“The way we do anything is the way we do everything.” -Martha Beck
Mindset, next to knowledge and experience, is probably one of most important components for succeeding in whatever you set out to do. It is key in building a strong foundation for all you desire for your life.
You have been programmed from an early age by your circle of influence growing up. You hold these belief systems to be your truths and on a daily basis your decisions are made from these truths you hold. What I’m going to ask of you is to be open-minded that maybe, just maybe, your current belief systems may not actually be the universal truth when it comes to manifesting the life of your dreams.
It is imperative to look at your beliefs systems first because:
Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
And your values determine your destiny!
Take a moment to do the following exercise to tap into your current mindset about money, success and business. Grab your journal, and write out responses to the following questions:
What are the current set of beliefs you have about:
- Money?
- The economy?
- Creating a thriving business?
- Long-term sustainable wealth?
- Leaving a legacy?
- Who gave you those belief systems you currently have?
Here’s what I know about your responses. The response to the final question of who gave you your current belief systems will overwhelmingly be your parents, teachers, friends, and family members. You have derived your current mindset from a variety of sources – let’s call them your “circle of influence.”
My next question is: Was your circle of influence that gave you your current belief systems wealthy? Or were they successful big business owners?
In some cases, you may tell me you were influenced by successful business owners growing up. It’s important to note, there is a difference in mindset between small business owners and big business owners.
A small business owner sees themselves as a specialist or “the secret sauce” to the business. They believe nobody will care more about the business than they will, therefore they need to do it all!
The big business owner sees themselves as the visionary. They learn the business, do the business just enough to set up processes and systems so they can duplicate themselves. This allows them to be able to be removed from its daily operations and yet still reap the benefits of a successful business.
This is an opportunity for you to look at your current business mindset and see if it’s supporting you or not.
In reviewing your responses to the questions above, ask yourself, if it’s possible that the current set of beliefs you have may not be the truth when it comes to building wealth and creating success in your business? Let’s look closer at what might need adjusting.
We don’t tend to let go of our truths easily. Just small shifts in your thinking are needed in order to create different opportunities to come your way. If you are ready, this is a chance to commit to going even deeper in all aspects of your life and whether or not your current belief systems are the truths you want to have when it comes to attracting wealth, health and happiness into your life – and manifesting the life of your dreams.
There has to be a shift that takes place and the first thing that has to happen is that you need to be open-minded to the idea that there are always two sides of the same coin. Be willing to flip the coin over and take a look at the other side. The other important aspect is that you have to be coachable. Often times we believe through our own life experiences that “we know better” and we choose to change something that works. Always remember, if you tweak a proven plan – the plan is no longer proven! Surrender your ego.
When it comes to building a thriving business, you want to follow those who have accomplished what you are looking to accomplish. Not from those who just teach from theory and logic, because they attended a seminar, or read books on the topic. You need to learn from those that have actually done it. Your next question to me usually is “How do I find them?” or “Why would they teach me?”
The short answer is – you need to learn to speak their language, and secondly, nothing of value comes for free. They will teach you if it’s worth their time.
You, like me, I’m sure heard the following comments growing up…
- You have to work hard for money.
- We can’t afford it – money doesn’t grow on trees!
- Investing is risky. Keep your secure job and reliable paycheck.
Let me take a moment and share my early belief systems about creating wealth. I actually started investing in real estate over 25 years ago. I started by following my dad’s advice. He told me as I was graduating from college that I should consider buying my first home because renting would be throwing away money.
Then he said, if I were to focus on buying 1 or 2 investment properties a year and if I could put a tenant in each and let the tenant’s rent pay down the mortgage, and sell them later for a profit that would create a “nest egg” for my future. In taking that approach, what I found was a slow process with mediocre results at best.
I experienced problem tenants, and lots of unexpected repairs needing to be done at the properties, therefore costing me money, instead of making me money. Frustrated by this, I decided to attend a local real estate investor meeting. I met and spoke to lots of other investors, they all had their own opinion of how best to invest in real estate. I left feeling even more confused. I read every book I could get my hands on, trying to piece things together on my own.
I was up late one night when a late-night infomercial came on – the real estate guru said I could create wealth following their simple, proven plan. I was sold! I tried to get my friends, and family to go to the training with me but they told me “It doesn’t work” or “It’s a scam,” so I went alone. I’ve now come to learn “We can’t want for others what they don’t want for themselves.” Or as the saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.”
It was at that training I made the decision to take the leap of faith – I invested in a financial education that included a mentor. The system I bought streamlined the process of accumulating cash-flowing properties and shortened the learning curve for me.
By gaining this financial education process I was trained to think differently when it came to building wealth. I was immersed in this new way of thinking with like-minded individuals. The mentors stretched my mind, and gave me a different point of view to consider while broadening my vision.
Shifting your mindset is a continuous process, wealthy people are always challenging themselves to be looking at things in a new way, being open minded, challenging old beliefs systems. This technique is what has assisted me to achieve great things in my life and I know it will support you too.
By simply shifting your mindset, you’ll discover a transforming power of self-awareness and a boost in confidence that will validate your belief that you actually do control your own destiny.
