I am starting another Wealth Accumulation course October 5th at Loyalist College in Belleville.  Email me if you would like to attend.  The first part of the course involves your beliefs.  Most people think that beliefs are only for religion and faith.  That is what we normally associate with Beliefs.  But, we have beliefs about everything, from what makes a good hockey team, to our relationship with money and wealth.  For most people, they don’t even know that they have beliefs about money and wealth.  Let me ask you about two beliefs you might never have thought of before.

Do you believe that money is Real?  Do you believe that there is enough money in the world, for all of us to be rich?

The usual answer to the first question is: “Of course money is real!!  I have the bills/coins in my wallet to prove it.”  I am one of those nasty people who asks a lot of questions.  So the conversation goes something like this.  “Yes you do have colored paper and bits of metal (CASH) in your pocket.  But do you have a Debit Card as well?  Is the Debit Card money?”  If the bits of paper and metal in your wallet are the only “Real Money” how does a Debit Card work?  When you make a purchase with your card, does someone at the bank go your account box, and take out the paper and coins necessary to pay the merchant, and then put that paper and coin in the merchant’s account box??  What if the merchant uses another bank?  Do they drive over to that bank and give them the paper and the coils?

Of course that is not how it works.  When you make a debit purchase, your bank’s computer subtracts the value of your purchase from the NUMBER in your account.  It then signals the merchant’s bank computer to add that amount to the NUMBER in the merchant’s account.  No “CASH” actually changes hands.  Just numbers in a computer’s memory.  You might have heard the term “A Run on A Bank”.  A bank run occurs, when a large number of people withdraw their money from a bank, because they believe the bank may cease to function in the near future.  (taken from Wikipedia).  The reason this is a very bad thing is, because no bank has enough “CASH” to actually give to all the customers, if they wanted it at the same time.  That is why MONEY IS NOT REAL.  The CASH we use is just an easy way of trading things.  It only works because most people believe its real.

But how many people believe that money is real??  Is that one of your beliefs?  That brings us to the second question.  Do you believe that there is enough money in the world, for all of us to be rich?  If money means CASH, actual bits of paper and coins, then the answer is NO.  But since money is just a concept and not real, could there be enough??  Let me ask you about some other beliefs.  Do you believe you can be Rich?  Do you believe that you deserve to be rich?  What do you believe are the characteristics of people who are Rich?

These are 3 of the most important questions when it comes to wealth accumulation.  The reason that they are so important is because you can not act contrary to your beliefs.  It was Henry Ford who said ““Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.”  Whether or not he knew it at the time, he was referring to Belief.  I’ll give you an example.  If you think that Rich people are mean, abuse others, and are crooks.  But you think of yourself as good person, who would not do those things, you will never be rich.  Your belief that you are a good person, and that Rich people are bad people are direct opposites.  YOU CAN NOT DO ANYTHING THAT IS AGAINST YOUR BELIEFS!!!

The vast majority of our beliefs are not consciously arrived at, by us thinking about them.  They are instilled in us by our parents, teachers, friends, and especially these days, advertising companies and Hollywood.  When was the last time you watched a movie where the bad guy was poor??  Think about it.  The last rich person who was portrayed as nice, that I can recall, was Daddy Warbucks in Little orphan Annie.  Maybe Batman/Bruce Wayne.  Know any rich super heroes??  Spiderman was poor.  Even Superman came from a poor farm.  Captain America was a poor kid from New York.  Ever get the feeling that society doesn’t want you to be rich?

When was the last time you saw a commercial that said “this is a nice product, but only buy it, if you can afford it.”  Commercials are more like “Buy this Wizz Bang, NOW!!  It will make you great!  Time is running out!”  I love beer commercials.  If you drink this beer, gorgeous girls will fall all over you.   When was the last time you say a drunk guy ralphing into a toilet surrounded by gorgeous girls???

Beliefs are indescribably powerful.  They are hard to get rid of.  To start with, you need to know what you believe.  Then you need to really look at what that belief means to you, and what it is doing in your life.  Then you need to change that belief.  It takes a minimum of 21 days, and 30 is better.  Getting rid of, or changing a belief also needs work and conviction.  It is more than waking up in the morning ad saying to yourself, I will be rich someday.

You need to set a goal.  I will be worth $2,000,000.00 by June 30th 2020.  You have clearly stated to the cosmic consciousness what your goal is.

What benefits will you get from reaching your goal?  I can do the work I want to do.  I will have less stress.  I can help my community to build that new hospital.  Do not use DON’TS.  IE: I don’t have to work anymore.  I don’t have to have to listen to an alarm clock. Your mind can only fixate on positives.  Don’t is a negative.

What must I be thinking to achieve my goal? I must be thinking about my money, and what makes a good investment.  I must think about my spending.  I must be receptive to events that move me towards my goal.

What must I be feeling to achieve my goals?  I must feel sure that I will reach my goal. (See Henry Ford quote) I will feel confident in my decisions.  I must know that I deserve my goal.

What actions will move me towards my goal and when must they be completed.  I will take, and pass an investing course next month.  I will pay off my credit card in 10 months.  I will keep track of my spending.

How can I stay focused?  Every day at 6:00 AM I will state my goal.  I will monitor my progress every Saturday morning before doing anything else.  I will reward myself at milestones.

It is very tough to work towards a goal that you not believe in.  The very first step is believing that your goal is possible for YOU.  The old saying is true, the hardest step to take is the first one.  The first step toward financial independence is understanding and adjusting your beliefs.