“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do”
―  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let’s face it, most people talk a good game when it comes to building success, happiness and wealth, but few follow through.  That’s why we have the admired (yet maligned & envied) 1% who statistically control all of the wealth, are the highest earners, who build businesses and fortunes.  They are the thinkers, the doers, the builders, the achievers.  So what makes them so different than the other 99% of the population who have the same opportunities, often better educations, and at least on the surface perhaps the same goals and incentives to become prosperous and wealthy?

I have been studying the wealthy for a long time, observing their underlying passions, motivations, work ethics and belief systems.  In fact, I wrote a book about this group of wealthy and self-made individuals called The Way of the Rich.   (www.Amazon.com)

I believe the self-made millionaires and billionaires of the world are the most misunderstood group of people on the planet.  They are an anomaly only because they have learned to think differently, to view themselves and the world through a prism of optimism and possibilities, to approach work and achievement with high expectation, and to be consistent and intentional with hard work.  They are self-starters who always believe the time to go to work on building wealth is right now!

Not next year, next month or tomorrow!  There is a sense of urgency in creating wealth.  They inherently understand the principles of time and money.  They know that money likes speed.

One of many examples of this is Jamie Kern, a 40 year old entrepreneur who launched her own brand of cosmetics in 2008 known as It Cosmetics.  By 2009 she was doing $975,000 in business; then she went on QVC and her sales ballooned to $175 million by 2011.  Recently she sold her line to L’Oreal for $1.2 billion.

No one said it was going to be easy.  Millionaires and billionaires have overcome a lot to get where they are, but there is one thing they are either devoid of or have skillfully learned to overcome, and that is F-E-A-R.  They know that F-E-A-R stands for False Evidence Appearing Real.  They will not fall into the trap of believing there is something so powerful holding them back that they cannot overcome it.  They fear nothing because they know nothing is bigger than their thirst for success and their ability to overcome every obstacle in their path. They never quit, they never take a day off from crushing their goals.  They never succumb to doubt, disbelief, and fear.  They are ferocious in their quest to be the best and at the top of their game.  They find out their strengths and capitalize on them, and they assess their weaknesses and improve them.

So what’s holding you back? Lack of pedigree, lack of education, no ideas, no creativity, no intelligence, no money?  I seriously doubt it.  If you’re like the 99% of Americans who want to “wish their way to wealth” you are standing on the sidelines while watching others “go for it,” doubting yourself, fearing the unknown with dwarfed goals and under-fueled ambition.  What is really holding you back is you’re not serious about building wealth; you haven’t turned on the switch that says, “I am going to be rich and successful no matter what; I can’t and won’t be stopped until I reach my success and financial goals,” no matter what they might be.   You are the only person or thing holding you back!

So take stock of where you are and where you want to be in one year, five years, and ten years, and start drawing up your plans immediately, and be ready to work and think on those plans 24/7, if necessary, until they are a reality.  Get a vision of how powerful your life can be with the resources you crave and desire.   Think of the good you can do in the world with your talents, giftings and resources when those resources are virtually unlimited.   Then, as the Nike commercial says, Just Do it!  I did it, thousands of other people have done it, and you can too!  Get in the game and get started today, and I’ll see you at the top!