Today, I’m excited to share my thoughts on one of the most impactful books I’ve ever read: Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker. This book has been a game-changer in how I think about money, success, and the mindset needed to achieve financial freedom. One of the standout sections of the book, and my personal favorite, is where Eker dives deep into the 17 key differences between the thought patterns, habits, and attitudes of rich people versus poor people. It’s a fascinating exploration of how our mental ‘money blueprint’ shapes our financial reality and how we can reprogram it to achieve the wealth and success we aspire to. Whether you’re looking to shift your perspective, grow your financial confidence, or simply get inspired, this summary will highlight the powerful lessons and practical takeaways from this must-read book.
The first difference: Rich people think big, poor people think small.
Have you ever been grocery shopping and spent several hours in several stores so that you can find the cheapest groceries to save 50 or 60 cents? Or have you been waiting in line for an hour so that you can get a free hamburger? If you have done this, then you have a poor person mentality. I’m sorry to say that, but let me explain.
Of course, it is not a bad thing to save money while you are shopping, but this changes when it comes to how much you will save compared to the time you will spend for that saving. If you spend 1 hour to find the cheapest oranges so that you can save 60 cents, then the value of your 1 hour is 60 cents. Compared to this, rich people don’t care about saving 60 cents. They understand the value of their time and constantly think about new things they can do so that the value of their 1 hour is equal to $6,000.
The second difference: Rich people choose to get paid based on results, poor people choose to get paid based on time.
Let me be open with you—no one cares how much effort you put into something. What they care about is the result. Your customer does not care that you have put hundreds of hours into developing a product. Do you think they will buy your low-quality product just because you have put a lot of effort into it? Of course not. What they care about is the result. If it is good, they will buy it, even if you have spent a few hours on it. For example, you don’t care how much effort and time I have put into this video. If the video is good, you’ll keep watching; if not, you’ll just click on another video. The fact that I have spent over 100 hours on this video is irrelevant. The fact that I made a mistake and because of that had to spend extra time is irrelevant. You really don’t care about any of that. You would never say, ‘Let me watch this low-quality video because 100 hours of work has gone into making it.’ It is about the result, not the effort or time spent.
The author says if you want to know your true value, then work for the result, not the salary. Rich people believe in their value and in their ability to deliver results; poor people don’t, and that is why a steady salary is very important to them.
Third difference: Rich people think “both”, poor people think “either/or”.
Poor people feel that there’s not enough, and you can’t have everything. Rich people think there is plenty for everybody, and you can have everything you truly want. Poor people believe in scarcity; rich people believe in abundance. Do you want a successful career or a close relationship with your family? How about both? Do you want to focus on business or have fun and play? How about both? Do you want a blonde girlfriend or brunette? How about both? The last was a joke, but you got the point. Rich people always want both; poor people always choose one. Poor people see the world as a cake and believe that everybody will take a slice and the cake will be over soon. On the other hand, rich people see the world as an open buffet. Once something finishes, the waitress will add more, and you can eat as much as you want.
Poor people believe that they have to choose between money and other aspects of life. Do you have to choose between money and happiness? No, of course not. Money is important, and happiness is important as well—you can have both. Many people have negative feelings about being rich. They think that becoming rich makes you evil, and that is why they think they have to choose between being rich and being a kind person. So, they choose to be kind and stay broke. You’ve probably heard someone saying, ‘That person really changed after he became rich,’ or ‘Money changed this person a lot.’ I believe that money does not change you—money makes you more of what you already are. If you are a kind person, money makes you a rich kind person. If you like helping other people, money gives you the option to help even more people. On the other hand, if you are a jerk, money makes you a rich jerk. If you do evil things after you get rich, it means you are already evil. Having money just makes it obvious.
Fourth difference: Rich people focus on opportunities, poor people focus on obstacles.
This is my favorite. Whenever I come up with a new idea, I share it with people to get some feedback. It’s very rare to see someone who would acknowledge the problems regarding the idea but at the same time focus on the opportunities it can bring. Almost all the time, I hear tons of people telling me how my idea will fail, and that is how poor people think. They constantly see obstacles, risks, and always focus on problems, while rich people focus on opportunities. Poor people make choices based on fear. Their minds are constantly scanning for what is wrong or what could go wrong in any situation. Their primary mindset is, ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ or more often, ‘It won’t work.’ I’m not saying don’t take care of problems—of course, handle the problems as they arise—but don’t let fear and problems stop you. If you focus on the problems, you will get problems. If you focus on opportunities, you will get opportunities. It is a simple universal law.
