Secrets Of The Millionaire Mind : Mastering The Inner Game Of Wealth - T. Harv Eker

Secrets Of The Millionaire Mind : Mastering The Inner Game Of Wealth

The roots create the fruits, the invisible creates the visible

Imagine life as a tree. On this tree, there are fruits that are called results. So, if we look at the fruits (our results) and we don’t like them, either there aren’t enough of them, they’re too small, or they don’t taste good, what do we tend to do about it?

Most of us focus more attention on the fruits, our results. But what is it that actually creates those particular fruits? What is under the ground creates what is above the ground, which are the seeds and roots. It implies that what is invisible creates what is visible. So this means that if you want to change the fruits, you will first have to change the roots. If you want to change the visible, you must first change the invisible.

One of the most important things you need to note is that we live in at least four different realms at once. These four quadrants are the physical world, the mental world, the emotional world, and the spiritual world.

What most people never realize is that the physical realm is merely a “printout” of the other three. For example, let’s suppose you’ve just written a letter on your computer. You hit the print key and the letter comes out of your printer. You look at your hard copy, and lo and behold, you find a typo. So you take out your trusty eraser and rub out the typo. Then you hit print again and out comes the same typo.

What’s going on here is that the real problem cannot be changed in the “printout,” the physical world; it can only be changed in the “program,” the mental, emotional, and spiritual worlds

What is money blueprint and how is it formed?

Each of us has a personal money and success blueprint already embedded in our subconscious mind. And this blueprint, more than anything and everything else combined, will determine your financial destiny. What is a money blueprint? As an analogy, let’s consider the blueprint for a house, which is a preset plan or design for that particular home. In the same way, your money blueprint is simply your preset program or way of being in relation to money.

There is an extremely important formula that helps to determine how you can create your reality and wealth. Many of the most respected teachers in the field of human potential have used this formula as a foundation for their teachings. Called the Process of Manifestation, it goes thus:

T→F→A = R

Thoughts lead to feelings. Feelings lead to actions. Actions lead to results. Therefore, your financial blueprint consists of a combination of your thoughts, feelings, and actions in the arena of money.

A child does not come out of the womb with his or her attitudes toward money but was​ taught how to think about and act concerning money. The same holds for you, for me, for everyone. You were taught how to think and act when it comes to money. These teachings become your conditioning, which becomes automatic responses that run you for the rest of your life. Unless, of course, you intercede and revise your mind’s money files.

Your thoughts originate from the “files of information” you have in the storage cabinets of your mind which comes from your past programming. That’s right; your past conditioning determines every thought that bubbles up in your mind. That’s why it’s often referred to as the conditioned mind. To reflect this understanding, we can now revise our Process of Manifestation in the following manner:

T→F→A = R

Your programming leads to your thoughts; your thoughts lead to your feelings; your feelings lead to your actions; your actions lead to your results

Three elements of conditioning that impact​ every arena of life

We are conditioned in three primary ways in every arena of life, including money: Verbal programming, Modeling, and Specific incidents.

Verbal Programming
All the statements you heard about money when you were young remain in your subconscious mind as part of the blueprint that is running your financial life. Verbal conditioning is extremely powerful.

For example, the author, Harv, said when his son, Jesse, was three years old, he ran over to him and excitedly said, “Daddy, let’s go see the Ninja Turtle movie. It’s playing near us.” “For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how this toddler could already be a master of geography. A couple of hours later, I got my answer in the form of a TV commercial advertising the movie, which had at the end the usual tagline: ‘Now playing at a theater near you.’”

So what is your money blueprint set for?

Your blueprint is like a thermostat. If the temperature in the room is seventy-two degrees, chances are good that the thermostat is set for seventy-two degrees. Now here’s where it gets interesting. It is possible that because the window is open and it is cold outside, the temperature in the room can drop to sixty-five degrees but the thermostat will kick in and bring the temperature back to seventy-two. Also, it is possible that because the window is open and it’s hot outside, the temperature in the room can go up to seventy-seven degrees but the thermostat will kick in and bring the temperature back to seventy-two.

The only way to permanently change the temperature in the room is to reset the thermostat. In the same way, the only way to change your level of financial success “permanently” is to reset your financial thermostat, otherwise known as your money blueprint.

You can try anything and everything else you want. You can develop your knowledge in business, in marketing, in sales, in negotiations, and management. You can become an expert in real estate or the stock market. All of these are tremendous “tools.” But in the end, without an inner “toolbox” that is big enough and strong enough for you to create and hold on to large amounts of money, all the tools in the world will be useless to you.

Consciousness is observing your thoughts and actions so that you can live from true choice in the present moment, rather than being run by programming from the past. Once you are conscious, you can see your programming for what it is: simply a recording of information you received and believed in the past when you were too young to know any better.

