Came across this article at Yahoo today........it's not far from the truth. An awakening call.......
*****
World's richest woman Gina Rinehart is enduring a
media firestorm over an article in which she takes the "jealous"
middle class to task for "drinking, or smoking and socializing"
rather than working to earn their own fortune. What if she has a point?
Steve Siebold, author of ‘How Rich People Think’, spent
nearly three decades interviewing millionaires around the world to find out
what separates them from everyone else. It had little to do with money itself,
he told Business Insider. It was about their mentality. "[The middle
class] tells people to be happy with what they have," he said. "And
on the whole, most people are steeped in fear when it comes to money."
1. Average people think MONEY is the root of all evil. Rich people
believe POVERTY is the root of all evil.
"The average person has been brainwashed to
believe rich people are lucky or dishonest," Siebold writes. That's why
there's a certain shame that comes along with "getting rich" in
lower-income communities.
"The world class knows that while having money
doesn't guarantee happiness, it does make your life easier and more
enjoyable."
2. Average people think selfishness is a vice. Rich people think
selfishness is a virtue.
"The rich go out there and try to make
themselves happy. They don't try to pretend to save the world," Siebold
told Business Insider.
The problem is that middle class people see that as
a negative––and it's keeping them poor, he writes. "If you're not taking
care of you, you're not in a position to help anyone else. You can't give what
you don't have."
3. Average people have a lottery mentality. Rich people have an
action mentality.
"While the masses are waiting to pick the right
numbers and praying for prosperity, the great ones are solving problems,"
Siebold writes.
"The hero [middle class people] are waiting for
may be God, government, their boss or their spouse. It's the average person's
level of thinking that breeds this approach to life and living while the clock
keeps ticking away."
4. Average people think the road to riches is paved with formal
education. Rich people believe in acquiring specific knowledge.
"Many world-class performers have little formal
education, and have amassed their wealth through the acquisition and subsequent
sale of specific knowledge," he writes. "Meanwhile, the masses are
convinced that master's degrees and doctorates are the way to wealth, mostly
because they are trapped in the linear line of thought that holds them back
from higher levels of consciousness...The wealthy aren't interested in the means,
only the end."
5. Average people long for the good old days. Rich people dream of
the future.
"Self-made millionaires get rich because
they're willing to bet on themselves and project their dreams, goals and ideas
into an unknown future," Siebold writes.
"People who believe their best days are behind
them rarely get rich, and often struggle with unhappiness and depression."
6. Average people see money through the eyes of emotion. Rich
people think about money logically.
"An ordinarily smart, well-educated and
otherwise successful person can be instantly transformed into a fear-based,
scarcity driven thinker whose greatest financial aspiration is to retire
comfortably," he writes.
"The world class sees money for what it is and
what it's not, through the eyes of logic. The great ones know money is a
critical tool that presents options and opportunities."
7. Average people earn money doing things they don't love. Rich
people follow their passion.
"To the average person, it looks like the rich
are working all the time," Siebold says. "But one of the smartest
strategies of the world class is doing what they love and finding a way to get
paid for it."
On the other hand, middle class take jobs they don't
enjoy "because they need the money and they've been trained in school and
conditioned by society to live in a linear thinking world that equates earning
money with physical or mental effort."
8. Average people set low expectations so they're never
disappointed. Rich people are up for the challenge.
"Psychologists and other mental health experts
often advise people to set low expectations for their life to ensure they are
not disappointed," Siebold writes.
"No one would ever strike it rich and live
their dreams without huge expectations."
9. Average people believe you have to DO something to get rich.
Rich people believe you have to BE something to get rich.
"That's why people like Donald Trump go from
millionaire to nine billion dollars in debt and come back richer than
ever," he writes.
"While the masses are fixated on the doing and
the immediate results of their actions, the great ones are learning and growing
from every experience, whether it's a success or a failure, knowing their true
reward is becoming a human success machine that eventually produces outstanding
results."
10. Average people believe you need money to make money. Rich
people use other people's money.
Linear thought might tell people to make money in
order to earn more, but Siebold says the rich aren't afraid to fund their
future from other people's pockets.
"Rich people know not being solvent enough to
personally afford something is not relevant. The real question is, 'Is this
worth buying, investing in, or pursuing?'" he writes.
