Konnected Minds Podcast

Segment:- Mindset Mastery: Principles Over Desire.

• Derrick Abaitey

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What if the difference between noisy ambition and lasting success is a single choice: principles above desire? We sit down with a founder whose path runs from hard street lessons to graduate classrooms and into a self-funded foundation impacting youth, women, and health across Ghana. The conversation moves fast—from why he started giving decades before big money arrived, to how “one plus one is three on the street” captures leverage, humility, and the will to win without losing your soul.

We unpack a practical framework that keeps momentum when life gets noisy: the street for grit and respect, the book for tools and language in a global economy, and God for meaning and moral direction. He explains why philanthropy must come from within to be sustainable, and how mindset beats handouts every time—teaching young people to handle 100 cedis, define profit, read their environment, and build discipline that sticks. You’ll hear the systems that kept him grounded even after he had millions: 3 a.m. study sessions, strict time anchors, ruthless environment design, and public accountability that makes quitting expensive.

There’s power in returning to school after forty, with money in the bank, simply to avoid being shortchanged and to set a standard for children and the broader community. And there’s honesty in saying success without history isn’t success at all—wealth should carry scars, lessons, and a story strong enough to guide others. If you’re ready to replace shortcuts with structure and turn generosity into long-term impact, this conversation will sharpen your mindset and your mission.

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SPEAKER_01:

Well I mean we we we belong to a world where we are ahead of what we our persona is is is is ahead of the things we do. It's all had to do with desire. But as a young man, young woman coming up, your principle should have principle. Your principle should be above your desire. What would you say your principles has been? Always above my desire. That makes you think. That makes you resilient because every young man you must have a prize. And that is your principle. And your principle must be above your desire.

SPEAKER_00:

It's exciting to see that even at your level, I can still see so much resilience and hunger. Like speaking to you right now, I can still see and I can still feel it in your voice that you're still really going hard, you know, for what you you really want and how you want to impact people. Yeah. Because and and just today, these young people were asking me, how come there are people who make money, they wait at a later stage in their life, maybe you know, 70, 80, then they start, you know, philanthropy work. And there are people they start very young. What do you think the difference is?

SPEAKER_01:

This is a very important question. You see, giving must come freely. I started doing charity 20 years ago. I didn't start yesterday. The little I had, I shared. You can you can check some of the features, the videos, and my part. Before, I was doing it low key.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

I 20 years ago, at least actually 23 years ago, I was doing it very low key. But it gets to a point you can't control how you give anymore. And it is very difficult to do philanthropic work here. If you do it for sure, you can't continue. It has to come from within. We have been very consistent. We have one, we have the biggest foundations in Ghana. A lot of people don't know. Is it self-funded? Self-funded or self-funded. I mean, a percentage of uh what comes in, we use it for the foundation. And it's all about impact. Why do you think it's important to give? Even at like at a scale that you are given. It's why is it not important to give? It is important to give. Look, look at the environment that we live in. One day, if we don't give, it will all turn back on us. We are living in a very toxic, serious environment whereby we have to give. For me, giving back to the youth is not really the goodies. It's not really the things I do for them. It's all about mindset. That is why the connect, the youth connect, and the entrepreneurial challenge. Apart from that, you can see we have different sections, health, uh, women, especially. It's all about empowerment, but how to change the mindset of an ordinary youth on the street.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you think a change in mindset would help build people's lives financially? That is all that is about. How do you create that connection?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I'm not the kind of guy that gives. I give, I teach, I show the youth how to fish. It's all about mindset. You know, we cannot go about giving fish. We have to teach them how to fish. So it's all about the mindset. How do you understand if you have 100 cities? How do you think you'll be disciplined to spend it? At the end of the day, even making profit, you have to understand what is profit. You also have to understand your environment. So if we, those who are one step ahead of the rest, can sacrifice some time and bring these youth together to tell them that look, you have to understand the street, the book, and God. You should know these three come together in our ecosystem. The street? The book and God.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, let's take streets. Yeah. Why street? Because I know you be you you were a street boy. Yeah. What values did the street teach you that has been valuable in your business dealings today?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you know, hunger, you know, the street taught me how to fight. The street taught me how to win. The street taught me how to respect and subject to authority. In those days, I mean, you you're rough, but you should know you are see you have seniors. You have to have principle how to go around your seniors. You have to fight. I had I had a herself rest in peace. I had an illiterate, well-cultured African woman who was my mother who taught me the street. My mother taught me how to survive. You won't go out and cry home. When you cry home, she'll beat you and go back and come home smiling. That was my mother. So that's the street. And the street also teaches you that one plus one is not two. One plus one is actually three on the street.

