Many people want to know how to become rich. If you doubt it, just browse the Web to see the incredible number of articles explaining the secrets to get rich. As I visit forums, I increasingly see questions from people asking how they can get rich before they are 30 or 40 years old. In short, it is clear that the subject is fascinating, if not obsessive, for more and more people.

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Seeing more and more people interested in becoming rich has led me to question myself. Is there a secret to becoming rich? Are there any miracle recipes to apply? Would it be enough to follow the good habits of people who have been very successful in this world to become rich in my turn?

Napoleon Hill preached Obsession

I imagine you’ve already asked yourself these questions yourself. If this is the case, you must have started looking for a book on the subject. Indeed, such a general problem has already had to be addressed many times. You probably came across Napoleon Hill’s book “Think and Grow Rich”, which is a reference in this field.

In this book, Napoleon Hill explains the secret, according to him, to become rich: you must have the firm conviction that you will become rich. Even better, you should think about it in the evening when you go to bed and in the morning when you get up. By applying this method, you will necessarily achieve this famous wealth.

All this seemed rather simplistic to you, but since Napoleon Hill is a reference in this field and his books have sold in the millions for several generations, you tried to convince yourself that it was a possible solution. Nevertheless, after a while, maybe a few years, you probably noticed that this obsession with wealth has not made you richer.

Focus on Assets rather than Liabilities

As you continued your research, you then came across the book of another recognized master in the field of wealth, a certain Robert Kiyosaki. You have therefore read his book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” in which he highlights the absolute necessity to always privilege the Assets over the Liabilites to become rich. Assets are things that make you money, while liabilities are things that cost you money.

If for some of you, this was obvious, others really discovered the basics of personal finance with this book by Robert Kiyosaki. This highly successful book is therefore a great read. Nevertheless, it does not really advance you any further in your desire to become rich. Indeed, you should focus on Assets, but how can you do this if you don’t have enough Assets?

This question is the heart of the matter, but Robert Kiyosaki is not really helping you here.

Adopt the Millionaire Mind

Your long journey to the secrets of wealth may have led you to another well-known book: “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” by Harv Eker. This book clearly explains that wealth is defined above all by thought patterns. The models you will unconsciously adopt from an early age will have a decisive impact on your future wealth level.

So, from your earliest age, your experiences will define what you can expect later. This raises the following question: are you condemned to never become rich if you have not been able to adopt the right ways of thinking in your youngest age?

Fortunately, I would like to say that nothing is definitive. Nevertheless, it is likely that you will leave with a handicap. Indeed, by observing many successful billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page or Elon Musk, you understand very clearly that their minds work differently from the average person.

A priori, they do not necessarily have a greater potential than so-called normal people who will never reach the same wealth. However, they have something extra. What’s more, it’s what Harv Eker simply calls the Millionaire Mind.

See Opportunities where Others See an Obstacle

The billionaire entrepreneurs I mentioned earlier all have in common that they see opportunities where others see an obstacle. So when an obstacle presents itself to them, they will address it so that it becomes an opportunity to be seized to succeed. When Elon Musk launched Zip2, which would become PayPal, he had no experience in the banking world. For many, this would have been an insurmountable obstacle. Not for him.

He saw in this lack of knowledge of the banking world the possibility of bringing a different vision and a fresh perspective that then became a real opportunity to make things happen. The success of PayPal then confirmed all this. To succeed in transforming an obstacle into an opportunity, it is also necessary to know how to show humility by acknowledging its weaknesses and shortcomings.

Some weaknesses can be compensated by work, but others cannot. That’s when you need to have the intelligence to know how to surround yourself properly. The day Elon Musk wanted to enter the space industry by revolutionizing a previously closed sector, he did not have the necessary knowledge to carry out the mission he had set himself on his own. So he had the intelligence to surround himself with the right people. Among these people is a certain Tom Mueller, an engineer who has always been passionate about space, who enabled Elon Musk to make SpaceX a huge success.

Have a Vision of a Problem to Solve

Elon Musk’s example can be applied to Jeff Bezos when he created Amazon or Mark Zuckerberg when he created Facebook. Thus, wealth was not their primary objective at all. That was clearly not their obsession. However, they did have an obsession that pushed them, and still does today, to accomplish great things.

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This obsession is that of all the great people in this world who have a vision of a problem to solve and are never completely satisfied until that vision has become reality. Wealth always comes second once their vision leads to a concrete reality that benefits many people.

Wealth is Simply a Consequence

If you are not totally convinced by this last statement, all you have to do is take a closer look at the stories of other billionaires such as Bill Gates or Larry Ellison. You will find that wealth has never been their primary objective. Thus, their wealth is simply a consequence of the great things they wanted to accomplish.

The proof of this is that once they reach billionaire status, these visionaries continue to do ever greater things! Their ambitions are limitless and they want to revolutionize more and more new fields. This is proof that becoming rich and then being rich is obviously not an end in itself.

Becoming Rich Should Not Be an Objective

Becoming rich remains an objective for many people, as I already explained in the preamble. However, I have just shown you also that this is probably not the best way to achieve it. Indeed, people who become rich have most of the time reached this wealth by creating companies that will solve problems that benefit to many people.

The problems you need to solve to become rich don’t necessarily have to be as ambitious as Jeff Bezos’ conquest of Mars. In fact, you just have to solve the problem of ten thousand people who are willing to pay $100 for it in order to become a millionaire. Nothing insurmountable a priori.

The secret to becoming rich is therefore not to make it an objective. Instead, have the ambition to do great things and solve problems. If you achieve your goals, wealth will come on its own. In your quest to accomplish great things, never forget that you will have playing to win in life rather than playing to avoid losing.

This will make all the difference!