The secret of creating wealth and ultimately becoming a millionaire is not exactly a secret. The information is already out there. If you go to any bookshops you will see tons of book written about this subject; each one having the own approach and their ‘secrets”. But then if reading a book can make you into a millionaire …the streets will be full of them. Don’t get me wrong I am not asking you not to read but it is obvious that it is just not enough.
If you go to any hotel you are bound to stumble across a money making seminar of some sorts; from forex trading to stock options to internet marketing. Yet people in general are not really getting richer. So what is the problem? Well it will not be inaccurate to say that as much as 70% of the attendees that went to all these three-day seminars go home and DO NOTHING. Well these events are not exactly cheap….but yet many are not putting into application what they learnt. Why is that the case?
It is not exactly the fault of these seminars. And I do not mean that you should not go to these events. I believe that most of these seminars teach you things that do work ……..if you put it into action. So what is the reason for non–action? The answer is obvious. It is easy to acquire the knowledge but if knowledge is all you need, then all the professors in the world will be very rich. It is only knowledge that we put into Action that determine the results. Unfortunately …changing the financial results require more than just a three day seminar and certainly more than just head knowledge. It simply requires ACTION….educated ACTION.
Unfortunately without follow through and support after attending these seminars the information remains as just knowledge….a nice manual, and lots of notes taken…but simply no ability or discipline to make real transformation…of beliefs, habits and hence results. Most of seminars lack follow through such as regular coaching (and not just some telephone calls from thousands of miles away) and support group such as masterminding.
Why won’t people take action to change their financial habits and therefore change their results? The reason is quite obvious…most of us are in comfort zones. Human being by nature has a strong resistance to change. We just could not get out of our comfort zone….our cosy job which we really have no passion for, or our familiar business that some of us go to everyday unenthusiastically and which is not giving the results that we want. This resistance are so strong that it sometimes defies logical reasoning and we give ourselves ‘reasons’ for not making the changes. We blame, we justify and we make excuses; no time, no money and don’t know how. Why won’t we get out of comfort zone and overcome our resistance to change? I believe it is because most have a fear of taking risk.
If we have something going on in our life that is Ok…not great but we have a reasonably good life; some would not want to rock that boat and take risk. In fact some people are so risk averse to a point of having no ability to take any risk of any kind. But if we think about it; we have only one life and if we decide to make our life meaningful and fulfilling; why would anyone compromise and not do the things that would get us out of the mundane, the meaningless and the mediocrity. Why won’t we take some risk? I would of course not ask you to take all kinds of risk. Any risk that we take must be calculated and educated risk. Learn before we jump in. And one more thing; don’t take more risk than you can afford to lose. But risk you must.
Every decision we make comes with some risk of some kind. Not taking any risk is like not making any decisions at all. So we procrastinate life’s decision. I like to add the biggest pain in life is the pain of regret; the regret of not making the decision to do something until it is too late. In my years of helping people to achieve a higher level financially; this challenge remains the biggest. As some says; “NO guts NO glory. “
Think about this “Is the rich a majority or minority? We all know the answer; the rich is a minority. So the question is if that is the case why people follow the majority? I learn a long time ago that “successful people are people who would do things that ordinary people would not do”. So it is really that simple….you cannot really be truly rich and successful doing what everyone else is doing. You have to do what most ordinary people won’t do; take action and take some risk.
The common responses to the question “why isn’t everyone a millionaire” is the “no opportunity” or simply “no Luck” It is an easy excuse and it is a SAD excuse.
Denzel Washington, the actor echoed an age-old wisdom when he said “Luck is when an opportunity comes along and you are prepared for it”. So if one is not prepared and when ‘luck” come either you cannot keep it and maximise it or you simply can’t secure it.
Indeed there are people who are’ Lucky” and either secure some opportunities or simply a windfall of some kind. But time and again, we hear of people who made the money fast through chance and will also lose the money equally fast .They cannot retain their “lucky” wealth. So even if opportunity falls on you but if one is not “prepared” it will not be yours.
I often say that opportunity is not seen with the eyes. It is seen with the mind. Half a glass empty is also seen as half a glass full. We can all see the same thing but we will interpret it differently. Some of us will chose to see it full. Some will see it as half empty. So if your mind is ‘not prepared” …it will always be seen as empty and barren of opportunity. It could be right in front our eyes and yet we won’t see.
Some choose to buy luck. Buy the numbers and sit there to wait for money to fall down from the sky. Good luck to you.
So why isn’t everyone a millionaire…well, most people don’t take action to get out of their comfort zone and they don’t take risk. And when the opportunity does come they are not ‘prepared’.