The 13 Biggest Differences Between Rich People & Poor People

Ah yes — the great divide.

Between the rich and the poor. How are they so different from each other?

(I’ve got a long explanation here, but read to the very end and I promise you it will be worth it.)

Every time, and I mean every time, you blame, justify, or complain, you are slitting your financial throat.

Now… you can be a victim or you can be rich, but you can’t be both. Here’s why!

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

The goal of truly rich people is to have massive wealth and for many of them, it’s to help a lot of people.

One of the principles we teach in our programs is, “If you shoot for the stars, you’ll at least hit the moon.” Poor people don’t even shoot for the ceiling in their house, and then they wonder why they’re not successful.

2. Rich people are committed to being rich. Poor people want to be rich.

The number one reason most people don’t get what they want is that they don’t know what they want. Rich people are totally clear that they want wealth. They are unwavering in their desire. They are fully committed to creating wealth. As long as it’s legal, moral, and ethical, they will do whatever it takes to have wealth. Rich people do not send mixed messages to the universe. Poor people do.

The third level of wanting is “I commit to being rich.” The definition of the word commit is to “devote oneself unreservedly.” This means holding absolutely nothing back; giving 100 percent of everything you’ve got to achieving wealth.

It means being willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. This is the warrior’s way. No excuses, no ifs, no butts, no maybes — and failure isn’t an option. The warrior’s way is simple: “I will be rich or I will die trying.”

In my experience, getting rich takes focus, courage, knowledge, expertise, 100 percent of your effort, a never-give-up attitude and, of course, a rich mindset.

Are you willing to work 16 hours a day? Rich people are. Are you willing to work seven days a week and sometimes most of your weekends? Rich people are. Are you willing to sacrifice for at least a period of time seeing your family, your friends, and give up your recreations and hobbies? Rich people are. Are you willing to risk all your time, energy and start-up capital with no guarantee of returns? Rich people are.

It’s simple — you will be paid in direct proportion to the value you create in the marketplace.

How do you want to live your life? How do you want to play the game? Do you want to play in the big leagues or in the little leagues, in the majors or the minors? Are you going to play big or play small? It’s your choice.

Your life is not just about you. It’s also about contributing to others. It’s about living true to your mission and reason for being here on this earth at this time. It’s about adding your piece of the puzzle to the world.

Most people are so stuck in their egos that everything revolves around them. But if you want to be rich in the truest sense of the word, it can’t only be about you. It has to include adding value to other people’s lives.

Part of your mission in life then must be to share your gifts with as many people as possible. That means being willing to play big.

The byproduct is that the more people you help, the “richer” you become, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and definitely financially.

3. Rich people see opportunities. Poor people see obstacles. Rich people see potential growth. Poor people see potential loss. Rich people focus on rewards. Poor focus on the risks.

Rich people take responsibility for the results in their lives and act upon the mindset “It will work because I’ll make it work.”

Rich people are committed enough to do whatever it takes. Period.

It comes down to this: If not you, then who?

4. Rich people focus on what they want, while poor people focus on what they don’t want.

Did you know that there are no straight lines in the universe? Life doesn’t travel in perfectly straight lines. It moves more like a winding river. More often than not, you can only see to the next bend, and only when you reach that next turn can you see more.

Action always beats inaction.

I have found that the richest people I know are also the nicest.

Bless that which you want. If you see a person with a beautiful home, bless that person and bless that home. If you see a person with a beautiful car, bless that person and bless that car. If you see a person with a loving family, bless that person and bless that family. If you see a person with a beautiful body, bless that person and bless their body.

Everything happens for a reason and that reason is there to assist me.

From now on, I want you to practice reframing other people’s negativity as a reminder of how NOT to be. Nothing has meaning except for the meaning we give it.

Energy is contagious: Either you affect people or you infect people.

I believe 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. Now, do you really want to be close to people like that?

5. Rich people are almost always excellent promoters.

They are willing to promote their products, their services, and their ideas with passion and enthusiasm.

Resenting promotion is one of the greatest obstacles to success. People who have issues with selling and promotion are usually broke.

6. Poor people will do almost anything to avoid problems.

Poor people see a challenge and they run…

The secret to success, my friends, is not to try to avoid, or get rid of, or shrink from your problems; the secret is to grow yourself so that you are bigger than your problems.

