If you are in control of money, you can go to work because you want to. If money controls you then you go to work because you have to. This is a subtle difference in writing, but a big difference in the way you live your life. Even in the richest countries in the world, 99% of the population is still controlled by money, mainly because they don’t know how to manage money better. The effect is lack of money, the cause is thought.
Albert Einstein once said, “a problem cannot be solved at the same level of consciousness in which it occurs.” Knowing this, you must first raise your level of consciousness to create wealth. Conscious awareness is defined as “The conscious aspect of the mind that involves our awareness of the world and of ourselves in relation to it.” By looking specifically at money and wealth, the consciousness is studying money and how the world class creates wealth. Here are 3 ways to increase your level of awareness and better manage money:
1. Reading books. There are thousands of books on the subject of money and wealth creation. It’s crazy, for twenty bucks someone will tell you everything you need to know about how to get rich. In 5 to 10 hours of reading, you can discover what the author took his whole life to discover.
2. Listen to the CDs. I listen to a lot of CDs in my car while running errands. Many of the books you may want to read are probably also available on CD. It could be the perfect solution if you don’t have time to read. You can usually read an average size book in about 3-4 hours.
3. Find a mentor. This is probably the most important. Find someone who is rich and ask if he can buy you lunch once a month. Tell them you want to learn how to get rich, and ask if you can touch their brains while you eat lunch.
This is exactly what I have done over the years. My last friend I met during a conference in Canada. I found out that he is a billionaire real estate sales agent and real estate investor. I told him that I too wanted to become a real estate investor and asked if I could have him over for coffee once a month and have a chat. Now we meet more than once a month and he calls me quite often to make sure we make an appointment. If you are positive, trainable and enthusiastic, they will want to be with you.
The purpose of following these 3 steps is to start thinking like a rich person and manage money better. The middle class believes that formal education is the answer to acquiring wealth, but very few academics are wealthy. Rich people know that while previous education is important, it has very little to do with acquiring wealth. A key point to remember is that the middle class trades time for money while the world class trades problem-solving ideas for money. The problem with trading time for money is that you will run out of time long before you make enough money. Again, the concept is subtle but the difference in quality of life is huge.
World class wealth starts with world class thinking. If you want to earn more, save more, or just manage your money better, you’re going to have to start with your thinking. If you want a 10% increase in your results, you must first make a 10% improvement in your thinking about money. Take the time and read some books or listen to some CDs. Find a mentor who is already where you want to be and buy him a coffee or lunch and pick his brain. A couple of hours a week dedicated to increasing your awareness will produce big results, I promise.
