How does the thinking of a rich person differ from the thinking of a poor person: signs of thinking of a rich and poor person, the influence of thinking on life, ways to change thinking.
Everyone wants to get rich today, but not everyone knows that the first step to wealth is to put things in order in your own thoughts and get rid of negative life attitudes and bad habits. This kind of mental hygiene will help you first create a financial condition, and then maintain and increase it.
Beliefs and stereotypes
Perhaps this is the main thing that distinguishes a wealthy and successful person from a poor one.
We can talk for a long time about the fact that there are children of rich parents, there are lucky ones for whom fate smiled broadly at a certain point in their lives, but still, a lot is decided by a person’s worldview, namely his priorities, principles and internal attitudes regarding the world of finance.
Initially, such beliefs are laid in childhood. They are driven into our heads by our parents and close relatives.
If they constantly complain about the deficit, do not get out of loans, look for those to blame for their plight and do not want to take responsibility for their own happiness, then the child naturally accepts this mindset and runs the risk of behaving in the same way in the future.
For clarity, I will list the negative attitudes that interfere with monetary success:
- all the rich are entirely thieves and swindlers;
- money is evil;
- money spoils people;
- all problems are about money;
- big money is not earned honestly;
- to have money, you need to have connections or be a darling of the wheel of fortune;
- to earn a lot, you need to work like Papa Carlo;
- wanting money is shameful and unspiritual.
What attitudes sit in the heads of rich people:
- money is a valuable resource that helps you develop and be happy;
- wealth and prosperity are achieved through competent and courageous actions;
- money does not in any way interfere with being spiritual; on the contrary, it allows you to help those who need it, do charity work, etc.;
- I love money and it's not a shame.
Even without delving into the meaning of the above attitudes, one can notice that for poor people they are always based on the negative, and for rich people they are always based on positive and positive aspects.
Poverty threshold
First of all, let's agree on terms. In relation to Russia, “wealth” is a very relative concept. What is an average income for Europe is considered by many to be almost a luxury. As a study by the Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences showed, people consider themselves to be “highly wealthy” if one family member receives 40.6 thousand rubles per month or more (this is the average figure for the country). People with an income of up to 22,800 rubles consider themselves to be “middle-income”. per person in a family, for the poor - up to 15,200 rubles). In more affluent countries this is called poverty.
The point is not even the amount of salaries, but whether a person can escape from a difficult situation on his own. In the economic “market realities” of the West, most likely yes. In Russia, most likely not. Listing the main sources of their income, almost three-quarters (71.4%) of citizens named salary at their main place of work, a third (33.2%) - benefits, pension, alimony, help from philanthropists or the state, a quarter - 23.8% - auxiliary farm or dacha, 16.7% - one-time extra work, 11.3% - material support from relatives or friends. Only 7.8% work part-time, 4% rent out an apartment or dacha, and 3.9% run their own business.
“So that you live on one salary” is not the best wish now. Among such people, according to their own estimates, only 1% are “rich”. These are mainly heads of large public and private businesses, high-ranking officials, etc. The majority of people who live mainly on salaries consider themselves to be in the middle class (57.7%). True, they often wishful thinking and have in mind their status in society (doctor, teacher, engineer, manager) rather than wealth. A third (31%) admit to their own poverty.
Less than 2 percent of those who work several jobs at once managed to achieve a high standard of living. 65.4% believe that such a workload allowed them to reach the “average” level. For every fifth person (19.9%), part-time work did not help; there is still not enough money in the family. The greatest number of poor people are among those who live off occasional extra work (41.4%), income from subsidiary plots (42.4%), help from loved ones (47.4%), pensioners and those who receive benefits or alimony (50.2%). According to surveys, people can earn more or less decent money by renting out an apartment, dacha, land or car, or by receiving interest on bank deposits. Among such rentiers, 6.3% call themselves rich, a third (75%) call themselves well-off middle peasants. Only 10% are poor.
