In the last issue, I explained that since you were born, life has put you on the right path to becoming a millionaire, but you have not been paying attention. You need to take advantage of all the opportunities that have presented themselves to you. In fact, the major events that have occurred in your life were meant to wake you up so that you can start manifesting your wealth. To prove that point, I started writing about the story of Caludia Togbe, an entrepreneur in cosmetics from Benin, West Africa.

The story of Caludia Togbe

Caludia Togbe grew up with a father who was an engineer in Agronomy. She spent her childhood playing with plants and became fond of them. When Caludia was a child, her father, her younger brother, and herself had a skin disease. Dermatologists told them they could never find a remedy. But the teenage Caludia would not give up so easily. She made up her mind to find a cure to their skin problems in the plants. She soon did. Caludia was able to make the right soap and lotion with the Aloe Vera plant. The family skin problem was soon gone but Caludia did not see the hint. She did not understand that the universe just blessed her with a gold mine. She kept using her homemade products and got busy with life. She attended college, got three masters, then spent years looking for a job and even did a two years’ unpaid internship. Caludia lived in extreme poverty until she was 30.

As time went by, people were complimenting her on her natural and glowing hair and skin. She finally perceived the hint and decided to turn her passion into a business. She launched her own company with the equivalent of about $24 in 2017. Less than three years later, Caludia Togbe became a multimillionaire and was recognized by major media sources, including TV5 Monde. She has been marketing under the brand Origine Terre (origineterre.com), a company that treats hair and skin problems with natural products made from plants.

Lessons of the story

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You could be wondering why Caludia Togbe went to school for three different master’s degrees and studied subjects that had nothing to do with her childhood passion, lived in poverty and suffering before she returned to Aloe Vera, the gold mine she had been neglecting. Almost all of us make that mistake. Most human beings never make anything out of their passion. It’s either human beings are stupid, or we just enjoy suffering. Life was never meant to be hard. Each one of us could choose a path (a vocation that is a passion) as early as possible and focus on making money. Instead, we wait until we get old, or realize it when bills pile up or when we get knocked down by life circumstances. 

Imagine if Rihanna did not focus on music, grabbed the opportunity life offered her to move to the US and start a career at age 16. She would still be selling clothes with her dad in the streets of Bridgetown in Barbados. Rihanna is now a billionaire. Also imagine that Oprah ‘the queen of all media’ found excuses not to take the part time job, when WVOL (a local black radio station in Berry Hill in Tennessee) gave her an opportunity to be a news presenter when she was 17. She would have ended up a house maid just like her grandmother. Oprah made the best of all the opportunities given to her along the way. At 67, Oprah is now worth $2.9 Billion.

Just like Caludia Togbe, Rihanna and Oprah, I have no doubt that life has blessed you with some challenges that could be turned around to become opportunities. Almost everything (good, bad and ugly) that has happened to you was meant to direct you to the path of becoming a millionaire. You can actually prove this. Here is a quick assignment for you: Grab a pen and a piece of paper and sit still for a few minutes. Analyze your life from age 10 or 11 up to now. You will be amazed. Time and time again, life has brought you countless opportunities you could have turned into money, but you did not see them or do anything about them. Do this often and it could get you obsessed about future opportunities to make money.  

Have you realized the missed opportunities to become a millionaire at age 17, 24, 33 or 42? You need to go back to it. We often hear that opportunity knocks once and goes away, but it never goes anywhere. It keeps knocking until you die but you cause your own pain by neglecting them. In fact, as we grow older, opportunities multiply because the Universe does not want us to go to the grave without achieving our dreams and fulfilling our destiny. Whether you are 14, 20, 42, 50, 65 or 70, it does not matter. The question is, are you now ready to pay attention, see every opportunity, make the best of it and pocket the millions of dollars waiting for you? You have 17 months at the most to make your first million dollars. Remember, in my first article, I promised that by March 2023, you will become a millionaire if you take into consideration everything that is taught here and apply the lessons according to your personal experiences. 

Let us refocus. First, are you doing the work you are truly passionate about? It is extremely important you do what feels like fun to you. Do not worry about how much you are making right now, just find some time every day to practice your talents, your gifts. Do you enjoy doing any of these: designing clothes, blogging, playing piano, teaching, sports, cooking, plumbing, politics, serving others, etc? If you are not making money yet, in the coming months you will. If you are convinced you really want to do that work for a living, you will soon make money. It is a guarantee. For now, do it daily. Do it very well. Do it with a lot of pride. Be creative, innovate constantly and try to get better daily. Most importantly, do not let any kind of distraction get in your way no matter what. If you do not think of your passion for a day, it means you are not ready to become a millionaire yet. 

Taking care of your bills

Now, before we proceed, there are two things you must deal with right away: your bill and sex. I know we all worry about our bills but relax. Let me give you a few tips and a spiritual secret to wipe out your bills and become financially independent so you can focus fully on your passion. First and foremost, you need to remember something. To every single problem you have, somebody has already thought about the solution, and it is available. All you must do is a little research and ask for help. Do not fear. Do not stress out. Do not worry. Relax and think instead. If you stress out, the problem will still be there waiting for you, therefore, save time and energy. The solution is always nearer than you think. Here is my advice: take a day off each week (this is not optional if you want to become a millionaire) to clean the house and budget, in that order. Pick a day in the week, clean the house and budget before you go out shopping for anything. We live in a culture where people almost never think before they spend money. Are you serious? You worked your ass off for that money, now you want to give it away to someone that does not even give a damn about you? Most of the employees in that store could care less about pronouncing your first name the right way. Please, be smart and don’t follow the crowd. The crowd is not trying to be a millionaire; you are! To be continued next month.

I AM HOPE