THE SECRET, LIES IN YOUR THINKING...

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CHARACTERISTICS OF A POOR PERSON’S MINDSET




I’m not poor any more, I’m just broke.

Poor is a mindset. Broke is a fleeting financial situation. That’s why I say I’m broke.

Who are the poor people? They’re a bunch of quitters, nay-sayers, and whiners! They’re the Negative Nancys and Debbie Downers of the world. They’re the type of people who stopped learning as soon as their diploma hit their hands.

We always talk about the winning mindset, staying positive, practicing tenacity, and pulling through. But what about the opposite? To acquire the right mindset you need to know how the wrong mindset thinks so you can avoid it.

Here are 4 characteristics of the Poor Man’s Mindset. Do everything you can to avoid becoming like them!

1) HYPER-CONSUMPTION
People with the Poor Person’s Mindset are the type who live paycheck to paycheck. They never invest their money, they rarely save their money, and will often resort to paying for things with credit. Paying with credit is not a bad thing in the case of emergencies but using credit to pay for a 55-inch plasma screen TV is NOT an emergency.

No, not even if the big football game is tomorrow.

Their mindset is all about spending money. They MUST have the latest car, the shiniest watch, and the “coolest” sneakers. Obviously, none of these are needs. No one was ever on their death bed regretfully recounting “I should have bought those Yeezy’s when I was 27. What the hell did I do with my life?!”

In contrast, those who are focused on building and accumulating wealth don’t spend exorbitant amounts of money. They shop at department stores, buy used vehicles, and often hunt for deals. Their main goal is acquiring wealth, not appearing wealthy.

Just a reminder, if your friend shows up to your house in a glimmering new BMW and says “I had to ball out! Y’nah mean?” there’s a good chance your friend has the Poor Person’s Mindset. Now, if your friend calls you and says “Hey! You need to check out this stock; I’ve done hours of research and it looks like an amazing opportunity. We can retire together!” your friend is probably a nerd, but not a hyper-consumer.

2) NO VALUE ADDED
“You can ask around and see if anyone has a project they need some help with,” I suggested.

“No. I don’t care about other people. I’m just doing this for me to get my promotion,” replied the poor man.

This was an actual exchange I had with someone. They were so consumed with getting to the next level, the next title, and the next pay raise. This person couldn’t realize that money is a byproduct of helping others solve problems—it’s true whether you’re in the corporate world or running your own business.

Those afflicted with the Poor Person’s Mindset will always seek gains for themselves. They don’t take a moment to take on someone else’s perspective. They rarely add value! Oh, and when they don’t get what they “deserve” they will complain so much about their woes that you’ll be nauseous.

Have a trash can or plastic bag nearby when you’re ready to vomit from all the baloney they spout off. On the flip side, you can just laugh at their distorted world view.

Perhaps you’re more of an altruistic person and want to help someone figure out how to add value. To do this you can help the person discover their strengths. When we leverage our strengths we’re able to help more people, and in turn create more value.

3) NO OWNERSHIP
“I didn’t do it! He did!”

“Nuh-uh! You did it. Liar!”

This is the theme song for everyone with the Poor Person’s Mindset. As the childish argument implies, people with this mindset are reluctant to take ownership of their failures. They are quick to blame others and get away from any consequences that may exist.

These folks fail to realize that a lot of spectacular learning and development occurs when taking ownership. The inability to take responsibility for your own actions makes it less likely for others to see you as a leader. Moreover, if you’re the type to always blame someone else few people will want to be around you.

Don’t have a Poor Person’s Mindset—accept your mistakes, learn, and move forward. If not, you’ll end up like the rejected kid on the playground who’s always messing things up, telling on other kids, and sitting alone at lunch because no one likes a lying tattletale.

4) NEVER/ALWAYS BELIEF SYSTEM
I never get to lead the meetings!

I always have the worst luck. UGH!

Poor people ascribe to the never/always belief system. This belief system molds people into thinking in terms of the extremes. Perhaps your friend Greggory loves leading meetings, but he’s rarely chosen to lead them. Consequently, Greggory says, “I never get to lead the meetings.” This kind of thinking is detrimental to one’s self worth because the subsequent thoughts may be along the lines of “They don’t choose me to lead meetings because they hate me” or “I’m not chosen because I’m a worthless team member.”

The opposite is true too. Saying that you always have the worst luck contorts your mind into looking for all the terrible moments throughout the day. It forces you to ignore all the blindingly fortunate things that happen.

Both modes of thinking trigger helplessness. Once you start thinking that the situation cannot be modified, you stop thinking of solutions. You give up.

The best way to deal with this is to be more moderate in the way you view things. Instead of thinking in “never” and “always” think in terms of “sometimes” or “occasionally.” If you’re looking to be an overachiever, and I hope you are, work towards understanding the cause-effect relationship of things that happen in your life. For instance, if it feels like you’re always late ask yourself why. When the reasons become apparent the never/always belief system shrivels up.

CONCLUSION
It’s incredibly easy to buy whatever you want, be selfish, blame others, and think the world is against you. It requires no effort at all! Just because something is easy doesn’t mean it’s beneficial to your life. Question everything and learn from everyone. The right mindset, the wealthiest mindset, is one that focuses on adding value to the lives of others. That’s how to get from the Poor Person’s Mindset, passed broke, and into the Rich Person’s Mindset


Source: https://theminoritymindset.com/characteristics-poor-persons-mindset/