Is it possible that just “thinking rich” can make you rich?
Now I’m not sure that I’m the best person to ask that question to. While I am fortunate enough to have no real money worries, I wouldn’t exactly call myself rich.However I do have some associates that have been able to literally go from rags to riches in just a few years. How did they do it? Inside tips on the stock market? Working 90 hour weeks? Discovering a legal recreational drug? Not quite.For example take my friend, Christopher Howard. Chris was a member of my Dale Carnegie Sales Course about five years ago. He was an average guy. Had a fairly modest career in sales. His income was maybe $60,000 or $70,000 per year. But something was missing for Chris. He just wasn’t happy being “average.” So he changed all that. Now he has his own growing group of businesses with a million dollar plus income.I had Chris on my radio show just this past Saturday and asked him how he did it. His answer is what most wealthy people say: “It was easy.” Now like you I’m thinking, “yea right, easy for you, but what about me and the millions of others who drive next to us on the freeway every day grumbling on their way to at a job they loathe?” We need to change the way we THINK, Chris went on to tell me. He said, many people go through their lives under the illusion that they cannot change those elements of their personalities or aspects of their experience that they are not satisfied with.He made it his life’s work to study those that did make that change. He spoke about Donald Trump, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Michael Dell and a host of others. Chris decided to read their biographies, study their lives and understand the values they embraced and decisions they made which thrust them to success. Then he began modeling those behaviors. He took responsibility for his success. He stopped waiting for his big break and made it happen! And like magic, now he’s one of them!Let me ask you, what’s stopping us from doing the very same thing? Nothing – only our own thoughts. By the way the transformation in Chris was so profound that he spends his days and nights telling other people about it and helping them to achieve the very same thing. You can check out Chris Howard’s company at http://www.powerofinfluence.com/.And listen to my interview with him at www.smallbusinesshour.com. Is it true that by simply changing your thoughts you can completely change what you have in life? How could it be that simple? It is, but first you have to believe. Most people want to see something happen, then believe in it. To be successful you have to do the opposite. Believe in it first, then you will see it.Recently I interviewed Zig Ziglar on my show and I asked him the secret to success. He told me, you may have whatever you want in life… if you help enough people get what THEY want! Zig went on to tell me that if you see yourself as a successful person, in time you will become the person you see. However visualization and affirmations are not enough, you must have clearly defined goals. “With a plan we are geniuses, without a plan idiots,” Napoleon Hill said in Think and Grow Rich nearly 70 years ago. It’s all about changing our mindset. Whatever a man thinks himself to be; that is what he shall be.Along these same lines I thought I’d share this great list that I found on the internet of why being Broke (or thinking poor) is a waste of life. Check it out at http://www.mentorsinmotion.com/html/rich_vs_broke.html.1. The Broke think everything is too good to be true, while the rich think that getting a job sounds too bad to be true.2. Broke people give up when things don’t go their way; a few disappointments and they are onto something else, saying things like “it wasn’t for me.” The rich work harder and become more determined when things go bad, and understand that you have to take the bad with the good to make it.3. Broke people always have an excuse. Rich people say “my fault” and refuse to make excuses.4. Broke people think that not getting what they want is OK. Rich people are disgusted at the thought of not getting what they want and will do whatever it takes.5. Broke people always have to talk it over with their broke friends to make sure no one will make fun of them if they make a decision. Rich people think for themselves and could care less what their broke friends think.6. Broke people are never coachable and teachable. Rich people are always learning, even when the money starts coming in, they never stop learning from those who were there first.7. Broke people are scared of others. Rich people entrust in others and know that other people are crucial for their success.8. Broke people are always procrastinating; they would rather talk about it, read about it, think about it, but never seem to do anything. Rich people hate doing anything but getting it done.9. Broke people are glad when the day is over. Rich people love when the day begins.10. Broke people think rich people are lucky. Rich people put themselves into a position to be “lucky,” and then work hard to make the “luck” show up.11. Broke people work by the hour. Rich people work by the month. Broke people want to know that after 1 hour of work they have something to show for it. Rich people find broke people who think like that and make them their employees.12. Broke people get excited they just got hired. Rich people think it is funny that someone could be fooled that easily; they are just making the rich person more rich.13. Broke people complain a lot. Rich people are thankful that no one shot at them today, they didn’t have to fight in a war, and that they don’t have a job.14. Broke people are too concerned about what other people are doing. Rich people are only concerned about what they can be doing to get more done. Broke people think that if no one is doing something, it must suck. Rich people think that if no one is doing something, it means more money for them. Broke people think that if everyone (all 200 people at the meeting in a city of 1 million) is doing something, it must be saturated. Rich people think that broke people aren’t too bright.15. Broke people think it is OK for other people to live where they want to live, drive what they want to drive, and do what they want to do. Broke people are OK with the fact that they can’t do these things. Rich people get sick just thinking about being average. Broke people think that other people’s opinions are worth more than their dreams. Rich people know that their dreams are worth more than other people’s opinions.”To be rich, you must learn from the broke and do not do what they do nor think how they think.”By the way if you want to find out how long it will take you to become a millionaire, check out this very cool little calculator at http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/millionaire/millionaire.htmlI hope that this “Business Update” has been helpful in assisting you to improve the performance of your organization. For more information on how the Small Business Advisory Network assists companies in improving their performance, please feel free to contact us at 310-320-8190 or email mdeo@sbanetwork.org.Mark Deo