11. Average people believe the markets are driven by logic and
strategy. Rich people know they're driven by emotion and greed.
Investing successfully in the stock market isn't
just about a fancy math formula. "The rich know that the primary emotions
that drive financial markets are fear and greed, and they factor this into all
trades and trends they observe," Siebold writes.
"This knowledge of human nature and its
overlapping impact on trading give them strategic advantage in building greater
wealth through leverage."
12. Average people live beyond their means. Rich people live below
theirs.
"Here's how to live below your means and tap
into the secret wealthy people have used for centuries: Get rich so you can
afford to," he writes.
"The rich live below their means, not because
they're so savvy, but because they make so much money that they can afford to
live like royalty while still having a king's ransom socked away for the
future."
13. Average people teach their children how to survive. Rich people
teach their kids to get rich.
Rich parents teach their kids from an early age
about the world of "haves" and "have-nots," Siebold says.
Even he admits many people have argued that he's supporting the idea of
elitism. He disagrees.
"[People] say parents are teaching their kids
to look down on the masses because they're poor. This isn't true," he
writes. "What they're teaching their kids is to see the world through the
eyes of objective reality––the way society really is." If children
understand wealth early on, they'll be more likely to strive for it later in
life.
14. Average people let money stress them out. Rich people find
peace of mind in wealth.
The reason wealthy people earn more wealth is that
they're not afraid to admit that money can solve most problems, Siebold says.
"[The middle class] sees money as a
never-ending necessary evil that must be endured as part of life. The world class
sees money as the great liberator, and with enough of it, they are able to
purchase financial peace of mind."
15. Average people would rather be entertained than educated. Rich
people would rather be educated than entertained.
While the rich don't put much stock in furthering
wealth through formal education, they appreciate the power of learning long
after college is over, Siebold says.
"Walk into a wealthy person's home and one of
the first things you'll see is an extensive library of books they've used to
educate themselves on how to become more successful," he writes. "The
middle class reads novels, tabloids and entertainment magazines."
16. Average people think rich people are snobs. Rich people just
want to surround themselves with like-minded people.
The negative money mentality poisoning the middle
class is what keeps the rich hanging out with the rich, he says. "[Rich
people] can't afford the messages of doom and gloom," he writes.
"This is often misinterpreted by the masses as snobbery.
Labeling the world class as snobs is another way the
middle class finds to feel better about themselves and their chosen path of
mediocrity."
17. Average people focus on saving. Rich people focus on earning.
Siebold theorizes that the wealthy focus on what
they'll gain by taking risks, rather than how to save what they have. "The
masses are so focused on clipping coupons and living frugally they miss major
opportunities," he writes.
"Even in the midst of a cash flow crisis, the
rich reject the nickle and dime thinking of the masses. They are the masters of
focusing their mental energy where it belongs: on the big money."
18. Average people play it safe with money. Rich people know when
to take risks.
"Leverage is the watchword of the rich,"
Siebold writes. "Every investor loses money on occasion, but the world
class knows no matter what happens, they will always be able to earn
more."
19. Average people love to be comfortable. Rich people find comfort
in uncertainty.
For the most part, it takes guts to take the risks
necessary to make it as a millionaire––a challenge most middle class thinkers
aren't comfortable living with.
"Physical, psychological, and emotional comfort
is the primary goal of the middle class mindset," Siebold writes. World
class thinkers learn early on that becoming a millionaire isn't easy and the
need for comfort can be devastating. They learn to be comfortable while
operating in a state of ongoing uncertainty."
20. Average people never make the connection between money and
health. Rich people know money can save your life.
While the middle class squabbles over the virtues of
Obama care and their company's health plan, the super wealthy are enrolled in a
super elite "boutique medical care" association, Siebold says.
"They pay a substantial yearly membership fee
that guarantees them 24-hour access to a private physician who only serves a
small group of members," he writes. "Some wealthy neighborhoods have
implemented this strategy and even require the physician to live in the neighborhood."
21. Average people believe they must choose between a great family
and being rich. Rich people know you can have it all.
The idea the wealth must come at the expense of
family time is nothing but a "cop-out", Siebold says.
"The masses have been brainwashed to believe
it's an either/or equation," he writes. "The rich know you can have
anything you want if you approach the challenge with a mindset rooted in love
and abundance."
