5 Things You Must Give Up To Become Financially Free


There’s something you need to know if you want to achieve success. It has nothing to do with what skills you must learn, the education you may need, or the resources you have to tap into.

If you want success, you need to know what you’re willing to give up to achieve it.

On this blog, I often talk about how to overcome obstacles, achieve your goals and live a life based on your terms. Today, I’m going to share with you some of the main reasons why most people never achieve this level of success.

You see, there are so many things that can hinder us from achieving our goals. Bad habits, deconstructive behavior and limiting beliefs are just a few things that can get in the way.

The good news is that the difference between stagnation and growth is often just very small shifts in our actions, mindsets and behaviors. Some people are looking for the “one big thing” that could unlock the door to success, when many times the key to change is right in front of them, hidden in their everyday habits.

Here are 5 things to give up in order to become financially free:

1.    Give up being small. The number one obstacle on the road to high-level success is the feeling that major accomplishment is beyond reach. This attitude comes from thinking on a mediocre level. You can easily spot the people with this mindset. This group includes many talented, intelligent people who elect to crawl through life because they are afraid to stand up and run. They are afraid of failure, so they surrender. Playing a bigger game means following your own path, listening to your intuition and doing what feels right compared to doing what everybody else tells you to do. Look at things not as they are, but as they can be. Visualization adds value to everything. A big thinker always visualizes what can be done in the future. He isn’t stuck with the present. Think success, don’t think failure. Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are. Believe big. The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief.

2.    Give up waiting for success to fall into your lap. To be successful, you don’t have to depend on chance to come across good opportunities, but you have to be ready and prepared to make use of them. Many people talk about being in the right place at the right time. I have a different saying: “Be the right person, in the right place at the right time through preparation.” As the old proverb says, “Opportunity is where you find it…not where it finds you.” Warning: I’m about to say something controversial – If you are stuck in a 9-5 job, how you spend your time on weekends and between the hours of 6:00pm and 7:00am during the week, will have a profound impact on your ability to become financially free. During this time, are you making deposits in your success account or are you making withdrawals?

3.    Give up the BS (Bling Syndrome). Whether it’s chasing that next “shiny” thing or some get rich quick scheme, many people sabotage their success by pursuing everything that catches their attention.  They get side-tracked, lose focus and go in a million different directions, which means they go nowhere. The bling syndrome shows up in people that are in need of other’s approval or are looking for shortcuts in life. “A truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep,” says Vernon Howard. Choose wisely between what you think may be good for your ego and what is good for your success.

4.    Give up trying to please everyone. There is a myth that says you must be loved and approved by everybody in order to be happy. That’s just not true. You don’t have to please everybody in order to be happy in life. Worrying about what other people think is dangerous, because you are more likely to cave in to criticism. It means you may do what everyone wants you to do, instead of doing the right thing for you. Know where to draw the line between your own goals and what others want for you. In some cases, this means cutting ties with the people that are simply toxic. This can include friends and family members. If they are not adding value to your life, take a sword to the relationship and sever ties. You have important work to do and can’t get bogged-down with their baggage. For more on this, read Are Bad Habits Contagious.

5.    Give up on being in the dark. If you were able to find one of your old high school or college textbooks, would the information in the book still be current?  Now think about how much the world has changed just in the last 5 years. Some of the most successful people I know read an average of 2-3 hours a day. They’ve dedicated themselves to lifelong learning. There are two types of learning: growth learning and shock learning. Growth learning is where you are constantly adding to your knowledge and skills by reading. This enables you to grow. Shock learning is where you stop learning after college and then experience regular “shocks” or surprises in life, and learn afterwards. People who practice shock learning live mediocre lives. Make room for continuous education in your life. It’s the key to breaking any success barriers that may be in front of you.

Everyone who’s achieved success has given something up. They’ve given up temporary comfort to gain permanent success. What are you willing to give up so that you can become financially free?

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