Fifth difference: Rich people associate with positive, successful people.
Poor people associate with negative or unsuccessful people. Simply put, if you want to fly with the eagles, don’t swim with the ducks. If your goal is to be rich, then study rich people. Hang out with rich and successful people and use them as a model. Do what they do, read what they read—there is a reason why they are rich. For example, if you want to create a successful YouTube channel, find the successful channels in your field and study what they do. Study what type of content they create, how long their videos are, what kind of style they use. If you take the exact same actions and have the exact same mindset, chances are you will get very similar results.
When I give this advice, people get very angry, and they say, ‘So you want me to just copy other people? You want me to be unoriginal? You want me to just steal other people’s work?’ No, I’m not saying any of that. For some reason, these days, people want to be Mark Zuckerberg and invent the next Facebook. If you are an ordinary person like I am, then you have a better chance of succeeding by modeling successful people, and that does not mean you are unoriginal. For example, if you decide to create a summary of the exact same book I am summarizing now, use the exact same animation format that I’m using now, use the exact same background music—your content will still be unique because you have a unique voice. You have a unique way of explaining things. Even if you do the same thing, your content will still be different than mine. By the way, you’ve probably noticed that there are already many channels that are doing the exact same thing that I’m doing, but despite that, this channel will be growing. Please don’t get me wrong—I’m not trying to brag about myself or say, ‘Hey guys, look how great my channel is.’ The reason I am talking about myself is that you and I can relate to each other easily. If I give you an example from the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, it will probably be hard for you to relate to his story, but you and I are two simple people who are trying to improve ourselves.
Another complaint I hear a lot is, ‘I don’t have rich people around me, so how can I surround myself with rich and successful people?’ Look, you don’t have to have them. You can simply find successful people and read their books or watch their videos. You can’t ask Arnold Schwarzenegger to hang out with you so that you can study him and get in shape, but guess what? He has tons of videos, and he’s written a book, so why not read his book or watch his videos? I don’t have any rich friends around me; authors of these types of books are rich friends for me. I hang out with them by reading their books, watching their videos, and listening to their podcasts.
Sixth difference: Rich people know what they want and are committed to getting it; poor people just want to be rich.
Imagine you and your friend are hanging around in the city center, and you want to eat a baguette. Your friend approaches the stand and says, ‘Hello, I want to buy a baguette. Please give me a baguette.’ The seller behind the stand will most likely be confused and ask what kind of baguette your friend wants because there are many types of baguettes. This is exactly the same approach poor people use when it comes to being rich—they just want to be rich, but they don’t know what a rich life looks like for them. If you don’t know exactly what you want, then the girl who is selling the baguette will just give you any baguette she chooses, and you will walk away.
Now imagine you approach and say, ‘Hello, I want a tuna baguette with smoked cheese, but I don’t want this type of bread—give me that dark bread with sunflower seeds. Don’t put onion, put some cucumber and tomato, and toast it.’ Guess what? The girl is going to give you exactly what you asked for. In the same way, rich people do not send out mixed messages; only poor people do. The number one reason most people don’t get what they want is that they don’t know what they want. You must know what that rich life looks like for you and must have a plan to get there. For example, for me, a rich life means having the freedom to work when I want, where I want. I want to be able to take a taxi whenever I want. I don’t like taking public transport and feeling sweaty, especially if I’m going to some important meeting. When I go to a restaurant, I want to be able to open the menu and choose anything I want without looking at the price column first. I want to be able to take my parents on a nice vacation twice a year. I want to be able to help people around me when they are having financial difficulties. I want to be able to wake up at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday and go for a walk in the park. I want to be able to go to the gym in the middle of the day and come back whenever I feel like it. This is my rich life, and I have a plan on how to get there.
So what’s next? The rest of the ebook will show you how to achieve the financial success you deserve. Don’t stay in the dark—click here to access the full content now!