The Path To Greatness: Cultivating A Millionaire Mindset

Want to be more successful in your personal and business life? What if we told you there was a tried and true prescription to success that you can use to live the life of your dreams? It all starts with shifting your mindset.

To be successful, all you have to do is think like a successful person.

Admittedly, change is often more challenging than that sentence makes it out to be. However, a famous author uncovered the secrets to success almost a century ago. What he found could have an astounding impact on your life.

​Let’s dive into this author and what he learned about success that you can follow to live your best life.

Author Napoleon Hill wrote one of his iconic books on success and personal development in 1937. The brain-child of acquaintance Andrew Carnegie but the endeavor of Hill and his 500 studies and interviews with successful women and men, “Think and Grow Rich,” gave rise to the millionaire mindset ideology. In it, Hill divulges the common success characteristics among the affluent and successful.

Believing his success could be studied, formulated, and repeated, Carnegie selected Hill to interview and observe prosperous entrepreneurs of their time. Those studies and interviews included industry titans like J.D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Charles Schwab, Thomas Edison, and F.W. Woolworth.

​Hill dedicated his life to establishing a success philosophy. Together, he and Carnegie uncovered what is now known as the millionaire mindset. Those principles still resonate with audiences today.

What is the millionaire mindset? Let’s start with what it isn’t.

It isn’t about making a million dollars. It’s not about living lavishly or obsessing over your net worth. And it definitely isn’t about besting the competition so that you end up with more money than them.

On the contrary, the millionaire mentality is about radiating with the confidence of knowing you’re already succeeding. You recognize your small victories are adding up. You live with purpose and goals.

​Let’s look at the typical personal and financial habits of the world’s most prosperous people. They are:

The lack of a focal point often leads to aimless wandering. Millionaires routinely develop goals and visions for themselves. These goals drive them to pursue their dreams even when the going gets tough.

If you don’t have a strong enough reason for your goals and pursuits, you are more likely to give up during trying times. Compelling reasons often extend beyond superficial ones, such as having lots of money, to beneficial ones, like creating useful products and services for societal needs.

​You’re less likely to strive for a goal you haven’t set or written down. Make a habit of soul-searching to find meaningful ambitions in your life.

Financially well-to-do people keep up with the math. They understand and live by the rule--make more money than you spend. They gamify spending less and scoring deals and discounts.

They invest, invest, invest. However, they don’t rush into an investment until they’ve adequately researched it and looked at the costs compared to the potential–the more info, the better. They use financial analysis to calculate risks and make wise money decisions.

​Those with a millionaire mindset prepare for worst-case financial scenarios. They insure their assets against harm and save for a rainy day.

What sets a millionaire mindset individual apart from the average Joe is that they pursue a lifetime of learning. This doesn’t have to be formal education, either. They are humble enough to be coachable by anyone, recognizing that while they are great at many things, everyone has something to teach them.

​When they aren’t enrolling in continuing education courses or gleaning what they can from society, they learn from situations and mistakes. They look for the lesson in missteps, change their formulation, and try again.

While someone with the millionaire mindset seeks to learn and become well-rounded, they realize they can’t achieve their dreams solo. They need support from a network of friends and experts along the way.

​For example, they focus on their money, but they also build a team of professionals who are better at that than they are. They hire accountants and financial advisors for a better perspective on utilizing their resources.

Those with a millionaire mindset are more interested in finding solutions to problems than blaming or doling out excuses. They understand there is usually a creative solution to the roadblocks and setbacks life throws them.

There’s so much more to a millionaire mindset than we have room to unpack here–there are many books on the subject. While we couldn’t cover it all, we have given you enough to start establishing and crushing your goals, whatever they may be. Establish the habits of the world’s most prosperous, such as goal-setting.

​Then, act as if you are an achiever. You are an achiever as long as you set goals and progress towards them at any speed. Take the confidence that it brings and build upon it. Keep dreaming big and take setbacks as a learning opportunity and a natural part of life.