If you have a big problem in your life, all that means is that you are being a small person!

If you want to make a permanent change, stop focusing on the size of your problems and start focusing on the size of you!

I go over this specific principle in my upcoming web class, “Don’t Believe A Thought You Think: The Greatest Secret To Life”

7. Rich and successful people are solution-oriented.

Rich people spend their time and energy strategizing and planning the answers to challenges that come up, and creating systems to make certain that problem doesn’t occur again.

Think of yourself as a container for wealth. If your container is small and your money is big, what’s going to happen? You will lose it. Your container will overflow and the excess money will spill out all over the place. You simply cannot have more money than the container. Therefore you must grow to be a big container so you not only hold more wealth, but you also attract more wealth.

8. Rich people do not back away from problems, do not avoid problems, and do not complain about problems.

Rich people are financial warriors.

The bottom line is that if you become a master at handling problems and overcoming obstacles, what can stop you from success? The answer is nothing! And if nothing can stop you, you become unstoppable!

If a 100-foot oak tree had the mind of a human, it would only grow to be 10 feet tall!

Again this is something I cover a lot in my web class, “Don’t Believe A Thought You Think: The Greatest Secret To Life”

9. Rich people work hard and believe it’s perfectly appropriate to be well rewarded for their efforts and the value they provide for others.

Poor people work hard, but due to their feelings of unworthiness, they believe that it is inappropriate for them to be well rewarded for their efforts and the value they provide.

Get really rich and then help the people who didn’t have the opportunity you did.

If you have the wherewithal to have a lot of money, have it.

How you do anything is how you do everything.

There’s nothing wrong with getting a steady paycheck, unless it interferes with your ability to earn what you’re worth. There’s the rub. It usually does.

Living based in security is living based in fear.

10. Rich people believe in themselves. They believe in their value and in their ability to deliver it.

Poor people don’t. That’s why they need “guarantees.”

The only way to earn what you’re really worth is to get paid based on your results.

Do you want a successful career or a close relationship with your family? Both! Do you want a focus on business or have fun and play? Both! Do you want money or meaning in your life? Both! Do you want to earn a fortune or do the work you love? Both! Poor people always choose one or the other, rich people choose both.

Let’s set the record straight. Money is important! To say that it’s not as important as any other things in life is ludicrous. What’s more important, your arm or your leg? Could it be that both are important?

Money brings freedom — freedom to buy what you want, and freedom to do what you want with your time. Money allows you to enjoy the finer things in life as well as giving you the opportunity to help others have the necessities in life.

Most of all, having money allows you not to have to spend your energy worrying about not having money.

11. Poor people either mismanage their money or they avoid the subject of money altogether.

I don’t know about you, but where I went to school, Money Management 101 wasn’t offered. Instead we learned about the War of 1812, which of course is something I use every single day.

The single biggest difference between financial success and financial failure is how well you manage your money. It’s simple: to master money, you must manage money.

Saying, “I’ll start managing my money as soon as I get caught up” is like an overweight person saying, “I’ll start exercising and dieting as soon as I lose 20 pounds.”

You must acquire the habits and skills of managing a small amount of money before you can have a large amount.

Money is a big part of your life, and when you learn how to get your finances under control, all areas of your life will soar.

It comes down to this: either you control money, or it controls you. To control money, you must manage it.

12. Rich people have their money work hard for them while poor people work hard for their money.

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.

Eventually rich people get the choice to work or not.

Poor people don’t invest their money and are stuck working for the rest of their lives.

13. Rich people are willing to act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear stop them.

It’s imperative to realize that it is not necessary to try to get rid of fear in order to succeed. Rich and successful people have fear, rich and successful people have doubts, rich and successful people have worries. They just don’t let these feelings stop them. Unsuccessful people have fears, doubts, and worries, then let those feelings stop them.

We need to practice acting in spite of fear, in spite of doubt, in spite of worry, in spite of uncertainty, in spite of inconvenience, in spite of discomfort, and even to practice acting when we’re not in the mood to act.

If you are willing to do only what’s easy, life will be hard. But if you’re willing to do what’s hard, life will be easy.

Either you’re a person who will be stopped, or you are a person who won’t be stopped. You choose.

So there you have it. Now it’s your choice who you’d rather be like. If you want to be rich, do what rich people do. If you don’t, then do what broke people do.

Simple right?