Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Wealth File #3 Rich People Are Committed to Being Rich, Poor People Want to Be Rich (Summary)

This is a chapter-by-chapter summary of a book by T. Harv Eker’s Secret of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth (2005) series. One chapter, one article. Read this summary, buy the book. Enjoy!

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,” said Harv Eker. Do you know what you want? What do you want? Who do you want to be? How do you want your life to look like? Why do you read this summary? I guess you at least know the answer to the last question. Our world, or better, our society provides uncountable choices. It is then a common problem that we don’t really know what we want.

How are we going to get what we don’t know we want? Does that make no sense? You get the point (I hope). If we don’t know what we want in life, how are we going to get it? We won’t… If I asked you if you wanted to be rich, you’d probably think “What a stupid question…” and say, “Of course I want to be rich.” The truth, however, as Eker points out in this book, is that most people don’t really want to be rich. Why? “Because they have a lot of negative wealth files in their subconscious mind that tell them there is something wrong with being rich. That’s how we’ve been conditioned… and most of us have mixed internal messages about wealth.” One part within us says, “I’ll be able to travel the world.” Then the other part chirps in, “Yeah, people will think that you’re show off.” These mixed messages (mine) may seem innocent enough, but in reality, they are one of the major reasons most people never become rich.

Again, mixed internal messages (at least subconsciously) about wealth is the major reason we’ll never get rich. Eker highlights: “If you are not fully, totally, and truly committed to creating wealth, chances are you won’t.” Sound crazy, yet that’s the power of our mind. How can we develop clear internal messages about wealth? The author states that there are Three (3) Levels of Wanting:

#1 I Want to Be Rich. “This won’t bring you anywhere as billions of people want (or at least claim that they want) to be rich, but relatively few are.”

#2 I Choose to Be Rich. “Choosing is much stronger than wanting because you take responsibility for creating your own reality.”

#3 I Commit to Being Rich. “That’s the highest form of wanting. You devote yourself unreservedly. You give 100% to achieve wealth. There are no excuses. Failure is not an option. I will be rich or I will die trying. That’s commitment and that’s necessary for true success!”

Rich people are committed enough to do whatever it takes. Period. What about you? Are you willing to work longer hours a day? Rich people are. Are you willing to sacrifice seeing your family, your friends, and give up your recreations and hobbies? Rich people are. Are you willing to do whatever it takes? Rich people are (in the long-term, however, I disagreed with all of these ‘sacrifices.’ If you read Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki will surely disagree too. But for the initial periods, you must willing to sacrifice all of these – mindfully, morally and responsibly – for the greater good in the future). You need to fully, truly and totally committed to creating wealth. You choose wealth over mindless-hangouts with friends; you choose wealth over getting too many loans; you choose wealth over expensive car (for now). Sure, you need to find balance in everything. Most importantly though, Eker reminds us, “You need to want to be wealthy bad enough so that you commit to being wealthy. Otherwise you just won’t get rich. Simple as that.”

[*I need to note that the Harv Eker makes it clear in this book that he does not mean to degrade poor people. He does not think that rich people are better than poor or middle-class people. They’re just richer.]

I Have a Millionaire Mind!

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Wealth File #1 Rich People Believe "I Create My Life." Poor People Believe "Life Happens to Me" (Summary)

This is a chapter-by-chapter summary of a book by T. Harv Eker’s Secret of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth (2005) series. One chapter, one article. Read this summary, buy the book. Enjoy!

Wealth File #1:

Rich People believe “I Create My Life.”

Poor People believe “Life Happens to Me.”

If you want to create wealth, says Eker, it is imperative that you believe that you are at the steering wheel of your life, especially your financial life. You have to believe that you are the one who creates your success, that you are the one who creates your mediocrity, and that you are the one creating your 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 victim.

This is important. If you feel like ‘Life just happens to me, I can’t do anything about it,’ then how are you going to change? What kind of life do you live? “I can tell you,” said Eker, “you live the life of absolutely no purpose. Completely unconsciously and meaningless…” That’s definitely NOT how you want to live. This is the first Wealth File for a good reason. If you don’t think “I create my life” then you can’t change anything. Eker points out: “You must realize that you are the creator! You must sit at the steering wheel of your life. You make the choices. And you take responsibility for your life. Basically, you are the BOSS of your life. Yes, you are!” (This is where my faith conflict with Eker’s teaching about we are the creators. But based on the context, what he really means is that we can change or not our belief system. We can create or uncreate our own beliefs).

