Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Wealth File #2 Rich People Play the Money Game to Win, Poor People Play to Not Lose (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 #2:

Rich People play the Money Game to Win.

Poor People play the Money Game to Not Lose.

Poor people’s* primary concerns are “survival and security” instead of creating wealth and abundance said Eker. The goal of truly rich people is to have massive wealth and abundance. Not just some money, but lots of money. “If your goal is to be comfortable, chances are you’ll never get rich,” Eker reasoned, “But if your goal is to be rich, chances are you’ll end up mighty comfortable.” He reminds us of the power of intention. When your intention is to have enough to pay the bills, that’s exactly how much you’ll get – just enough to pay the bills and not a dime more.

Think about this: If your goal is to have just enough money to pay the bills, how much money do you think you’ll get? Exactly! Just enough to pay the bills… You get what you truly intend to get. And that’s what so many people strive for: “I just want enough to pay the bills.” “I just want to live a moderate life and go on vacation once a year” (maybe this is my dream: to live moderately but slightly rich, and go on vacation at least twice a year) “I just want my steady income and make ends.” Well, if that’s what you want, that’s what you get. You may have enough to pay for the bills, but guess what? “You won’t have a dime more,” says Eker. That’s how it works, he said. You get what you truly intend to get.

Harv Eker advises us that our goal should be to become a millionaire and more: “If you shoot for the stars, you’ll at least hit the moon… 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!” So, say to yourself, “My goal is to become a millionaire and more!” and do what rich people do – play the money game to win. Win! Win! Win! Decide now that you commit to being rich.

[*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!

With Winning In Mind: Focus on Performance (Introduction)

This is a chapter-by-chapter summary of a book by Lanny Bassham's With Winning in Mind (2012) series. One chapter, one article. Read this summary, buy the book. Enjoy!

In this book With Winning in Mind (2012), Lanny Bassham writes, "What separates winners from others is mainly the way they THINK." From interviewing hundreds of Olympic winning athletes, they all answered that 90% of their games is MENTAL. How much time do average athletes spend on training mental part of the game? Usually answer is the same: very little or less than 10%. Again: What separates winners from others is mainly the way they THINK.

When athletes have the mindset that they EXPECT to perform well, winning is automatically an option. For others, hope or wish is their mindset. If you want to be a winner, the desired outcome needs to be CONCRETE in your mind. What's important here is the PROCESS. This is primary. Think about executing mental and physical processes, not about winning. Thinking about winning can pull thoughts away from the process. So, you need to think about PROCESS.

In business, for example, think about how you can improve your mental and business processes, rather than making a certain amount of money. "One thing is certain, however," writes Lanny, "your worth as a person is not equal to your score." Self-worth is not equal to net-worth. Lanny explains, "So, should we be concerned at all about winning? Certainly. And the best focus, in my view, is on a winning performance, not on finishing on top. I suggest that your goal set on how to win performance on the day of competition instead of goal setting to win the competition. What is the difference you ask? If your goal set to have a winning performance you will always be process-oriented and not outcome-oriented. You will be much less likely to over-try in the competition because you are always focused on the next step and not counting your score."

This is really critical for goal setting.

Focus on performance.

Have a Winning Mindset!

Change Your Life: Perceive Hardship as Temporary

“Whatever comes, this too shall pass away.”
(Ella Wheeler Wilcox)

Our life is not free from sorrow and suffering. Even the happiest person in the world experiences sadness, disappointment, anger, and frustration. The difference between happy and unhappy people is not whether they experience painful emotions – everyone does – but how they approach these emotions and how they interpret their experiences.

People who are unhappy tend to believe that painful emotions are here to stay – which, of course, they are more likely to if this is their expectation. By contrast, happy people know that painful emotions – like all emotions – are temporary, and this expectation tends to liberate them from their unpleasant experience.

When we choose to perceive painful experiences as they truly are – as temporary and fleeting – then we allow them to take their natural course. Just as these emotions arrived naturally, so they will naturally depart.  

Don’t perceive hardship as permanent,

Perceive hardship as temporary.

Lord, Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)

 Reference: Choose the Life You Want: 101 Ways to Create You Own Road to Happiness by Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD (New York: The Experiment, 2012) Buy this book!)