Developing a wealthy mindset

By David Bradshaw

IT WAS the 19th century British adventurer Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton who was the first to come up with the memorable line “Broke is a temporary condition, poor is a state of mind”.

Burton—according to his entry in Wikipedia—was an “explorer, writer, translator,

soldier, orientalist, poet, ethnologist, linguist, hypnotist, fencer and diplomat”. 

Fluent in more than 25 languages, he translated The Arabian Nights and the Kama Sutra.

What Burton’s financial situation was I have no idea, although I imagine that when he compared broke and poor he was speaking from experience.

The quote, incidentally, is often attributed to the American theatre and film producer Mike Todd, who went bankrupt several times. Todd is best known for his 1956 movie Around the World in 80 Days (which won an Academy Award for Best Picture) and as the third husband of Elizabeth Taylor: the only one she didn’t divorce. What he said was: “Being broke is a temporary situation. Being poor is a state of mind”. Burton was more succinct.

But to get back to the point, I know some people who very obviously think poor. They like eating out, but they eat only at inexpensive restaurants. 

Their idea of a holiday is a cheap package, a caravan, or even a tent.

I enjoy eating out too, but I don’t base my restaurant selection on price (maybe it’s my public relations background...). I judge eating places by the quality of the food, the service, and the atmosphere.

Some of the places I like are inexpensive, some are pricey. The only difference is that I’m more critical if a place that charges a lot doesn’t come up to scratch.

I like going on holiday, too, but I only feel comfortable booking into a four or five-star hotel or equivalent. I imagine I’m likely to be slumming in anything less (and I know, I’ve experienced them at earlier times in my life).

Of course there are exceptions: lots of other good value places exist which don’t fit into the hotel rating system. The sensible way to judge accommodation, however, is by the standard of comfort it offers.

If you put these arguments to the people who think poor rather than rich, they’re likely to respond: “But I can’t afford to eat in expensive restaurants/go for expensive holidays” etc. etc. 

And if you say to them: “That’s your choice”, they tell you they don’t know what you’re talking about, and that it’s all to do with circumstances. 

There are plenty of seminars you can go to if you want to learn prosperity thinking. And endless books, CDs and DVDs you can buy.

But here’s a curious thing: it seems that less than 3 per cent of the population is interested in acquiring a wealthy mindset—which is about the same percentage as those with written-down goals. 

Amazing

I can tell you from my own experience that writing down your goals—and, most importantly, taking action to bring them about—can produce dramatic results.

Do you want more income? Decide how much, and by when, write it down, make a picture of having achieved it, and take the necessary steps to bring it about.

Do you want a bigger, better house? The process is exactly the same.

It works just as well when what you want translates into whom you want. 

Why do so few people take this advice? Is it because they feel it wouldn’t work? Or because it seems like too much effort? 

It’s likely a combination of both these reasons. But when you consider how your life could improve—and indeed transform—if you tried this and found it worked, isn’t it absolutely worth a try?