When it comes to becoming a millionaire, most people immediately think about how to make money. T. Harv Eker, however, maintains that this approach usually leads to failure, because whatever happens on the outside is nothing more than a reflection of what exists inside us. In order to become rich, therefore, we need to start out with the right mindset, and lay sound foundations on which to build our wealth and start accumulating money.
Most of us operate on autopilot, and pay little attention to our thoughts and beliefs, but this makes it impossible to change our external situation. Making changes is often necessary, however, because continuing to do what we have always done will only enable us to achieve what we have always achieved, and nothing more.
Everything depends on the money model that is ingrained in our minds. Some people’s money model may allow them to earn or own just a few hundred euros, while others may earn thousands or even millions. The only way to permanently transform our level of financial success is to reset this pattern.
When we are born, we have no preconceptions about money, but our young minds are like machines, which can be programmed. From an early age, other people teach us everything we think, feel, and do about money. This ‘programming’ usually comes from our parents and the environment in which we grow up, and is determined in three main ways: verbal, in other words, what we have been told since we were young; modelling, which is when we take the example from certain people, or rebel against others; specific incidents, meaning our experiences, which shape our beliefs. So, the behaviours, strategies, thoughts, and beliefs we have or practice as adults regarding money are simply a reflection of those of our parents. Seeing is believing.
The problem is that our parents grew up in a different era, and what was true in their day, will not necessarily be true in ours. The good news is that by using four simple steps, we can reprogram our mindset, follow our own path, and get what we want. First of all, we need to be aware of the situation; then we need to accept what has happened in the past, and understand how we can change; the third step is to disassociate, where we make the decision to distance ourselves from our old patterns, and start putting concrete actions in place to make sure you do, such as by starting to mix with different kinds of people; finally, the last step is reconditioning, and this requires further analysis.
We can start to reframe our mindset by using declarations, and this is one of the key components of Eker’s technique. A declaration is an empowering statement of intention, which positively asserts that a certain thing will happen. A declaration is different from an affirmation, which is expressed as if the goal has already been achieved, or is in the process of being achieved. Verbal declarations are powerful, because they make the cells in our body vibrate, and send powerful messages to both our subconscious and the universe. Once we reprogram our subconscious mind, it will automatically push us in the right direction: towards success.
The author provides 17 declarations in this book, all of which should be expressed out loud and emphatically, although we can also create our own, should we prefer. They should relate to the personality traits and the mindset necessary to become a millionaire, which we will analyse further on. By stating our declarations out loud, every night and every morning, they will gradually become instilled deep inside us. This will enable us to build our millionaire mind from the inside, which in turn will produce real results on the outside.