The author states that poor people* play the role of victim. They often BLAME other people. It’s never their fault, it’s always the fault of others. Poor people also often COMPLAIN. When you are complaining, you become a living, breathing “crap magnet.” That’s the worst thing you can do. So, never whine, bitch or complain. Poor people also JUSTIFY their situation. They say things like, “Money is not that important.” If you don’t think money is important, you simply won’t have any. Put this in perspective: “Money is extremely important in the areas in which it works, and extremely unimportant in the areas in which it doesn’t.” But the poor people will argue (and this is a brilliant but funny quote by Eker): “’Well, money isn’t as important as love.’ Now, is that comparison dumb or what? What’s more important, your arm or your leg? Maybe they’re both important.” It’s funny and it makes sense. So, don’t play the role of the victim and start take responsibility and steer your life to success!

[*I need to note that the Harv Eker makes it clear in this book that he does not mean to degrade poor people. He does not think that rich people are better than poor or middle-class people. They’re just richer.]

I Have a Millionaire Mind!

12 Rules for Life #2 Treat Yourself Like Someone You Are Responsible for Helping (Summary)

This is a chapter-by-chapter summary of a book by Jordan B. Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos (2018) series. One chapter, one article. Read this summary, buy the book. Enjoy!

“We deserve some respect. You deserve some respect. You are important to other people, as much as to yourself. You have some vital role to play in the unfolding destiny of the world. You are, therefore, morally obliged to take care of yourself. You should take care of, help and be good to yourself the same way you would take care of, help and be good to someone you loved and valued. You may, therefore, have to conduct yourself habitually in a manner that allows you some respect for your own Being…”

(Jordan B. Peterson)

Peterson states the fact how most people have self-contempt and there are many times that they don’t even realize it. In fact, on most occasions, people take care of their family, friends and even their pets but neglects their own self. Of course, helping those you love and care about and take some responsibilities on behalf of them is very good, but we must realize that we must do the same thing for ourselves – for our own good too. Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, points out that ‘to ‘love one’s neighbor as thyself’ one must have some degree of self-love and self-care attached.” This may be something simple such as having self-respect and considering ourselves an important person with potentials, rights, and desires.

Besides, the more we look after ourselves the healthier and powerful we’ll be to support the ones we care. On the contrary, if we neglect ourselves then we’ll make a pattern of bad mistakes. Thus, our life will get worse not only for us but for the people around us too. A person’s actions echo sometimes in ways that cannot be imagined. An example may be Stalin's mother whose mistakes created ripple effects that affected millions of people (read Chapter 2 to know more).

Hey, Treat Yourself Good.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck: You Always Choosing (Chapter 5 Summary)

This is a chapter-by-chapter summary of a book by Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life (2016) series. One chapter, one article. Read this summary, buy the book. Enjoy!

“Whether we like it or not,
we are always taking an active role in what’s occurring to and within us”

(Mark Manson)

When we feel miserable about our lives, it is often because we are not in control – someone or something has hijacked us and is forcing us through a series of bad situations. However, when we know that our problems are of our own choosing, we feel empowered. We might still have a lot of work to do, and even some pain, but we feel in control of that struggle.

Manson tells the story of William James, a man who suffered of lot of setbacks in life including disease and disability. Much of what happened to James was not his fault, but he suffered for it all the time. James was on the brink of suicide when he decided to try an experiment: for one year, James decided to take responsibility for everything that happened to him, whether or not it was his fault. Eventually, he went on to become the father of American psychology.

Things happen to us that are out of our control, but Manson reminds us that our interpretation of these things is always under our control. Taking responsibility for our own experiences gives us power. It also helps us to realize that we cannot control anyone else –we can only control how we respond to the other people in our lives. This is often tricky, such in the face of tragedy. Events like cancer, tsunamis and car crashes happen to people every day, and those people did not choose to be affected. However, they must choose how to proceed.

