There is an old saying that rich people have big libraries whereas poor people own big TV’s; and by learning how to add to your library you can quickly make yourself wealthy.  Why?  Because in order to become wealthy you must first be able to think like a wealthy person.  A wealthy person thinks differently, reacts to opportunity and circumstance uniquely and spends their time making them selves wealthier and retaining their assets.  By surrounding ourselves with people whose income mirrors the one we aspire to have we are learning how to think like a rich person and are exposed to challenging and inspiring ideas that may have passed us by otherwise. 

 

The Spanish saying “tell me who you walk with and I’ll tell you who you are” reiterates the aged old childhood lesson that we should choose our friends wisely.  Just because we are adults doesn’t mean that we should ignore the warnings.  Statistics show that our income is a reflective average of our 5 closest friends.  By changing our social or business circle to include those in much larger income brackets than we currently have we open wide the doors to investment and life changing financial opportunity.  Of course this doesn’t mean that you longest and most treasured high-school friend should be ousted because she doesn’t make very much money – the point is to surround your self with people, places, ideas, choices and secret opportunities that are a perfect match to your income desires.  You can’t learn how to play any game by remaining on the side-lines.  The game of wealth is exactly the same so get your self out there into the unfamiliar and challenging waters of the wealthy!

Mark and I are no stranger to goal setting.  We have seen a life of dreams come true by implementing goal setting strategies and were recently looking for a new one to add some spice to the equation.  While listening to a leadership seminar from Jim Rohn that I had been given for Christmas, I was immediately drawn to one that was simplistic, easy and powerful.  It didn’t surprise me that I happened across exactly what Mark and I were looking for!

The first step in this strategy was to write down a comprehensive list of the accomplishments in life that you are most proud of.  This was a way to validate and realize exactly what it is that you have already accomplished.  When that is complete it is natural to feel powerful and full of energy to dive into new things.  The second step is to write down 50 things that you want or want to accomplish in the next 10 years.  This should be done without too much thought that would serve only to prove an idea.  (Because as we know, they are all within reach) Write them down quickly and remain completely open to every hair brained idea you have ever had.  Write with no limits.  The third step is to take your list and begin categorizing it by financial, healthy, family, spiritual, charitable and any other category that may arise.  As your list becomes organized and chopped up into different areas of life the exercise asks you to choose 3 of your dreams that you will accomplish in the first year.  Then you choose 3 more to accomplish for the third year, fifth year and 10 year marks. 

The exercise is truly easy and an awesome way to quickly analyze the things in life that are most important to you.  It can serve to shift your focus and breathe new life into the desires and dreams that you have.  Often in the midst of accomplishment we forget that it is not only okay, but required to always look and expect more out of life.  

A long 14 years ago, my husband and I sat at our favorite restaurant writing down our dreams on a cocktail napkin.  We included our aspirations for children, business ventures and desires for real estate.  We smiled and giggled with the confidence of a young couple in love; absolutely unbound by the often limiting responsibilities of adulthood.  In our innocence we were virtually unknowingly creating a life blue print that matched the deepest desires of our souls and was perfectly coordinated with the things in life that we felt strongly would make us happy.  We would scribble down one dream and find that it would lead us to set yet another bigger and better goal.  The experience was joyfully similar to what people do when they imagine that they would win the lottery or inherit a million dollars from a rich relative.  No limits! 

It was fun to think about the things we really wanted in life without worrying all too much about how we would get them.  Some of our goals seemed so grandiose at the time that it was surprising to find that same napkin as we were moving into our new home many years later.  As my husband and I sat down to read the innocent goals of a young couple we were amazed at how many of them we had actually attained.  Even more surprising was that many of our initial goals were surpassed along the way.  We had three children, owned several businesses and were in the process of moving into our home by the water. (Also a milestone from the napkin) All of this started from the playful scribes of what we wanted in life on a flimsy cocktail napkin some 14 years ago. 

By taking the time to truly reflect and feel the things you really want in life you are paving a path to meet your goals.  Writing them down not only gives them a concrete sense of being; but also allows them to become real versus imagined.  Every one should take every opportunity possible to somehow validate what they want.  What is important to you?  What is it you would like to spend most of your time doing?  Who are the people you want in your life every day and what would your ideal life look and feel like if it were happening?  Think about where you want to live and what sort of things would give you the meaning and purpose to truly be successful?  Leave no stone uncovered!  Then find a way to write them down and make them a permanent part of your conscious living.  This is the first step in making your dreams a reality.  Napoleon Hill in the altruistic book “think & Grow Rich” says “what the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.”  My husband and I are truly living examples of this power.  


Christy