Mastering your money has a lot more to do with psychology and mindset than we might think. That's what Napoleon Hill preached in his bestselling 1937 book "Think and Grow Rich," the culmination of his intensive study of more than 500 self-made millionaires. Self-made millionaire Steve Siebold, who has interviewed 1,200 of the world's wealthiest people during the past three decades, agrees. As backward as it sounds, getting rich often has less to do with the money than the mentality.
Rich people believe poverty is the root of all evil
While average people think money is the root of all evil. according to siebold, there's a certain shame that comes along with "getting rich" in lower-income communities. "the average person has been brainwashed to believe rich people are lucky or dishonest," he writes. "the world class knows that while having money doesn't guarantee happiness, it does make your life easier and more enjoyable."
Rich people think selfishness is a virtue
While average people think selfishness is a vice. "the rich go out there and try to make themselves happy. they don't try to pretend to save the world," siebold told business insider. the problem is that middle-class people see that as a negative — and it's keeping them poor, he writes. "if you're not taking care of you, you're not in a position to help anyone else," he said. "you can't give what you don't have."
Rich people have an action mentality
While average people have a lottery mentality. "while the masses are waiting to pick the right numbers and praying for prosperity, the great ones are solving problems," siebold writes. "the hero [most people] are waiting for is maybe god, government, their boss, or their spouse. it's the average person's level of thinking that breeds this approach to life and living while the clock keeps ticking away."
