Secrets of the millionaire mind

Welcome to this secrets of the millionaire mind summary. The author T Harv Eker believes that if you use the principles you learn in this book, you will totally transform your life.

It all comes down to this: if your subconscious “financial blueprint” is not “set” for success, nothing you learn, nothing you know, and nothing you do will make much of a difference.

Why are people rich you might ask yourselves?

It’s not an exact science, but for the most part, rich people think a certain way and poor people think a completely different way, and those ways of thinking determine their actions and therefore determine their results. And all you have to do is copy how rich people think.

Remember, “It’s not what we don’t know that prevents us from succeeding; it’s what we know that just ain’t so that is our greatest obstacle.”

If you want to move to a higher level of life, you have to be willing to let go of some of your old ways of thinking and being and adopt new ones. The results will eventually speak for themselves.

Secrets of the millionaire mind: PART ONE

Your money blueprint

In secrets of the millionaire mind, the author grabs your attention by asking if have you noticed how lottery winners. Have you observed that–regardless of the size of their winnings- they eventually return to their original financial state; the amount they can comfortably handle?

On the other hand, the opposite occurs for self-made millionaires. Notice that when self-made millionaires lose their money, they usually have it back within a relatively short time. Donald Trump is a good example. Trump was worth billions, lost everything, and then a couple of years later, got it all back again and more.

It’s our mind that is most important, millionaires may lose their money but they never lose their most important ingredient to their success: their millionaire mind.

The roots create the fruits

This is to say that It’s what’s under the ground that creates what’s above the ground. It’s what’s invisible that creates what’s visible. So what does that mean? It means that if you want to change the fruits, you will first have to change the roots. If you want to change the visible, you must first change the invisible.

What you cannot see in this world is far more powerful than anything you can see.

Four different realms

T Harv Eker makes the difference between four different realms. These four quadrants are the physical world, the mental world, the emotional world, and the spiritual world. What most people never realize is that the physical realm is merely a “printout” of the other three.

A lack of money is never, ever, ever a problem. A lack of money is merely a symptom of what is going on underneath. Lack of money is the effect, but what is the root cause? It boils down to this. The only way to change your “outer” world is to first change your “inner” world.

How is your money blueprint formed?

Thoughts lead to feelings. Feelings lead to actions. Actions lead to results. Your financial blueprint consists of a combination of your thoughts, feelings, and actions in the arena of money.

Also, your financial blueprint consists primarily of the information or “programming” you received in the past, and especially as a young child.

Your programming leads to your thoughts; and your thoughts lead to your feelings; your feelings lead to your actions; your actions lead to your results. Therefore, just as is done with a personal computer, by changing your programming, you take the first essential step to changing your results.

Three primary ways that conditioned us

We are conditioned in three primary ways in every arena of life, including money:

Verbal programming: What did you hear when you were young?

Modeling: What did you see when you were young?

Specific incidents: What did you experience when you were young?

Secrets of the millionaire mind: PART TWO

Remember, you can choose to think in ways that will support you in your happiness and success instead of ways that don’t.

Secrets of the millionaire mind Wealth File #1 Rich people believe “I create my life.” Poor people believe “Life happens to me.”

If you want to create wealth, it is imperative that you believe that you are at the steering wheel of your life, especially your financial life.

Did you ever notice that it’s usually poor people who spend a fortune playing the lottery?

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

How can you tell when people are playing the victim? They are blaming, justifying and complaining.

“What you focus on expands.” When you are complaining, what are you focusing on, what’s right with your life or what’s wrong with it? You are obviously focusing on what’s wrong with it, and since what you focus on expands, you’ll keep getting more of what’s wrong.

Wealth File #2 Rich people play the money game to win. Poor people play the money game to not lose.

Poor people play the money game on defense rather than offense. Let me ask you: If you were to play any sport or any game strictly on defense, what are the chances of your winning that game? Most people would agree, slim and none.

If your goal is to be comfortable, chances are you’ll never get rich. But if your goal is to be rich, chances are you’ll end up mighty comfortable.

Secrets of the millionaire mind 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. Rich people are totally clear that they want wealth. They are unwavering in their desire. They are fully committed to creating wealth.

As long as it’s legal, moral, and ethical, they will do whatever it takes to have wealth. Rich people do not send mixed messages to the universe. Poor people do.