In this way, we can respond appropriately to situations, tapping the full range and potential of our skills and talents, rather than inappropriately reacting to events, driven by the fears and insecurities of the past.

Think and act differently from poor and middle-class people to master the inner game of wealth

The first step to any change is awareness, meaning the first step to thinking the way rich people think is to know how rich people think. Rich people think very differently from poor and middle-class people. They think differently about money, wealth, themselves, other people, and pretty much every other facet of life.

We’re going to examine some of these differences and, as part of your reconditioning, install seventeen alternative “wealth files” into your mind. With new files come new choices. You can then catch yourself when you are thinking like poor and middle-class people and consciously shift your focus to how rich people think.

Remember, you can choose to think in ways that will support you in your happiness and success instead of ways that don’t. The following wealth files are the seventeen ways rich people think and act differently from poor and middle-class people.

Wealth File №1: Rich people believe “I create my life.” Poor people believe “Life happens to me.”

If you want to create wealth, you must believe that you are at the steering wheel of your life, especially your financial life. If you don’t believe this, then you must inherently believe that you have little or no control over your life, and therefore you have little or no control over your financial success. That is not a rich attitude.

You have to believe that you are the one who creates your success, mediocrity, and struggle around money and success. Consciously or unconsciously, it’s still you. Instead of taking responsibility for what’s going on in their lives, poor people choose to play the role of the victim.

The victim role leaves three obvious clues which include: Blame, justification, and complaining which are like pills. They are nothing more than stress reducers. They alleviate the stress of failure. Think about it. If a person weren’t failing in some way, shape, or form, would he or she need to blame, justify, or complain? The obvious answer is no.

From now on, as you hear yourself disastrously blaming, justifying, or complaining, desist immediately. Remind yourself that you are creating your life and that at every moment you will be attracting either success or crap into your life. You must choose your thoughts and words wisely!

Wealth File №2: Rich people play the money game to win. Poor people play the money game to not lose.

Poor people play the money game on defense rather than offense. If you were to play any sport or any game strictly on defense, the chances of winning that game are​ slim and none. Yet that’s exactly how most people play the money game. Their primary concern is survival and security instead of creating wealth and abundance. The goal of truly rich people is to have massive wealth and abundance. Not just some money, but lots of money.

The big goal of poor people is to “have enough to pay the bills and on time would be a miracle!” Again, let me remind you of the power of intention. When your intention is to have enough to pay the bills, that is exactly how much you’ll get — just enough to pay the bills and not a dime more.

Middle-class people at least go a step further, too bad it’s a tiny step. Their big goal in life also happens to be their favorite word in the whole wide world. They just want to be “comfortable.” There’s a huge difference between being comfortable and being rich.

It boils down to this: If your goal is to be comfortable, chances are you’ll never get rich. But if your goal is to be rich, chances are you’ll end up mighty comfortable. You get what you truly intend to get. If you want to get rich, your goal has to be rich. Not to have enough to pay the bills, and not just to have enough to be comfortable. Rich means rich!

To achieve wealth, you must be fully, totally, and truly committed to creating wealth

Wealth File #3: Rich people are committed to being rich. Poor people want to be rich.

The number one reason most people don’t get what they want is that they don’t know what they want. Rich people are totally clear that they want wealth. They are unwavering in their desire. They are fully committed to creating wealth. As long as it’s legal, moral, and ethical, they will do whatever it takes to have wealth.

Put bluntly, if you are not achieving the wealth you say you desire, there’s a good chance it’s because, first, you subconsciously don’t really want wealth, or second, you’re not willing to do what it takes to create it.

Getting rich takes focus, courage, knowledge, expertise, 100 percent of your effort, a never-give-up attitude, and of course a rich mindset. You also have to believe in your heart of hearts that you can create wealth and that you absolutely deserve it. Again, what this means is that, if you are not fully, totally, and truly committed to creating wealth, chances are you won’t.

Wealth File #4: Rich people think big. Poor people think small.

The Law of Income states that “you will be paid in direct proportion to the value you deliver according to the marketplace.” The keyword is the value which connotes how many people you actually serve or affect.

Most people choose to play small because of fear. They’re scared to death of failure and they’re even more frightened of success. Second, people play small because they feel small. They feel unworthy. They don’t feel they’re good enough or important enough to make a real difference in people’s lives.

An entrepreneur is nothing more than a “problem solver.” So I ask you, would you rather solve problems for more people or fewer people? If you replied more, then you need to start thinking bigger and decide to help massive numbers of people — thousands, even millions. The by-product is that the more people you help, the “richer” you become, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and definitely financially.

Wealth File #5: Rich people focus on opportunities. Poor people focus on obstacles.

