Disclaimer: This blog is not meant to act as a substitute for professional advice. It is the opinions and point of view of the author and all readers are encouraged to seek professional advice before making any investments, implementing tax strategies or making any business decisions.
Over the years I started studying super successful people and I quickly realized that most of them are really not all that extraordinary in terms of intelligence or natural talents. They are working with all the same tools at everyone else's disposal. Some of the key factors that determines a persons success in life... wealth, career, health, relationships and life enjoyment are mindset, priorities and time management. Let me elaborate...
Mindset:
Mindset is so important on many fronts, but let's focus on how it impacts your finances. When it comes to money if you have a scarcity mindset, you will always be broke. When you get a little money you will be too afraid to invest it and put it to work. Instead after meeting your basic needs you will spend it on things that make you temporarily happy whenever you're feeling down... clothes and toys for instance. For you money's main purpose is to buy stuff you need or want. It doesn't matter how much money you give someone with a scarcity mindset, eventually they will end up broke. This is proven time and time again if you're paying attention. For instance, most lottery winners end up bankrupt after a few years actually worse off than they were before hitting the lotto. This also applies to many poor athletes that make the big leagues or entertainers that go from broke to rich overnight. Their problem is not money, its money management and mindset. When you come from humble beginnings like myself, you learn to save and scrounge every penny from your parents. We are also trained in our public school systems to be employees. Our schools teach NOTHING about personal finance, financial freedom or passive income. It's all about getting you addicted to a paycheck and bad debt. Work all week, get taxed upfront, spend what's left trying to squeeze some enjoyment out of the weekend. Can't afford that fat new whip or large screen TV... no problem. We have financing options for you.... aka Bad Debt. We are left to worry constantly about money our entire lives and eventually learn to hate on the rich. This is why it is critical to study money... the psychology of it, how it works and how to make money work for you so you don't have to work for it. The simple truth is money's best use is to use it to replicate itself. Poor folk who start to earn and figure this out end up wealthy. Get your head right and the money will flow.
Then to really set you back you're taught to be a victim... Don't get me wrong, there are some very real obstacles out there, but if you only focus only on the obstacles you will lose sight of the opportunities and you won't practice personal accountability. Many politicians and media like to bash rich people and convince the masses that the system is rigged and your financial situation is out of your hands. Vote for them for free handouts and let them take care of you. If you buy into this victim mindset, you will never consider how your own behavior is contributing to your economic hardships and your situation will never change. Rich people are portrayed as evil and greedy. On a deeper psychological level, if you believe rich people are evil or bad... you will never thrive to become wealthy. You will self-sabotage without even realizing it. Especially if you think your circle of friends and family will withdraw their love and support if you become massively wealthy. So give yourself permission to achieve financial freedom and surround yourself with like-minded individuals that will support and cheer you on. No one impacts your finances more than YOU. This is an undeniable fact if we are being realistic and not looking for an excuse or a way to deflect our own bad decisions on someone else.
I'm making several book recommendations on this very important topic. I am listing audio books here because I love to educate myself while working in the snake room, driving or going for a hike. (see discussion on time management below!) If you take the time to educate yourself and shift your mindset, your own finances are sure to improve. Links below...
Priorities
The other thing that I noticed about the super successful is they have a clear set of priorities that they do not stray from. Grant Cardone's book Be Obsessed or Be Average talks about this. Identifying and being obsessed with the things that matter most to you is how to live a full and rich life. Whether you're an entrepreneur, athlete, performer, artist... to become the best version of yourself will take time and focus. Today there are so many distractions and staying focused and on track through out the day is very challenging! If you don't prioritize the things that matter most to you, then you won't get much done and you will never achieve your biggest goals. I am very deliberate about avoiding time-wasting activities such as social media, toxic news and video games. I need to make sure I'm prioritizing my family and being a supportive father to my girls. I need to make sure my animals are being cared for and my customers are being served. I need to make sure I'm finding time for self-care... meditate, workout, eat well and staying positive. I am ruthless when it comes to eliminating toxic people, distractions, and energy draining activities from my life. If it's not a hell yes, then its a hell no. Make sure you're aware of what matters most to you and focus on those things. Only engage in activities that motivate and energize you. If there are aspects of your business or daily life that you dread doing, then outsource that thing if possible. For instance, I hate book keeping and mowing the lawn. So I pay someone else to do these things. I realized that whenever I went on FaceBook or read the news I would end up angry and pissed off. Not to mention the time I would waste draining myself. So I stopped using FaceBook and news notifications on my phone. I only use FaceBook now to manage my business page or go to the GoBundance group page. On the flip side, I really enjoy working in my snake room. So I clean and feed my animals myself instead of hiring it out. Writing this blog and helping to encourage other people is something that energizes me. This is why I am taking the time to write this blog. This is a simple, but powerful approach that will help you stay on top of your priorities. This also applies to people. An individual may not necessarily be a bad person, but if your interactions leave you frustrated, annoyed or discouraged... then you need to limit or eliminate that individual from your life. You're priority needs to be staying focused and fully motivated every day if you want to achieve big things! I know this may sound harsh, but what's your priority? Being nice or living your best life? Buy a journal, draw a line down the middle of the page and on one side write down the activities and people that drain you and on the other side the activities and people that energize and motivate you. Do this every day for a few weeks and then slowly eliminate the things and people that drain you and increase the activities and people that energize you. Before you know it you will be waking up every day pumped and excited and all your top priorities will be getting the attention they deserve. Try it out and then send me some feedback.
Time Management
This last topic is related to priorities. We all have the same amount of time each day to prioritize the things that matter most, but some people are way more productive than others. Be very protective of your time! It is hands down your most precious resource. Lost money can be recouped, but lost time is lost forever. We don't know when it will end, so treat it as a very precious commodity. This is one of the main reasons I'm so passionate about financial freedom. Once you achieve financial freedom... meaning you don't have to trade your time for money, then you can spend your time doing the things that matter most to you. Try doing a time audit and see if you're spending your time wisely. Are you actively working towards the the things that matter most to you or are you a tool being used and manipulated to further someone else's goals? Politicians on both sides of the aisle are working hard to get you nice and pissed off. Why? Because angry people vote and donate cash. The media is working hard to get you to click on their articles with titles that scare, piss you off, or shock you. Why? Because every time you click they make ad dollars. Social media is trying everything they can to keep you on their platforms scrolling and clicking your life away so they can monetize your time and collect your data. There are so many other entities and individuals trying to monopolize your time and if you're not managing your time wisely, someone else will.
One way I maximize my time is listening to audio books and podcasts while I work in the snake room, drive or go on a hike. By doing this I can kill two birds with one stone. I listen to self-help, business, real estate and fiction/entertaining content. I basically turned my snake room into a class room so that I know how to multiply the profits I make from breeding snakes. I also consume content that keeps me motivated and inspired. I have learned so much about real estate, business, investing and mindset all while making a ton of money doing what I love! This in turns helps me to earn even more and perform closer to my full potential. Listening to a good fictional book or music is also a great way to turn a mundane weekly task like feeding or cleaning into an enjoyable task. This helps me to stay consistent and persistent with my snake breeding activities because it is something I find enjoyable.
I'll end with some book recommendations. Hopefully something here will resonate with you and get you on track reaching your full potential. Thanks for reading....
Money and Mindset Book Recommendations