1.3% of adult citizens of Russia consider themselves to be in the high-income strata, and 52.3% are in the middle strata. 36% called themselves poor, 10.4% could not or did not want to determine their status. 90% of small business owners, three quarters of military personnel, customs officers or tax officers, a little more than a third of pensioners, two out of every three students and one in five unemployed people, 52.6% of rural residents, consider themselves to be middle peasants.
The key words here, of course, are “name themselves.” Sometimes people don’t want to admit to sociologists that they can barely make ends meet despite all their merits, diplomas, and so on. They are ashamed. They don't want to seem like failures. Conversely, some deliberately become poor. Researchers invariably have to make adjustments for psychological factors. And one more national feature is that the shadow sector of the economy is still very large in Russia; according to various estimates, it makes up from 20% to 40% of its volume. According to Rosstat, every fifth of Russians of working age (20.1%) was “in the shadow” in 2021. This is a whole army - 14.3 million people. It is quite possible that respondents prefer to remain silent about their “left” income.
Accounting for income and expenses
You've probably heard the saying that money loves counting. Most of those who do not monitor their spending are surprised and do not understand where their salary goes every month.
Poor people often say that “money is like water” or “money slips through your fingers.”
A wealthy person knows exactly how much he spends and on what. He records his daily, weekly and monthly expenses, looks for “black holes” in the budget, tries to optimize expenses, plans future expenses and comes up with ways to save.
It’s a pity for the poor person to waste time on such “nonsense.” For him it is boring and useless.
On payday, such people often do not deny themselves anything and feel, as they say, “on horseback.” But very soon you have to save even on food and drag out your existence until the next payday.
Thoughts about the future
Rich people always see their future in front of them, they dream, transform dreams into goals, break them down into specific actions and carry them out day after day. The poor, on the contrary, are fixated on their past - they constantly remember how good it was before, what they had 10-15-25 years ago, and so on. Many had parents who grew up in the Soviet Union and were always instilled with the mentality of the poor. They often remember the old days, sausages at 2.20, equality and other relics. Rich people don't think like that; they set goals, plan and achieve them.
Pastime
What do poor people like to do? Surf social networks, watch TV series, play computer games, etc. For a wealthy person, time = money.
You need to understand that time is really valuable and this is relevant not only for businessmen.
Time is an irreplaceable resource and, if you spend it aimlessly, it will go into emptiness and will not return anything. Rich people prefer to spend this resource wisely and know how to give up immediate pleasures for the sake of a future result.
If you spend your time frivolously, then you should not complain later that others achieve great success, but you get nothing. Everything is fair and logical.
Patience
A rich person knows how to wait, maintaining stable motivation for a long time. He sees a goal in front of him and knows that even a slow but confident movement forward will help him achieve it.
He is ready to wait months and years if the result is worth it.
A poor person needs everything at once. He will quickly “burn out” and will not do anything if the result is not yet visible on the horizon.
That is why such people very often fall into the networks of scammers who offer quick benefits with minimal effort.
Lack of a clear goal
The ability to plan is a useful ability. But they practically don’t teach it at school and don’t set an example in the family. A person rushes from one thing to another, tries to get different jobs, find himself, but he does not have a clear plan, vision of what he wants, how to achieve it and in what time frame. As a result, there is no goal, which means there is nothing to strive for. The right goal and plan answer the question of why some are rich and others are poor.
Dmitry Kibkalo, founder of the international network of board games Mosigra, says: “In management, one of the classic approaches to managed changes is this: you determine where you are now, where you want to go, steps and methods of monitoring. Often everything stops at “where are you now.” Sometimes it can be difficult to admit that the situation is bad now, and no one is to blame but you. Everything that happens in life is not the machinations of competitors, not the inefficiency of the government, not a coincidence - it is all the result of your own actions.”
Investing in yourself
A rich person is familiar with this expression, but a poor person may think it is wild.
What does it mean to invest in yourself?
This means not sparing money on training courses, educational books, healthy and nutritious food, quality clothing, household items, and treatment.
