Think Rich to Be Rich

There are a ton of books, blogs, and a lot of people who claim to be experts on how to be rich. Some of those people are rich, some want to become rich telling you how to become rich, and some are rich but would like to become richer by telling you how they became rich. So, who should you believe, and what advice should you act on?

First let’s do away with a lot of myths about the wealthy. Here are a few of the Why I’m not rich myths:

1. I’m not a crook.
2. I don’t have rich relatives.
3. I’m not a gold digger, such as a wife or a mistress.

There is also a rumor that women are attracted to rich and confident men. Is it true? (see picture above)

The list goes on and on, and all on this list are self-defeating ways of thinking. To make money you need to get your mind thinking the right positive way. Don’t say "I can’t, unless I’m lucky because …," rather say "I can because others have done it, and so can I."

Making money requires two main ingredients, or behaviors:

1. Commitment
2. Focus

Both of these behaviors are motivated by positive thinking that a positive outcome will happen, and setbacks will not be viewed as failures, but rather as signs that you need to be achieving your goal differently to remove those obstacles that stand in your way.

Some people say you should only work on the 5% of tasks that make you money, and nothing else, or work by an 80/20 rule. Perhaps you’ve heard of The 4-Hour Workweekby Timothy Ferriss. All of these approaches have some merit, but much of these philosophies only begin to work after you’ve achieved success and attained some wealth.

There is nothing wrong with working hard, but it is important to make sure you don’t take on too many projects at once. Commit yourself to doing a great job, but stay focused on that one task until it is completed. Too many distractions can cause you to lose focus, and might prevent you from succeeding to achieve your goal.

One of the most influential books on this subject came from Napoleon Hill in 1937 called Think and Grow Rich. Although the book gives generalized advice it is based on the thinking process, and behavior, of some of the richest and most successful men in history, and the lessons remain true for all of the rich and successful men alive today.

Much of Napleon Hill’s work was based on interviews with probably the richest man ever in the world, Andrew Carnegie, who’s net worth by 2007 U.S. dollar standards was $298.3 billion.

If you want to make a lot of money, and have great success, I would highly recommend starting with Think and Grow Rich. Although this book was written in 1937 it is still a best seller.