In Today’s Q&A Harv is requested to discuss what people rarely ask him and he responds with an interesting question that he was asked once about what it’s like to be rich and have rich people problems, that never came up again…
This particular topic happens to be around the very thing most people struggle to live with daily… themselves.
Are you ready for this?
“Harv, sometimes we don’t know the ‘right’ questions to ask, so let me ask you this…
What is a question that you wish people would ask you, but rarely do?”
Wow, this is unusual, so thank you for a really great question!
I don’t know if I really wish people would ask me anything in particular.
But there are certain things that people ask me all the time that we barely get to talk about.
Your question is specific, so I’ll focus on something rare that only ever came up once.
It’s a question that’s always stuck in the back of my mind and I thought it would make a great topic of discussion.
And here it is…
”Harv, what is it really like to be rich?”
That’s an odd question, don’t you think?
So here’s my perspective, which is not right, it’s not wrong, not true or false, it’s just that…
My projection.
So first, there’s this…
“What’s it really like to be rich?”
My answer to this is…
“It’s the same, but BETTER!”
I don’t know how else to answer it.
Because for me, it really is the same, but much better okay...
And what do I mean by BETTER?
Well, it’s like it sounds.
You have a lot more money which gives you a lot more freedom, if you allow that.
It gives you a lot more time, if you allow that.
It gives you a lot less worry about money, if you allow that.
It gives you the opportunity to help other people, if you do that.
It gives you the chance to do what you desire during the day, if you allow yourself to do that.
It gives you all kinds of freedom and opportunities, and you can do what you feel like when you feel like it, you can buy what you wish if that’s what you choose…
It’s all GREAT!
But notice what I keep saying with each one of these benefits…
‘IF you allow yourself to do that…’
Yes?
So yeah, you might be driving a better car when you’re rich, but you’re still complaining about the traffic.
And now you have this freedom, but do you USE your freedom?
You have money, but do you use your money wisely?
You have the ability to buy whatever you ’want’ but do you, and what do you buy?
You know, things like that.
And here’s the thing that I’d like to bring out for this…
When I didn’t have money, I thought about money all the time.
I worried about money, and I was fearful around money and the lack thereof all the time.
And it was not just about the lack of money, it was about the lack of success.
That’s what I thought about most… “I’m not successful….” and it hurt my self-esteem.
But now that I have a lot of money, I don’t really think about a lack of money anymore.
I concern myself with the investments though, and of course if something’s going a little wonky I certainly look at that.
But some people, if they worry about money before they have money, they will worry about money after they have money.
If money is a problem before they get rich, money will be a problem after they get rich depending on their situation.
Primarily, you and I are creatures of habit and how we do anything is how we do everything.
So generally, if you’ve done something for a long time, it’ll kind of stay with you.
If you have fears around money, just because you have more money doesn’t mean the fears go away…
You’ll find different fears okay?
And for me, what I find is that the day-to-day nagging around money is gone, I don’t have that at all.
But if there is an issue of money, MAN do I get INTO IT!
It’s like, I can be into it for a week and be fricked out about it alright, so I make up for it, but it’s not the day-to-day stuff.
Also, I noticed that before I was wealthy, I always thought that when I get rich, I’m not going to do anything…
I’m going to do just whatever I feel like, and go shopping, or go to the beach, and I’m not going to do any work again…
No more writing, no more teaching, no more doing anything because I’m done.
I’ve had enough of this, it choked me.
I’ve had to do this every day and I had NO weekends to myself.
Every weekend I was teaching.
I was flying from one place to the next and when people asked me where I live, I told them… “I live in the frickin’ airport!”.
I spent only 31 days at my main home in a whole year!
And, you know, I didn’t like that.
But I said…
“I’m a Warrior. I WILL do what I have to do.”.
And I like helping people, okay, but I felt like I’m being strangled and I said…
“When I’m rich, I’m not going to do anything like that again!”.
Well, I’m rich and I’m STILL DOING IT!
WHY?