A wealthy and successful person knows that all funds aimed at personal development and health will return to him a hundredfold in the form of additional income, internal harmony and a strong body.
A poor person tries to save on everything: he feels sorry for buying education, he chooses junk food, cheap clothes that wear out very quickly. And, as the saying goes, the miser pays twice.
Things that have become unusable have to be replaced often, after an unhealthy diet, you have to spend money on medicine, etc.
A separate topic is medicine.
A trivial example: a person feels sorry for spending 5 thousand rubles on a filling, he waits until the tooth completely falls apart and then is forced to spend 20 thousand on more serious dental procedures.
Environment
A poor person can hold on to old friendships and family ties even when these relationships are dragging him down.
He despises rich and successful people, and therefore prefers to remain in his own familiar social circle, which is often as poor as he is.
A rich person clearly understands how seriously people are influenced by their environment. He knows how to break off connections that do not bring him satisfaction and benefit.
He will not keep whiners and complainers around him, but will try to select people according to his own way of thinking.
You think you're not smart enough to be rich
Remember how the teachers said - if you study poorly, you will become a janitor. However, the history of many people refutes this fact. F and C students often become successful much faster. They spend energy on achievements, do not think, but immediately do it, relying on intuition, fashion trends, and the opportunity that has arisen. Intelligence is important, but it is not always the decisive factor in the ability to earn a lot.
Risk
Rich people are very brave. In the biography of every successful person, you can read about the moment when he had to take a risk in order to get much more.
There is always a choice - to remain in the usual stability or to take a risk and go into the promising unknown. Even brave people always have the fear of losing what they have. But “bird in hand” is not about them.
A poor person always needs guarantees that things will get better. If there are no guarantees (and there cannot be any), then he will remain in the same place, even if it does not make him happy.
Staying in a job you don’t like just because you don’t know whether it will be better in another one. Don’t go for training because no one can say for sure whether it will pay off. All this is about the poor man.
I don't deserve to be rich
This attitude often prevents you from achieving success. Low self-esteem and criticism from loved ones lead to the fact that a person considers himself unworthy of big money. Again, this attitude often comes from childhood, but it can and should be fought. Everyone, regardless of status or origin, deserves to live a successful and prosperous life.
Narina Osiyan, business consultant, author of individual personal growth programs and the book “The Magic of the Word or the Secrets of the Russian Language,” comments: “Our brain was programmed from the moment of conception for certain letters and sounds. Every part of our body is programmed for a certain type of activity, which is controlled by our brain. If you “download” strange conditions into your head, don’t be surprised by the strange consequences. Money always requires a lot of attention. Because here it is important to preserve and increase. The language itself suggests: to get rich, you need to live wisely. “LIVE SMARTLY.” The keys to wealth are the words we either use or create problems for ourselves.”
Shopping and spending
A rich person, before any significant purchase, carefully considers all the pros and cons and only then consciously decides to spend.
Poor people are more likely to be guided by feelings rather than reason. Shopping for them is something akin to psychotherapy. When you feel sad, sad, depressed or lonely, shopping helps relieve stress.
There is another reason - pleasure. But few people think that the joy from a spontaneous and completely unnecessary purchase will not last long. As a result, your wallet runs the risk of being much thinner, and your home is cluttered with all sorts of junk.
If a wealthy person goes to a store to buy boots, he will buy warm, high-quality boots. A poor person may not buy boots at all, but spend the money intended for them on a new game console - “It’s impractical, but it makes the soul happy.”
Thinking Principle #8
Rich people focus on solving a problem
Rich people focus their attention on the goal, and if a problem arises, they focus their attention on solving it.
The poor focus on the problem
The poor are accustomed to exaggerating the problems they face in order to feel like a victim and to gain the sympathy of others.
Most of all problems are solved in two ways: knowledge and money. Moreover, with knowledge, you can make sure that the problem does not arise at all.
