Heyo!
We’re taking a break from all the drastic life stories we’ve been featuring here on Fridays lately (see: My Life and Finances After Escaping a Cult and What Being Homeless Taught Me About Money and Happiness), and gonna hit you with some drunken CliffsNotes of a popular finance book today instead.
Specifically, The Secrets of The Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker.
You’re either gonna love this post or hate it as it’s pretty scattered all over the place, haha, but there’s a TON of nuggets found in the madness here so hopefully you can catch ’em okay and can start implementing them in your own lives :)
These notes come from an eager reader of this blog, Andy Hausmann, who’s on a mission to just devour anything relating to personal finance right now, and according to him this book’s completely changed his mindset:
“I’m 32 years old, been married for 6 years and have a 3 month old, and *finally* for the first time, I know what our net worth is. After my son was born, I made a decision to succeed financially – something my parents never taught me how to do. Calculating it took me about 10 hours, but it was a labor of love and so worth it! Now it’s going to get easier and easier… I learned it from reading Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – want a copy of my summary?
I told him hell yeah I did! And this copy of his “summary” is pasted below and briefly edited/formatted by me to just make it a little bit easier to follow (but again – it’s pretty all over the place).
After reading this though you’ll know everything you ever needed to from the book ;)
You can download the full version here too if you prefer to curl up with a printed copy: Secrets of The Millionaire Mind Summary (PDF – 16 pages)
Thanks for letting us cheat off you, Andy!
Notes on “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” by T. Harv Eker
If your subconscious “financial blueprint” is not “set” for success, nothing you learn, nothing you know, and nothing you do will make much of a difference.
You can have the greatest “tools” in the world, but if you’ve got a tiny leak in your “toolbox”, you’ve got a problem.
It’s not what we don’t know that prevents us from succeeding; it’s what we know that just ain’t so that is our greatest obstacle. If you want to move to a higher level of life, you have to be willing to let go of some of your old ways of thinking and being and adopt new ones.
It’s not enough to be in the right place at the right time. You have to be the right person in the right place at the right time.
- So how are you?
- How do you think?
- What are your beliefs?
- What are your habits and traits?
- How do you feel about yourself?
- How confident are you in yourself?
- How well do you relate to others?
- How much do you trust others?
- Do you truly feel that you deserve wealth?
The fact is that your character, your thinking, and your beliefs are a critical part of what determines the level of your success.
Wealth principle: Your income can grow only to the extent you do!
When self-made millionaires lose their money, they never lose the most important ingredient to their success: their millionaire mind.
It’s what’s under the ground that creates what’s above the ground. It’s what’s invisible that creates what’s visible. So what does that mean?
Wealth principle: If you want to change the fruits, you will first have to change the roots.
If you want to change the visible, you must first change the invisible. When we align with the laws of nature and work on our roots – our “inner” world – our life flows more smoothly. When we don’t, life gets tough.
You cannot change the fruits that are already hanging on the tree. You can, however, change tomorrow’s fruits. But to do so, you will have to dig below the ground and strengthen the roots.
Wealth principle: Money is a result, wealth is a result, health is a result, illness is a result, your weight is a result.
We live in a world of cause and effect. A lack of money is never, ever, ever a problem. A lack of money is merely a symptom of what is going on underneath. Lack of money is the effect, but what is the root cause?
It boils down to this. The only way to change your “outer” world is to first change your “inner” world. If things aren’t going well in your outer life, it’s because things aren’t going well in your inner life. It’s that simple.
What you hear, you forget; what you see, you remember; what you do, you understand.
Every time you reach the end of a major principle in this book, put your hand on your heart, then make a verbal “declaration,” then touch your head with your index finger and make another verbal “declaration.”
A declaration is simply a positive statement that you make emphatically, out loud.
A declaration is stating that we have an intention of doing or being something. Doing your declarations into a mirror will accelerate the process even more.
Wealth principle: Give me five minutes, and I can predict your financial future for the rest of your life
Your financial blueprint consists of a combination of your thoughts, feelings, and actions in the arena of money. Your programming leads to your thoughts; your thoughts lead to your feelings; your feelings lead to your actions; your actions lead to your results
We are conditioned in three primary ways in every arena of life, including money:
- Verbal programming: What did you hear when you were young?
