100 Ways Rich People Think Differently

By September 3rd, 2012 Leave a response Dot Com Lifestyle, Ramblings

They say if you want to be rich, you should hang around rich people. The advice sounds reasonable. After all, birds of a feather do flock together. However, this is only half the story. If you really want to be rich, you have to think like the rich.

Steve Siebold spent nearly three decades interviewing rich people around the world to find out what separates them from the 99%. His finding is summed up in a new book, How Rich People Think.

Steve concluded that being rich has little to do with the money itself. Instead, it had everything to do with mentality and how you think about money. The book is a pretty good read, and I recommend you get a copy. In the book, Steve divides people between “World Class” and “Middle Class”. In the interest of better SEO, I will call the groups the 99% and the 1%. 🙂

  1. The 99% focus on saving. The 1% focus on earning.
  2. The 99% thinks about money in linear terms. The 1% think about money in non-linear terms.
  3. The 99% believes hard work creates wealth. The 1% believes leverage creates wealth.
  4. The 99% believes money is the root of all evil. The 1% believes poverty is the root of all evil.
  5. The 99% believes being rich is a privilege. The 1% believes being rich is a right.
  6. The 99% believes money is complicated. The 1% believes money is simple.
  7. The 99% believes rich people are crooks. The 1% believes rich people are ambitious.
  8. The 99% believes building wealth is a solitary effort. The 1% believes building wealth is a team effort.
  9. The 99% worry about money. The 1% dreams about money.
  10. The 99% believes money is negative. The 1% believes money is positive.
  11. The 99% believes rich people are shallow. The 1% believe rich people are strategic.
  12. The 99% believes the road to riches is paved with formal education. The 1% believes the road to riches is paved with specific knowledge.
  13. The 99% believes money is earned through labor. The 1% believes money is earned through thought.
  14. The 99% worries about running out of money. The 1% thinks about how to make more money.
  15. The 99% thinks about spending. The 1% thinks about investing.
  16. The 99% sees money through the eyes of emotion. The 1% sees money through the eyes of logic.
  17. The 99% underestimate the wealth building power of referral marketing. The 1% knows referral marketing creates millionaires.
  18. The 99% focuses on pleasurable activities. The 1% focuses on money making activities.
  19. The 99% sees money as a finite resource. The 1% see money as an infinite resource.
  20. The 99% earns money doing things they don’t like to do. The 1% get rich doing what they love.
  21. The 99% believes rich people are ruthless. The 1% believes rich people are generous.
  22. The 99% has a lottery mentality. The 1% has an action mentality.
  23. The 99% is waiting to be rescued from financial mediocrity. The 1% knows no one is coming to the rescue.
  24. The 99% believes rich people are smarter. The 1% believes rich people are more savvy.
  25. The 99% sees money as controlling. The 1% sees money as liberating.
  26. The 99% believes money changes people. The 1% believes money reveals people.
  27. The 99% believes in working for money. The 1% believes in working for fulfillment.
  28. The 99% believes you have to do something to get rich. The 1% believes you have to be something to get rich.
  29. The 99% plays it safe with money. The 1% takes calculated risks.
  30. The 99% believes you have to have money to make money. The 1% believes in using other people’s money.
  31. The 99% believes jobs are the safest way to earn money. The 1% believes outstanding performance is the safest way to earn money.
  32. The 99% believes in financial scarcity. The 1% believes in financial abundance.
  33. The 99% sees money as a weapon. The 1% sees money as a tool.
  34. The 99% believes they aren’t worthy of great wealth. The 1% believes they deserve to be rich.
  35. The 99% denies the importance of money. The 1% knows money is a critical component of life.
  36. The 99% believes money is their enemy. The 1% believes money is their friend.
  37. The 99% waits for their ship to come in. The 1% builds their own ship.
  38. The 99% believes financial markets are driven by logic an strategy. The 1% believes financial markets are driven by emotion and greed.
  39. The 99% believes money is about status. The 1% believes money is about freedom.
  40. The 99% lives beyond their means. The 1% lives below their means.
  41. The 99% equates money with stress. The 1% equates money with piece of mind.
  42. The 99% thinks small. The 1% thinks big.
  43. The 99% believes people are out to get them. The 1% believes the universe is conspiring to help them.
  44. The 99% believes their thinking is unrelated to their net worth. The 1% knows thinking is the catalyst of all results.
  45. The 99% experiences good fortune and can’t believe it. The 1% experiences good fortune and wonders what took so long.
  46. The 99% believes the more money you earn, the more stress you experience. The 1% believes the more money you earn, the less stress you experience.
  47. The 99% believes the more money you make, the more problems you will have. The 1% believes the more money you make, the fewer problems you will have.
  48. The 99% believes the rich are obsessed with money. The 1% believes the rich are obsessed with success.
  49. The 99% believes the rich are selfish and self-absorbed. The 1% believes the rich are selfish and self-absorbed.
  50. The 99% dreams of having enough money to retire. The 1% dreams of having enough money to impact the world.
  51. The 99% believes it’s shrewd to be cynical. The 1% believes it’s shrewd to be optimistic.
