“An amazing potential exists to lift someone’s income and financial success purely and solely by lifting certain barriers from their thinking.”
—Dan Kennedy
What is the difference between “the millionaire next door” and your neighbor who is silently trapped in debt? What distinguishes the billionaires and business leaders of the world from the rest of us?
The difference is mindset.
With an abundance mindset, people create massive wealth from nothing but an idea, the confidence that it can be done, and the determination to see it through. Without a growth and abundance mindset, people begin with lottery winnings and inherited fortunes and end up with nothing.
This is why the FIRST of our 7 Principles of Prosperity™ is to THINK from an abundant, prosperous mindset. (Learn about all seven principles and how to apply them to your finances with the resources in our complimentary Prosperity Accelerator Pack.)
Today, we’re responding to an excellent question we got on our website asking for more on prosperity thinking. We pulled together some of our favorite books and resources on how to have a powerful, prosperous mindset so that we can “share the wealth”!
Recommended Books
“You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.”
—Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
Think and Grow Rich (click the link to get the original, unedited version) is the best-known classic when it comes to prosperity thinking. Written by Napoleon Hill, the book outlines 13 “steps” for creating great wealth, influence, and accomplishments and has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. Think and Grow Rich was inspired by a suggestion and help from Andrew Carnegie, who introduced Hill to many of the world’s richest and most successful men—Ford, Edison, Rockefeller, and many others who were willing to share their secrets of with Hill.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success describes the critical importance of what author and renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck calls a “growth mindset” on fields as diverse as education, business/career, sports and the arts. Her research shows that mindset trumps what we mistakenly think of as “fixed” intelligence and talent. Click to watch/hear her growth mindset talk given at Google.
“Becoming is better than being.”
—Carol Dweck
Savings is the foundation of wealth, and George S. Clason’s book, The Richest Man in Babylon, is the book that has inspired generations to save, invest, and succeed. Written in the 1920’s with using “biblical” language, the book is a parable containing a set of rules necessary for “fattening thy purse.” Appropriate for teenagers as well as adults, this classic is still perhaps the best primer on financial self-discipline, wealth creation, and a prosperity mindset.
“Our acts can be no wiser than our thoughts. Our thinking can be no wiser than our understanding.”
― George S. Clason, The Richest Man in Babylon
Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning is unarguably one of the most influential books of our time, even though it was published in 1946. It’s the memoir of a psychiatrist who survived four Nazi death camps while watching his family—including his pregnant wife—perish, and the most profound story ever told about the power of the human mind. Frankl was put to the ultimate physical, spiritual and mental test imaginable. And in the process, he discovered purpose, meaning, hope and love. A book worth reading and re-reading!
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
—Viktor E. Frankl
May McCarthy’s The Path to Wealth lays out a spiritual approach and a daily routine that McCarthy has used herself to create six companies with up to $100 million in annual revenue. This book will help you enhance your practice of gratitude and tap into your intuition and even divine guidance—what McCarthy refers to as her “chief spiritual officer”—for greater success in both life and business.
Learn more about May and read a summary of the seven steps presented in the book in this blog post.
The Prosperity Paradigm was written by our friend Steve D’Annunzio about mission-driven wealth creation. It presents scientific and spiritual truths to overcome limited, scarcity-based thinking in favor of an abundant, soul-aligned life and business.
“Real wealth exists as a wisdom in the minds of the people.”
—Steve D’Annunzio, The Prosperity Paradigm
Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art (you read that correctly; it’s a play on Sun Tzu’s The Art of War) has much to say about why we shouldn’t shy away from resistance and fear, but rather take it as a sign that perhaps our greatest work lies directly ahead—sometimes, in the path of greatest resistance. A best-selling novelist (Pressfield’s first novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, was made into an all-star cast movie), Pressfield has learned to push through his own resistance with courage and love. Easily applicable to business, this book is also highly treasured by many writers, artists, musicians, filmmakers and other creators.
“The professional tackles the project that will make him stretch. He takes on the assignment that will bear him into uncharted waters, compel him to explore unconscious parts of himself. ”
—Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
Some of Our Favorite People
Peter Diamandis is a leader in many fields, from science, technology and health to space technology. His book, Abundance: The Future is Better than You Think (another fantastic resource) offers us a transformative way to view the world. Peter’s XPrize has incentivized breakthroughs in space travel and other solutions to grand challenges, his TED talks have influenced millions, and his 17 companies continue to transform entire industries. I (Kim Butler) attend his Abundance360 event each year, which continues to expand and impact my thinking. In the short video below, Peter describes the concepts of a Massively Transformative Purpose (or MTP), and shares his own MTP:
Dan Sullivan is another mentor and the founder of Strategic Coach, a resource I highly recommend for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to “10X” their thinking. This article contains an audio conversation, illustrative graphic and summary points of a 32-minute conversation between Dan Sullivan and Joe Polish on what it means to have an abundance mindset: “Prosperity Principle #1: Abundance Mentality Vs. Scarcity Thinking.”
We have shared the work of positive psychologist, author and speaker Shawn Achor with clients, team members, and other financial professionals. His TED Talk on happiness (below) has been viewed millions of times and outlines five simply daily habits that can wire your brain for happiness and success. (You’ll also find the five habits in our article, “Happy Wealth.”)
Podcasts and Posts
The Prosperity Podcast. We have several podcast episodes dedicated to the first principle of prosperity.
In “Prosperity Thinking,” episode 85 with Kim Butler and Todd Strobel, you’ll hear about Unbelievable Thinking, the importance of gratitude and seeking out opportunity, and you’ll find a downloadable list in the show notes that contrast Poverty Thinkers with Prosperity Thinkers.
And in episode 247, “How to Create an Abundance Mindset,” Spencer Shaw prompts Kim to share some of her personal tips for staying in a positive, productive mindset.
The WealthAbility Podcast. Our friend Tom Wheelwright just launched his own podcast dedicated to helping investors and entrepreneurs have “Way More Money, Way Less Taxes!” In addition to being a top tax strategist and teacher and the author of Tax-Free Wealth, Tom is a prosperity thinker who teaches people how to look at taxes with an abundant mindset. Don’t miss the first episode, “Find Out How Taxes Can Make You Wealthy.”
The Prosperity Blog. We have many articles on the topic of a Prosperity Mindset on our blog—you can find them all here.
What Are Your Favorite Resources?
We’d love to know YOUR favorite books, TED talks, podcasts or other resources that have helped you transform your own mindset into one of growth and abundance! Please share in our comments below.
If you are ready to prepare for prosperity with an updated financial strategy that does NOT rely on your luck in the stock market, contact Partners for Prosperity.
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