AttractAnything! (The Blog)

Sometimes I get e-mails or comments along these lines: “I don’t care about all the touchy-feely stuff about real wealth; I just want to make a LOT of money.”

To me, this represents a misunderstanding about the nature of wealth. No one is wealthy simply because they have a lot of money. In fact, I have met some desperately poor and miserable individuals who had large bank balances. One guy in particular comes to mind; a business owner from DC who contacted me a few years ago. His bank balance was healthy, to say the least. And yet, he was one of the poorest individuals I’ve ever met. He had been married and divorced a handful of times; his children would barely speak to him; he had very few friends, but many enemies; and worst of all — he lived in a constant state of fear and paranoia that his “great wealth” would be taken away from him at any moment.

To me, his life sounded like a living hell, not something anyone in their right mind would aspire to.

So what is real wealth? It is about happiness and freedom, in that order. And yes, having a good income does make it easier to live a wealthy life — but only if you understand that your wealth does not COME from bank accounts or material possessions. In fact, becoming wealthy begins ENTIRELY as a state of mind.

Don’t believe it? Consider this point: a person with a miserable mindset can NEVER be wealthy, no matter how much money they earn, how big their house is, or how many toys and possessions they own. With the wrong mindset, life will always be a hassle, people will always be hard to deal with, and you will always struggle with personal issues.

But with the right mindset, every day becomes an opportunity, people become sources of love, strength and inspiration in your life, and the everyday “trials and tribulations” of life become challenges that are manageable, and at times even educational.

And here’s the biggest irony of all: when you realize that real wealth is all in your head and begin appreciating the love and abundance all around you, the financial success has a way of taking care of itself. Sounds crazy, right?

Someone once said, “happiness is the foundation of all success.” I know to some people that sounds like a “touchy-feely” idea that has nothing to do with the hard-nosed business world. But in reality, it has everything to do with business, with success, and with creating real wealth in your life — including that big bank account so many people dream of.

Here’s my personal philosophy on the subject of attracting real wealth. These three points have worked for me, and for individuals I have coached of the years.

1. My state of mind is the most valuable thing I own. Without it, I can achieve nothing, create nothing, or enjoy nothing. Therefore, protecting and nourishing my state of mind is always job one. I will engage in no business practice, or work with no client that negatively affects my state of mind.

When your state of mind turns sour, EVERYTHING in your life turns sour. Protect your state of mind like a beloved child.

2. My two primary goals in life are 1) to enjoy myself as much as possible, and 2) to help others enjoy themselves as much as possible. Anything worthwhile always falls under one of these categories, whether it’s learning a new skill, helping a client overcome personal issues and achieve greater success, playing obnoxiously loud music in the office while working (our neighbors must be saints), contributing to a charity, going for regular dental checkups (perhaps not so enjoyable short term, but clearly increases happiness long term), or taking a crazy road trip across the country with my friends.

Anything that doesn’t help me enjoy my life more, and/or help others enjoy their lives more — has absolutely no place in my life and is promptly discarded.

3. I NEVER worry about money. And believe it or not, it’s not because my income has risen over the years. It is primarily because I figured out that worry, fear and desperation were the BIGGEST ENEMIES of real wealth and success. You know the old saying: “you can’t play the game with sweaty palms.” Sometimes we feel like we “have to” do certain things. We have to take a certain job; or we have to socialize with people who make us uncomfortable; or we have to lose 20 pounds, go to the gym more often, quit eating carbs, get that big promotion at work, etc….

The truth is, you and I don’t “have to” do anything. Sometimes it’s so easy to get scared — to think that life is just going to “swallow us up” if we let down our guard for one split second. But you know what? It won’t. Go ahead and decide that the universe is on your side, that things always have a way of working out for you (haven’t you noticed that already?). It seems like a big leap of faith to take, but once you take it you be wondering what all the fuss was about.

Filed under: Attracting Wealth, Wealth Attraction