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Better Self, Better Wealth is my commitment to help you become the person who can accomplish your personal, professional and financial goals. Today we discuss the how you can surround yourself with people of wealth and happiness.
Times have changed and it is now more difficult than ever to achieve your financial goals. Without even going into much detail, you now live in a world with automation, globalization, and a drastically different tax system from 30 years ago. It is much more difficult to accumulate wealth in the current environment with stagnant wages and skyrocketing prices of food, health care, gas, and shelter.
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Wealth starts on the inside
The reason I say, Better Self, Better Wealth is because I know for you to grow your wealth you must have invest in the proper mindset. There is a reason most people who win the lottery have lost all their money within three years. It is because they never created the mindset of a millionaire. They still had the mindset of a $30,000 or $60,000 a year person. As a result, they slowly recreated the life they were comfortable living.
There is a saying that if you redistributed all the wealth in the world, within 10 years, the wealth would be back where it started. This is why you need to discover how to build the mindset that allows you create, build and preserve wealth. Money is always going to flow around you. You only need to decipher how to tap into it.
surround yourself with people of wealth
One of the quickest ways to create the lifestyle you want is for you to surround yourself with people of wealth and success. This is because the people you interact with on a daily basis will influence your thoughts and habits.
Below you will discover the process to remove the negative influences from your life and how to surround yourself with people of wealth.
Be intentional because everyone can’t help you
Take out a sheet of paper and write down the five people you spend the most time with. Then I want you to write a few of their characteristics, likes, and beliefs. Next, write down your financial goals for this year. Last, look at your list of the five people you spend the most time with and determine whether each person helps or hurts your ability to achieve your financial goal.
Another way to look at this question is to gauge how receptive they would be in they heard your goal? Would they encourage you with strategies to help your success or will they doubt you?
The results say that 78% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and 64% of Americans are expected to retire broke. What this means is the majority of people you meet on a regular basis have accepted a life that will require them to work until they die or are unable to work.
Change the way you look at debt
There needs to be a shift in the way families prepare for college because of the overwhelming amount of student loan debt. The cost of college increases by close to 7% a year. Could you imagine if you received a 7% raise every year? That amount of money is massive and as a result, the cost to attend college is near $100,000 in many states. Graduating with this amount of debt makes it difficult to budget for a home or a car. It makes it difficult to put money away to grow your wealth in your early years.
If you are able to do anything to help your children on their financial journey, it is worth the effort. There are ways to manage the amount of debt you take on in your 20’s. Whether you choose an in-state institution, choose a major that will pay for itself, or take a couple years off to work before attending college. Whatever the strategy, there has to be a shift in how we perceive our children’s financial situation. Helping your children manage their debt in their 20’s is a legacy within itself.
Where to find like-minded people
If you realize some of your friends are not suited for the financial journey you are about to take, you need to limit your time with them. Since you are the average of the five people you associate with, you need to make sure you surround yourself with people of wealth and happiness. To find the right people, you need to understand where like-minded people hang out. And to discover where they hang out, you need to invest the time into understanding their beliefs and habits.
You may have noticed in today’s video, I am not wearing a suit but a tuxedo. Walter Bond mentioned it and I thought it was a great idea. Yes, I have invested in owning a tuxedo and I do attend black tie events on occasion. I have found if you attend these events, you will find people are successful and passionate about helping their community. Now you are engaging with them and learning about their projects and ways to help them. Then they are going to learn about you and the projects you are working on.
Change your environment to change your results
Do you think connecting with five people at a black tie event would help you accomplish your financial goals? If you could establish a mentor/mentee relationship with someone a few steps ahead of you, it should provide a massive benefit. You will find that most successful people are interested in helping you accomplish your goals. They can recognize themselves in your journey and can remember the people who helped them along the way. Remember, successful people are asked for money all the time, they are not asked for knowledge and wisdom as often.
One approach I like to take when determining whether I am around the right people is the same approach I use when choosing where to eat. The next time you choose somewhere to eat, take a look at the people eating there and ask yourself if you are okay looking like that. You are going to find that there is a certain look of people who eat fast-food, versus a buffet, versus a fancy restaurant. It is up to you to decide which result you are okay with achieving.
It is for a but a season
Scripture says, do not be fooled – bad company corrupts good. What this means is the people around you will influence you towards their belief and their mindset. There are times you will drift away from one of your principles and you are going to wonder how it happened. You have to look no further than the people around you. Surround yourself with people of wealth and happiness and you will have a positive outlook on wealth.
As you grow, the people around you may not a good fit for your goals and ambitions. It is a natural part of your maturation and it is not something you should fight. People are in your life for a season and then they are gone. Some seasons will be longer than others, but if you try to extend a season you know is over, you will ultimately regret it.
Raise your standard
Even if you are not the best basketball player, just by being on the court with talented players, you are going to raise your level. It is just a requirement to be on the court. You don’t even have to consciously do anything to make it happen. The opposite is true if you were on a basketball court with a group of elementary school kids. The game is going to be so easy, your skill will atrophy and your quality of play will decrease. Even though you may have more points and a “better” performance, because it is not requiring anything of you, you are going to suffer.
When you surround yourself with people of wealth and happiness, you start to see the possibilities. You start to see yourself performing at their level and creating the same results. It may not happen right away (or ever sometimes); you are striving for something greater than your current abilities and it will benefit you.
Other ways to surround yourself with people of wealth
If you don’t believe you need to go to a black tie event, consider going to lunch with some of the leaders in your company. Stop exclusively going to lunch with the people a level below you because it helps you to feel comfortable. Even though you may feel like you have no value to offer the higher ups, trust me when I say, everyone has value. You only need to make sure you are comparing some of your strengths to their abilities.
For example, I am working on being on-time more consistently. As a result, someone who is always on time may feel comfortable sharing the need for me to be on-time. While they may be on-time, I may be dominating in another aspect of my life in which they are suffering. My presentation skills or health may be significantly better, even though they are always on-time.
And even though this is true, it doesn’t benefit you to change the discussion to your strength and their weakness. Be thankful you have someone in your life that is willing to be honest with you and you can return the favor when the time is appropriate. The goal is to surround yourself with people who are going to help you become your best self. That is going to require some tough conversations, so anytime you have someone who is willing to constructively convey areas of improvement, accept their critiques.
Final thoughts
Surround yourself with people of wealth and success so you can change your thoughts and actions. Once you build the proper network, allow yourself to grow through their experiences. This may cause you to outgrow some of your old relationships. However, don’t focus on what you lose, focus on what you will gain. You will gain new, stronger relationships and will become the person you are striving towards.
More articles you may enjoy:
- Chasing Happiness by Rising to the Challenge
- How Chasing Happiness Will Help You Catch Greatness
- Taking Risks Is An Essential Part Chasing Happiness
- Four Steps to Create Happiness in Times of Adversity
Until next time,
Dre “Better Self ,Better Wealth” Griggs