(ARTICLE) Mistakes Regular People Make When Trying To Imitate The Rich

The secret of the wealthy is not in what you see them doing today.

Their secret is hidden in their story. It is in who they had to become and what they had to do to attract what they now have.

When most people want to copy the rich, they copy what they are doing to sustain the wealth and money.

And that only leads to frustration.

Being aware of these mistakes is good whether you are trying to break through the 100k ceiling or the 1m ceiling.

Mistake Number1: Making Big Goals That Are TOOOO Big

This is not to say that you shouldn’t make big goals.

You know I am not an advocate of small goals.

However, if your big goal is so big that you doubt yourself, then you are creating frustrations for yourself.

Most people think rich people started with big goals.

Maybe their goals were big. But it didn’t seem big to them.

They know they could get there.

They knew they had what it takes to actually achieve that goal.

Most regular people set big goals that they know they don’t have what it takes.

And this is not to say that they don’t have what it takes.

It’s just that they know they don’t have what it takes.

They make a big mistake:

They set their desires greater than their beliefs

And that creates mental frustration. It can even lead to a massive breakdown.

This is where people start to ridicule their own goals much later.

They say bullshit like:

“I wasn’t really serious about making a million. To me, what really matters in life is happiness, not money”.

Yeah right….

Happiness is happiness. Money is money.

The two are different.

Don’t set goals that you don’t really believe you can attain from where you are currently.

If you haven’t even made your first 10K then what good is trying to aim for a million?

If you haven’t been to the gym in 6 months then what good is it comparing your physique to people who eat healthy and been working out 5 days a week for the past 8 years?

I’m ALL FOR having a delusional level of self belief, however, I do believe it’s important to set realistic goals that you can actually see yourself attaining.

Take it 1 step at a time.

Don’t set big goals — instead set exciting goals, then, keep your big dream and let it unfold.

Mistake Number 2: Branding and Appearance

Rich people intensify their branding to sustain their wealthy status.

Branding and appearance are not what got them started in the first place.

A lot of regular people think it is in the fancy branding and appearance, so they spend a lot of time and money on appearance. Only to find out no one cares about that.

If you ask people who have massive audiences and speak on big stages, they will tell you that the first stage they spoke on was either to an empty hall or an audience of friends and family.

If you want to have a first successful event, fill it up with friends and family, and incentivise them to come.

Billion-dollar companies need branding. But if you are just starting your own business, you need marketing. And there is a difference between the two.

Marketing is an attempt to get new people into your world.

Branding is an attempt to make the people in your world stay and influence others to join.

Big businesses can use branding for marketing by creating talking points with their brand.

Mistake Number 3: Becoming ‘Self-made’

The phrase “self-made billionaire” or “self-made millionaire” is practically just for optics and bragging rights.

There is something all the millionaires and billionaires I have the privilege to hang around with have in common — and that is support.

Even tho I create all the content on here independently, without YOU this patreon would not be able exist.

(And I thank you ever so dearly for the support which allows me to be able to help you in certain areas of life)

If you think you can do everything by yourself and make it to the top, you will wear yourself out and find yourself at the bottom very fast.

Super successful people (especially the young ones) are people-made.

They have managers, coaches, assistants, you would be surprised at the things most of them can’t do own their own.

So, when you look at the cover page of Forbes or some luxury magazine and you see their charming face, just remember that they have people supporting them (who are very happy to do so, in most cases).

“If you want to go fast, go on your own. If you want to go FAR, go with people”

African proverb.

If you want to get to the top, you have to find your support tribe.

It is not about trying to singlehandedly do everything.

Don’t make the mistake of trying to go at things on your own. More support is always better than less support.

Mistake Number 4: Being Quiet & Tooo Humble

The more money you have, the less noise you make.

If you ain’t got money, you better be ready to make some noise.

Rich people who are comfortable where they are don’t make much noise.

But making noise is what got them to where they are.

And when they want to raise the bar to get to the next level, they go back to making noise.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but making noise works.

A closed mouth is a closed destiny.

Classy and “humble” keeps people on the same spot.

Be humble. But don’t be toooo humble.

You are going to have to put yourself out there shamelessly if you want to break out of your income or revenue ceiling.

Being quiet while you are drowning financially is not helping.

Mistake Number 5: Expensive Partying

This needs a little explaining.

By partying, I mean going to expensive events to network and try to get deals arranged.

That works well when you are scaling up from a good level of wealth into another.

However, as a starter, this is often a suicide mission.

Why?

If you are at the party because of them, you are at a disadvantage

Showing up at expensive parties is a good move when you are the center of the party. It is good when everybody wants you. It is important when you are the one being chased by many high profilers. But when you are the one chasing things and you have nothing people are chasing, showing up at expensive parties is a waste of time.

People hear these tales from rich people on how they got a deal at an expensive party or at the golf course and think it is a good idea to copy that.

And it isn’t. Context matters.

You only do that when you are the one being chased, not when you are chasing things.

Mistake Number 6: Persuading Strangers to Buy

If you can’t get those close to you that know you (who fit into the demographics of your ideal buyer) to buy, then don’t pitch strangers.

A lot of people see how rich people sell to strangers and want to do that too.

But actually, it never starts that way.

You must be able to turn the people you know and are acquainted with into buyers first.

Focus on those and win there first before moving to random strangers.

At least, it would give you the confidence you need.

Rich people can go right ahead to pitching strangers because they already have some social infrastructure and reputation going on.

But if you are just getting started, you have to start with who you have (not who you don’t know).

Mistake Number 7: Talking About Failures

It is good to talk about failures. And it is one of the things that make you magnetic.

However, you don’t do it when you have not had any success. Keep the failure stories till when your success is obvious.

Rich people can tell their failure stories and it draws more people to them as it gives others hope that they can make it out and eventually become successful too.

But if you tell yours without an obvious success part, people will just sympathise with you. And that is all.

Maybe some will empathise. But it won’t give you the energy traction you desire.

Keep your failure stories for when you get that big award. For now, celebrate your little successes.

Failure repels people — but everyone loves to see the underdog win.

Till next time.