You always get what you want—what you subconsciously want, not what you say you want. Put bluntly, if you are not achieving the wealth you say you desire, there’s a good chance it’s because, first, you subconsciously don’t really want wealth, or second, you’re not willing to do what it takes to create it.

There are actually three levels of wanting

The first level is “I want to be rich.” That’s another way of saying, “I’ll take it if it falls in my lap.” Wanting alone is useless. Billions of people want to be rich, relatively few are.

The second level of wanting is “I choose to be rich.” This entails deciding to become rich.

The third level of wanting is “I commit to being rich.” The definition of the word commit is “to devote oneself unreservedly.”

When it comes to wealth, you’re trying means little. The definition of commitment is to devote oneself unreservedly.” The key word is unreservedly. Which means you’re putting everything, and I mean everything, you’ve got into it.

In the author’s experience, getting rich takes focus, courage, knowledge, expertise, 100 percent of your effort, a never give-up attitude, and of course a rich mind-set.

If you are not fully, totally, and truly committed to creating wealth, chances are you won’t. The universe will assist you, guide you, support you, and even create miracles for you. But first, you have to commit!

Wealth File #4: Rich people think big. Poor people think small.

The Law of Income: You will be paid in direct proportion to the value you deliver according to the marketplace.

Most people choose to play small. Why? First, because of fear. They’re scared to death of failure and they’re even more frightened of success. Second, people play small because they feel small. They feel unworthy. They don’t feel they’re good enough or important enough to make a real difference in people’s lives.

The world doesn’t need more people playing small. It’s time to stop hiding out and start stepping out. And it’s time to stop needing and start leading. It’s time to start sharing your gifts instead of hoarding them or pretending they don’t exist. It’s time you started playing the game of life in a “big” way.

Secrets of the millionaire mind Wealth File #5 Rich people focus on opportunities. Poor people focus on obstacles

Rich people see opportunities. Poor people see obstacles. Rich people see potential growth. Poor people see potential loss. Rich people focus on the rewards. Poor focus on the risks.

Poor people make choices based upon fear. Their minds are constantly scanning for what is wrong or could go wrong in any situation. Their primary mind-set is “What if it doesn’t work?” or, more often, “It won’t work.”

Middle-class people are slightly more optimistic. Their mind-set is “I sure hope this works.”

Rich people, as we’ve said earlier, take responsibility for the results in their lives and act upon the mind-set “It will work because I’ll make it work.”

Poor people, on the other hand, expect to fail. They lack confidence in themselves and in their abilities. Poor people believe that should things not work out, it would be catastrophic. And because they constantly see obstacles, they are usually unwilling to take a risk. No risk, no reward.

Another key principle, pertinent here, is that rich people focus on what they want, while poor people focus on what they don’t want.

Wealth File #6: Rich people admire other rich and successful people. Poor people resent rich and successful people.

Poor people often look at other people’s success with resentment, jealousy, and envy. You have to realize that if you view rich people as bad in any way, shape, or form, and you want to be a good person, then you can never be rich. It’s impossible. How can you be something you despise? If you resent what people have, in any way, shape, or form, you can never have it.

Harv then cites a few traits of rich people: they all have others trust them. In addition, rich people are positive, reliable, focused, determined, persistent, hardworking, energetic, good with people, a competent communicator, semi-intelligent, and an expert in at least one area.

Secrets of the millionaire mind Wealth File #7 Rich people associate with positive, successful people. Poor people associate with negative or unsuccessful people.

Successful people look at other successful people as a means to motivate themselves. They see other successful people as models to learn from.

Rich people are grateful that others have succeeded before them so that they now have a blueprint to follow that will make it easier to attain their own success.

Contrary to the rich, when poor people hear about other people’s success, they often judge them, criticize them, mock them, and try to pull them down to their own level.

Avoid negative people or limit your time with them

First, don’t bother trying to get negative people to change or come to the course. That’s not your job.

Energy is contagious: either you affect people or infect people. The same holds true the opposite way around; either people affect or infect you.

“Birds of a feather flock together.” Did you know that most people earn within 20 percent of the average income of their closest friends?

If you want to fly with the eagles, don’t swim with the ducks!” Make it a point to only associate with successful, positive people, and just as importantly, disassociate yourself from negative ones. Also, make it a point to remove yourself from toxic situations. There’s no reason for infecting yourself with poisonous energy. Among these the author would include arguing, gossiping, and backstabbing.

