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Your thoughts, actions, and even your choice of words could mean the difference between living a wealthy life and an average life.
"If you spend time around the wealthy and the middle class, it's an eye-opening experience to hear the differences in how the two groups speak," writes Steve Siebold, a self-made millionaire who has studied over 1,200 rich people.
"The middle class tends to be negative about money, and when it comes to earning a lot of it, most believe it's not possible for them."
Here are eight seemingly harmless things many of us say all the time that you wouldn't hear from the rich:
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Do what you love, or you will lack the energy to become truly successful and wealthy.
"No man can succeed in a line of endeavor which he does not like," writes Napoleon Hill in his 1939 masterpiece, "Think and Grow Rich."
Nearly a century later, and this emphasis on passion and enthusiasm is just as — or even more — relevant. In a more recent study of over 1,200 of the world's wealthiest people, self-made millionaire Steve Siebold uncovered similar findings, which he details in his book, "How Rich People Think."
"The rich know that passion is the real secret of getting rich," writes Siebold. "It's a cause and effect relationship between effort and passion, but while the masses see passion as the effect, the great ones see it as the cause. In other words, the average person goes to work every day and hopes to find passion in his or her efforts. The rich go to work every day feeling passion for what they do, and their passion fuels their efforts."
Rather than saying you hate your job, redirect that energy towards finding a job that you're enthused about. "The first belief you must adopt is that it's possible to do what you love and get rich doing it," writes Siebold.
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It's a seemingly harmless, but highly unproductive phrase.
"By automatically saying the words 'I can't afford it,' your brain stops working," writes Robert Kiyosaki in the personal finance classic, "Rich Dad Poor Dad." It lets you off the hook, and doesn't force you to problem solve your way to actually being able to afford whatever it is that you want.
Rather than stating "I can't afford it," ask, "How can I afford it?"
This doesn't mean you should buy everything, Kiyosaki emphasizes. The point is that you should constantly be exercising your mind, coming up with creative solutions, and thinking how can I make something happen, rather than I can't make this happen.
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"There is a pervasive belief among the masses that tells them they don't have the right, nor are they good enough as human beings to ask, hope, or pray for prosperity beyond their basic needs," explains Siebold. "Who am I, they ask themselves, to become a millionaire? Who am I to live a lifestyle fit for a king?"
Meanwhile, he says, rich people ask, "Why not me?" They believe that success is natural — they believe that they deserve it.
"Being rich isn't a privilege. Being rich is a right," explains Siebold. "If you create massive value for others, you have the right to be as rich as you want."
