Lesson 3: Learning to Identify Opportunities
There is a huge misconception about rich people: many folks think that that they got where they are based off of luck. To be sure, there are those who invested in Google back in the day because they liked the name and there are the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world who come along with the right idea at the right time and it just happened to catch on. But does that mean that your only hope of making your finances grow depends on luck? Not at all.
The rich have learned that wealth comes from learning to identify opportunities. It comes from looking at the world around them and identifying what people need and how they can be the one to provide it for them. Would you like to see an example? Well, think about your daily routine.
Your alarm goes off and wakes you up. You get out of bed, put on your slippers, and head to the bathroom where you go through your routine of getting ready for the day. You shave, brush your teeth, shower, etc. After getting in your car, you might listen to the news as you drive to work and maybe pick up some coffee on the way.
Now, think about that routine from an economic standpoint. How many businesses did you just support? There was the bed manufacturer, the sheet factory, alarm clock manufacturer, the slipper factory, the toiletries manufacturers, the car factory, the local radio station, the coffee shop down the street, and the list goes on.
Each of the owners of those companies that you support without thinking about it each looked around one day and discovered a niche that hadn’t yet been filled by anyone. They each found a way to insert themselves and their product into your life and into the lives of your neighbors, and now they are millionaires for it.
The rich never stop looking around and using their brains to identify new investment opportunities. As Bill Gate’s Father, Bill Gates Sr. said in his book “Showing Up for Life” When Bill Gates was about 9 years old, his parents and siblings all were in the car waiting for him to come out. When he would finally show up, his mom would ask him: “Bill, where were you?” He would answer and say: “I was thinking, mom. Don’t you guys ever just think?” Bill Gates is today one of the richest men on earth- that can’t be a coincidence.
Learn to imitate the rich and to be on the lookout constantly for new opportunities. That is an important step on the road to financial freedom.