- Modeling: What did you see when you were young?
- Specific incidents: What did you experience when you were young?
Wealth principle: When the subconscious mind must choose between deeply rooted emotions and logic, emotions will almost always win.
Your subconscious conditioning determines your thinking. Your thinking determines your decisions, and your decisions determines your actions, which eventually determine your outcomes.
There are four key elements of change, each of which is essential in reprogramming your financial blueprint.
- The first element is awareness. You can’t change something unless you know it exists.
- The second element of change is understanding. By understanding where your “way of thinking” originates, you can recognize that it has to come from outside you.
- The third element of change is disassociation. Once you realize this way of thinking isn’t you, you can separate yourself from it and choose in the present whether to keep it or let it go – based on who you are today, and where you want to be tomorrow.
- The fourth element of change is reconditioning.
You can have all the knowledge and skills in the world, but if your “blueprint” isn’t set for success, you’re financially doomed.
Instead of saving for a rainy day, focus on saving for a joyous day or the day you win your financial freedom. Then, by the law of intention, that’s exactly what you will get.
The reason or motivation you have for making money or creating success is viral.
Wealth principle: If your motivation for acquiring money or success comes from a non supportive root such as fear, anger, or the need to “prove” yourself, your money will never bring you happiness.
Seeking security comes from insecurity, which is based in fear. If you believe you are plenty, you will validate that benefit and create plenty of abundance. Why? Because “plenty” will be your root, which will then become your natural way of being.
Statistics show that the number one cause of all relationship breakups is money. The biggest reason behind the fights people have about money is not the money itself, but the mismatch of their “blueprints.” It doesn’t matter how much money you have or don’t have.
If your blueprint doesn’t match that of the person you’re dealing with, you’ll have a major challenge. Your money blueprint will determine your financial life – and even your personal life.
How can you tell what your money blueprint is set for?
One of the most obvious ways is to look at your results. Look at your bank account. Look at your income. Look at your net worth. Look at your success with investments. Look at whether you’re a spender or a saver. Look at whether you manage money well. Look at how consistent or inconsistent you are. Look at how hard you work for your money.
Is money a struggle or does it come to you easily? Your blueprint is like a thermostat.
Wealth principle: The only way to permanently change the temperature in the room is to reset the thermostat. In the same way, the only way to change your level of financial success “permanently” is to reset your financial thermostat.
The first element of all change is awareness. Watch yourself, become conscious, observe your thoughts, your fears, your beliefs, your habits, your actions, and even your inactions.
Put yourself under a microscope. Study yourself.
Wealth principle: Consciousness is observing your thoughts and actions so that you can live from true choice in the present moment rather than being run by programming from the past.
Wealth principle: You can choose to think in ways that will support you in your happiness and success instead of ways that don’t.
Most people understand we are creatures of habit, but what they don’t realize is that there are actually two kinds of habits: doing habits and not-doing habits.
Everything you are not doing right now, you are in the habit of not doing. The only way to change these not-doing habits into doing habits is to do them
Wealth File #1: Rich people believe “I create my life.” Poor people believe “Life happens to me.”
If you want to create wealth, it is imperative that you believe that you are at the steering wheel of your life, especially your financial life. Anyone who says money isn’t important doesn’t have any!
Wealth principle: When you are complaining, you become a living, breathing “crap magnet.”
You have to make darn sure not to put yourself in the proximity of complainers. Negative energy is infectious.
For the next seven days, try not complaining at all. Not just out loud, but in your head as well. It is imperative you choose your thoughts and words wisely!
Millionaire Mind Actions:
- Every time you catch yourself blaming, justifying, or complaining, slide your index finger across your neck, as a trigger to remind yourself that you are slitting your financial throat. It will eventually work to alleviate the destructive habit.
- Do a “debrief.” At the end of each day, write down one thing that went well and one that didn’t. Then write the answer to the following question: “How did I create each of these situations?” If others were involved, ask yourself, “What was my part in creating each of these situations?”
