Rich people act in spite of fear.
Poor people let fear stop them.
Earlier in this book we discussed the Process of Manifestation. Let’s review the formula: thoughts lead to feelings, feelings lead to actions, actions lead to results.
Millions of people “think” about getting rich, and thousands and thousands of people do affirmations, visualizations, and meditations for getting rich. I meditate almost every day. Yet I’ve never sat there meditating or visualizing and had a bag of money drop on my head. I guess I’m just one of those unfortunate ones who actually has to do something to be a success.
Affirmations, meditations, and visualizations are all wonderful tools, but as far as I can tell, none of them on its own is going to bring you real money in the real world. In the real world, you have to take real “action” to succeed. Why is action so critical?
Let’s go back to our Process of Manifestation. Look at thoughts and feelings. Are they of the inner world or the outer world? Inner world. Now look at results. Are they part of the inner world or outer world? Outer world. That means action is the “bridge” between the inner world and the outer world.
So if action is so important, what prevents us from taking actions we know we need to take?
Fear!
Fear, doubt, and worry are among the greatest obstacles, not only to success, but to happiness as well. Therefore, one of the biggest differences between rich people and poor people is that rich people are willing to act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear stop them.
Susan Jeffers even wrote a fantastic book about this, entitled Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. The biggest mistake most people make is waiting for the feeling of fear to subside or disappear before they are willing to act. These people usually wait forever.
One of our most popular programs is the Enlightened Warrior Training Camp. In that training, we teach that a true warrior can “tame the cobra of fear.” It doesn’t say kill the cobra. It doesn’t say get rid of the cobra, and it certainly doesn’t say run away from the cobra. It says “tame” the cobra.
It’s imperative to realize that it is not necessary to try to get rid of fear in order to succeed. Rich and successful people have fear, rich and successful people have doubts, rich and successful people have worries. They just don’t let these feelings stop them. Unsuccessful people have fears, doubts, and worries, then let those feelings stop them.
Because we are creatures of habit, we need to practice acting in spite of fear, in spite of doubt, in spite of worry, in spite of uncertainty, in spite of inconvenience, in spite of discomfort, and even to practice acting when we’re not in the mood to act.
Excerpt from:
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
T. Harv Eker