第10章
The Mindset That Creates Wealth
There have never been more opportunities to become wealthy than exist today. In 1900, America had only 5,000 millionaires, but by 2015, there were over 10 million millionaires and 1,826 billionaires, most starting with nothing. The Law of Correspondence dictates that your outer world reflects your inner world-to be wealthy outside, you must first think like a wealthy person inside.
After reaching millionaire status, Tracy discovered seven reasons why people don't become wealthy: (1) it never occurs to them that they can, (2) they never decide to do it, (3) they procrastinate and live in "Someday I'll" land, (4) they fear failure, (5) they fear criticism and disapproval, (6) they stop learning and growing, and (7) they lack persistence. Fortunately, each limitation can be overcome through learning and practice.
Your self-concept, considered psychology's biggest breakthrough in human potential development, determines how you act. When you think of yourself in positive, financially successful ways internally, you begin acting consistently with those beliefs externally until they become reality. Children raised in affluent homes by self-made parents typically develop success-oriented beliefs and accept nothing less for themselves.
Developing a wealthy self-concept usually requires years of exposure to wealthy people's habits. However, sometimes a single exposure to an influential person-through a seminar, book, or audio program-can dramatically shift someone's self-image to that of a "financial success waiting to happen."
Throughout history, wealth was often acquired by taking it from others. After 1815 in Europe and later in America, a new phenomenon emerged: people created wealth by producing products and services others wanted and would pay for. Legal systems protected this wealth creation, enriching countries embracing market systems.
Today, new immigrants to the United States are four times more likely to become millionaires than native-born Americans, as they still recognize the fundamental key to becoming rich: find a need and fill it. As Steve Siebold says, "If you want to make a lot of money, find a big problem that a lot of people have, and solve it in a new way."
Rich people have rich habits, and poor people have poor habits. This fundamental difference determines financial destiny. Rich people constantly seek ways to create value through products and services that enhance others' lives. They believe in putting in before taking out, rejecting the notion of easy money. Poor people, conversely, seek something for nothing-success without achievement, riches without labor.
With 95 percent of behavior determined by habits, successful people develop patterns that lead to productivity and financial success. While all habits are learnable through practice, the question becomes, "How badly do you want it?" You can start with every advantage but fail without proper mental habits, or begin with no advantages but succeed through excellent habits.
In Forbes' 2015 survey of self-made billionaires, 76 percent attributed their success to "hard work and self-discipline." Millionaires typically work sixty hours weekly across six days, starting early and finishing late. As music impresario David Foster noted, "I don't know any successful people who work less than six days a week."
Most millionaires don't consider their work as labor-they simply do what they love and get paid well for it. They avoid wasting time, constantly focusing on revenue generation by serving customers better, faster, and cheaper than competitors, always asking, "Is this the most valuable use of my time in achieving my goals?"
Millionaires are intensely goal-oriented with a major definite purpose or BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) that dominates their thinking. They establish specific financial measures and deadlines for each goal, practice frugality, examine every investment detail, and focus on accumulation-earning and preserving wealth.
Rich people watch less than one hour of television per day, while poor people watch five to eight hours daily. Wealthy people dedicate two to three hours daily to learning new ideas through reading, listening, and studying. They subscribe to business book summaries and articles, believing that one key idea combined with existing knowledge could transform their business.
Wealthy people prioritize their physical health, staying well-informed about longevity practices. They recognize that success requires sustained energy to work longer hours and maintain peak performance. As one expert noted, "the most important asset of any business is rested executive thinking time"-something wealthy people actively cultivate.
Opportunities for earning more money and achieving financial goals have never been more abundant. As Earl Nightingale said, "Before you can have something more and different, you must become someone more and different." By the Law of Indirect Effort, when you single-mindedly develop the thinking styles and behaviors of wealthy people, you'll naturally become wealthy yourself, both internally and externally.