The higher the reward, the higher the risk. Because they constantly see the ​opportunity, rich people are willing to take a risk. Rich people believe that, if worse comes to worst, they can always make their money back.

Poor people, on the other hand, expect to fail. They lack confidence in themselves and in their abilities. Poor people believe that should things not work out, it would be catastrophic. And because they constantly see obstacles, they are usually unwilling to take a risk. No risk, no reward.

For the record, being willing to risk doesn’t necessarily mean that you are willing to lose. Rich people take educated risks. This means that they research, do their due diligence, and make decisions based on solid information and facts. Do rich people take forever to get educated? No. They do what they can in as short a time as possible, then make an informed decision to go for it or not.

Your field of focus determines what you find in life. Focus on opportunities and that’s what you find. Focus on obstacles and that’s what you find. I’m not saying that you don’t take care of problems. Of course, handle problems as they arise but keep your eye on your goal, keep moving toward your target. Put your time and energy into creating what you want. When obstacles arise, handle them, then quickly refocus on your vision

Resenting the rich is one of the surest ways to stay broke

Wealth File #6: Rich people admire other rich and successful people. Poor people resent rich and successful people.

You have to realize that if you view rich people as bad in any way, shape, or form, and you want to be a good person, then you can never be rich. It’s amazing to witness the resentment and even outright anger that many poor people have toward the rich. As if they believe that rich people make them poor.

You don’t have to be perfect to get rich, but you do need to recognize when your thinking isn’t empowering to yourself or others, then quickly refocus on more supportive thoughts.

There are some attributes necessary for getting rich and they include trust, positive, reliable, focused, determined, persistent, hardworking, energetic, good with people, a competent communicator, semi-intelligent, and an expert in at least one area.

The fact is, resenting the rich is one of the surest ways to stay broke. We are creatures of habit, and to overcome this or any other habit, we need to practice. Instead of resenting rich people, practice admiring, blessing, and loving rich people. That way, unconsciously you know that when you become rich, other people will admire you, bless you, and love you instead of resenting the heck out of you the way you might do them now.

Wealth File #7: Rich people associate with positive, successful people. Poor people associate with negative or unsuccessful people.

The fastest and easiest way to create wealth is to learn exactly how rich people, who are masters of money, play the game. The goal is to simply model their inner and outer strategies. If you take the same actions and have the same mindset, chances are good you will get the same results. Contrary to the rich, when poor people hear about other people’s success, they often judge them, criticize them, mock them, and try to pull them down to their level.

Whenever you are introduced to an extremely rich person, create a way to get together with them, talk to them, learn how they think, exchange contact information, and if you have other things in common, possibly become personal friends with them

The bigger the problems you can handle, the bigger the business you can handle

The bigger the problems you can handle, the bigger the business you can handle; the bigger the responsibility you can handle, the more employees you can handle; the more customers you can handle, the more money you can handle, and ultimately, the more wealth you can handle.

Think of yourself as your container for wealth. If your container is small and your money is big, what’s going to happen? You will lose it. Your container will overflow and the excess money will spill out all over the place. You simply cannot have more money than the container.

Therefore you must grow to be a big container so you cannot only hold more wealth but also attract more wealth. The universe abhors a vacuum and if you have a very large money container, it will rush in to fill the space. Rich and successful people are solution-oriented while poor and unsuccessful people are problem-oriented.

Wealth File #10: Rich people are excellent receivers. Poor people are poor receivers.

People are challenged by receiving for several reasons. First, many people feel unworthy or undeserving. This syndrome runs rampant in our society. You and you alone determine if you’re going to be worthy. It’s simply your perspective. If you say you’re worthy, you are and if you say you’re not worthy, then you’re not

If you choose to get paid for your time, you are killing your chances to create wealth

Wealth File #11: Rich people choose to get paid based on results. Poor people choose to get paid based on time.

Poor people prefer to be paid a steady salary or hourly wage. They need the “security” of knowing that the same amount of money is coming in at the same time, month in, month out. What they don’t realize is that this security comes with a price, and the cost is wealth.

Rich people believe in themselves. They believe in their value and in their ability to deliver it. Poor people don’t. That’s why they need “guarantees.”

Poor people trade their time for money. The problem with this strategy is that your time is limited. This means that you invariably end up breaking Wealth Rule #1, which states, “Never have a ceiling on your income.” If you choose to get paid for your time, you are pretty much killing your chances for wealth. In the end, the only way to earn what you’re worth is to get paid based on your results.

Wealth File #12: Rich people think “both.” Poor people think “either/or.”

Rich people understand that with a little creativity you can almost always figure out a way to have the best of both worlds. From now on, when confronted with an either/or alternative, the quintessential question to ask yourself is, “How can I have both?” This question will change your life. It will take you from a model of scarcity and limitation to a universe of possibilities and abundance.

