7 Things a Millionaire Really Taught Me Without Trying

I had the pleasure of working very closely with a young, attractive, charismatic multi-millionaire business mogul for less than a year. During those months, I learned more about myself, life, and society than I could have ever imagined. Every occurance in our lives serves a greater purpose, whether it be to improve us, strengthen us, teach us, or sculpt us to be who we are destined to be. Here, I'd like to list just a few amazing lessons that I was taught, not always purposefully, by my Millionaire Mentor (or MM).

You Can Love Money or You Can Love People, Not Both

Of course, all of us are on a constant quest to acquire wealth. We all know that the old cliche' that money can't buy you happiness is nonsense. Money can make things much more comfortable in your life. It can afford you the luxuries that make life more pleasant. True wealth brings options, and with options happiness often follows.

What I learned, however, from observing my MM, was that you can not truly have a strong love of money and people. At some point, you come to an impass, and you must make some very difficult decisions. Whether you use that opportunity to showcase your genuine love for people, or whether you extravagantly display your love for cash and what it can bring you, will define you as either an altruistic, sentimental businessman, or as a savvy, cunning business mogul. Decision making is a constant chore when you are an entrepreneur, and your core values will become evident the more you make them. Take care to make the right ones.

Focus is the True Key To Success

You can be a brilliant thinker, with an overload of fantastic ideas, but if you do not have the knowledge or the presence of mind to focus on them, those ideas are worthless. Being able to fully realize the thoughts that are revealed in your mind, finding the right people to construct your vision, managing your plan of action, and most of all, following your vision through to completion before moving on to the next project, is what will differentiate you from the rest of the world.

Far too many people believe that their ideas alone will find them untold riches. This is not true. If you toss out concepts and possible intentions left and right, with no way of catching hold to any of them and bring them to life, then you are not a business person. You are a philosopher. You are a theorist, who would be best utilized giving other people the ideas so that they can do something with them! Therefore, use your ideas to propel you into success by fully fleshing them out and pursuing them.

Recognize Your Own Potential

Why do the majority of people decide to work menial jobs for insubstantial wages? If you were to poll Americans nationwide, how many of them do you think would respond that they are completely fulfilled and satisfied in the field that they toil in day in and day out? Is the reason that so many people are unhappy with the employment that they have chosen for themselves the fact that they are unskilled? Are all of these people devoid of talent or know how?

The amazing thing is that many of these working class people are skilled far beyond the work that they do everyday. Many of them are not working in their desired field, and even more of them have settled on finding a job that pays decent over something that nurtures their true talent. Why is that? It's because we are not trained to realize our full potential.

We don't give ourselves enough credit! Our own worst critics, we look for others to give us recognition and acknowledgement before we make an assessment of ourselves. It's sad, and it's unfortunate, but some people will go their entire lives never fully realizing how fantastic they truly are. These same people will continue to be under-utilized by those who employ them, possibly for years to come. Don't let this be you. Find your true passion and use it!

Mistakes are Made To Mold You

If there is any good to come of a bad situation, it is to learn from your mistakes and allow them to mold you into something better. You can not deflect responsibility for your actions, nor ignore the error of your own choices. If you continue to blame other people, using manipulative psychological tactics in an attempt to make them think that they were the ones who did wrong, you will never learn anything from your mistakes.

The first step is to admit your own contribution to the situation at hand. The second step is to forgive anyone else who played a part in a bad decision. The third step is to take an honest evaluation of the events, dig your heels in, and work to make it better. We must be grateful for the lessons that we learn, regardless of how we learn them.

Every Relationship Should Benefit You In Some Way

Relationships, be they personal or business, are a give and take. Each party should have a vested interest in the connection, and each party therefore, has something to lose. To be successful and further yourself in life and in business, you must understand how to leverage your friendships.

Having a strong interconnected web of supporters is important. You want to develop lasting associations that will work for you in the future. Look at every relationship that you develop as an investment. If you find yourself wondering why you are in contact with a person that you no longer wish to be, then you should realize that what it is telling you is that there is no benefit to that relationship in your life, and you should cut the ties. Time is precious! Don't waste it.

If You Don't Believe What You're Saying, No One Else Does Either

Knowledge and principles are important. It is our perception of life that causes us to act the way that we do and think the way that we think. If you say something, you should mean it. People are constantly watching you when you are in the limelight, especially if they value what you have and would like to replicate it. Be sure that what you say and what you do match up, because the moment it doesn't, your friends and fans will notice.

Once someone's reputation is tarnished in another person's mind, it begins to color their entire perception of everything that individual does from that point on. If I believe you to be a liar, it doesn't matter what you say after I've made up my mind. I assume that it is a lie. So, therefore, be careful to always mind the words that you say and examine your life to see if you are doing what you are speaking. Maintaining your integrity is essential to accomplishing the goals you have set for yourself in life.

Golf is Fun and Addictive

Need I say more?

We can learn from every person that we interact with in our lives. There should not be any more greater importance placed on the lessons that we learn from people who society deems to be "successful" or "wealthy". Each person that has been placed in our path is there for a reason. It is our job to discover what that reason is. Take this to heart: if you don't happen to know a multi-millionaire business mogul, don't fret. The lessons that you learn from the neighbor down the street can prove to be just as valuable. Open your eyes and open your heart to learn, and every person in your life can be your mentor!