The challenge is to grow above your problems, i.e. have enough knowledge and money to resolve emerging problems as quickly and efficiently as possible.
For example, an entrepreneur owns a small business. The company experienced a breakdown of expensive equipment without which production would be impossible. Restoring equipment is impossible due to objective reasons.
A big problem?
Yes, if he has just purchased or opened an enterprise, investing all his financial resources in it and is not familiar with the manufacturers of this equipment and the terms of delivery.
Not if he owns several businesses and can reallocate resources, or has sufficient capital. In addition, he may have the knowledge to solve this problem with a minimal investment of financial resources, for example, he is familiar with manufacturers or dealers of this equipment who are ready to provide it in the near future on a leasing basis. And if equipment failure occurs not for the first time, then he probably already has a ready-made routine method for quickly replacing this equipment. And the breakdown of the means of production is no longer a problem for him, but a working organizational moment.
Boasting
I once came across an interesting phrase: “If you see a businessman dressed to the nines, it means things aren’t going well for him.” Truly rich people dress simply and discreetly.
Remember Steve Jobs and his permanent black turtleneck. He claimed that such asceticism in clothing helps him not to be distracted from work, and his colleagues from being distracted from him.
If you are not a star of the pop scene and you don’t need to figure out how to shock and attract the public every time, then flashy clothes will only speak of an ostentatious demonstration of imaginary wealth, i.e. about showing off.
It is poor people who take out loans to buy an iPhone, a car, branded clothing, i.e. everything that they cannot afford, but so want to show to society.
Thinking Principle #3
The rich get rich
The rich know what they want from life, know what they will have to face to achieve their goals, believe in delayed gratification and act despite circumstances, doubts and go towards their goal.
The poor want to become rich
The thoughts of the poor on this issue can be described in the words of the American writer Mark Twain: “Actually, I am against millionaires, but if I were offered to become one...”. The poor, as a rule, do not have a clear goal in life, and their attitude towards money is also ambiguous. Of course, they say that they would like to have a lot of money, but a lot of money means a different way of life, increased responsibility, obligations. Changes in life are discomfort. The poor are not used to leaving their comfort zone. There are two types of problems associated with money - when there is very little of it and when there is a lot of it. The poor cannot solve problems of the first type and remain poor.
In addition, to earn a lot of money you need to act. Few people want to act after a “hard” 8-hour day of work.
There are still those who move from their desires to business and open their own enterprise. But after working non-stop for some time and facing typical problems of managing an enterprise, they begin to backslide and after a while they get hired again. To the question “why?” They answer: “Business takes too much time, besides there are big risks and unstable income, it’s easier to work for a fixed fee and not worry.”
For the most part, these are self-employed entrepreneurs who are not used to or do not know how to delegate authority and responsibility; their business could have taken off, but remained in its infancy, due to the reluctance or inability to develop it into a sustainable company in which they will be assigned the role of a managing director, not a laborer. Reason: poor thinking - the desire to become rich, but the unwillingness to act.
Capital increase
Surely some of you have heard the saying: “If you give a rich man 100 rubles, he will make a thousand out of them. And if you give a poor person a thousand rubles, he will spend it all down to the last penny.”
I would also add on my own behalf: “and he will also get into debt.”
A rich person does not have money lying under his pillow waiting for inflation to eat it up or a “rainy day” to set in, but is constantly working to bring in new money.
A poor person's pockets begin to “burn” as soon as they have money in them. There are so many temptations and temptations around, it’s so difficult to resist.
Why invest, invest somewhere, study something, take risks when there is another “dream thing” on display.
Live more modestly than you can afford
It may look strange at first, but in reality it is true. The rich will never flaunt their money, buy expensive things and luxury items without special need (if they are really rich and not thieving officials). Their standard of living is very high, but not exorbitant. The poor do exactly the opposite - they get into debt and loans, buy the latest models of phones, drive cars for which they cannot pay for repairs, and so on. The rich do not spend more than they receive, and invest all available funds in financial instruments.
