secrets of the millionaire mind

Are wealth and happiness “Elusive”?

Elusive – Daily writing prompt

Are things like happiness and wealth elusive?

“Nothing good ever happens to me!”

“I’ll never be rich”

These are just some of the internal scripts that unhappy and broke people use to describe their lives. I believe that the key to changing our circumstances relies heavily on changing those internal scripts.

In one of my favorite books, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, T. Harv Eker talks about his “hokey” affirmations that helped him reprogram how he thought about wealth and money. Definitely recommend.

-They say the difference between a good day and a bad day depends on your attitude. The stimulus/event is the same, but your reaction to it is what makes the difference.

-Happiness works the same way. Your day isn’t good or bad. It just is. But happiness is definitely a choice that lies in between the event and how you choose to feel about it. Knowing this will give you the greatest power over your mind.

-They say a true master/warrior is one who can control his or her own mind and emotions.

-One of my favorite quotes on gratitude:

“What makes you think you deserve more when you don’t even appreciate what you have?”

-When in doubt, an attitude of gratitude will help you feel happier.

In terms of wealth, the same principles apply.

-As Tony Robbins says, you can’t become wealthy. You start wealthy and then work to become financially free.

–Abundance mentality vs scarcity mentality is HUGE. This principle applies in everything we do and how we see things.

-People who are broke are largely so because they have scarcity mentality. They hoard, save, don’t give and help others, and are constantly in a mindset of lack and not having enough. The don’t share and are afraid of giving because they feel like they lose. They don’t take risks and they sacrifice quality of life for cheap and budget.

-People who are wealthy are largely so because of their abundance mentality. It requires a lot of optimism and vision to create something of huge value and become rich. They give constantly because they’re grateful and know there’s plenty to go around. They take chances because they see the upsides. They share thoughts and ideas because they know better ones come from open information and collaboration. They opt for quality over lower price.

-If you don’t start wealthy in your mind, you have no chance of becoming rich. You have to act and be what you want.

“You don’t get what you want, you get what you are.”

Start wealthy and happy, don’t become it. It’s not elusive unless you think it is.

Small problems, small person

The size of the problem determines the size of the person.

So this morning as I was headed to the gym for my 5:30am workout, I somehow managed to lose my earbuds during the walk from my car to the gym (as I was taking a selfie for my workout accountability group). I spent the next 5-10 minutes retracing my steps, getting frustrated at the fact that I may have just lost my $20 apple ear buds.

gym selfie — Somewhere between the walk from my car to this selfie is when I lost them =(

A couple weeks prior, I had to replace my $10 gym lock that I absentmindedly left in the men’s locker room. Needless to say, I was ticked that I can’t seem to stop wasting money on things I lose.

After giving up the search, I realized that I was getting worked up over something so small. Yes, $20 can buy a lot of things like a all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ or 2 admission tickets to a new release movie in theaters. And I’m not a rich person, but I’m also not so financially insecure where replacing lost earphones would mean I couldn’t eat for the next few days.

My point: why was I letting something so trivial get me down?

In the book “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind,” T. Harv Eker makes a comparison about the mentalities “rich” people versus “poor” people. He says that poor people are smaller than their problems, whereas rich people are bigger than their problems.

This is how I interpret it: if I let something small get me down, then I’m a small person. Small problems don’t affect big people, only big problems.

As one part of my daily habits, I recite what’s called a “commercial affirmation” to myself. Its pretty self-explanatory, but it’s basically a paragraph of affirmations written in the third person about the person I want to become in the future. Or as a mentor of mine says, my “higher self.” I do this once a day, usually in the mornings before my commute to work.

When something small like losing my earphones gets me worked up, I think: would my higher self, the multi-millionaire entrepreneur, international speaker, and bestselling author be phased by this?

The answer is always a resounding “Nope.”

If the size of the problems determines the size of the person, how “big” of a person are you? What’s getting you down that you know isn’t worth your time, energy, or attention?

I’ve always been taught that mindset is where it all begins. When you can control how you think, you can control your reality.

Event + Response = Outcome.

But that’s a whole topic in itself, haha. As of now, I have a new lock, 2 sets of earphones (a backup in case I lose mine again), and I haven’t even given it a second thought.

ear buds — Daiso earbuds = $1.50. Problem solved. B)