Get a Millionaire Mindset

PAUL B. FARRELL

Market Watch of wall street journal

March 20, 2005

Good news: The number of American millionaire households has grown to 8.2 million, by one count.

And you can join them. Here's the secret: It's all in your attitude, your state of mind. Decades in business have convinced me: Becoming a millionaire has little to do with tools and rules, asset allocation and so on. If you're not in the right state of mind, none of this matters.

Seriously, I've read the books: "The Millionaire Mind", "Instant Millionaire", "Automatic Millionaire", "Millionaire Next Door", and many more. I even wrote one, "The Millionaire Code", identifying 16 basic personality types to help people focus on their dreams.

But I keep coming back to one simple fact: It really is all in your head. Here are 10 tips I picked up over the decades that'll help you become one of America's next millionaires:

1. Getting rich isn't about obssessing over money.

Peter Lynch says if you spend 15 minutes a year studying the economy, that's 10 minutes too many. And when money guru Ric Edelman researched 5,000 millionaires for "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Wealth", he discovered that millionaires spend an average of just six minutes a day on personal finance. They have better things to do. Get a life!

2. Accentuate the positive.

Most of us have read books like "Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude." This message was deftly summarized by a U.S. Army Special Forces instructor, a veteran of 26 years, who once told a magazine: "If you have a guy with all the survival training in the world who has a negative attitude, and a guy who doesn't have a clue but has a positive attitude, I guarantee you that the guy with a positive attitude is coming out of the woods alive."

3. Think differently.

Go inside "The Millionaire Mind" with author George Stanley: "It pays to be different." Yes, being different helps build wealth. Don't fit in; go your own way.

4. Quit doing what you hate.

Many people live in quiet desperation, waiting for retirement, doing something they hate. Marcus Buckingham put it very simply in his new book, "The One Thing You Need to Know": Figure out what you don't like doing. Then stop doing it.

5. Do what you love.

Heed the pep talks: Do what you love; money will follow. Never forget Mr. Stanley's bottom line: "If you are creative enough to select the ideal vocation, you can win, win big-time. The really brilliant millionaires are those who selected a vocation that they love."

6. Find the real you.

Working in a career that doesn't fit right is exhausting and stressful. You're less efficient, less productive. Get in sync with the real you. Get help from a career counselor. Read books on personality types. Find the real you, go for it and never turn back!

7. Invest in 'You, Inc.'

Tired of working for Corporate America? Become an entrepreneur. Create your own business. Most millionaires work for themselves, pay less in tax, live below their means and build equity in themselves.

8. Live with passion.

Believe in something. Listen to the still, small voice. What is it: Love, family, jazz, art, golf, writing, fishing, inventing? Whatever it is, it's you. And it's priceless. My mentor Joseph Campbell said: "If you follow your bliss, you will always have your bliss, money or not. If you follow money, you may lose it, and you will have nothing."

9. Live in the moment.

A good friend is in his 60s. When I mention retirement planning, he laughs. He talks about his next vacation. His new jet skis. He has survived divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, health problems. He has a successful business, nice house, lots of debt. He's at risk. I couldn't do it, but he's happy.

10. Make a difference.

Most of us focus on our little world and our future. Millionaires dream of making the world a better place. They love helping people. I'll bet you have such a dream. Discover the real meaning of living richly by going beyond yourself and making a difference.