  52. The 99% believes the rich should support the poor. The 1% believes in self-reliance.
  53. The 99% sees the wealthy as oppressors. The 1% sees the wealthy as liberators.
  54. The 99% believes getting rich is outside their control. The 1% knows getting rich is an inside job.
  55. The 99% thinks the rich believe they are more intelligent. The 1% knows intelligence has little to do with getting rich.
  56. The 99% associates with anyone. The 1% carefully monitors their associations.
  57. The 99% embraces advanced degrees. The 1% embraces any form of education that makes them wealthier.
  58. The 99% have loosely defined goals with flexible deadlines. The 1% have highly defined goals with do or die deadlines.
  59. The 99% works as little as possible. The 1% works as smart as possible.
  60. The 99% loves to be comfortable. The 1% is comfortable being uncomfortable.
  61. The 99% is timid and scared. The 1% is aggressive and bold.
  62. The 99% longs for the gold old days. The 1% dreams of the future.
  63. The 99% plays not to lose. The 1% swings for the fences.
  64. The 99% sets their financial expectation low so they’re never disappointed. The 1% sets their financial expectations high so they’re always excited.
  65. The 99% has a financial windfall and worries about losing it. The 1% has a windfall and figures out how to leverage it.
  66. The 99% is externally motivated to make money. The 1% internally motivated to make money.
  67. The 99% suffers from lack consciousness. The 1% enjoy prosperity.
  68. The 99% believes money will make them happier. The 1% knows that money has little to do with happiness.
  69. The 99% believes people seek money for power. The 1% believes people seek money for control.
  70. The 99% never makes the connection between money and health. The 1% knows money can save your life.
  71. The 99% believes ambition is a sin. The 1% believes ambition is a virtue.
  72. The 99% believes rich people are snobs. The 1% believes rich people are guarding their consciousness.
  73. The 99% believes rich people are arrogant. The 1% believes rich people are confident.
  74. The 99% believes self-made millionaires ha an unfair advantage. The 1% knows their advantage was hard work.
  75. The 99% bases their beliefs about the rich on the minority. The 1% bases their beliefs about the rich on the majority.
  76. The 99% believes they’re missing something. The 1% knows it’s beliefs that make the difference.
  77. The 99% believes they lack desire. The 1% knows we all have everything we need to be rich.
  78. The 99% believes they must choose between a great family life and being rich. The 1% knows they can have it all.
  79. The 99% believes having a job gives them security. The 1% knows there’s no such thing.
  80. The 99% believes starting a business is risky. The 1% believes starting a business is the fastest road to wealth.
  81. The 99% believes it’s wrong for a small group of people to possess most of the money. The 1% welcomes the masses to join them.
  82. The 99% believes wealth creates dysfunctional families. The 1% believes unearned wealth creates dysfunctional families.
  83. The 99% believes money creates corruption. The 1% believes the lack of money creates corruption.
  84. The 99% believes the rich are spiritually bankrupt. The 1% believes the rich are among the most spiritual people in society.
  85. The 99% believes if they become wealthy, they will lose their friends. The 1% believes being wealthy will expand your network.
  86. The 99% believes you have to sacrifice your health to get rich. The 1% believes being rich will make you healthier.
  87. The 99% hands down their limited beliefs about money to their children. The 1% hands down their unlimited beliefs about money to their children.
  88. The 99% teaches their children how to survive. The 1% teaches their children how to get rich.
  89. The 99% teaches their kids about money by example. The 1% does the same thing.
  90. The 99% teaches their kids how to save their pennies. The 1% teaches their kids how to invest their pennies.
  91. The 99% encourages their kids to be nice and make friends. The 1% encourages their kids to be smart and build a network.
  92. The 99% teaches their kids to be happy with what they have. The 1% teaches their kids how to go for their dreams.
  93. The 99% minimizes the importance of money with their kids. The 1% teaches their kids the importance of money.
  94. The 99% teaches their children the games of the masses. The 1% teaches their children the games of the wealthy.
  95. The 99% doesn’t believe in personal development of self help. The 1% believes they’re the secret to getting rich.
  96. The 99% doesn’t connect travel with wealth. The 1% knows travel connects them with the wealthy.
  97. The 99% has access to the social skills of the masses. The 1% has access to the social skills of the most refined among us.
  98. The 99% would rather be entertained than educated. The 1% would rather be educated than entertained.
  99. The 99% believes rich people are workaholics. The 1% knows millionaires have a ton of fun.
  100. The 99% only focuses on money when they need it. The 1% focuses on money all the time.

It’s OK To Be Part Of The 1%

The occupy movement made it seem like being part of the 1% is bad, and you should want nothing to do with it. I’m here to tell you that is complete BS. It’s OK to be, or want to be, a member of the 1%. It’s OK to want to be rich. It’s what the American dream was built on. We should be celebrating success, not condemning it.

While I’m sure the list above isn’t all the ways the rich think differently, it offers a pretty wide view. For me, number 5, 20, 43, 44 and 81 are the standout points that I completely believe and relate to. What number on the list stood out for you?