Wealth principle: 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.
If you want to get rich, your goal has to be rich. Not to have enough to pay the bills, and not to just have enough to be comfortable. Rich means rich!
Write down two financial objectives that demonstrate your intention to create abundance, not mediocrity or poverty. Write “play to win” goals for your:
- Annual income
- Net worth
Make these goals achievable with a realistic time frame, yet at the same time remember to “shoot for the stars. The number one reason most people don’t get what they want is that they don’t know what they want.
The warrior’s way is simple: “I will be rich or I will die trying.”
Getting rich takes focus, courage, knowledge, expertise, 100 percent of your effort, a never-give-up attitude, and of course a rich mindset. You also have to believe in your heart of hearts that you can create wealth and that you absolutely deserve it.
Wealth principle: If you are not fully, totally, and truly committed to creating wealth, chances are you won’t
Are you willing to work sixteen hours a day? Rich people are. Are you willing to work seven days a week and give up most of your weekends? Rich people are.
Millionaire Mind Actions:
- Write a short paragraph on exactly why creating wealth is important to you. Be specific.
- Meet with a friend or family member who is willing to support you. Tell that person you want to evoke the power of commitment for the purpose of creating greater success. Put your hand on your heart, look that person in the eye, and repeat the following statement: “I _______ [your name], do hereby commit to becoming a millionaire or more by ________ [date].”
Tell your partner to say “I believe in you.” Then you say, “Thank you.”
Wealth principle: The law of Income: You will be paid in direct proportion to the value you deliver according to the marketplace.
The keyword is value.
Research shows that the happiest people are those who use their natural talents to the utmost. Small thinking and small actions lead to being broke and unfulfilled.
Millionaire Mind Actions:
- Write down what you believe to be your “natural talents.” These are things you’ve always been naturally good at. Also write how and where you can use more of these gifts in your life and especially your work life.
- Write some or brainstorm with a group of people how you can solve problems for ten times the number of people you affect in your job or business now. Come up with at least three different strategies. Think “leverage.”
Rich people focus on what they want. What you focus on expands – it gets bigger. If you want to get rich, focus on making, keeping and investing your money.
Practice optimism. Today, whatever anyone says is a problem or an obstacle, reframe it into an opportunity. You’ll drive negative people nuts, but, hey, what’s the difference? That’s what they’re constantly doing to themselves anyway!
Focus on what you have, not on what you don’t have. Make a list of ten things you are grateful for in your life and read the list aloud. Then read it each morning for the next thirty days.
Wealth principle: Bless that which you want
If you resent what people have, in any way, shape, or form, you can never have it.
Millionaire Mind Actions:
- Practice the Huna philosophy “bless that which you want.” Drive around or buy magazines, look at beautiful homes, gorgeous cars, and read about successful businesses. Whatever you see that you like, bless it, and bless the owners or the people involved.
- Write and send a letter or e-mail to someone you know of (not necessarily personally) who is highly successful in any arena, telling them how much you admire and honor them for their achievements.
The fastest and easiest way to create wealth is to learn exactly how rich people, who are masters of money, play the game. The goal is to simply model their inner and outer strategies.
Energy is contagious: either you affect people or you infect people.
Negative thinking is like having measles of the mind. Instead of itching, you get bitching; instead of scratching, you get bashing. Instead of irritation, you get frustration.
Most people earn within 20 percent of the average income of their closest friends. Make it a point to only associate with successful, positive people, and just as importantly, disassociate from negative ones.
Go to the library, a bookstore, or the Internet and read a biography of someone who is or was extremely rich and successful. Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Mary Kay, Warren Buffett, Jack Welch, Bill Gates, and Ted Turner are some good examples. Use their story for inspiration, for learning specific success strategies, and most importantly, for copying their mind-set.
Identify a situation or a person who is a downer in your life. Remove yourself from that situation or association. If it’s family, choose to be around them less.
Stop watching trash TV and stay away from bad news.
Read books, listen to audios and CDs, and take a course on marketing and sales. Become an expert in both of these arenas to a point where you can promote your value successfully and with 100 percent integrity.
