Wealth File #2

Rich people play the money game to win.
Poor people play the money game to not lose.

By T Harv Eker

Poor people play the money game on defense rather than offense. Let me ask you: If you were to play any sport or any game strictly on defense, what are the chances of your winning that game? Most people would agree, slim and none.

Yet that’s exactly how most people play the money game. Their primary concern is survival and security instead of creating wealth and abundance. So, what is your goal? What is your objective? What is your true intention?

The goal of truly rich people is to have massive wealth and abundance. Not just some money, but lots of money. So what is the big goal of poor people? To “have enough to pay the bills... and on time would be a miracle!” Again, let me remind you of the power of intention. When your intention is to have enough to pay the bills, that’s exactly how much you’ll get—just enough to pay the bills and not a dime more.

Middle-class people at least go a step further... too bad it’s a tiny step. Their big goal in life also happens to be their favorite word in the whole wide world. They just want to be “comfortable.” I hate to break the news to you, but there’s a huge difference between being comfortable and being rich.

I have to admit, I didn’t always know that. But one of the reasons I believe I have the right to even write this book is that I’ve had the experience of being on all three sides of the proverbial fence. I’ve been extremely broke, as in having to borrow a dollar for gas for my car. But let me qualify that.

First, it wasn’t my car. Second, that dollar came in the form of four quarters. Do you know how embarrassing it is for an adult to pay for gas with four quarters? The kid at the pump looked at me as if I were some kind of vending-machine robber and then just shook his head and laughed. I don’t know if you can relate, but it was definitely one of my financial low points and unfortunately just one of them.

Once I got my act together, I graduated to the level of being comfortable. Comfortable is nice. At least you go out to decent restaurants for a change. But pretty much all I could order was chicken. Now, there’s nothing wrong with chicken, if that’s what you really want. But often it’s not.

In fact, people who are only financially comfortable usually decide on what to eat by looking at the right-hand side of the menu—the price side. “What would you like for dinner tonight, dear?” “I’ll have this $7.95 dish. Let’s see what it is. Surprise, surprise, it’s the chicken,” for the nineteenth time this week!

When you’re comfortable, you don’t dare allow your eyes to look at the bottom of the menu, for if you did, you might come across the most forbidden words in the middle-class dictionary: market price! And even if you were curious, you’d never ask what the price actually is. First, because you know you can’t afford it. Second, it’s downright embarrassing when you know the waiter doesn’t believe you when he tells you the dish is $49 with side dishes extra and you say, “You know what, for some reason, I have a real craving for chicken tonight!”

I have to say that for me personally, one of the best things about being rich is not having to look at the prices on the menu anymore. I eat exactly what I want to eat regardless of the price. I can assure you, I didn’t do that when I was broke or comfortable.

It boils down to this: If your goal is to be comfortable, chances are you’ll never get rich. But if your goal is to be rich, chances are you’ll end up mighty comfortable.

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