Wealth Creation Blog

This is a discussion that was started over at the 21st Century Academy blog, and yet again one that crosses over and merits discussion here as well.

The topic is reasons versus excuses, and how they relate to your success in creating wealth.

Reason Versus Excuse

There is one elemental difference between a reason and an excuse. If you look at the definitions of each, you see that an excuse is a feeling or perception of why something is the way it is. An excuse is a justification for something.

You could also say that a reason is a justification, but it is a justification that is based in fact. It would probably be more accurate to say that a reason is an explanation, and not a justification, which to most people really is just a fancy word for an excuse. While an excuse may just be someone’s personal version of events, a reason can be proved with hard facts. Of course, both of these are just paraphrasing the definitions, but that’s the gist of it.

Why Reasons Matter

So the big question is this: Who Cares? Why does it matter what a reason is versus an excuse?

It matters for one reason: correcting the mistakes of the past and improving upon them.

A lot of the discussions about setting goals and succeeding (in wealth creation or anything) hold that at some point you need to reflect on the current situation and figure out why your success has been limited. Through that reflection, you uncover the reasons for your current state of affairs, and then you begin to take steps to correct them. But here’s the thing: you can correct a reason, but you can’t correct an excuse. Why? Because an excuse is not really a reason. It’s just a justification—the easy way out of being to blame and making change. In order to make real change, and to find success—and wealth—you have to work to make true changes. And you can’t change something that never really existed to begin with, can you?

Sean Rasmussen
Wealth Creation Blog
UniversalWealthCreation.com © 2004 – 2009

If you’ve been following along over at the 21st Century Academy Blog, then you’ve already been a part of this discussion. What we have been doing over there is slowly working our way through Jamie McIntyre’s seven-day Wealth Vision video series, and combining that with posts which follow along in his book, What I Didn’t Learn At School But Wish I Had. In the beginning I thought to move through these videos very quickly and just touch upon them, but this turned into a much more in-depth conversation of the book, so we’ve slowed it down to take our time and enjoy it, and that’s okay, too. We’re getting a lot out of breaking down Jamie’s video messages and his book—why don’t you join us?

At any rate, my intention with that was to introduce this concept, one that is really so central to any success with money. It is the concept of denial; or, more accurately, of living in denial of our interest in money. You see, most people deny that they are interested in money. We say we don’t need it, or don’t care about it, or that there are more important things in life; and that last point is not entirely untrue, it’s just that the way we go about getting money so that we can have and attend to those things is exactly opposite of what we are hoping to achieve by making money…or by saying we don’t need it.

Who’s The Master?

The average person places money in a position of much greater importance than he or she is willing to admit. We’ll say money is not important, but we’ll dedicate the vast majority of our waking hours to chasing money, working (usually for someone else), and not spending time with our family and those who are important to us, or in doing the things we really want to do. We’ll allow money issues to destroy our relationships and marriages. As Jamie McIntyre’s millionaire mentor said, it’s a classic case of denial.

Something else he said is that if you do value other things, and do care about having a quality life, you have to learn to master money. You cannot make money your god and let it control your life. But that is exactly what the vast majority of people do.

Denying money a place of importance is not the way to make your life a priority, not in the modern world where money is, undeniably, an important factor. Admitting that money matters does not make you a bad person. If you value your life you should value money, but in a way that allows you to control it, so that making money is not the controlling factor in your life. This “subtle shift” in thinking (as Jamie calls it), makes a world of difference, and will make all the difference in the quality of your life.

Read more about it–get your own free copy of What I Didn’t Learn At School But Wish I Had; you’ll find this discussion on page four of the book.

Sean Rasmussen
Wealth Creation Blog
UniversalWealthCreation.com © 2004 – 2009

Get rich quick—it’s the dream of everyone, isn’t it? Too bad it really is too good to be true. We all know full well by now that there is no such thing as a viable and sustainable way to “get rich quick.” Even the lotto isn’t a way to get rich quick, because without the mindset and education to manage a big windfall of cash most people end up worse off than they were in record time. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the statistics for lottery winners around the world. Must be that there really is something to this mindset stuff, huh?

But I digress, and without getting too cheeky, let’s get back to the topic at hand. How to…

Get Rich Quick

Okay, I keep saying that and teasing you with it, even though I’ve already made it clear that there is no such thing. Any of you who have been around here for a while know flat-out that neither I nor Jamie McIntyre would ever claim his program to be such a thing. We’ve both reiterated over and over that these things take time and a commitment—real effort! But there is a way to at least lessen the time and the length of the journey; to make building wealth as efficient and quick as it can be. So what’s The Secret?

