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What do Rich People have in Common?
Okay then, besides having a lot of money, what do rich people
have in common?
No, it's not intelligence or education. Look around. The world
is littered with un-rewarded geniuses and every store has at least
one clerk with a master's degree or a doctorate.
No, it's not conservatism, courage, luck or wealthy families.
And no, it's not even passion, instinct, timing or greed.
The single characteristic that rich people tend to have in common
is an unusually long 'time horizon.'
In other words, rich people get rich because they think further
ahead than the rest of us. As a matter of fact, research indicates
that the length of your time horizon is the one characteristic that
most accurately predicts where you will land in the
socioeconomic strata.
Ask him how he chooses investment properties and George Stakis,
the renowned multimillionaire real estate magnate, will tell you,
"There's one question that I ask myself when looking at a property,
even if I plan to own it for only a few hours... 'Is this a property
that I would want to own 20 years from today?' If the answer is 'no,'
then I don't buy it."
Wealthy people routinely plant seeds that won't bear fruit for
months or even years. But counter to what you may be thinking,
wealthy people don't share this characteristic "because they're
rich and can afford to think ahead." They become wealthy because
they have this characteristic.
It's an established fact that a person who can't set aside a few
pounds each month from a salary of twenty thousand a year, will find
it equally impossible to set aside a few pounds from a salary of two
hundred thousand a year.
The average Working man thinks ahead exactly one wage-slip. We know what must be
paid with the one that's coming and we have a plan for what to pay with the
next. Needless to say, this is not a plan for building wealth. This is a plan for being average.
Far below average, in the very lowest economic strata, are the addicts
and alcoholics who don't think ahead even to where they will sleep tonight;
their entire existence has been reduced to the next fix, the next drink, the
next score - a time horizon of only an hour or two.
How far have you been thinking ahead? (It's never too late to change.)
Avoid contact with Negative people.
If you are going to be successful, it's important to associate with successful
people, people who share your lifestyle and your goals of freedom and wealth.
You must shut out all of your negative friends and relatives. They cannot
contribute to your success...only to your failure! Negative people will
tell you: "that will never work. There's got to be a catch somewhere, just mark
my words". It doesn't seem to matter what opportunity you are talking about
their response to your enthusiasm is always the same (yet they get excited when
their boss gives them a small raise or a new title!).
The problem is that their negativity tends to bring you down, no matter how hard
you try to resist it. Have you ever been excited about renting a video you
wanted to see, only to select an alternate one because someone in the store made
negative comments about your original choice? Have you ever bought a tie or
dress that you thought looked great on you, but wore it only once because a
friend said it made you look fat, frivolous or foolish?
These are just minor examples of how negativism can affect your life. Imagine
what they could do to your financial well-being! There's an old saying that
goes: "whether you think you can, or you think you can't…you are right!" Do not
spend time with people who might convince you that you can not!
Have a Positive attitude.
A good, positive, cheerful attitude is one of the most important features of
your success profile. You'll seldom find a successful person who doesn't think
that every day is the best day of his life. Do you feel that way? You should!
Greet every day enthusiastically. Wouldn't it be terrible if you missed one? And
stop referring to your wake-up device as an "alarm" clock. It's an
"Opportunity Clock"! It wakens you to new opportunities that never
existed before. Greet them with excitement and joy! It's important too, to keep
a good positive attitude toward your business.
Stop thinking "Job Security." If you don't already know it, there is no such
thing as job security. The only security you and I have is in our own abilities.
The countless Steelworkers who thought they owned the world in the mid-50s have
largely disappeared. Middle management positions of corporations like IBM,
Boeing and most other large companies have been decimated. Even scientists are
pounding the streets looking for work!
No job is secure!
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