The secret to success is not to try to avoid or get rid of or shrink from your problems. The secret to success is to grow yourself so that you are bigger than any problem.
Wealth principle: If you have a big problem in your life, all that means is that you are being a small person!
Millionaire Mind Actions:
- Whenever you are feeling upset over a “big” problem, point to yourself and say, “Mini me, mini me.” Then take a deep breath and say to yourself, “I can handle this. I am bigger than any problem.”
- Write down a problem you are having in your life. Then list ten specific actions you can take to resolve or at least improve this situation. This will move you from problem thinking into solution thinking.
Wealth principle: If you say you’re worthy, you are. If you say you’re not worthy, you’re not.
Wealth principle: If a hundred-foot oak tree had the mind of a human, it would only grow to be ten feet tall!”
Wealth principle: For every giver there must be a receiver, and for every receiver there must be a giver.
Wealth principle: Money will only make you more of what you already are. Being open and willing to receive is absolutely critical if you want to create wealth.
Wealth principle: How you do anything is how you do everything. The way you are in one area is usually the way you are in all areas.
Wealth principle: There’s nothing wrong with getting a steady paycheck, unless it interferes with your ability to earn what you’re worth.
Wealth principle: Never have a ceiling on your income.
The vast majority of millionaires become rich by being in their own business. In the end, the only way to earn what you’re really worth is to get paid based on your results.
Millionaire Mind Actions
- If you are currently in a job getting paid based on an hourly wage or salary, create and propose a compensation plan to your employer that would allow you to get paid at least partly based on your individual results as well as the results of the company.
- If you own your own business, create a compensation plan that allows your employees or even primary suppliers to get paid based more on these results and the results of your company. Put these plans into action immediately.
- If you are currently in a job and not being paid what you are worth based on the results you are producing, consider starting your own business. You can begin part-time. You could easily join a network marketing company or become a coach, or offer independent consulting services back to the company you originally worked for, but this time, paid on performance and results rather than only for your time.
Wealth principle: Rich people believe “You can have your cake and eat it too.”
Millionaire Mind Actions:
- Practice thinking and creating ways of having “both.” Whenever alternatives are presented to you, ask yourself, “how can I have both?”
- Become aware that money in circulation adds to everyone’s life. Each time you spend money, say to yourself, “This money will go through hundreds of people and create value for all of them.”
- Think of yourself as a role model for others – showing that you can be kind, generous, loving, and rich!
Wealth principle: The true measure of wealth is net worth, not working income.
Wealth principle: “Where attention goes, energy flows.”
Millionaire Mind Actions:
- Focus on all four net worth factors: increasing your income, increasing your savings, increasing your investment returns, and decreasing your cost of living by simplifying your lifestyle.
- Create a net worth statement and commit to tracking and revising this statement each quarter. Again, by virtue of the law of focus, what you track will increase
Wealth principle: Until you show you can handle what you’ve got, you won’t get any more!
Wealth principle: The habit of managing your money is more important than the amount
Wealth principle: Either you control money, or it will control you
Millionaire Mind Actions:
- Open your Financial Freedom bank account. Put 10% of all your income (after taxes) into this account. This money is never to be spent, only invested to produce passive income for your retirement.
- Create a Financial Freedom jar in your home and deposit money into it every day. It could be $10, $5, $1, a single penny, or all your loose change. Again, this will put daily attention on your Financial Freedom, and where attention goes, results show.
Wealth principle: Rich people see every dollar as a “seed” that can be planted to earn a hundred more dollars, which can then be replanted to earn a thousand more dollars.
Millionaire Mind Action:
- Get educated. Take investment seminars. Read at least one investment book a month. Read magazines such as Money, Forbes, Barron’s, and the Wall Street Journal. Choose an arena to become an expert in and begin investing in that area.
Wealth principle: Action is the “bridge” between the inner world and the outer world
Wealth principle: A true warrior can “tame the cobra of fear.”
Wealth principle: If you are willing to do only what’s easy, life will be hard. But if you are willing to do what’s hard, life will be easy.
