Rich people have a way of thinking that is different from poor and
middle class people. They think differently about money, wealth,
themselves, other people, and life. Let’s examine six crucial differences
between how rich people think and how poor or middle class people think.
By doing so, you will have some alternative beliefs in the files of your mind
from which to choose. In this way, you can catch yourself thinking as poor
people do and quickly switch over to how rich people think.
Remember, beliefs are not
right, wrong, true or false, they're just past opinions which can be changed on
your command. The fact is, you can CHOOSE to think in ways that will support
you instead of ways that don't.
1. Rich People Believe "I Create
My Life"
Poor people believe "Life happens to me."
If you want to create wealth, it is imperative that you believe
that you are at the steering wheel of your life; that you create every moment
of your life, especially your financial life. If you don't believe this, then
you must believe you have little control over your life and that financial
success has nothing to do with you. That is not a very rich attitude.
Instead of taking responsibility for what's going on in their lives, poor
people choose to play the role of victim. Of course, any "victim's"
predominant thought process is "poor me." And presto, through the law
of intention that's literally what they get; "poor," as in money, me.
Here's some homework I promise will change your life. For the next seven days,
I challenge you not to complain at all. Not just out loud, but in your head
too. I've given this little challenge to thousands of people and several
hundred have personally told me that this exercise completely transformed their
lives. I invite you to email me with the results of this experiment. I
guarantee you'll be astonished as to how amazing your life will become when you
stop focusing on the "crap."
It's time to decide. You can be a victim OR you can be rich, but you can't be
both. It's time to take back your power and acknowledge the fact that you
create every moment of your life. That you create everything that is in your
life and everything that is not in it. That you create your wealth and you
create your non-wealth and everything in between.
2. Rich People Play the Money Game to
Win
Poor people play the money game not to lose.
Poor people play the money game on defense rather than offense.
Let me ask you, if you were to play any sport or any game strictly on defense,
what are the chances of you winning that game? Most people agree; slim and
none.
Yet, that's exactly how most
people play the money game. Their primary concern is survival and security, not
wealth and abundance. So, what is your goal? What is your real objective? What
is your true intention?
Rich people's big goal is to have massive wealth and abundance. Poor people's
big goal is to have "enough to pay the bills..." on time would be a
miracle! Again, let me remind you of the power of intention. When your
objective is to have enough to pay the bills, that's exactly how much you'll
get; just enough to pay the bills and usually not a cent more. You get what you
truly intend to get. If you want to get rich, your goal has to be
"rich." Not just enough to pay the bills and not just enough to be
comfortable. Rich, darn it, rich!
3. Rich People Are Committed to Being
Rich
Poor people are uncommitted to being rich.
Most of us have good reasons as to why it would be wonderful to
be rich, but what about the other side of the coin? Are there reasons why it
might not be so great to be rich or go through the process of trying to get
rich?
Each of us has a file on wealth in our mind. This file contains our personal
beliefs that include why being wealthy would be great. But for many people,
their file also includes information as to why being rich might not be so
great. These people have mixed internal messages around money and especially
wealth.
One part of them says, "Having more money will make life a lot more
fun." But then another part screams, "Yeah, but "I'm going to have
to work like a dog! What kind of fun is that?" One part says, "I'll
be able to travel the world." then the other part responds, "Yeah,
and everyone in the world will want something from me." These mixed
messages are one of the biggest reasons that most people never become rich.
In fact, the #1 reason most people don't get what they want is they don't know
what they want. Rich people are totally clear they want wealth. They are
unwavering in their desire. They are fully committed to creating wealth. They
will do "whatever it takes" to have wealth as long as it's moral,
legal and ethical. Rich people do not send mixed messages to the universe. Poor
people do.
I hate to break the news to you, but getting rich is not a "stroll in the
park." It's takes focus, expertise, 100% effort, and "never say
die" perseverance. You have to really commit to it, both consciously and
subconsciously. You have to believe in your heart you can do it and you deserve
it. If you are not fully committed to creating wealth, chances are you won't.
Poor people think small.
We once had a trainer teaching at one of our seminars who went from a net worth
of $250 thousand to over $600 million in only 3 years. When asked his secret he
said, "Everything changed the day I began to think big." In my book,
SpeedWealth, I discuss the "Law of Income" which states that
"you will be paid in direct proportion to the value you deliver according
to the market place."
