Today I’d like to share two import concepts you need to know in order to have financial success. Did you know that over 95% of Americans are financially uneducated? I’m talking multi-millionaires—people who you thought knew everything just because they have accumulated some wealth.

But let me also share that in the course of being an elite financial planner, I met plenty of folks with lots of money. Most of them either inherited it or won a big law suit. Not many earned it. But the ones that earned it, many of them like you, who started over from scratch, were some of the most dynamic people I have ever met. They benefited not just their company but their community. These success stories become the leaders of their communities and have the biggest heart to help others.

There is a word that separates the ones who have earned their wealth on their own from the rest of us — and that word is “THANKFUL.”

Are you prepared to have Financial Success?

Next, you need to be mentally prepared for success. You may think that’s totally crazy, but it’s not. It’s a lot easier to manage nothing. When you have nothing, there’s nothing to think about. When you see an advertisement for a new car, you think, “I can’t afford it.” When you see the new cell phone, you think, “I can’t afford it.”

But once you can afford it, now you start thinking and asking yourself which one is the best. You start paying attention to all the competitive products. Then you start doing research, start checking all the pricing, and listening to the comments from people who have purchased and used the product. It takes energy, a lot of energy!

It takes a lot of energy to make money and, more importantly, a lot of energy to keep it. I wish I had a dollar for every time I told a client it’s not what you make that matters most— it’s what you keep. How many of us know or knew someone who was rolling in the dough, only to squander their money, go broke, and have to start all over again? There are so many distractions, so many advertisements that bombard you from the moment you awake. Christmas, Prime Day, Cyber Monday, Black Friday, all the public holidays, Tax-Free weekends—and then there’s the opponent.

Do not underestimate The Power of The Opponent. The opponent can make you befriend people for all the wrong reasons. The opponent wants you seeking quick pleasures rather than long term happiness. And the opponent wants you to believe in fantasy lifestyles that are promoted on television, radio, and the internet. The opponent constantly bombards you, and there is no escape. You can’t run away from the opponent because the opponent is you and your own ego.

Summary

Before you start the next step on your financial journey, learn the value of thankfulness and prepare to have financial success.