Wealth principle: The only time you are actually growing is when you are uncomfortable. If you want to be rich and successful, you’d better get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Wealth principle: Training and managing your own mind is the most important skill you could ever own, in terms of both happiness and success
Wealth principle: You can be right or you can be rich, but you can’t be both
Wealth principle: Every master was once a disaster.
Wealth principle: To get paid the best, you must be the best
Put serious attention and energy into continually learning, and, at the same time, be cautious of whom you are learning and taking advice from.
********
Key Takeaways:
- Regularly keep track of your net worth
- Invest 10% of your monthly take home pay (after taxes)
- How you do anything is how you do everything. The way you are in one area is usually the way you are in all areas.
If you liked this, lemme know and I’ll see if Andy has any other brain dumps from past reads! Hope it helps!
(You can find the book for $13’ish on Amazon right now, or free at your library :) Here’s the PDF again as well if you want to download and save for the future: Secrets of The Millionaire Mind brain dump.)
******
Amazon links are affiliate links and help support this site
Get blog posts automatically emailed to you!
I haven’t read this book yet, but I feel like I know a lot about it already just by reading your great notes.
I didn’t calculate our net worth until I joined the Rockstar Finance directory 3 months ago. I just thought we were still in debt with our mortgage and jus wanted to pay it off as fast as we can.
Good job starting to track it!! That alone changes the whole game up :)
Thanks for the interesting set of Principles. I particularly liked…
“Wealth principle: If your motivation for acquiring money or success comes from a non supportive root such as fear, anger, or the need to “prove” yourself, your money will never bring you happiness.”
I’m FIREd so I know this to be true. The problem is that with or without money you’ll still have the same fear, anger, or the need to “prove” yourself.
Fortunately most of the money I earned and saved came from doing worked that I liked doing. I never felt I had to prove myself by making money but I did feel I had to prove myself in the quality of the work I did.
Do you feel like you always have to prove yourself or be productive or something with your time now that you’re FIREd? I’m finding that if I’m not working on something I find to be important, it sucks whether I have money or not :)
This is quite the brain dump! But it’s great!
I’m with you, in the arena of parents not preparing me to be financially successful. While I was really prepared in many other areas of my life, finances was not one of them.
“A lack of money is never, ever, ever a problem. A lack of money is merely a symptom of what is going on underneath.”
This is beautiful and true. Like you said, even if millionaires lose it all, they don’t lose their millionaire mind. Because they know they are not their money. Many people blame money for their situation and problems. But in reality, it’s our own issue that we’re not facing or owning up to.
Thanks for this synopsis. It was a great read!
I’ll thank Andy for you!
I will have to read this book. Dr. Thomas Stanley who wrote The Millionaire Next Door wrote a book about the millionaires mind too. I read that book and enjoyed it.
Yeah! I’d be curious to hear the difference between them. I bought Stanley’s book a handful of years ago but the mere size of it has yet to get me to open it up :)
Things that make ya go hmmmm! This is a re-read article with a lot of information.
Thanks!
Print it out and whip out that highlighter, baby!
Got it on Hoopla, didn’t even have to go to the library
What the hell is Hoopla? haha
its an audio lending library that’s like an extension of the public library. You check it out with your library card. I don’t always have time for reading so an audio book during work does the trick.
I’d like to see the success rate of people who tried this method. Seems like a lot black magic to me, but you gotta do whatever works.
HAH!! You’re telling me that your beautiful brain isn’t contributing to your financial success over there?
This brain dump makes the book resemble “The Secret.” Some folks find that useful, and some folks find it hogwash. If it changes the way you view things, it could be helpful.
“If it changes the way you view things, it could be helpful.”
Even more important – if it changes the way you *do* things! All the knowledge and mindset-righting is great, but without the action it’s kinda a waste, eh?
This is quite a bit of information to digest. The simple answer to build a sound and secure financial future for yourself is to continuously learn and improve yourself.
There is no substitute for hard work and determination. If you want to be rich, you need to make yourself rich.
Wow there is a lot going on here! This type of book isn’t necessarily my cup of tea but for some people I could definitely see them getting actionable advice that could help out their financial life.
