3
Middle class believes hard work
creates wealth… World class
believes leverage creates wealth
I
f hard work was the secret to financial success, every construction
worker and cocktail waitress would be rich. The wealthy strategi-
cally focus their efforts on the most profitable areas of their business
while leveraging their contacts, credibility and resources to maximize
the results of every action they take. World-class performers work
hard, but not in the traditional sense. Hard work to the wealthy means
out-thinking their competitors and leveraging the collective brain-
power of their advisors. The middle class sees hard work as a badge
of honor. The world class sees success as a more important badge
of honor. While one group is mentally and physically exhausted at
the end of the day, the other is fresh and excited about thinking of
new solutions and ideas that will keep the first group employed. As a
result, the middle class lives paycheck to paycheck and the world class
lives without limits. The only real difference lies in their approach and
ability to use leverage in place of linear effort.
The average person is playing life's proverbial slot machine, while
the wealthy own the slot machines. The beauty of living in a capi-
talistic society is that anyone in the middle class is free to make theSteve Siebold 21
necessary changes in their thinking to capitalize on the concept. Most
people won't do it because they are either unaware of how they can
think differently, or don't believe it's possible. Either way, the wealthy
will continue to amass fortunes while the masses sit on the sidelines
worrying about how to pay their bills.
"People with leverage have dominance over people with less
leverage. In other words, just as humans gained advantages
over animals by creating leveraged tools, similarly, humans
who use these tools of leverage have more power over humans
that do not. Saying it more simply, 'leverage is power'."
— Robert Kiyosaki
Rich Resource
Your Money & Your Brain: How The New Science Of Neuroeconomics
Can Help Make You Rich by Jason Zweig
Critical Thinking Question:
What were taught about hard work when you were growing
up?
ᏸ Action Step:
Make a decision to let go of any limiting beliefs you have about
hard work, and start thinking about how you can use leverage
to become more successful.
How Rich People Think 22