Because I DO like it…
And I DO feel like helping people…
And I DO come from a place of service…
And it’s in my HEART to do it.
So even though I said I wasn’t going to do it, I AM doing it.
And I’m happy I’m doing it.
I’m happy we have our online programs and that we’re able to assist a lot of people, so I enjoy doing it.
I love being on conference calls, and interacting with people and helping them and that’s why I do it in this way...
If you don’t interact with me, I don’t like it, I no longer enjoy it as much and that’s part of why I love the mentoring we provide, for the interactions.
So yeah, when you have a lot more money, and you felt pressure before, but you’re feeling less pressure now, you can still very easily put pressure on yourself.
Understand?
So that’s one thing.
The second thing is that, as I laugh about with my friends, we still have problems, but we call them rich people problems.
Someone I was talking to renamed it ‘champagne problems’ and even as ridiculous as it sounds, it doesn’t matter because…
To the mind, a problem is a problem is a problem!
It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or if you’re broke or if you’re middle class or whatever…
If you’ve got a problem, your mind thinks that it’s the end of the world, doesn’t it?
Before, my ‘broke-person’ problem was…
“I don’t know how I’m going to pay rent at the end of this month…”.
And my mind fricks out, and I’m upset, and I’m terse and I’m like…
“What the hell!”... and I’m b!tchin’ and all that.
But NOW, I find out that one of the resorts we’re planning on going to at Christmas time doesn’t have any oceanfront rooms left!
“What the ’Frick?!
What the hell man!
I can’t believe it!
Two days ago it did!
What happened here?
I’m not going to stay in some oceanview room!
What the hell?
Who knows what I’ll see?
A quarter of the ocean?
It says ‘oceanfront’ and ‘oceanview’ for a reason…
I know what oceanview is.
It’s not oceanfront.
I want oceanfront!”
Now, I don’t mean to be a jerk about this, and I know I sound like a jerk…
It’s not ME that’s the jerk, it’s my MIND that’s the jerk.
You see, that mind is still the same…
“I have to get what I want!
I’m not happy if I don’t get what I want!
I deserve it!
I’m entitled!
I should be ‘this’!
I should be ‘that’!
Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah!”
RIGHT?
And all of these are just unhappy thoughts, right?
So then I notice it and I go…
“Wow man, okay listen…
There’s billions of people that can’t even eat tomorrow and you’re worried about a frickin’ oceanfront room?
Get a life man!
You've got rich people problems remember!”
Then I take a breath and go…
“Thank you for sharing…
I’m over it.
Let’s try and find a place where we can get the kind of room we’d like, or we’ll just be happy with an oceanview room.
And THANK YOU FOR SHARING.”
Okay?!
So I get over it, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t FEEL the PROBLEM right away.
With other rich people problems, it’s the same thing…
When there’s no more first class seats or I have to use an airline that doesn’t have first class…
Or when the irrigation has to be replaced at one of our rentals and I’m thinking…
“I don’t use it, I don’t need it, I didn’t break it!”
It never fails!
It still FEELS like a problem to me!
It FEELS THE SAME as when I didn’t have money to pay rent!
Poor people problems, rich people problems, middle-class people problems are still problems.
A problem is a problem!
My reaction to the problem is the same, but I just get over it more quickly and I KNOW in the back of my mind it’s not really a problem…
I’m just making a big deal out of nothing.
Right?
So what I’m saying is that I’d rather have rich people problems, and being RICH is fantastic but YOU have to ALLOW rich to be fantastic.
And so, the bottom line is that there’s a great lesson from this and that lesson is…
BE NOW WHO YOU’D LIKE TO BE LATER, especially if later is rich.
In other words, PRACTICE who you’d like to be later…
As a person who doesn’t worry…
As a person who enjoys freedom…
As a person who doesn’t let little things bother them etc.
BE Now.
Practice that now.
Be NOW who you’d like to be later because WHY?
Because we’re creatures of habit.
And you take yourself with you wherever you go.
And here’s the big one…
If you’d like to be happy later, PRACTICE being happy now.
