escape you. If you believe money is created through value and discipline, you will act differently.
And actions shape outcomes.
You have two choices.
You can continue living with the same financial patterns, blaming luck or circumstances. Or you can reprogram your thinking. You can brainwash yourself for success. Because at the end of the day, money does not respond to effort alone. It responds to clarity, discipline, value, and mindset.
The real question is:
Are you ready to change the way you think about money?
Conclusion:
The journey from being broke to becoming financially free was not built on luck, connections, or shortcuts. It was built on a radical shift in mindset. I stopped listening to opinions from people who lacked results. I discovered my strengths instead of copying others. I tracked every rupee with discipline. I controlled expenses while focusing aggressively on increasing income. Most importantly, I shifted from chasing money to creating value.
Wealth is not just a number in a bank account; it is a reflection of beliefs, habits, and decisions repeated daily. When you change how you think about money, you change how you act. And when actions change, outcomes follow.
Financial freedom is not reserved for a special few. It begins with awareness and grows with discipline. If you reprogram your mindset, commit to value creation, and stay consistent, your financial story can change, too, just like mine did.
FAQs:
1. Is financial freedom mainly about earning a high income?
No. While income matters, mindset, discipline, and value creation are equally important. Many high earners still struggle financially because they lack control and strategy.
2. How do I discover my money superpower?
Experiment with different income and investment approaches. Notice where you perform better, building income streams or growing investments, and focus on your strengths.
3. Why is tracking money so important?
Tracking creates awareness. When you know exactly how much you earn, spend, and invest, you make smarter financial decisions and avoid waste.
4. Is the 10 percent rule realistic for everyone?
It may not apply immediately, but the principle is to increase income while controlling lifestyle expenses. The goal is to maximize savings and investments.
5. How does creating value increase income?
Money flows to value. When you solve real problems and serve people effectively, income becomes a natural byproduct of the value you provide.