As you might expect, I’m often asked for financial advice. Friends and friends-of-friends will hit me up with questions they have about money and investing. And I’m happy to help. After all, that’s why I blog and also why there’s nothing for sale on my blog – I simply want to share what I know about building wealth as my way of giving back.
But there’s something I’ve noticed over the years of giving advice. Many of the people who ask for advice… don’t take it!
It’s amazing to see this from my side of the conversation. Here’s what it looks like…
Person seeking advice: “I haven’t been successful building wealth and I want to get your advice on…
Me: “Here’s my suggestion…(which usually involves work, sacrifice, getting out of comfort zones and eliminating bad money habits and bad philosophies).
Person seeking advice: “Yeah, but…”
After I hear “Yeah, but…” I usually look for a way to wrap-up the conversation because spending any more time with this person is going to be a waste of my time.
Why?
It’s because many adults are “married” to their thoughts. They’re not looking for “the way” to wealth as much as they’re looking for someone to magically make “their way” to wealth work. And here’s the funny thing – “their way” isn’t working. Otherwise, they wouldn’t need to come to me for advice!
Warren Buffett meets with hundreds of college students every year and happily dispenses all sorts of invaluable advice about money, success and personal integrity. He was asked once why he didn’t do the same sort of thing with adults. His reply? It was this – “You can’t teach most adults anything. They think they know it all. The young want to learn. They’re humble enough to listen.”
Indeed.
I’ve got a newsflash for you – your thoughts aren’t magic. Just because you thought something, doesn’t make it right. You see, there’s a difference between “being right” and “getting it right”. Most want to “be right” so much, that they’ll completely ignore any advice, suggestions or recommendations that contradict their thoughts. Hence they continue to struggle.
I’ve read more than once, that many people who stay in abusive marriages do so just to avoid the public admission that they somehow made a bad choice in selecting a spouse. They would rather suffer with the illusion of being right, than to get it right by leaving a toxic relationship. Unbelievable!
And so it goes with many that seek financial advice. Many don’t want advice, they want approval for doing things wrong. They want approval for failure. In fact, they get extremely disappointed when the person they’re seeking advice from doesn’t defend them and support their way. Instead, they feel that their thoughts are being attacked.
Look, I feel for those who won’t listen and suffer because of it. Wouldn’t you? I have compassion when it fits, but there’s something undeniable about success – getting there without changing who you are, without hard work, without sacrifice and without divorcing yourself from philosophies that either don’t work now, or never did, is impossible. The secret to becoming successful without change is still a secret.
Here’s the truth – The garden of success must be constantly maintained. Yes, you must attack the weeds of laziness. Yes, you must attack the weeds of bad habits that don’t serve you. Yes, you must attack the weeds of thoughts that haven’t served you well.
Look, there’s a very simple method to determine if your thoughts about money have been serving you well – has your net worth grown consistently over the last 5 or 10 years? It either has or it hasn’t. The bank balance doesn’t lie.
We live in some of the most prosperous times ever recorded. There are new millionaires being created every day and at a faster pace than ever before. If you’re net worth has not been increasing over the past 5 or 10 years it’s most likely because you’re not allowing in some much needed advice about money. If you find yourself saying “Yeah, but…” when being given advice by someone who has done what you want to do in life, my advice is to humble yourself and listen. Listen for clues about your habits that may make you uncomfortable, but that you know are true down deep.
The magic doesn’t exist in our thoughts. The magic exists in our willingness to change, to improve and to become the best versions of ourselves. That’s what’s been key to Warren Buffett’s success. He has called himself a “learning machine”. In his eighties, he’s still humble enough to admit he hasn’t learned it all yet.
Never be afraid to abandon an old you that isn’t working any more. Don’t be embarrassed to change. Be embarrassed not to change. The successful do it all the time. Don’t be the guy or gal who says “Yeah, but”. Those people will be saying “Yeah, but” for the rest of their lives. Say this instead, “Yes, I’m open to change. Please teach me what you know. I’m tired of struggling.” When you have that type of humility, you’ll most certainly grow into the person who is financially free.
Be free. Nothing else is worth it.
P.S. Why aren’t you wealthy yet? It’s because of something you don’t know. Otherwise you’d already be rich! Isn’t it time to learn what you don’t know? Consider signing-up for my newsletter below, to help you build wealth faster.
P.S.S. Looking to make an overnight fortune? Don’t sign-up to receive my newsletter below. There’s no magic secret. Becoming financially free takes time and dedication. But learning professional-grade money skills can have a life changing effect. If you’re ready to put in the work and learn, I can show you how to achieve financial freedom faster than normal.
P.S.S.S. There’s nothing for sale on this blog or in my newsletter. That’s right. Unlike other sites who claim to help people achieve financial success, I’m not trying to sell you anything. In fact, I find it a little disgusting that some sites insist that you buy something before they teach you how to become rich. Here on my blog and in my newsletter, I just provide actionable advice for free. It’s my way to give back. What do you have to lose? Subscribe today.
Ready for more tips on how to achieve the free life? Check-out more articles from the blog archives below:
Unicorns, Meteors and Microwaves. The Favorite Wealth Building Fantasies Of The Mediocre!
The Duality Of Man: Why People Do The Opposite Of What They Should Do With Their Money
Yes, There’s Definitely Something Even Worse For You Than Eating Junk Food. It’s This…