F*ck! Take responsibility for everything that happens in your life.

How to Choose Optimism #4 Take Responsibilty for Your Life (or Response Wisely)

Most of us don’t take our annoyances on family, friends or colleagues. We spare them. To compensate, we become mistrustful of the world. We construct a virtual world in which everything interpreted negatively, inflating fears about crime and murders, even when there is little (actually reported crime rates are dropping worldwide, check this fact). Over the past 20 years in opinion polls, unemployment is always rising even when it’s falling, and consumer purchasing power is always decreasing even when it’s increasing.

The exaggeration of risks and suffering is a collective phenomenon, and can affect us individually. Struggling to make ends meet? Start by not exaggerating the suffering. Consider also what’s going well, what you’ve achieved. Instead of complaining, look around you for people who have had similar problems and may be able to help you.

If something is wrong at home or work, it’s your responsibility (or you’re capable of responding differently). You are the principal solution. I’m trying to make you guilty, I want you to be responsible.

Lord, Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)

As A Man Thinketh #5: No Victimized Mindset, Take Responsibility

“A person is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions”
(James Allen, As A Man Thinketh)

One of the great weaknesses of our society today is the growing attitude of victimization. Many people claim themselves to be victims of some outside force. “I don’t know the story of Bible because my pastor doesn’t teach me…”; “If that driver hadn’t pulled out in front of me…”; “I am like this because of my parents…”

When we are victims of circumstances, or as James Allen says, a “creature of outside conditions,” we have no power. We have given over the power in our life to the circumstances. The longer we give power to our circumstances the worst our circumstances become. In his other book, Above Life’s Turmoil, Allen writes, “You imagine your circumstances as being separate from yourself, but they are intimately related to your thought world. Nothing appears without an adequate cause.”

To get control of our circumstances we must first acknowledge personal responsibility for being where we are. That was the hardest part for me because the ‘victim’ in all of us doesn’t want to take that responsibility.

When we take responsibility we must then take control of our thoughts. And, yes, in the beginning that can be hard. It seems sometimes that it’s our nature to first think negatively. But that’s just because it’s the habit we’ve developed. And like any habit, it can changed by replacing it with the habit of thinking the right way.

Emmet Fox once writes: “You are not happy because you are well. You are well because you are happy. You are not depressed because the trouble has come to you, but trouble has come because you are depressed. You can change your thoughts and feelings, and then the outer things will change to correspond, and indeed there is no other way of working.”

Think about it!

Lord, Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)

Bill Gates: A Noble Creative Genius

William Henry "Bill" Gates III or simply known as Bill Gates is an American business magnate, philanthropist, investor, computer programmer, and inventor. He founded the world's largest software business, Microsoft, with Paul Allen, and subsequently became one of the richest men in the world. For me, he is not only a creative genius (no doubt!) that has changed the world of digital we live today but also a man who is very generous with his money.

As his billions have grown, Bill Gates has become dedicated to using his money for good causes. Together with his wife, he founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, an organization that works to bring learning and health to all the people of the world. At present, the foundation has committed more than $300 million to global health; more than $300 million to education, bring computers and Internet access to less prosperous people throughout the United States and Canada; more than $54 million to community projects in the Pacific Northwest; and more than $29 million to special projects and other charity campaigns.

Gates explained, “Giving is a complex thing. You have to find things you really believe in and that are fun to give to. I take philanthropy very seriously and I am learning about it.” Bill and Melinda Gates hope the money they have earned through their work will help to improve the lives of others.

As the keynote speaker at the Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy 2012, Bill Gates end his speech this way: “…Melinda and I have the honour and the responsibility to return to society, in the best way we know how, the resources we have received. But you do not need to be the chair of a large foundation to have an impact on the world. Risk takers need backers. Good ideas need evangelists. Forgotten communities need advocates. And whether your chief resource is volunteer time or hard-earned dollars, for a relatively small investment catalytic philanthropy can make a big impact. For me it’s proven the best job in the world, as thrilling and humbling as anything I’ve ever done.”

Noble creative people like Bill Gates are very much needed in the world today.

Lord, Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)