Another way of understanding this is to answer the following question: How many
people do you actually serve or affect?
For instance in my business, some trainers enjoy speaking to groups of 20,
others are comfortable with 100, others like an audience of 500, still others
want 5000 people or more in attendance. Is there is a difference in income
between these trainers? You bet there is.
Who are you? How do you want to live your life? How do you want to play the
game?
Do you want to play in the big leagues or in little league, in the majors or
the minors?
Will you play big or play small? It's your choice.
But hear this. It's not about you. It's about living your mission. It's about
living true to your purpose. It's about adding your piece of the puzzle to the
world. It's about serving others.
Most of us are so stuck in our egos that everything revolves around "me,
me and more me." But again, it's not about you, it's about adding value to
other people's lives. It's your choice. One road leads to being broke and
miserable, the other leads to money, meaning, and fulfillment.
It's time to stop hiding out and start stepping out. It's time to stop needing
and start leading. It's time to start being the star that you are. It's time to
share your gifts and value in a BIG way. There could be thousands or even
millions of people counting on you. Are you up to the challenge for our society
and our children's sake? Let's hope so.
5. Rich People Are Bigger Than Their Problems
Poor people are smaller than their problems.
Getting rich is not a stroll in the park. It's a journey that
is full of obstacles, twists, and detours. The simple fact is, success is
messy. The road is fraught with pitfalls and that's why most people don't take
it. They don't want the hassles, the headaches and the responsibilities. In
short, they don't want the problems.
Therein lies one of the biggest differences between rich people and poor
people. Rich and successful people are bigger than their problems while poor
and unsuccessful people are smaller than their problems.
Poor people will do almost anything to avoid anything that looks like it could
be a problem. They back away from challenges. The irony is that in their quest
to make sure they don't have problems, they have the biggest problem of all...
they're broke and miserable.
The secret to success is not
to try to avoid or shrink your problems; it's to grow yourself so you're bigger
than any problem.
Imagine a "level 2" character person looking at a "level 5"
problem. Would this problem appear to be big or small? The answer is that from
a "level 2" perspective, a "level 5" problem would seem
BIG.
Now imagine a "level 8" person looking at the same "level
5" problem. From this person's perspective, is this problem big or small?
Magically the identical problem is now a SMALL problem.
And for a "level 10" person, it's NO problem at all. It's just an
everyday occurrence, like getting dressed or brushing your teeth. Whether you
are rich or poor, playing big or playing small, problems do not go away. If
you're breathing, you will always have so-called "problems."
What's important to realize is that the size of the problem is never the real
issue. What matters is the size of you!
Remember, your wealth can only grow to the extent that you do! The idea is to
grow yourself to a place where you can overcome any problems that get in your
way of creating wealth and keeping it once you have it.
Rich people do not back away from problems, do not avoid problems and do not
complain about problems. Rich people are financial warriors and when a warrior
is confronted with a challenge they shout: BRING IT ON!
6. Rich People Focus on Opportunities
Poor people focus on problems.
Rich people see potential growth. Poor people see potential
loss.
Rich people focus on the rewards. Poor people focus on the risks.
It's the age-old question, is the glass half empty or half full? We're not
merely talking about "positive thinking" here, we're talking about a
habitual way of seeing the world. Poor people come from fear. Their minds are
constantly scanning for what's wrong or what could go wrong in any situation.
Their primary mindset is "What if it doesn't work?" or, more bluntly,
"It won't work." Rich people, as we discussed earlier, take
responsibility for creating their life and come from the mindset, "It will
work because I'll make it work."
In the financial world, as in most other arenas, risk is directly proportionate
to reward; generally, the higher the reward, the higher the risk. People with
rich mentalities are willing to take that risk.
Rich people expect to succeed. They have confidence in their abilities, they
have confidence in their creativity and they believe that should the
"doo-doo hit the fan", they can always make their money back or
succeed in another way.
On the other hand, poor people expect to fail. They lack confidence in
themselves and in their abilities, and should things not work out, they believe
it would be catastrophic.
You have to do something, buy something, or start something in order to
succeed financially. You have to see opportunities for profit all around you
instead of focusing on ways of losing money.
Dare!
Natalia Levis-Fox