Matter of comfort

Rich people hang around with winners. Poor people hang around with losers. Why? It’s a matter of comfort. Rich people are comfortable with other successful people. They feel fully worthy of being with them. Poor people are uncomfortable with highly successful people. They’re either afraid they’ll be rejected or feel as if they don’t belong. To protect itself, the ego then goes into judgment and criticism.

Secrets of the millionaire mind Wealth File #8 Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their value. Poor people think negatively about selling and promotion.

Resenting promotion is one of the greatest obstacles to success. People who have issues with selling and promotion are usually broke. It’s obvious. How can you create a large income in your own business or as a representative of one if you aren’t willing to let people know that you, your product, or your service exists? Even as an employee, if you aren’t willing to promote your virtues, someone who is willing will quickly bypass you on the corporate ladder.

You’re probably familiar with the saying “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” Well, that’s only true if you add five words: “if they know about it.” Rich people are almost always excellent promoters. They can and are willing to promote their products, their services, and their ideas with passion and enthusiasm.

Rich people are usually leaders, and all great leaders are great promoters. To be a leader, you must inherently have followers and supporters, which means that you have to be adept at selling, inspiring, and motivating people to buy into your vision.

In short, any leader who can’t or won’t promote will not be a leader for long, be it in politics, business, sports, or even as a parent.

Wealth File #9 Rich people are bigger than their problems. Poor people are smaller than their problems

It’s not easy to get rich. Rich and successful people are bigger than their problems, while poor and unsuccessful people are smaller than their problems. Poor people will do almost anything to avoid problems.

The secret to success is not to try to avoid or get rid of or shrink from your problems; the secret is to grow yourself so that you are bigger than any problem. The size of the problem is never the issue—what matters is the size of you!

If you have a big problem in your life, all that means is that you are being a small person! If you want to make a permanent change, stop focusing on the size of your problems and start focusing on the size of you!

Secrets of the millionaire mind Wealth File #10 Rich people are excellent receivers. Poor people are poor receivers

Most people are poor receivers.

People are challenged by receiving for several reasons. First, many people feel unworthy or undeserving. This syndrome runs rampant in our society. To the author, over 90 percent of individuals have feelings of not being good enough running through their veins.

Recognize that if you say you’re worthy, you are. If you say you’re not worthy, you’re not. Either way you will live into your story.

The second major reason most people have a problem with receiving is that they have bought into the adage “It’s better to give than to receive.” But giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. Whoever decided that it is better to give than to receive was simply bad at math. For every giver there must be a receiver, and for every receiver there must be a giver.

Wealth File #11 Rich people choose to get paid based on results. Poor people choose to get paid based on time

There’s nothing wrong with getting a steady paycheck, unless it interferes with your ability to earn what you’re worth. There’s the rub. It usually does.

Poor people prefer to be paid a steady salary or hourly wage. They need the “security” of knowing that exactly the same amount of money is coming in at exactly the same time, month in, month out. What they don’t realize is that this security comes with a price, and the cost is wealth. Living based in security is living based in fear.

Rich people prefer to get paid based on the results they produce, if not totally, then at least partially. Rich people usually own their own business in some form. They make their income from their profits.

To get rich you will need to be paid based on results. Poor people trade their time for money. The problem with this strategy is that your time is limited. This means that you invariably end up breaking Wealth Rule #1, which states, “Never have a ceiling on your income.” If you choose to get paid for your time, you are pretty much killing your chances for wealth.

“You’ll never get rich working on straight salary for someone else. If you’re going to get a job, make sure you get paid on percentage. Otherwise, go work for yourself !”

Secrets of the millionaire mind Wealth File #12 Rich people think “both.” Poor people think “either/or”

Rich people live in a world of abundance. Poor people live in a world of limitations. Of course, both live in the same physical world, but the difference is in their perspective.

Do you want a successful career or a close relationship with your family? Both! Do you want to focus on business or have fun and play? Both! Do you want money or meaning in your life? Both! Do you want to earn a fortune or do the work you love? Both! Poor people always choose one, rich people choose both.

Rich people understand that with a little creativity you can almost always figure out a way to have the best of both worlds.

From now on, when confronted with an either/or alternative, the quintessential question to ask yourself is “How can I have both?” This question will change your life. It will take you from a model of scarcity and limitation to a universe of possibilities and abundance.

This doesn’t just pertain to things you want, it pertains to all areas of life.

People who are rich in every sense of the word understand that you have to have both. Just as you have to have both your arms and your legs, you have to have money and happiness. You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!