SPEAKER_00:

Wanna break it down for me?

SPEAKER_01:

You know, you you gotta win. Whatever you do, you gotta win. But a lot of people don't know there's a lot of humility to learn on the street. The streets can humble you.

SPEAKER_00:

So, me, I'm not from the street. So if you're teaching me the mindset of the street, what would it, what would you teach me today?

SPEAKER_01:

Go and get bruises and come back. Okay. Go and get bruises and come back. There's a lot of fellows. You know, our life, the ecosystem that we live in today, right? We have to understand our own environment. We have to understand how your street might not be my street, your street might be another street. Your street might be not giving up and whatever you touch. Rather you're a successful young man, maybe the next thing is to buy a private chair for yourself for yourself. You understand. But what do you how do you want to succeed? How do you want to try? Do you see you just you just quit? Or do you just say no to what is difficult? How many times do you come back? Those are the things on the street.

SPEAKER_00:

So now let's talk about the books. Yeah. Why why are the books important for success?

SPEAKER_01:

You know, the world is changing so fast, and if you don't go by the book, you won't reach far. The world has become a global village. You have to go to school, pick a degree, and pick another degree, and pick another degree. You know, you you you need to move. I dropped, I was a dropout from school. I got to know the university. I was dropped out for 15 years. I was at 15 years. I went back to school to pick my degree. I came back to work and went back to pick my master's.

SPEAKER_00:

Which at that point, I think one of your interviews, you said you had over 30 million. 40. I had some good money. Good money in your account. Some good money. Why did you use why were you still able to maintain the composure to, you know, go back to school and sit in a classroom for how are you able to do that?

SPEAKER_01:

You know, as you move in life, there's something called self-actualization.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

You need to get to that level that you will not get shortchanged. At least I did it also for my children. If daddy can go back to school after 40, what excuse do you have? I did it for the youth of today. If the youth of today can read my book and say, okay, Macaulay went back to school after 40. I was one of the best students. Made time. Still, you know, it is difficult to have money and be disciplined. Talk to me. It's difficult to be sitting on good cash to be disciplined. So how do you compose yourself? You know, there's something called attitude. Attitude has been embedded in you. Just imagine you're waking up at 3 a.m., 4 a.m. sit by a book, learn till 7 or 6, move to the office, work, check your time, 4, 5 o'clock, you're on a motorbike, to classroom for a quiz. After quiz, you get back to the office. After school, you get back to the office. And from the office, you get home around 10, 11. You need you need discipline. You need to be disciplined to do that. Meanwhile, you have money.

SPEAKER_00:

It's not an easy journey. I think a lot of the time, you know, we speak about have discipline, have composure. You know, especially on the topic of discipline. Yeah. We say this a lot. But what systems do you have in place to make sure that you do what you said you want to do?

SPEAKER_01:

Everything has to start with you. It's you, it's it's nobody else. Discipline starts with you. And if you want to be successful, very successful, you have to be disciplined. I always talk about discipline because the next the next world is discipline. Look, you can be as successful as you want to be, but when you are not disciplined, that'll be very difficult. I always say that a success without story is not a stuff. It's not success. You can't just get up and say, I'm a billionaire without a story. You should have history. You cannot be rich without history. You can't do what you want to do without proper history. There must be history in your world.

SPEAKER_00:

Let me stop you here for a minute. We are on a journey of changing the minds and the lives of people. So if you haven't subscribed and become part of the family, please hit the subscribe button and turn on the notification. Thank you. Now let's carry on with the conversation. Wow. So we're gonna go back to how you made your first million. Love it.

SPEAKER_01:

Connected Minds Podcast.