The 9 Steps to Wealth, Part 1

J. Paul Getty was asked if he had a formula for getting rich.  His reply?

“Get up early, work hard, and find oil.”

I am going to assume that most readers are not in the oil business, and, even if you were, oil is getting pretty hard to find (yes, I watch the news too).  So, now what?  In my book, The Wealth Manifesto, I have 14 principles of wealth that are both philosophical (how to think) and practical (how to act) that will move you along on the path towards wealth, from surviving to thriving.  As I have started teaching the material more and more, I have narrowed it down - from an implementation perspective - to 9 steps.  I am going to talk about the first 3 here and in two subsequent blog posts, I will cover the rest of the steps to not only be rich but get rich.

Without having to find oil.

Step 1 - Understanding the True Nature of Wealth

This either takes an hour or a minute to explain (let’s go with the latter for now).  The bottom line is that a) Read more

Your Inner Expert

Titles are something I really pay attention to. Not ‘Vice President’ or ‘Chief Uselessness Officer’ … not those kind. Title of books, of blogs, of Mice and Men. I have been bouncing around with what to call this blog. Part of the reason for that it that it’s purpose is changing … moving away from specifically blogging about The Wealth Manifesto and moving on to bigger things.

Just to let you know, this blog is going to be moved as I get set up to explode into the wealth building consciousness of the Internet (LOL … yes it WILL happen .. not quite tomorrow).  It’s going over to www.markrafter.com/blog so this is a heads up to look there if this is nothing at the current URL one of these days real soon.

My expertise is gradually starting to gel as I work with more people as a coach and I find out what they need most and where they are getting the most value from working with me. I’ve oriented my main speaking program around the same area as it is REALLY resonating with entrepreneurs and small business owners:

How to identify, maxmize and monetize your inner expert…

In short, I’m an expert on helping people becoming experts (mostly at being themselves as it turns out).  The whole point of doing this - in my way of looking at things - is to become wealthy. So, this blog is will start to focus more on my views on the philosophy of wealth and abundance and how to get whatever you want out of life using your strenghts and passions (that’s the foundation of your Inner Expert).  Here I’ll talk mostly about the Identify and Maximize parts … that more the “people” part of the system.

The monetization part … how to build financial wealth is going to be at my new blog over on Integrated Wealth Resources.  This is where we apply your expertise to the very real world of markets and money.

That is going to turn into a WHOLE ‘nother thing … starting real soon … so stay tuned

Article 10: Money is Potential Energy

You don’t want money. I don’t want money. WE don’t want money.

About now, you may be asking, “Who is this clown?” OF COURSE WE WANT MONEY.

Nope…we want what money gets us. Whether it is the Hawaiian vacation (that I just returned from), the new leaf blower (sounds like work, eh?) or peace of mind (now we’re talking!), we want what money gets us.

Money is a useful tool, a medium of exchange, a currency (we’ll get back to that in a minute) agreed to be “legal tender for all debts, public and private.” It keeps us from having to barter dry cleaning services for apples or trading a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card for a car. It also provides us with a way to energize and contribute to causes we believe in and want to support.

In this sense, money is a form of energy … it can make things happen, in your life and the lives of others.  This gets right back to some of the fundamental laws of building wealth that I teach in my speaking and training programs: what goes around comes around. Once you have your basic survival needs (food, shelter, security) met, you should be doing two other things with your money: giving it away and investing it.

You can start to understand the true nature of abundance when you examine the the word affluence. It comes from the Latin affluere which means to flow to. This is what needs to happen with not only your money but the rest of the wealth and abundance in your life, including all of the talents, passion and expertise that anyone can bring to the market to make all the difference - and all the money - in the world.

Building wealth involves all dimensions of our life that are important to us. And this definitely includes money … if for no other reason than for all the good it can do in helping you towards contentment and purpose in your life.

Article 9: Passion is the Emotion of Wealth

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive, and do that.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

- Dr. Howard Thurman: Author, theologian, educator and civil rights leader

You here a lot about passion these days. Everyone wants to follow their passion and do what they love.

Cool. Really. That’s cool. That more people are becoming aware of what they love, what brings them joy … makes them come alive.

Where does passion come from? Why are we moved to the point of tears or agitated to the brink of madness about certain topics? Our passions are the present-moment manifestation of our underlying attitudes and emotions, connecting our heads with our hearts. They don’t come out of the blue, but are shaped by our beliefs and values. Understanding this helps us to know not only what we’re passionate about, but why. Read more