Rich people vs. poor people

Rich people believe “You can have your cake and eat it too.” Middle-class people believe “Cake is too rich, so I’ll only have a little piece.” Poor people don’t believe they deserve cake, so they order a doughnut, focus on the hole, and wonder why they have “nothing.”

Secrets of the millionaire mind Wealth File #13 Rich people focus on their net worth. Poor people focus on their working income

When it comes to money, people in our society typically ask, “How much do you make?” Seldom do you hear the question “What is your net worth?” Few people talk this way, except of course at the country club.

But the true measure of wealth is net worth, not working income.

The four net worth factors are:

1. Income (working income and passive income)

2. Savings

3. Investments

4. Simplification (you consciously create a lifestyle in which you need less money to live on).

By tracking your worth, you are focusing on it, and because what you focus on expands, your net worth will expand. By the way, this law goes for every other part of your life: what you track increases.

Wealth File #14 Rich people manage their money well. Poor people mismanage their money well

“Rich people are good at managing their money.” Rich people manage their money well. Poor people mismanage their money. Wealthy people are not any smarter than poor people; they just have different and more supportive money habits.

The single biggest difference between financial success and financial failure is how well you manage your money. It’s simple: to master money, you must manage money.

Managing money does not restrict your freedom—to the contrary, it promotes it. Managing your money allows you to eventually create financial freedom so that you never have to work again. To me, that’s real freedom.

Until you show you can handle what you’ve got, you won’t get any more!

You must acquire the habits and skills of managing a small amount of money before you can have a large amount. Remember, we are creatures of habit, and therefore the habit of managing your money is more important than the amount.

The habit of managing your money is more important than the amount

It doesn’t matter if you have a fortune right now or virtually nothing. What does matter is that you immediately begin to manage what you’ve got, and you’ll be in shock at how soon you get more.

One of the biggest secrets to managing money is balance. On one side, you want to save as much money as possible so you can invest it and make more money. On the other side, you need to put another 10 percent of your income into a “play” account. The play account rule is that it must be spent every month. That’s right! Each month you have to blow all the money in that account in a way that makes you feel rich.

It’s not just about what comes in, it’s about what you do with what comes in.

Either you control money, or it will control you. To control money, you must manage it.

Secrets of the millionaire mind Wealth File #15 Rich people have their money work hard for them. Poor people work hard for their money

No question, working hard is important, but working hard alone will never make you rich. The idea that you have to work hard to get rich is bogus!

You do have to work hard for your money. For rich people, however, this is a temporary situation. For poor people, it’s permanent. Rich people understand that “you” have to work hard until your “money” works hard enough to take your place. They understand that the more your money works, the less you will have to work.

People who achieve financial freedom have learned how to substitute their investment of work energy with other forms of energy. These forms include other people’s work, business systems at work, or investment capital at work. Again, first you work hard for money, then you let money work hard for you.

Two primary sources of passive income

The author identifies two primary sources of passive income.

The first is “money working for you.” This includes investment earnings from financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, T-bills, money markets, mutual funds, as well as owning mortgages or other assets that appreciate in value and can be liquidated for cash.

The second major source of passive income is “business working for you.” This entails generating ongoing income from businesses where you do not need to be personally involved for that business to operate and yield an income.

Never neglect the importance of creating passive income structures. It’s simple. Without passive income you can never be free.

Rich people think long-term. They balance their spending on enjoyment today with investing for freedom tomorrow. Poor people think short-term. They run their lives based on immediate gratification.

Again, the idea is to have your money work as hard for you as you do for it, and that means you have to save and invest rather than make it your mission in life to spend it all.

Long term versus short term

Poor people work to earn money to live today; rich people work to earn money to pay for their investments, which will pay for their future. Rich people buy assets, things that will likely go up in value. Poor people buy expenses, things that will definitely go down in value. Rich people collect land. Poor people collect bills.

“Don’t wait to buy real estate, buy real estate and wait.”

Rich people see every dollar as a “seed” that can be planted to earn a hundred more dollars, which can then be replanted to earn a thousand more dollars.

Get educated

The trick is to get educated. Learn about the investment world. Become familiar with a variety of different investment vehicles and financial instruments, such as real estate, mortgages, stocks, funds, bonds, currency exchange, the whole gamut. Then choose one primary area in which to become an expert. Begin investing in that area and then diversify into more, later.

It comes down to this: poor people work hard and spend all their money, which results in their having to work hard forever. Rich people work hard, save, and then invest their money so they never have to work hard again.

