Some of you may know my story. It is a true tale of two lives. I grew up poor, was in foster care, homeless, became a single teenage mother, was on welfare … I could go on and on. The bottomline is that I had many adversities to overcome. And yet, today I am an active duty Navy Captain (O6), Commanding Officer, PhD, Commercial real Estate Investor, Nonprofit benefactor … I could go on and on. After hearing a little about my childhood and the things I am doing today, someone asked, “How were you able to do all those things given your childhood and the environment in which you were raised?” After a little thought, I simply said, “I Didn’t Know I Couldn’t.” … Your mindset is powerful!
Growing up spending half my childhood on the southside of Chicago and the other half on the Northside of St. Louis, I was surrounded by extreme poverty, extreme violence, and extreme levels of hopelessness. I saw it. I knew and understood that life was hard. Yet, somehow in the midst of the madness, I never knew that the expectations for me were any different than anyone else. My mother never reinforced depravity to me. She reinforced love. She made sure that we were exposed and understood what life had to offer. I don’t know how she did it, but I rarely look back on my childhood and reflect on the things that I didn’t have. What is imprinted on my mind are the things that we did have. My mother was the master of “free.” If it was free, we were there. We were a constant presence at the library (I am an avid reader to this day), we went to museums, off Broadway plays (The Muny in St. Louis offered free seats on a first come first serve basis), we went to Symphonies, participated in summer reading programs, went to ballgames, and so much more. Somehow, I had a rich childhood in a depraved environment. I also never recall anyone ever telling me what I could not do. I was always told I was smart. I was always encourage to dream big. I was always expected to succeed. Even after being 1 of 2 girls that I can recall to have a baby in highschool, I was voted by my peers to be ‘most likely to succeed.’ No one ever told me that having child meant that the expectations for me changed, and so the trajectory of my life did not shift.
It’s a powerful message to parents. Protect your legacy by providing an environment that does not shift your child’s mindset to anything other than living a life that they were created to live. There is a difference between poor and poverty. Being poor is an economic stated, but poverty is a psychological condition that more often than not has generational impact. It does not take money to protect and shape the mindset of your child. Speak life and not destruction into your heirs. Be aware, intentional, and determined to enable a better outcome for your child.
If you want more information on building legacy heath and wealth habits, commercial real estate investing, or need help with creating a legacy wealth budget for your household, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Charleese Hasan, PhD, The Budget Dr, Health and Wealth Consultant, Qualified Sales Coordinator – JuicePlus, Accredited Commercial Real Estate Investor – OH Charlie LLC: ohcharlie2llc@gmail.com
Deliberately dope 