The Secret To Fast Wealth Creation

There I go, making false promises again. There really is no Secret at all (well, there is, but that’s a different discussion, isn’t it?).

The fastest route to real, viable, sustainable wealth is to focus in on the mindset development and financial learning tasks at hand and to go with a guide that can get you there. In other words, to go with a proven, focused, dedicated wealth creation program that will prepare you in every way—from mindset development to investment strategy implementation.

This is what you get when you go with a program like Jamie McIntyre’s 21st Century Academy. You see, Jamie didn’t exactly take the short-road to wealth; his was a longer journey. But then he compiled the knowledge he collected over ten years to shorten that journey for you and anyone else involved in his programs. He saw the need and the simplicity of wealth creation, and he gave us the goods. It is programs like his that get you as close to quick wealth as possible. But with one notable difference—the potential to be so much more, and to teach you how to be wealthy for life!

Sean Rasmussen
Wealth Creation Blog
UniversalWealthCreation.com © 2004 – 2009

On my other blog, the 21st Century Academy blog, we have begun a series of posts where we walk through my Wealth Vision videos and discuss the major points of Jamie McIntyre’s book, What I Didn’t Learn At School But Wish I Had. I was preparing to write a post for that project, when it occurred to me the topic was very relevant to this blog, too.

Are You Just Curious About Wealth Creation?

There is a line in Jamie’s book where he says,

“My belief is that if you are not just curious but committed to excelling in the 21st Century, then what you will find…will be a real gift to you from someone who cares about helping others achieve similar things, if you so desire.”

Here, he is referencing specifically his book, but there are a few key points that stand out:

• Curiosity isn’t enough—it’s okay to be curious about wealth creation, and if that’s what led you here then fantastic! But that curiosity will only get your toe in the door. If you want to actually achieve wealth you have to be committed.
• People care—there are people who care about helping others succeed—people who know how to do it because they’ve been there and done it! So if you think you are in this alone, please think again. Jamie’s here, I’m here, and so are a score of others who’ve walked similar life paths.
• Desire gets you everything—Napoleon Hill dedicated a large proportion of his book, Think and Grow Rich, to developing a burning desire that could push you to achieve wealth and be rich. It was no fluke thing, either. Desire is another form of commitment, and if you don’t really want it, wealth will not be yours.

Curiosity is a great starting point, but it won’t get you all the way through the work of building wealth. Indeed there is work to be done, and there is no magic get-rich-quick-pill. But if you want it—really, truly want and desire it, you can be wealthy, too. You just have to make the commitment to make it so, and do more than take a passing interest in the subject.

Sean Rasmussen
Wealth Creation Blog
UniversalWealthCreation.com © 2004 – 2009

We’ve been talking a lot about our goals and about reaching them successfully. We’ve also been talking some about the psychology behind setting goals (or not setting goals) and the hesitation and fear that many people fear regarding that seemingly basic task. Today, let’s look at a simple way to overcome those fears and preempt the failure so many people fear—the fear that keeps people from even attempting to set a meaningful goal for wealth creation.

Line Up For Success

We’ve identified one of the main reasons people do not set goals as being the fear of failing to meet them. We also talked a little about the fact that in many cases, when we do fail it is only due to our own lack of motivation and follow-through; our inability to commit to the program at hand. All of these are factors that are so easily overcome. If you can find a way to overcome them, there is no reason to fear failure, and so there is no reason not to set real, meaningful goals. And achieve them!

To give yourself the confidence to succeed, first identify the tools you need; because most of us were not given a real-life lesson in money and finance, that is where we need to start. So to overcome the fear, we give ourselves the tool of preparation in the form of the education we are lacking. We choose a proven wealth education course (we recommend the 21st Century Academy), and then we follow through. We do it!

It’s All In The Follow-Through

Isn’t that true for everything in life? Getting started is a great first step, but it’s what you do after, and how far you take it that makes the difference. Now, I mentioned that the 21st Century Academy course is what I’d recommend as preparation and foundational support for your goals, and here’s the reason—

This course will give you the strong financial education you need, but it also gives you the lessons in mindset and attitude that you need. By the time we reach adulthood, we are tainted by our early life and experience. Our own brains are what get in our way, because there are subconscious factors that are constantly sabotaging those efforts. Jamie McIntyre’s course is a comprehensive course that deals with all ends of this spectrum. It’s the real, whole, deal that gives you the preparation you need to preempt failure, feel confident in your ability to succeed, and achieve those goals and enjoy wealth—not just for once, but for all your days—for life!

Sean Rasmussen
Wealth Creation Blog
UniversalWealthCreation.com © 2004 – 2009