Many times, I have heard people complain about the 'rich.' These people believe that the rich are lucky and haven't sacrificed, but instead have everything handed to them. These people don't necessarily understand that 80-86% of millionaires in America are self-made. These people don't understand that self-made millionaires started at the bottom. Sure there are some wealthy people that inherited their wealth, but a majority of wealthy people built their wealth over long periods of time. They had to take some risks. They had to sacrifice a little. They had to make changes in their lives. Some self-made millionaires realized that they had a problem and did something about it. They didn't just sit around waiting on things to get better, but instead they did something to change their lives.
This reminds me of an old statement that I have heard many times:
““The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting a different result.””
This quote can be used in so many different facets of our lives. There are always things holding us back from becoming the best person that we can be. Successful people are never stagnant and continue to learn. They aren't just happy with the status quo, but instead they try something different. They learn something new. They try to make themselves a better and more knowledgeable person.
None of us are ever perfect, but we always try our best to live this life in the best possible way. In my early 20s, I had no idea of how to handle money properly. Instead, I spent and spent some more. I was kind of crazy with some of my expenses and came out of college with $30,000 of total debt. Two years later, not much had improved and I was still spending money like crazy. It was in 2011, when I got my wake-up call. I finally started to make the necessary changes to stop living paycheck-to-paycheck. I finally started making sacrifices to get out of debt. I finally felt like I was getting somewhere with my money.
Are you in the position that I used to be in? Are you just barely scraping by? Living paycheck to paycheck, requires you to make some changes. Maybe it's your Starbucks runs each morning. Maybe it's eating out every night of the week. Maybe it's your car collection. Maybe it's your shoe game or shopping addiction. There are lot's of things that can be holding back your financial success. You have to find that leech of an expense that keeps sucking up all of your money.
When it comes to building wealth, the only way to improve is to make the changes that will set yourself up for success. You can't keep dropping $600 every weekend on a bar tab or continue to buy $600 shoes and expect your finances to improve. You have to be willing to sacrifice a little and try something new.
The path to building wealth is a winding road with ups and downs. There will be mistakes made and there will be opportunities for growth. Will you make the necessary changes to put yourself on a path towards success or will you continue down the path you are already traveling? There is no better day than today to start something new.
Reaching the Financial Summit, Starts with You!
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