In January 2016, the multi-state Powerball lottery game reached a record high jackpot of $1.5 billion. If you’re reading this article right now, odds are you were not one of the winners. Unfortunately, many people have a lottery mentality, in that they believe the only way they could possibly be rich is to win a large lottery prize.
The fact is that anyone is capable of being rich in this world. According to many self-made millionaires, building wealth and becoming rich is not up to the luck of the draw—it is up to you and your mentality about money. To them, it’s not about why you can’t be rich, but about the reasons why you’re not rich already. Here are some of the reasons the rich say you’re not among them.
1. You think being rich is a privilege reserved for others and not you.
We live in a capitalist society, which means you have just as much of a chance to earn wealth as anyone else—as long as you are willing to put in the effort to create value for others.
2. You don’t think you’re smart enough.
A lack of a formal education has rarely ever held back successful people. The founders of Microsoft, Facebook, IKEA, ALDI, Luxottica, and Dell Computers were all either college dropouts or never even attended college.
3. You don’t think you’re capable of being rich because you’re not ambitious.
Rich people aren’t any more ambitious or have any more desire to be rich than you do. They just have more faith in themselves to make their dreams come true. In order to become rich on your own, you need to believe in yourself more.
4. You focus on saving money versus earning more of it.
Don’t misunderstand this. Rich people save their money too, but they don’t just put it in the bank in a low interest savings account. They save their money wisely in ways that will earn them more through investments and higher returns.
5. You think the only way to earn more money is to work more hours.
Sure, if you get paid by the hour, and you put in some overtime, you’ll earn a few more bucks in your next paycheck. That’s obvious. That’s not the way to earn wealth though. Rich people look at ways to find solutions to problems that will earn them income. Doing that isn’t based on how many hours you punch in on the time-clock.
6. You’re afraid to fail.
Many of the wealthiest self-made individuals have failed at something before hitting it big. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Just treat those failures as learning steps along the way to success. Failure is a teacher and not an end-all.
7. You’re not hanging out with the right people.
We all love our friends. But, if your friends are poor and have poor mentalities, then hanging out with them isn’t going to help you. Rich people associate with other rich people not because they’re snobs, but because they learn from and lean on each other. If you want to be rich, be around rich people and take notes.
8. You believe that life is supposed to be a struggle.
People have been taught to be grateful for what they have. That’s true, but it doesn’t mean they should settle for it. Rich people strive for more, and you should too.
9. You believe money is evil.
Money is not evil. Money is necessary to buy the basic things we need to live. To the rich, though, money is more than that. Money is a positive tool that can be used to earn more money, give them the freedom to do what they want, and allow them to live worry-free.
10. You resent the rich.
Many people believe that rich people are crooks, liars, scam artists, spoiled, mean narcissists who should be rounded up. You don’t want to be rich because that means you would be selling out your soul. The fact is that many of them are very generous people who donate much of their money and time to worthwhile charities and causes. They’re also more than willing to help you learn the things they learned along the way.
For more tips on changing your mentality about money and understanding why you’re not rich, I recommend reading Steve Siebold’s book, How Rich People Think. Steve is a self-made millionaire who interviewed over 1,200 wealthy people and compiled their thoughts and advice in his writings.