Poor and many middle-class people believe that they have to choose between money and other aspects of life. Consequently, they’ve rationalized a position that money is not as important as other things.

Let’s set the record straight. Money is important! To say that it’s not as important as any of the other things in life is ludicrous. If you want to live a life without limits, whatever the situation, let go of either/or thinking and maintain the intention to have “both.”

Understand the huge distinction between working income and net worth

Wealth File #13: Rich people focus on their net worth. Poor people focus on their working income.

The true measure of wealth is net worth, not working income. Net worth is the financial value of everything you own. To determine your net worth, add up the value of everything you own and then subtract everything you owe. Net worth is the ultimate measure of wealth because, if necessary, what you own can eventually be liquidated into cash.

Rich people understand the huge distinction between working income and net worth. Working income is important, but it is only one of the four factors that determine your net worth. The four network​ factors are Income, Savings, Investments, and Simplification.

Poor and most middle-class people play the money game on one wheel only. They believe that the only way to get rich is to earn a lot of money. They believe that only because they’ve never been there. They don’t understand Parkinson’s Law, which states, “Expenses will always rise in direct proportion to income.”

Wealth File #14: Rich people manage their money well. Poor people mismanage their money well.

Wealthy people are not any smarter than poor people; they just have different and more supportive money habits. These habits are primarily based on our past conditioning. So first, if you’re not managing your money properly, you were probably programmed not to manage money. Second, there’s a better than good chance you don’t know how to manage your money in a way that’s easy and effective.

We live in a kind and loving universe, and the rule is “Until you show you can handle what you’ve got, you won’t get any more!” You must acquire the habits and skills of managing a small amount of money before you can have a large amount. Remember, we are creatures of habit, and therefore the habit of managing your money is more important than the amount.

It comes down to this: either you control money, or it will control you. To control money, you must manage it. Money is a big part of your life, and when you learn how to get your finances under control, all areas of your life will soar.

Wealth File #15: Rich people have their money work hard for them. Poor people work hard for their money.

If you’re like most people, you grew up being programmed that you “have to work hard for money.” Chances are good that you didn’t grow up with the conditioning that it was just as important to make your money “work hard for you.” Rich people can spend their days playing and relaxing because they work smart. They understand and use leverage. They employ other people to work for them and their money to work for them.

You do have to work hard for your money. For rich people, however, this is a temporary situation. For poor people, it’s permanent. Rich people understand that “you” have to work hard until your “money” works hard enough to take your place. They understand that the more your money works, the less you will have to work.

In other words, the goal is to become “financially free” as quickly as possible. The definition of financial freedom is simple: it is the ability to live the lifestyle you desire without having to work or rely on anyone else for money.

The trick is to get educated. Learn about the investment world. Become familiar with a variety of different investment vehicles and financial instruments, and then choose one primary area in which to become an expert. Begin investing in that area and then diversify into more, later

To be rich and successful, you need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable

Wealth File #16: Rich people act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear stop them.

In the real world, you have to take real “action” to succeed. Action is so critical because thoughts and feelings are part of the inner world but results are part of the outer world. That means the ​action is the “bridge” between the inner world and the outer world.

Action is very important but fear, doubt, and worry are among the greatest obstacles, not only to success but to happiness as well. Therefore, one of the biggest differences between rich people and poor people is that rich people are willing to act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear stop them.

If you want to be rich and successful, you’d better get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Consciously practice going into your uncomfort zone and doing what scares you. Here’s an equation the author wants you to remember for the rest of your life: CZ = WZ.

It means your “comfort zone” equals your “wealth zone.” By expanding your comfort zone, you will expand the size of your income and wealth zone. The more comfortable you are, the fewer risks you will be willing to take, the fewer opportunities you will take advantage of, the fewer people you will meet, and the fewer new strategies you will try. Training and managing your mind is the most important skill you could ever own, in terms of both happiness and success.

Wealth File #17: Rich people constantly learn and grow. Poor people think they already know.

If you’re not really rich and really happy, there’s a good chance you still have some things to learn about money, success, and life. Poor people are often trying to prove that they’re right. They put on a mask as if they’ve got it all figured out, and it’s just some stroke of bad luck or a temporary glitch in the universe that has them broke or struggling.

Conclusion

The essence of this transformation is not just about you. It is about the entire world. Our world is nothing more than a reflection of the people who make it up. As each individual raises his or her consciousness, the world raises its consciousness — moving from fear to courage, from hatred to love, and from scarcity to prosperity for all. It is therefore up to each of us to enlighten ourselves so that we may add more light to the world.

If you want the world to be a certain way, then start with you being that way. If you want the world to be a better place, start with you being better. That is why you must grow yourself to your fullest potential, to create abundance and success in your life; for in doing so, you will be able to help others and positively add to the world