What is your motivation?

Why do you want to be rich? It's almost a taboo subject, and very confusing. On the one hand, we all idolize wealth and riches: big houses, fancy cars, designer clothes, etc, etc, etc. On the other hand, we are taught that money is the root of all evil, being greedy is bad, think of others before yourself.

I believe that both sides have their merits, but the real focus should be somewhere in between. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be able to have nice things and provide for yourself and your family. But if money is all that drives you, you will likely live a miserable existence.

One of the most important things I have learned in the past few months is that if you want to be rich, you need to have a good reason for it or you will not succeed. After all, who doesn't want a big house, a condo in Hawaii, a Mercedes Benz and regular trips to tropical destinations? Obviously, these things do not provide the drive necessary to become wealthy, or we would all be on permanent vacations.

So what is a good enough reason? The best reasons are the non-selfish reasons. You have to want to help people. For example, if you are a mortgage broker and approach your business that way, you will likely live an average life and do average things. That is fine. But if you are a mortgage broker and your business is helping people to get into a home at an affordable rate and be able to pay off that home as quickly as possible, you will have much better focus and I can guarantee you your results will far exceed those of a simple mortgage broker. Why? Because it gives you a reason to succeed. Because people can see that you are genuinely trying to help. By helping people, you will make money.

It sounds very simplistic, but I have been thinking about it a lot lately, and people I have met that are truly successful are generally very nice people and always willing to help. These are the kinds of businesses that I want to frequent, and I do.

When people are shifty and greedy, however, they stick out like a sore thumb and I avoid them like the plague. I don't want to do business with these people. They may be slick enough to make a quick buck here and there, but they will get very few repeat customers.

Bottom line, if you want to be rich, start helping people. Focus on someone else, and the rest will fall into place.

Dad