T. Harv Elker, author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, found himself failing often. He wanted to be rich, and so he started observing rich people around him. Elker realized that we all have a money blueprint that was formed in our minds early in our lives. He also noticed that all rich people think similarly about money. His book explores both money blueprints and the 17 ways rich people think differently from poor and middle-class people. Here are some of my favorite quotes.
“I do not believe that rich people are better than poor people. They’re just richer.”
“[I]f you want to be rich in the truest sense of the word, it can’t only be about you. It has to include adding value to other people’s lives.”
“If you want to create wealth, it is imperative that you believe that you are at the steering wheel of your life, especially your financial life.”
“[F]irst you work hard for money, then you let money work hard for you.”
“[Y]ou can become financially free on a small income. If you mismanage your money, you can’t become financially free, even on a huge income.”
“If you are willing to do only what’s easy, life will be hard. But if you are willing to do what’s hard, life will be easy.”
“[I]f you don’t think money is important, you simply won’t have any.”
“If your intention is to have enough to pay the bills, that’s exactly how much you’ll get – just enough to pay the bills and not a dime more.”
“Seeking security comes from insecurity, which is based in fear.”
“[O]ne of the biggest differences between rich people and poor people is that rich people are willing to act in spite of fear.”
“You can be a victim or you can be rich, but you can’t be both.”
“Put bluntly, if you are not achieving the wealth you say you desire, there’s a good chance it’s because, first, you subconsciously don’t really want wealth, or second, you’re not willing to do what it takes to create it.”
“If your goal is to be comfortable, chances are you’ll never get rich. But if your goal is to be rich, chances are you’ll end up mighty comfortable.”
“A lack of money is never, ever, ever a problem. A lack of money is merely a symptom of what is going on underneath.”
“[E]very rich action is preceded by a rich way of thinking.”
“[R]ich people focus on what they want, poor people focus on what they don’t want.”
“Is it because they’re broke that they resent the rich, or because they resent rich people that they’re broke?”
“It comes down to this: either you control money, or it will control you.”
“More often than not, “spending” money you don’t have comes from “expending” emotions you do have.”
“[R]ich people have a lot of money and spend a little, while poor people have a little money and spend a lot.”
“Don’t wait to buy real estate, buy real estate and wait.”
“Every dollar you spend today may actually cost you a hundred dollars tomorrow.”
This book allows for quite a bit of self-reflection: What is your money blueprint? Do you think like wealthy people do or not? Does it matter? Do you actually want to be wealthy or is comfort enough for you? I fully agree with Elker that rich people think differently than others do, but that doesn’t make “non-rich thinkers” bad people. If you don’t think like the rich do, and you want to be rich, Elker gives you the tools you need to change your thinking. If you don’t think like the rich do and you don’t want to be rich, don’t read the book (although if you got this far in this post, you probably do want to be wealthy, and you should read Secrets of the Millionaire Mind).
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