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Become
Wealthy by Becoming a Better Person
By Peter Nguyen - Apr
16, 2008
A few weeks ago, I was presenting to 22 entrepreneurs a special workshop called the BMW workshop (details at
www.businessmodelworkout.blogspot.com). During the consulting part where I drew their business system on the white board, I kept asking them, “So, how much money do you want to make?!”
I quickly realized that my repeatedly asking them about money and revenues and return on investment made me look like a “capitalist” (not necessarily a good word in most people’s mind), so I explained to them that my philosophy is not a heartless one.
Indeed, I believe that a person should become wealthy THROUGH becoming a better person, and NOT by blindly pursuing money like as if it were a god or as if accumulating financial wealth were the purpose of life.
In other words, you can become wealthy either through DOING things, or through BECOMING a better person.
The correct sequence is "Be, Do and Have."
Unfortunately, many people focus too much on "having" so they get into consumer debt (which is bad while business debt can be good). For instance, in the U.S., 4 people out of 10 do not pay the full balance on their credit card statements. Also, one third do not even know the interest rate charged by their credit card company (Source: The Economist).
In the book The Millionaire Next Door, the authors offer well-researched insights about how the wealthy got wealthy: by doing certain things, like living way below their means, etc.
This approach can be summarized as "Do and Have."
However, the "Be" part is still missing.
In other words, the truly enlightening method for becoming wealthy is through becoming a better person, that is, by "being, doing and then inevitably having."
For the poetically inclined, I offer this gardening metaphor. You first need a seed (being), which is then planted and taken care of through diligent and patient gardening (doing), and finally you will see the fruits of your labor (having).
Now, to their credit, the authors did mention that “choosing the ‘right’ occupation” is one of the seven keys to becoming wealthy.
The question then is, “HOW do you choose the ‘right’ occupation?” And does “right occupation” refer to a financially lucrative profession or a personally fulfilling profession or both?
Probably both. Just look at Steven Spielberg or Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or Warren Buffet or Oprah or Donald Trump. It is obvious that these folks enjoy what they're doing while making fabulous sums of money.
But what about us ordinary folks?
The question indeed is “HOW do you choose a profession that is both financially lucrative and personally rewarding?”
This is truly the million-dollar question.
Find the answer to that one question and you will become rich, happy and fulfilled in life.
The good news is that I spent the last 10 years of my life researching precisely this question. I will share the findings with you in upcoming articles.
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