T. Harv Eker delivers a short motivational piece advocating that people should pursue wealth by changing habits and reprogramming their minds. He argues comfort prevents growth, that people are shaped by the information stored in their minds ("file cabinet" metaphor), and prescribes changing one habit at a time. He gives four explicit reasons to get rich: lifestyle, contribution, personal development (who you become), and freedom from money-related worry.
Chapters
I really, really believe in getting rich. I believe in people creating wealth for themselves. Everyone can be successful. Everyone can be rich, actually. But a lot of people say, well, I don't really want to be rich. I don't want to do what it takes to be rich, but I want to be comfortable. Now, that's the problem right there, by the way. Because comfort and convenience are the kiss of death to success. So you have to be willing to be uncomfortable in order to grow. And all that means is that you're going to be able to do something different than been doing before. If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always got. You got to switch it up. But that's the problem, isn't it? The problem is most people can't switch it up. They want to, and they will for exactly one day, if they're good, maybe two days. But it's hard to keep it up. Why? Because we're creatures of habit. You will need to change your habits. Don't try to change them all at once, because it won't happen. You're going to have to change one main habit at a time. Now, if you can just change one habit, I promise you this, Your life will change. When we come into the world, we come in as an empty vessel. You don't know anything. You've got no information. And here you are, this empty vessel, this empty glass. And all of a sudden, you come into the world. And the second you get into the world, you get filled up with information. From who? Everyone and everything all around you. So pretty soon you are a factor, a result of this information. And so why do you think the way you think? Why does anybody think the way they think? Because of the information that's been stored in the files of your mind. Your mind is nothing more than a big old file cabinet. It stores information. And so literally the only thing you can think is what's in the files of your mind. And the only thing that's in the files of your mind is what you learned, what you were told, the information that's in there. You cannot pull out a file of a file cabinet that's not there. And that's the difference between successful people and unsuccessful people. Successful people have files in their file cabinet that are files that lead to success. Most people are the opposite. Why? Because most people learn about money, about success, about happiness from people who aren't successful, wealthy and happy. So if that's what you learn, what do you expect? So what do you do? Well, you need to reprogram. You need to relearn. You need to put some new information in the files of your mind. And then you need to have some new actions from those files. And you will get new results. Why be rich? Four very specific reasons to be rich. Number one, lifestyle. I happen to believe you only go around one time in this world. And if you're only going to go around one time, you might as well make the best of it. Why shouldn't you and your family have nice vacations, live in a nice home, drive a decent car, eat the food that you want to eat, go to the schools you want to go to? Why not? Number two, contribution. I believe this, that if you have the wherewithal to be rich, it is your duty. It is your dharma to do so. When you have money, you can help. You can help in a different way than if you don't have money. The third reason to get rich is for who you have to become. In character, in virtue, in habit. What most people don't realize is that money is a result. Wealth is a result. It's a result of being great at what you do. Having a target of wealth forces you to become a better you. And the fourth and final reason that I talk about as far as why you want to get rich is so you can just stop worrying about the damn stuff. I would say that money is like the third thorn in so many people's lives. People say money's not important, but it's very. You notice it's those people that money runs their life. And I don't think money should run anybody's life. So you know what? Why don't you just get it handled once and for all?
