Why Aren't You Listening?

I have to admit that there are many days as I talk about money to people that I want to raise my arms into the air and yell, "Why aren't you listening?"

Maybe I am not Jeff Bezos rich or even tens of millions of dollars rich, but over the years I have done well enough for myself that I usually walk away from the failed conversation with at least some idea that I probably know at least something about what I am talking about.

I always get the typical responses. "Well, you can't have a lot of money unless you make a lot of money."

Not true. I make good money these days. But it was not always this way. I actually made most of my wealth when I made less money.

"You have to have a lot of money to make any headway in the stock market."

Not true. I got started in the stock market with practically no money at all and yet, was still able to build a little bit of money into a lot of money.

"I can't save money. I don't make enough money."

Not true. No matter what my job was or how much I made and no matter what my bills were, I always found ways to save money.

The thing about money that gets most people all out of sorts about it is how they think about it. To most people money is a thing. It's not. It's a mindset. Getting money in the mind past the physicality of it is key to understanding what its true value is and how one can achieve having more of it.

That's the part that is most difficult to explain away, and it is where the conversation usually fails and dies. People simply have a difficult time thinking of money in any other way than something earned and spent.

The thing is, it was sometimes difficult for me to fully grasp this concept early on as well. I am human. I wasn't necessarily born money smart. I often wonder, had I known then what I know now, how much better off might I be?

Had I had more of the tools or information that I have now, that mindset certainly would have been stronger. I may have actually found myself writing this article from the luxurious stern of my yacht anchored out, taking in the beautiful shoreline of the Bahamas.

"What if there had been a guy who knew something that I could have listened to and learned something valuable from?"

A guy like me, for example. A guy who figured some of it out. A guy who spoke about what he knew about with proof in hand. What reason would I have ever had to step back and put fingers in my ears and not listen to what he said?

Which brings me to another typical response I get, "You just got lucky."

Not true. I worked hard for every penny I have ever earned. And I worked even harder to understand how to make more money from every penny I ever earned. One thing is most often true about wealth creation.

When it counts, not a single wealthy person cites luck. Because they know how rough the path was to get where they are now. Even when it comes to investing, they remember the times when they got something wrong and lost a lot of money and just stayed on their feet, learned the lessons, and kept their eye on the ball and kept moving forward.

It is not even about listening to me. The thing that I am trying to tell you is that if you want to get out of the physical thinking about money and move into the mindset of money and really get somewhere with it, you have to listen to someone.

Wealthy people are all around us. And they all have a story to tell about how they got there. Learn from them. Read about them. Understand them.

Most importantly, listen to them and follow their lead.

Lead image courtesy of Pixabay, user Couleur. Sculptures Bronze Listen To - Free photo on Pixabay