Some people have a 'rich' mentality; others (which is most people) either have a 'poor' mentality or a 'comfortable' mentality. You mentality determines your general, habitual level of wealth. Although there might be ups and downs, a person with a poor mentality will generally always be poor. What happens to lottery winners? If they have a poor person's mentality, they're going to loose the cash., so they might be rich for a while, but in the end, they finish up poor again, or even in debt - worse than they were before! I came across a story on MSN that makes the point very well. For me, the most telling quotation is from a study which concluded that 'people who come into a windfall will typically put buying a house as No. 1 in list of 12 choices, while investing is No. 11.' That says it all. These people don't have a clue.
On the other hand, 'rich mentality' people are going to be rich no matter what. The stock market might crash, their business might burn down, or whatever. But they'll build it up again and in the end they'll finish up rich.
Most people have a mixture of rich and poor mentalities - they're happy to be 'comfortable.' they're happy with the four bedroom semi detached house, the two middle of the range cars in the front drive, the local private school for their kids, a couple of holidays a year, maybe business class.
Where do these mentalities come from? Well I suppose we get them from our parents. As Philip Larkin wrote, 'They fill you with the faults they had, and add a few more just for you.' My own parents were (and still are) poor and I guess they filled me with a 'poor man's' mindset. But before we start blaming our parents for all the evils of the world and, especially, of our own situation, remember that 'they were f****d up in their turn' and that 'man hands on misery to man. It deepens like a coastal shelf.' But this doesn't mean we have no choice. when I look back over my life, it's clear that until I became conscious about my habitual thinking patterns, I did live a rather shabby and poor existence. But I changed, I took control, I started to consciously orchestrate my life. And that's the point. In the end, you are responsible for your life - you cannot blame or thank anyone but yourself. If you're poor - you did it. If you're rich - you did it.
It's all about knowing you are in control and choosing your future. You don't have to be afraid because you are in control. You are not the victim of the unseen powers of chance. What you choose is what you get.
So stop the whining, stop making excuses, get out there and be rich!
[Picture is from The Men of Edna Blog]
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