Solid post. I’ll be completely honest I don’t view my net worth as much as I should. The last time I checked it was roughly +$1,500. My main focus right now is paying off all my debt, but I keep getting side-tracked by investing most of my money in retirement accounts or on books/courses etc.
I’m sure many people go through this same dilemma.
There could be worse places to send your money to! It all goes towards growing your wealth :)
I actually read this book recently! I’m torn on it because, while there are definitely some good nuggets of advice, a lot of it seemed to be purely motivational.
It also espouses the ‘law of attraction’ which is definitely in the real of pseudo-science.
BUT, I do agree with many of the main points of the book. I think there was one quote in the book that really hit me: It went something along the lines of “Would you bet your life that you’d be a millionaire in the next x number of years? If you wouldn’t, then you don’t really believe that you can do it.”
“Would you bet your life that you’d be a millionaire in the next x number of years? If you wouldn’t, then you don’t really believe that you can do it.”
Daaaaamn, good one! I would not bet my life on it haha…
But yeah – I hear ya on the pseudo-science stuff. I haven’t read it personally but there was a whiff of that here in the notes. I guess to me anything it takes to get people to pay attention to this stuff is better than nothing at all. And anytime you put “millionaire” in a book’s title people are bound to pick it up :)
Love these principles.
I have two main takeaways.
1. First Impressions Matter A Lot (Predict your financial results in five minutes)
2. Thoughts and Actions Mean More Than Words
I’m adding this book to my reading list!
Rock on! Let me know what you end up thinking about it afterwards (or better yet, blog about it so everyone can!).
You had me right up until the 10% savings tip at the end. ;) Good summary of the principles- should be accompanied by a healthy dose of happiness for effect.
That is a long post. Lots of pearls in there, particularly about negativity being infectious. I caught myself in a few months downwards spiral of negativity and recently pulled myself out. It affected everything and everyone around me.
As for physical cues to not complain (sliding your finger across your neck)….that is hilarious. I can imagine doing it at work. People would think I am threatening them.
Those were some very deep and profound principles. I made sure to read some of them multiple times so they sank in. My favorite is the following:
“Wealth principle: 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.”
In the personal finance community echo chamber a lot of people focus on cutting back on everything and putting your money in average investments. It’s possible to achieve FIRE through these actions but I’m not convinced you will become rich. My new blog will hopefully dispel the myth that by being average you will end up rich.
True true… I fall into that same category myself where I do “enough” to be able to retire early if I wanted to one day, but definitely not enough to be rich-rich. I’ve never had the overwhelming desire to just chase enormous amounts of money, even though I run a finance blog! :)
I’m committed to FI & believe I can have my cake and eat it too also! Good article.
All the best,
Nevada
Real Nuggets of wisdom, J$. This post should be required reading for every young person and for those who feel stuck in their lives. Just applying a few of these principles – not all – allowed me to reach a 7-figure net worth just before I turned 40, so if it can work for me, it can work for anyone.
Nice!!! And I agree, of course!
Two words: survivorship bias.
I loved this book so much when I first read it a couple of years ago that I bought half a dozen copies as Christmas gifts that year. It’s definitely an eye opener and has helped immensely in our efforts to become millionaires. It’s not “black magic” as another commented but it will change your outlook and your life-if you let it. Highly recommend!
Awesome idea :) Now hopefully they all took the hint and read it!
This is a great quote “When you are complaining, you become a living, breathing “crap magnet.” ”
It’s very true and it took me a long time to realize it. Complainers love to commiserate together. They look for each other. Stay away from the constant complainers. You’ll become surrounded with their complainy attitude.
Haha – yup. It’s amazing how often you hear it too when you *pay attention*! I gave up complaining once for Lent and WOW did I have to catch myself every other sentence… One of the best challenges I’ve done for myself :)
Any additional Andy brain dumps? I’m a big fan of clif-like notes. This reminds me of ‘The secret’ and some of Florence Scovel Shinn’s older teachings.
Glad you liked! I think I actually do have one or two from him in my emails… let me see what I can find.