If you’d like to be confident later, PRACTICE being confident now.
If you’d like to be peaceful later, PRACTICE being peaceful now.
If you’d like to be connected with Spirit later, PRACTICE being connected with Spirit now.
Whatever you think you want or desire or would like in the future…
Practice it NOW.
WHY?
Because this is the ONLY time you live.
And you’re practicing something, training your brain to do something.
You’re training your body and who you are to be something.
Your character becomes ingrained and then you take that with you regardless of your financial situation later.
And it doesn’t matter what your situation is, you’ll still find your problems if you’re a ‘problem person’.
Do you understand that?
So ‘how’s being rich’?
Rich is fantastic.
Rich is the SAME, but BETTER.
If you would like to discover the same tactics millionaires use to overcome their mindset challenges, with proven strategies to be happier and to become unstoppable in life and in business, then check out T. Harv Eker’s complimentary web class “Don’t Believe a Thought You Think” in our free virtual event.
This free virtual event includes:
Has your Mind ever wondered…
Millionaires, wealthy, and successful people know that you are your habits and that how you do anything is how you do everything.
They think in ways that support the life and results they desire.
What is universal among those with rich people problems is their mindset, the relationship they have with money and their willingness to take action in spite of fear to achieve their goals.
These 11 principles to unlock financial freedom best describe the state of mind of wealthy people.
With powerful ways of thinking, the 17 Wealth Files capture the supportive language most rich people use that anyone can adopt to start transforming from the inside out.
And if you'd rather have rich people problems than the problems you're having right now, then start with how you think about your life.
It will take some time and work to get there, but only you can make the changes necessary to go from having problems that rob you of life force, to having rich people problems that are far more pleasant to have.
The more you learn about the greatest mindset differences between rich and poor people, the more evident it becomes that, if you’d like to become successful and rich, you will have to release your limiting beliefs around money.
Look, problems are problems, but wouldn’t you rather have rich people problems than poor people problems?
And if there’s a chance of that happening for you, isn’t it in your best interest to switch your money mindset on for wealth?
So instead of focusing your attention on what you lack, start focusing your attention on what you aim to achieve and how to get there, because the quality of your life is determined by the focus of your attention.
Yes they do, because everybody has the kind of problems they allow themselves to have.
Whether you have rich people problems, middle-class people problems, or poor people problems all depends on how you think about your life, about wealth, and about success.
You can be a hugely successful, wealthy human being even if your net worth isn’t in the millions in the same way that you can be utterly destitute even if you have tons of money in the bank.
You have to learn how to manage your resources, your weaknesses, your character and your mindset.
It comes down to perspective, character and having the ability to be grateful for, and keep as well as grow what you do have.
Rich people problems may have a different flavor than poor people problems, but YOU are the one who allows a problem to be an issue, and you're also the one who gives a situation it's definition based on who you are.
Do you think that your rich people problems will be any different to your current problems if you win the lottery, or get promoted?
If you do, you'll have to think again because if you truly wish to build a life you love living, you simply must master your mind first.
When we’re comparing rich people problems to the kind of problems middle-class and poor people have, it often comes down to the material aspect of money and available options.
Poor people might be stressed out about their ability to pay rent at the end of the month, and afford groceries, and get their bills paid.
Their focus is primarily on what is lacking in their lives, and remember, what you focus on expands.
Rich people might be stressed out because first class is all booked up on their preferred airline.
And for many rich people who stay successful, consistently reminding themselves of what they have to be grateful for is a positive trigger for them to snap out of limiting thinking patterns and realize that it serves them better to maintain focus on thoughts that support their happiness, wealth and success.
Problems don't disappear just because you have money, but your way of thinking could determine the difference between having rich people problems or continuing to have the kind of problems you'd rather not have.
So it’s not the problem that’s the problem, it’s the YOU part of the problem that determines what kind of problem you have, because you give everything in your life its meaning.
If you’d rather have rich people problems than broke person problems, you can learn how to develop a millionaire mindset and change your life for the better.
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