Wealth File #16 Rich people act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear stop them

The author highlights how affirmations, meditations and visualizations are all wonderful tools. But none of them on its own is going to bring us real money in the real world. In the real world, you have to take real “action” to succeed.

So if action is so important, what prevents us from taking the actions we know we need to take? Fear! Fear, doubt, and worry are among the greatest obstacles, not only to success, but to happiness as well. Therefore, one of the biggest differences between rich people and poor people is that rich people are willing to act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear stop them.

The biggest mistake most people make is waiting for the feeling of fear to subside or disappear before they are willing to act. These people usually wait forever.

It’s imperative to realize that it is not necessary to try to get rid of fear in order to succeed. Rich and successful people have fear, rich and successful people have doubts, rich and successful people have worries. They just don’t let these feelings stop them. Unsuccessful people have fears, doubts, and worries, then let those feelings stop them.

“It’s simple, either you are a person who will be stopped, or you are a person who won’t be stopped”

You have to ‘train’ yourself to not be stopped by anything. “Getting rich is not always convenient. Getting rich is not always easy. In fact, getting rich can be pretty damn hard.

If you are willing to do only what’s easy, life will be hard. But if you are willing to do what’s hard, life will be easy.

If you want to be rich and successful, you’d better get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Consciously practice going into your uncomfort zone and doing what scares you.

Training your own mind

One of the most important things you can ever understand is that you are not your mind. You are much bigger and greater than your mind alone. Your mind is a part of you just as your hand is a part of you.

The real answer of course is you’d want to control it, manage it, and train it to work for you instead of against you.

Training and managing your own mind is the most important skill you could ever own, in terms of both happiness and success.

How do you train your mind? You start with observation. Notice how your mind consistently produces thoughts that are not supportive to your wealth and happiness. As you identify those thoughts, you can begin to consciously replace those nonempowering thoughts with empowering ones.

Make a decision that from now on, your thoughts do not run you, you run your thoughts. From now on, your mind is not the captain of the ship, you are the captain of the ship, and your mind works for you.

Secrets of the millionaire mind Wealth File #17 Rich people constantly learn and grow. Poor people think they already know

If you’re not really rich and really happy, there’s a good chance you still have some things to learn about money, success, and life.

“If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got.”

To learn new things, you first have to unlearn what you have in mind. Go from ‘know-it-all’ to a “learn-it-all”. Poor people are often trying to prove that they’re right. They put on a mask as if they’ve got it all figured out, and it’s just some stroke of bad luck or a temporary glitch in the universe that has them broke or struggling.

If what you’ve been doing were working, you’d already be rich and happy. Anything else your mind conjures up as a response is nothing more than an excuse or justification.

Success is a learnable skill. You can learn to succeed at anything. Remember, every master was once a disaster.

No one comes out of the womb a financial genius. Every rich person learned how to succeed at the money game, and so can you. Remember, your motto is, if they can do it, I can do it! Becoming rich isn’t as much about getting rich financially as about whom you have to become, in character and mind, to get rich.

The fastest way to get rich and stay rich is to work on developing you! The idea is to grow yourself into a “successful” person. Again, your outer world is merely a reflection of your inner world. You are the root; your results are the fruits.

What rich people know that the poor don’t

Rich people understand the order to success is BE, DO, HAVE.

Poor and middle-class people believe the order to success is HAVE, DO, BE.

Poor and most middle-class people believe “If I have a lot of money, then I could do what I want and I’d be a success.”

Rich people understand, “If I become a successful person, I will be able to do what I need to do to have what I want, including a lot of money.”

Here’s something else only rich people know: the goal of creating wealth is not primarily to have a lot of money, the goal of creating wealth is to help you grow yourself into the best person you can possibly be. In fact, that is the goal of all goals, to grow yourself as a person.

The author also found that another key difference between rich people and poor and middle-class people is that rich people are experts in their field. Middle-class people are mediocre in their field, and poor people are poor in their field. To get paid the best, you must be the best.

On the topic of learning, it’s worth noting that rich people not only continue to learn, they make sure they learn from those who have already been where they themselves want to go.

Put serious attention and energy into continuously learning and be cautious of whom you learn and take advice from. If you learn from those who are broke, even if they’re consultants, coaches, or planners, there’s only one thing they can teach you—how to be broke!

Thank you for reading this Secrets of the millionaire mind summary by T Harv Eker!