“I Can’t…”
“It’s not my fault!”
“Rich people are evil”
“Corporations are the devil himself”
“I deserve more…”
“It costs too much!”
People, if you find yourself using these terms – you have a serious problem. These language patterns indicate that you have a “poverty mindset” and that mindset will keep you poor for life.
It is a mindset that looks for excuses and blame. Many people in this category believe that “good people don’t have money. That is a sign of their purity”. What a load of crap! Good people are generous. If you have nothing, you cannot be generous. Good people take actions that aid their community and its residents. How many poor people have sponsored a library or child’s wing on a hospital? How many poor people regularly donate more than $1000 to their local charities? What’s good about being poor?
What I have observed, being poor is good for being able to say, “I can’t because I’m poor.” “Everyone takes advantage of me.” “I’ve worked the same job for 10 years and haven’t had a major pay increase. “ “I won’t take a class that helps me at work unless my company pays for it and pays me for the hours I’m doing it.”
That is “entitlement mindset.” Here’s the other side of the coin, “I like Larry. He’s been with us for 10 years and we would love to help him grow with our company. He does his job ok, but it’s the same job he started with here 10 years ago. It’s an entry level job and he’s making $2.50 an hour more than what the job is worth to us. We’ve offered him training, but he’s never taken us up on it. Unfortunately, we’ll have to replace him with someone that is an entry level employee at entry level wages. I’ll miss Larry. “
Who’s taking advantage of who?
If that last thought makes you upset, you should look at why. We offer a number of coaching and certification programs. All come with a 100% money back guarantee because we know they work. We offer people additional bonuses (in one case $90,000 worth of 1 on 1 coaching) if they act now. Most don’t. I wanted to know why and the overwhelming reply was that “it sounded too good to be true.”
If Donald Trump had a chance to pick up $90,000 as a bonus for acting now on something he needed, he would call that a huge opportunity, and be delighted at his cleverness for acting on it.
I offer those bonuses because I know from experience that those people succeed to greater levels and are generally much more fun to work with on a coaching program. They get excited and do their work. They listen and act. They don’t wait for permission or put off the offer until it is no longer extended.
Think about this…
If someone said they would give you $90,000 to go to college, would you take it? That’s about 90% of the cost of a Bachelors degree. You would still have to come up with a minimum of $10,000 on your own to finish it. You have no guarantee that the degree would give you a job when you graduate and you have no idea even if you will finish it. You bank on hoping these things will happen.
Now, let’s look at another case: You have the chance to get $90,000 worth of sponsored time where you can work alongside of someone who is successful and knows business. You get 72 weeks of intensive training and real world applications – every week – while you learn that actually moves you toward your goals. If for any reason you decide it isn’t working for you or you are no longer interested, you get every penny you put into the learning program back with no questions asked. All you need to do is come up with $5000 (the price for the coaching program)
If you went to college for the same period, you would have spent around $12,000 and still not earned a degree, or for that matter, even learned enough to even get a part time job in your career specialty.
Which provides a better value? The one with the smaller price tag, complete guarantee and ability to immediately help you begin to obtain a better lifestyle – or the one that costs more, has no guarantee and delivers nothing usable in the same period of time? If you chose the second option (degree) then there is no hope for you. You will spend your life as an economic slave and die in debt. Your world will be one of lost dreams and missed opportunities. But of course, it will be everyone else’s fault.
If you think I’m being harsh here – you would be correct. Poverty is curable if the poor will cooperate. Never say “I can’t.” Instead ask “How can I?” Use that wrinkled grey tissue you have your head full of. Explore the options. Talk to people and see if they have ideas or can help. Get a bigger dream and go after it.
Most people afflicted with “poverty mind” are lost in despair, anxiety and fear. They refuse to act and refuse to listen.
When an affluent person or one of their protégés approach them, they can’t believe that anyone would stoop to their level and offer a chance to find freedom. They almost always say, “That sounds like a scam.” I always look at them and say, “That sounds like an excuse.” If you are willing to accept second best, then you deserve it. If you want the cheapest things in life, you deserve them. If you don’t want to make money so you can give yourself and those around you a better world, then you deserve poverty.
If you are willing to act – improve your knowledge and life – then you deserve the best life can offer. The wealthy do not get rich by hording money, pushing people away and complaining all the time. They acquire wealth by making strong friendships and alliances, gathering resources and applying them toward a vision that large groups of people can share in. That is not greed – that is sharing. Greed is when only one small group benefits and no one else. Greed is when a person works the same entry level job for 10 years and expects to be paid as much as the employee that worked their way into management through hundreds of hours of study, night classes and mentoring.
Greed is when you think you are “entitled” to something without having to do anything to get it. The Affluent despise poverty. That is why they try to avoid it and all of its logos so aggressively. It is why people like Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki reach out so passionately with their books and other talents – they want to cure this disease. They know you may not be a billionaire, but they hope you will at least be able to have what you need and not have to struggle. Most Affluent want that for you.
When one of us tries to give a small businessman/woman who is working 80 hours a week and barely keeping the doors open some advice, they usually argue. They think they “Know everything they need to.” LOOK AT WHAT YOU ARE DOING! If you are having to work that hard and barely getting buy, you are stupid if you think you know how to do business. Get a mentor or coach now, before it is too late. You probably have most of what you need to succeed, and just don’t know that last few pieces that deliver success. Continuing to work that hard and doing the same things will only make you ill and kill your business. Be smart.
THE REAL OBSTACLE POVERTY BRINGS
If you are wondering where the “sustainability piece” comes in, here it is. Affluent people live sustainable lives. They donate huge amounts of money to green and ECO movements worldwide, they donate and volunteer on boards and lobby for change. They live lives where time is their most valuable asset and their “social circles” are a close second. Every time the poor support higher taxes, more restrictions or other penalties on the wealthy, the donations stop, jobs are cut and problems get worse.
If you think one corporate jet is going to tip the CO2 scale and change global warming, then you sincerely haven’t looked at who’s driving all those cars surrounding you on the freeway. They are filled with everyday hourly and lower salaried workers on their way to/from work or commuting to some family event (soccer or such). Many of them only have one or two people in the car. How many of them are pickups or SUVs? How many Affluent people do you see on the road with you? Who’s the problem?
Yes, a nice Ferrari only gets about 19 MPG. If you have seen more than a dozen of them on the road, you’re probably living in an area filled with new affluent (people from the bottom that are just beginning to live a great lifestyle and want to play a bit).
Many Affluent have completely refit their homes to be more energy efficient:
• EnergyStar appliances
• Solar hot water and power
• Geothermal primary heat
• Fully Insulated walls and attic
• Landscaped yards (water and Eco-friendly benefits)
• Energy efficient lighting
What have you done? I know, you “can’t afford to do all of that.” You’re too “poor” or “under paid.” Next time you catch yourself complaining about how “Evil” the Affluent are, consider what we have discussed here.
You are welcome to link to this blog, share it with your friends, complain about its content, discard it and have a beer or ask to learn how you can break free and become someone that can make changes and produce positive results for you and those around you.
Email me with your thoughts. I’m Paul McDowell.
info@padmagonpoinc.com
Tags: affluent, charity, eco-movement, economomy, environmental movement, how-to sustainability, Padma Gonpo, poverty
