Going from Middle-Class to Upper-Class

Lose it all: that's the key to moving from the middle echelons of society to the upper echelons.

If you're willing to lose it all, it means that you're not scared of money. If you're scared of money, you're not willing to lose it all. Simple as that.

Like most people, you're probably scared of money. Don't deny it. Admitting it is the first step to doing something about it. Keep reading and later on in this article we'll look at how you can train yourself not to be scared of money; in other words, how to free yourself from the shackles of money.

If you've ever paid attention to the stories of the wildly successful, then you might have noticed the common thread: they were always willing to lose it all. That means that money did not control them, did not scare them, did not intimidate them at all.

Money controls the lower- and middle-class, however. The lower-class need money or they starve. The middle-class need money or they feel uncomfortable. You're probably middle class. Are you willing to get very, very uncomfortable in order to see crazy success? Mind you success might not come for decades. How long are you willing to live a hard, hard life?

The upper-class who were not born into riches definitely, without-a-doubt saw hardship that no middle-class person would be willing to take. That is, the self-made man/woman lost it all and then some, but were willing to suffer, in order to see their dreams come true.

Class Hopping

Going from lower class to middle class is pretty simple: get a good education and you're there.

Going from middle class to upper class is very hard: lose it all, make it all, lose it all, make it back.

Staying in the upper class is very easy: continue with what your family's always been doing, or set up your own venture with a portion of the huge wealth your family already has.

Elon Musk is one of my favourite examples of someone born into a middle-class family that has moved himself into the upper-class.

Musk was born into a middle class family in South Africa, then went to Canada and the USA to pursue post-secondary education. He always had big dreams and knew that if he wanted to achieve them, he'd have to live in Silicon Valley. And that he did.

He started a web company and sold it for tens of millions of dollars. Most people would just retire and stop there, but Musk had dreams and he pursued them. As he was working towards his dreams, he risked his entire fortune several times in order to see his vision through.

Yes, he knew that if his gambles did not pay off, he'd be left with nothing and he'd have to start over. Yet, he took the risk and it paid off. Musk's story is too long to share here, but watch a video about him (it's totally worth it).

Note

The case study I have cited did not set out to make money, or to move from the middle-class to the upper-class. In fact, most of these sorts of people were chasing a dream, an idea. They had a vision of their future and did all they could to achieve that success. Becoming rich beyond their imaginations was only a result of chasing their dreams.

That said, it totally does not mean that becoming rich cannot be your goal. That would be a very middle-class thing to say. However - and this is a big however - if you heed the advice of this article, you will probably become rich, but you won't care all that much about it. After all, you won't be a slave to money anymore. You'd be willing to lose it all, again.

1. Donate your money.

- Donate perhaps 5% of every paycheque to your favourite charity. This sounds like it couldn't possibly help you and I'm sure you've heard it from "financial gurus" often. They didn't explain how it helps you, I bet. Donating your money teaches you that money comes and money goes... it's not something to be held onto for dear life... and the sooner you can live this ideal, the sooner you'll be able to handle your money in a way that is conducive to fortune-building. This is the first step to throwing off the shackles of a money-is-life mindset.