Great news and spoiler alert!
Everyone can reprogram their brain to make changes.
Everyone can learn to be a better wealth builder.
A few things that have been proven in human behavior;
- We over-estimate what can be accomplished over short periods of time (You mean I can’t lose 25 pounds by next weekend and fit into my sexy looking blue jeans?)
- We under-estimate what can be accomplished over long periods of time (You can learn to play the piano, learn new skills, change careers, become a marathon runner, or build wealth.)
Wealth building is simply a process with very specific tasks and steps that can be learned and implemented.
Wealth building is very similar to many skills and accomplishments in that it requires a mix of knowledge, understanding and then the implementation of actions which become very powerful when they are made into repetitively triggered habits and core behaviors.
For those who have not figured out the increasing levels of wealth building, it requires the need to REPROGRAM OUR BRAINS with new beliefs and triggers (mental catalysts). Transitioning from a normal state of finances (or worse) to being a legitimate and a lifelong wealth builder requires changing yourself from the inside out.
If you are anxious for change and want “proof of change” then my recommendation is to start out with some sort of anchor point that will be used for benchmarking. How will you know if you are improving if you don’t know where you are starting from (other than just wanting more money to spend on stuff and always feeling you need more)? Perhaps start out obtaining the following for yourself;
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Your credit report which lists your score and a detailed listing of your debts.
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A copy of your most recent bank statements (good for budgeting as well).
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Assemble a net worth statement that will be used consistently month over month.
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Download a copy of your most complete Social Security Statement from the Social Security Administration (can be done online and downloaded via PDF file).
Here’s what we know from experience; wealthy people do things differently than non-wealthy people. If you don’t feel comfortable with your level of wealth, then someone else has already figured out how to get there because somebody out there is wealthier than you (Excluding Warren Buffett or Bill Gates. They will always be wealthier than you most likely – sorry to disappoint). Our objective is to just identify what it is that wealthier people are doing versus what you are doing. Once we identify the differences, then it is up to us to determine whether or not we are willing to model our behaviors and habits after what has already shown to work. You may or may not feel it is worth it but it is up to you to decide for yourself. The process of wealth building is up to each of us as individuals (or married couples who work together for a common goal). Nobody else will do the work for you. Further, nobody will end up caring if you quit and didn’t reach your own goals or potential.
As we know, America is the land of opportunity. Plenty of people have accomplished some wild dreams. Everybody loves a good success story, unless it isn’t their own. But that is ok because we are doing this for ourselves, not for anybody else. Our journey is our journey and we must decide to walk our own path. Fortunately we don’t have to reinvent the wheel on wealth building because the principles of success have been identified and documented for a few thousand years (yes, that long). People became wealthy a thousand years ago following the same habits and behaviors as people who become successful today. Very little is changed on the behaviors of success (and spending all of your money plus more through the aggressive use of debt isn’t a critical success behavior.)