Fear And Greed
One of my personal great pleasures in life is going out for a walk with my dog. I'm also very fortunate that where I live here in Northern Ireland I have lots of different great places nearby to go for our walks.
Today was a lovely sunny morning for a change so we went for a long walk along the beach. While walking, I like to listen to something - either music or a podcast or an audio book.
This morning I started listening to Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and it was a very enlightening listen. I was particularly struck by the first lesson talked about in the book where a young Robert first learns the true meaning of money and the differences between rich and poor.
Rich Dad explains it like this:
“Most people have a price. And they have a price because of human emotions named fear and greed. First, the fear of being without money motivates us to work hard, and then once we get that paycheck, greed or desire starts us thinking about all the wonderful things money can buy. A pattern is then set: get up, go to work, pay bills, get up, go to work, pay bills... Their lives are then run forever by two emotions, fear and greed. Offer them more money, and they continue the cycle by also increasing their spending. This is what I call the Rat Race.”
The Rat Race
The Rat Race is what is taught to most of us at school.
Work hard to get a good education. Learn lots of theories and systems. Memorize facts and dates and then be prepared to regurgitate it all in an exam to get good grades and eventually maybe even a degree at university.
This system is fairly universal across the world no matter where you are from - although there are obviously some subtle differences in different countries.
Personally speaking, I know that I've never used the vast majority of the lessons I learned at school. I also have a degree in pharmacy and even as a practicing pharmacist I have never used most of what I was taught at university.
Learning about Money
Most of us are never taught about money - particularly at school. At school, we are brought up to be effective little producers for the system we will eventually work in. We are taught to work for money.
We need to shake off this mindset of working for money and find ways to make money work for us. Probably the best way to do this is to create our own little business and as members of Wealthy Affiliate we have a road map laid out for us to show us how to do it.
Creating an online business can eventually lead to the ultimate goal for many of us which is to be earning passive income from our sites. By putting in the work now, our business can be earning money even when we aren't working on it.
In Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert quickly learned how hard it can be to work for money and even as a child he created his first business with comic books. Today the barriers to setting up your own business have never been lower.
I see people in live chat and in some blogs moaning about the cost of joining Wealthy Affiliate and the work they have to do. I sometimes feel like screaming at them and telling them to #### off back to their sad miserable lives. Sorry but if you can't see the huge opportunity here then you just aren't cut out to be a serious entrepreneur.
I've seen a lot of negativity recently - particularly from free members who seem to have nothing better to do than complain and start arguments. Personally I would put limits on free members ability to create blog posts and use live chat because of the amount of spam and negativity being posted - but that's a whole other rant!
For those who are serious about making money work for them - follow the training, put in the work to build your business, ignore the negative people - and read Rich Dad Poor Dad!
Have a great day
David
Recent Comments
39
This is a great lesson to learn. Fear and greed have been with us forever. We cannot get rid of these feelings. Learning to control them and use them effectively is the best way forward.
Thanks!
Edwin
Personally I think negativity is all about perspective. The same event, no matter what it is, can be seen as negative if that spin is put on it.
For example (the positive person) "I just won the lottery! Now my kids won't ever have to go without!" -- (the negative person) "I've just won the lottery! Just great, now I'll never be left alone. Someone will always be looking to get something from me."
Another example (the positive person) "My 1st website just got indexed! It's the 1st step to financial freedom online!" -- (the negative person) "My 1st website just got indexed. Big deal, no traffic is coming in, I'm no better off."
It's all about the perspective of the beholder. Your walk on the beach sounds lovely to me but I'm sure someone somewhere is no doubt thinking how messy a dogs paws will be after playing near water on the beach lol!
We all need to strive for the positive outlook. Positivity is contagious, as is negativity. If we could all have a more positive outlook, think how much more delightful each moment of every day would be ;)
Take care, Shannon
Hi Shannon.
I love your analysis! Yes I totally agree that if people could be more positive and look for solutions rather than seeing problems they would make much greater progress
Nice reflection. My 20+ years as a business owner, and the last 2 years in internet marketing have taught me the following:
There are abundant opportunities, whether it be service, physical & digital products, affiliate, etc.
Internet marketing can lead to other opportunities, such as lead generation for your business, remote consultation work, podcast/blog services, marketplace biz,, etc I find that it all revolves around content creation and distribution, traffic and conversions. Here, WA provides the initial training and steps to properly launch your business.
They all require an upfront investment of both time and money.
Remember, just because its an online business, it is still a business. Like any other business, it will take a commitment,
and daily action steps. Always be investing in yourself. Success will only come once you are proficient at your craft/skill set.
Lastly, if you require motivation, surround yourself with people that have the same mindset. Follow the steps, learn the skills and do the time. It only works if you complete all of the steps.
Mike
Hi Mike.
Thanks for this detailed comment and I agree completely with what you say.
It's definitely possible to achieve things with no financial investment but it's brutally difficult. The investment we make in WA is going to be repaid many times over if we are prepared to put in the time and effort to make it successful.
Thanks again for your input
I can understand your anguish as far as people thinking the price of a premium membership is to much.
It cost me thousands to build my 'bricks and mortar', business. My body aches from the hard work and I'm constantly struggling to make enough money, yet I continue in my job and work just that little bit harder so that I can afford my premium membership. This isn't meant to be a whinge but boy, do I get sick if others whinging. Jim
Jim I admire your dedication and I hope your efforts to build an online business enable you to take it a bit easier in the bricks and mortar one.
Hi David. I love Robert's books and reading them taught me to break that cycle a long time ago. He's a lovely humble man. I had the honour of meeting him in Sydney Australia just after he published that book. I was very young and it made an enormous impression on me.
Definitely compulsory reading.
Take care and "don't let the turkeys get you down."
They're just making noise.
Lily 😆
Hi Lily. That's awesome that you got to meet Robert. I heard him being interviewed on one of Anik Singal's podcasts and he sounded like a really great guy - which prompted me to get his book.
As for the turkeys - not long until christmas!
I read that book some years back. Very interesting and easy to relate concepts. Yes, entrepreneurship requires the right mindset. It is learning how to fish and not expecting someone else to hand you free fish.
Thanks Stanley. I love the comment about the free fish!
Having a "can do" mindset is so important for entrepreneurs
Great article, Dave!
And you are right, if people see the barriers right before them so they complain, it does not have much sense to tell them how it was hard to start the business earlier - the WA breaks a lot of barries, but the most of barries are in the head of the people.
For me personally, nothing is impossible, if I want something, I go for it, but a lot of people hesitate, and in the end, they simply do not anything. God bless I am not one of them, neither are you:).
Have a great day and thank you again for this great post!
Bye Renata
Hi Renata. I completely agree with you. It's so much easier for people to make excuses about the problems they face than to find ways to deal with them.
I love your mindset too!
Thanks for taking the time to comment
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You make some great points being negative will get us no where. It is in our mind we create success and negative thoughts can pull you down.
It is this whole idea that if we want something it will by magic appear. In life you get what you put in and if you aren't investing than you can't realistically expect anything.
If you like Rich Dad Poor Dad you may want to read (or listen) to Think and Grow Rich. It was written in 1937 so some of the ideas are dated but it is a great read.
I totally agree Alicia. Too many people have the "something for nothing mindset" and wont put the effort in.
Thanks for the recommendation on Think And Grow rich. I read it a long time ago but its probably worth another read