Welcome back to another post. Let's get in to it.
We all lowkey want to be successful, don't we?
Success is pretty subjective because we all define it in different ways. Success for me looks like this:
Choice and flexibility
Whanau around me
Health
Wealth
Matauranga
Fulfilment
Tino Rangatiratanga
Joy
I think people were confused when Maori Millionaire first came out. They thought it would be a generic finance bros podcast and blog. But nope: I want Maori Millionaire to be so much more than this. I know that anyone who has a platform online has an opportunity to empower and so I wanted to make my spot here on the internet worthwhile by sharing all of the things which are important to me, and tying them all up in to a neat bow.
When you are well, you can learn and when you can learn you'll be able to learn. - Debbie Ngarewa-Packer
I'm a huge advocate of this whakaaro. It takes a wholistic approach to achieve anything in life. Sir Mason Durie's model of Te Whare Tapa Wha has always been something which I have aspired towards. The day in which I am truly able to meet this model, I'll be unstoppable. What's getting in the way of me at the moment? My health. I'm obese and this affects my mental health, my working ability, my relationships, and so much more.
Obesity, health problems and over eating is normalised amongst Te Ao Maori. It's super hard to exit this cycle but I'm slowly working on it. How?
My first step was to quit smoking. I have been about 4 weeks vape free now!
I have a gym membership and go on average 4 times per week.
Next step: Kai.
This one is the hardest!!! If you know me, you also know I am a foodie. I'm also working on investing in my health.
I was recently hospitalised for stomach issues and was sitting in an ED waiting room for 12 odd hours because I didn't want to spend $100 on a doctor which was after hours.... My stubborn-ness to not spend $100 wasted 12 hours of my time, my tane's time, and it also caused worry for my whanau. I understand logically that this was silly but I also know that I've only been able to accumulate my assets and savings by making these sacrifices. So, I'm working on a bit of balance...
Every day I am competing against myself to be a better person. I'm working on becoming kinder, more loving, more empathetic... I want to create a legacy for my line of tamariki and mokopuna. I have ambitious goals & I intend on meeting them. I made a podcast on my 5 secrets to building success which can be seen here: podcast
I have some general advice if you're getting started:
Do a Stocktake. You can't make plans if you don't know how much money you have, or owe, or earn. Print out your last 3 months of bank statements and highlight all the necessities like rent and gas and then with a different colour highlight all of the things you didn't need.
Brainstorm. Think long and hard about what of those things you brought that were not necessary are bringing you joy and pleasure. I found in mine that I had spent $1,000 over the year on takeaways and then another $1,000 on vaping. Neither of these made me feel good in the long run or were helping me to achieve any of my goals and so I stopped both of them cold turkey.
Working Towards Retirement. You have to decide if you actually want to work until you are 65. If you don't then you need to make a plan. Start with kiwi saver. If you don't have one, then organise getting one set up. Go to your bank and ask how you can do this.
Make some financial goals. Make sure that they are realistic. My goals at the moment are to create different sources of income, and to have 4 by the end of the year.
Put numbers to those goals. I decided that a source of income had to equate to at least $100 per week because if it didn't, it wasn't going to keep up with the crazy costs of living. Your numbers might be different.
Think about Insurance. Work out how much it's going to cost you to be insured. Car insurance is really important: imagine if you crash in to a porche and you can't afford to pay for the repairs! I pay $32 per fortnight to cover the possibility of ever crashing in to a porche.
Create a budget. Make sure it's actually realistic and will work long term. Add in 'fun money' so that you don't get sad.
Follow @maorimillionaire.finance on insta, tik tok, twitter and facebook so that you can learn more about finance every single day :)
Here's what was covered in the podcast:
Budgeting
Financial Audits
Financial Foals
Starting a side Hustle
Creating a team
I swear by these things... You HAVE TO have the foundations on point if you want to build something.
Let me know in the comments what your whakaaro are around health and wealth.
Hei kona ra,
Te Kahukura Boynton
Maori Millionaire Founder
p.s I love all of you who take the time out of your day to read my content or listen to my podcast. It means the world to me.
Contact me on tekahukura@maorimillionaire.com if you have any questions or comments.