How Do We Become Rich, Anyway?
We start by lying about our weekends.
Remember how CNBC was #6 on the list of websites that rich people read? Turns out they have articles for the wannabe rich as well:
Both of these recent posts include a list of tips and tricks that should launch us straight towards wealth, starting with… dishonesty and disingenuousness!
Your choice of words can mean the difference between living a wealthy life and an average one. “Start using the language that highly successful people employ every day,” [self-made millionaire Grant Cardone] says. “Some examples of words to include in your new vocabulary: ‘Great,’ ‘super,’ ‘wonderful,’ ‘incredible,’ ‘excellent.’ If someone asks you, ‘How was your weekend?’ Respond: ‘It was a blast.’”
What if your weekend wasn’t a blast, Grant Cardone? Also, I use “great” so often that Gmail autofills it for me and I’m still not rich.
Cardone, as his name implies, used to sell cars. Then he became a CEO, and now he’s a self-help author and motivational speaker with an incredible website. (“Incredible” is another word that highly successful people use, but in this case I’m not using it as a compliment.)
Both CNBC articles stress the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone and away from your steady paycheck. Here’s advice from another self-made millionaire and motivational speaker/author, Steve Siebold:
Siebold, who spent decades studying the world’s wealthiest people, says the rich are typically self-employed, while average people tend to settle for steadier situations.
But self-employed people don’t always get rich right away. (Let’s be honest: they rarely do.) You might need to keep your average, steady paycheck and side hustle your way to wealth.
[…] start something on the side, says [Daymond John], who was living on the tips he made waiting tables at Red Lobster while launching his clothing line that would evolve into a $6 billion brand.
Daymond John is now a motivational speaker/author who also appears on Shark Tank. (His website is even more incredible than Cardone’s. Promise me you’ll click this link and start scrolling.) If you visit his shop, you’ll see that he even offers a limited-edition motivational adult coloring book.
At this point I’m beginning to think that the secret to being wealthy is becoming a motivational speaker/author. I’ve got a book and I’ve spoken at conferences before; where do I go to transfer these skills?
But back to CNBC. According to these two articles, if you want to be rich you should also:
- Wake up early
- Take advantage of the power of compound interest
- Avoid buying things you can’t afford
- Set goals
I don’t know about you, but I already do all of this. I’m guessing a lot of Billfold readers set both goals and their alarms. WHEN WILL THE WEALTH HAPPEN?
Of course, maybe we don’t want to be rich. After all, the Washington Post thinks it will wreck our souls.
When it comes to a broad range of vices, the rich outperform everybody else. They are much more likely than the rest of humanity to shoplift and cheat , for example, and they are more apt to be adulterers and to drink a great deal. They are even more likely to take candy that is meant for children.
And it all started when they lied about their weekends.
