Success Mentality

© 2009 Vinny Ribas

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 Some people seem to be natural money magnets. Every time they turn around they are making money from something. The thought of being wealthy, prosperous or even ‘filthy stinkin’ rich’ doesn’t scare them or inhibit them in any way. They are not cheating or using anyone to get their money. They are not stealing it. They just seem to have their hands in everything, and they turn everything into a profit. They have a true ‘success mentality’. How do they do this? 

• They look for and find opportunities to make money. For example, they know that everywhere you turn there is someone willing to sell something for far under its value in order to sell it quickly.
• They are very creative in manufacturing money-making opportunities. For example, they recognize a chance to be the middleman in a deal where they have identified potential buyers for something that is for sale.
• They are quick to calculate the risk involved in any deal and to determine if they are willing to take it.
• They know how to manage and reinvest their money. They never squander their profits. Making and protecting their money is a business to them.
• They find ways to make money without using their own money. They might barter, get 3^rd parties to put up the money, take out short-term loans that they pay back quickly etc. They know all their options and which one is best for any particular situation.
• They will buy and sell anything, within reason, to make money. They don’t let their pride or ‘what their friends might say’ get in the way. They know what they are capable of. For example, I have a friend who bought a closed boarding house across the street from a shutdown nuclear plant. He did some minor repairs and cosmetic work, and doubled his money in just a few months.
• They know when to say ‘no’. They can recognize when something is a bad deal or someone is trying to pull the wool over their eyes. They avoid get-rich-quick schemes.
• They find buyers for items they want to resell, before they actually purchase it.
• They study and become experts in the arenas that they are playing in. For example, they learn how to flip houses (buy low, sell high quickly) before they make their first deal. If they make their money buying and reselling overstocked inventory, they learn everything they can about that market so that they can make the best deal for themselves.
• They are patient when something is a long-term deal. They never pull the trigger too quickly.

 This is the total opposite of some people for whom money is a never-ending battle. They struggle constantly to make ends meet. They often get used, abused or taken to the cleaners financially. Thus, they become afraid of having money, thinking that they will always have to be looking over their shoulders. Many have become resigned to poverty, or to never getting past living paycheck-to-paycheck. They honestly believe that they don’t deserve to be wealthy. Many use it as a crutch, turning cynical and desperate. They might live on welfare rather than getting a job because it’s ‘free money’. They have any number of irrational excuses for their situation. Some were told over and over again by someone they loved that they would never amount to anything. After hearing that lie so many times, they now believe it. They have little if any confidence in themselves. They often become their own worst enemy! This is commonly known as a ‘broke mentality’, and it affects many more people, to varying degrees, than you might ever imagine!

 Do you find yourself getting in your own way financially? If you look deeply into times when you were ‘so close’ to making it, do you discover that you somehow sabotaged your chance of success? As children we all had big dreams for our futures because we couldn’t see any reason why we couldn’t attain them. Do you recognize that your thinking, your beliefs and ultimately your actions are now holding you back from chasing your dreams? Have you given up on dreaming, or are they still alive but buried deep inside you? Are you just waiting for your ship to come in, or are you willing to swim out to meet it?

Transforming your thinking from a ‘broke mentality’ to a ‘success mentality’ may seem like a long leap, but it can be done. For some people, just recognizing that they have let life beat them down is enough, and they just vow to never let that happen again. For others it may take a while to retrain their minds. Some people might need to use some form of counseling to find out the real cause(s) of their self-limitations.

 Here are some things that you (everyone) should do to either change your negative perspective about money or simply protect your positive perceptions.

•  Surround yourself with financially successful people. Learn to think like they think. Remember that they are not any better than you – they just think differently.
• Keep yourself in learning mode. Read anything that can make you wiser, smarter or more astute. Learn as much about your chosen industry as possible. Ask a lot of questions.
• Learn to recognize your weaknesses and find ways to improve them. Knowing that you are competent and current keeps your confidence level high.
• Study and learn the basics of money management, and apply them to both your personal and business finances.
• Use an experienced financial advisor to guide you in the areas that you are not knowledgeable in. They can help you put your money to work for you.
• Constantly repeat affirmations, such as, ‘Money flows to me like water’, to develop and maintain a healthy attitude towards money.
• Let yourself dream, and dream big! Then find the people with the expertise to help you attain it.

 Remember that money is NOT the root of all evil! It is only greed, or an unhealthy love of money that causes people to do crazy, sometimes illegal or unethical things. Money is just a tool. If helping others is a passion for you, remember that the more money you have, the more you can use to improve the lives of people across the globe.

 You deserve to be happy, comfortable and content. In our society, getting there often requires having an ample income. It is your undeniable right to earn as much as you want or need. You are worthy of unlimited success. Never let anyone or anything, including your own mind, take that away from you![/private_freebie]