|
 With
the recent passing of Pope John Paul II came encapsulated accounts
of his life, his impact on people of many faiths. The message that
hit home was his frequent warning against "materialism and
consumerism that affect such a large part of society."
The late pontiff's concerns about materialism
and consumerism certainly resonate with me.
This may very well stop me from becoming fabulously
wealthy. Or at least, that's what T. Harv Eker would say.
Eker wrote the book, "Secrets
of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth,"
published earlier this year and currently No. 2 on the New York
Times' hardcover business bestseller list. It's a short book that
features short, bite-size, digestible nuggets of wisdom designed
to turn your preconceived notions about wealth upside down.
Your "money blueprint" could be your biggest
obstacle to achieving financial success, says Eker, and consists
of what you learned about money in childhood. Basically, the way
you handle money or mishandle it has to do with the values you adopted
from such role models as parents, teachers and religious leaders,
among others.
The book focuses mostly on money and the psyches of
the rich vs. the poor, but there's more to it than just that. Eker
acknowledges early on in the book that there are multiple planes
of existence, and the ones that matter most are the ones that are
unseen. "We live in at least four different realms at once,"
he says. "These four quadrants are the physical world, the
mental world, the emotional world and the spiritual world."
The physical world is just a manifestation of the latter three,
which drive us.
Eker gives readers the opportunity to reprogram their
thoughts by offering a new filing system for their minds. These
"wealth files" are intended to replace existing mental
files that are often counterproductive.
In sharing these files, Eker apologizes for generalizing
and says he does not intend to be judgmental. As he explains: "In
no way, shape or form do I mean to degrade poor people or want to
appear to be without compassion for their situation. I do not believe
that rich people are better than poor people. They're just richer."
Eker's wealth maxims
- Wealth file No. 1: Rich people believe, "I
create my life." Poor people believe, "Life happens
to me."
- Wealth File No. 2: Rich people play the money game
to win. Poor people play the money game to not lose.
- Wealth File No. 3: Rich people are committed to
being rich. Poor people want to be rich.
It's in this third wealth file that I find other obstacles
to my own prospects of fabulous wealth:
"Are you willing to work 16 hours a day? Rich
people are. Are you willing to work seven days a week and give up
most of your weekends? 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 risk all your time,
energy and start-up capital with no guarantee of returns? Rich people
are.
"For a time, sometimes a short time but often
a long time, rich people are ready and willing to do all of the
above. Are you?"
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