What the Rich Don’t Say about Getting Rich

Tom Marcoux ‘s new book “What the Rich Don’t Say about Getting Rich”

“I’m afraid that if I really raise my income, some bad things will happen,” my friend Sharon said. I listened with compassion and then shared some helpful ideas. When I speak on the topic “What the Rich Don’t Say about Getting Rich,” I share two blunt but useful details:

1) Accomplishments alone do NOT make you happy.
2) You better have self-care and a support system or things “blow up”!

1) Accomplishments alone do NOT make you happy.

What happens to a significant number of people when they attain financial freedom is that they get surprised about feeling bad, and elements of life fall apart. A number of authors including Jim Rohn and Peter H. Thomas reported that they hit millionaire status and then lost it all. (They persisted and gained the wealth again!)

Additionally, top author and business leader, Tony Robbins reports that when he had first earned a lot of wealth, things fell apart for him. He said, “I started to be harsh to people who didn’t deserve it. I started to miss important meetings.”
What is going on here?

I’ll put this in one word “connection.” That is, you need to focus on connection. If you want to enjoy happiness, you need to take significant steps to nurture real, loving, supportive connections in your life.

And it’s not just having people who support you. It’s about you being committed to support others.

Tony Robbins reports that he really did better in his business when he connected how many people he wanted to feed during Thanksgiving to how much he needed to expand his business. He said, “To feed all the people I wanted to feed, I needed to raise my business to the level of $3 million.”

So if accomplishments, earning more and more money, taking more vacations, don’t lead to happiness, what does?

I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve. – Albert Schweitzer

Having purpose, meaning and some joy in the moment while being good to others comprise vital elements of a happy life.

I’ll share something more about the process. I guide my clients to have more than accomplishment-goals (I note this and more in my book What the Rich Don’t Say About Getting Rich — look inside the book when you CLICK HERE). I invite my clients to have “Green Goals” (like an ever-renewing Green Forest … or “Being Goals”). The idea is human beings need to support their own inner peace.

When you’re prosperous, it’s vital to stay connected to that part of you which is compassionate. When you’re prosperous, it’s easy to stay in a state of high expectations and when life has bumpy times to get into a state of frustration.

“… we’re not actually in control, which is a pretty scary idea. But when you let things be as they are, you will be a much happier, more balanced, compassionate person.” – Pema Chodron

This idea of “letting things be as they are” runs straight into the wall of “being a control freak.” In my book, The Hidden Power of the AND-Universe, I note that we do better when we acknowledge how the universe functions. For example, you can:

• Focus on gratitude AND go for more (more prosperity, new and different experiences)
• Feel happy in the moment AND endure uncertainty
• Use strategy to make effective business moves AND do that which supports your spiritual well-being

“I equate ego with trying to figure everything out instead of going with the flow. That closes your heart and your mind to the person or situation that’s right in front of you, and you miss so much.” – Pema Chodron

By the way, the effective business person sees the signs of potential trouble ahead and they respond well to such signs. That means you keep your heart open and your mind free to be aware of the person or situation right in front of you.

For example, I’m quite selective in which clients I work with as an Executive Coach. I’m in the business of transformation and not in the business of Band-Aids. I approach a conversation with a prospective client with my mind open and aware. I approach the conversation with gentle curiosity. Then I can observe what is really present in the person and the situation.

So a useful Green Tranquility Goal is to condition your mind to shift to what’s known as Observer Mind. If you’re feeling frantic, use the method of “Stop. Breathe. Observe.” The idea is to disengage from an unhealthy pattern.

Now it’s your turn. What can you do on a daily basis to support yourself in shifting from high intensity to inner calm?

2) You better have self-care and a support system or things “blow up”!

Robert Downey, Jr. rose to significant heights in the film industry, and then imploded.

He acted out, got into significant trouble and repeatedly went to jail. “You can’t go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it … [and] … I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone else, but it was very, very, very educational for me,” Downey said.

Starting in July 2003, Downey began, he reports, a process that has kept him drug-free. He credits meditation, therapy, twelve-step recovery programs, yoga and the practice of Wing Chun kung fu to his recovery.

Downey also said that his wife significantly helped him overcome his drug and alcohol habits.

Let’s pay special attention to the word habits. If you have the habit of not getting enough sleep, you could really self-sabotage your efforts to expand your prosperity. As an Executive Coach and Spoken Word Strategist, I support clients to create a transformation in their lives. Often this is the process of putting in systems and effective habits–and avoiding the faulty reliance on “willpower.”

(As a sidenote: Governor of California Jerry Brown gave Downey a full and unconditional pardon for his prior drug convictions.)

Why do things “blow up”? One detail is that when you’re rich, you do not have to fit into structures that keep a lot of people grounded.

Recently, I gave a workshop on Discover Your Enchanted Prosperity, and I mentioned that a vital element is to notice how you’re interacting with the world. Are you, in this moment, focused on love or fear? “Some of us don’t feel a connection to the idea ‘love.’ I suggest we consider ‘be kind.’ Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself like you would a good friend. Be kind to others. Being kind and trustworthy are vital to getting more business. [Learn about the next Discover Your Enchanted Prosperity workshop/networking event when you CLICK HERE )

“Man with unsmiling face should not open a shop.” – Chinese Proverb

The idea is to take care of yourself so you have a smile. I’ve guided graduate students and my clients to develop the personal brand of ‘T.H.O.R.’ That is: Trustworthy, Helpful, Organized and Respectful.”

Now it’s your turn. How are you going to nurture your own inner peace? Will you do kind things for yourself including enough sleep, good nutrition, exercise, quiet time? How are you going to stay connected with other people? How will you shift your thoughts into a compassionate state of being?

My upcoming book What the Rich Don’t Say about Getting Rich dispels a number of myths about creating sustainable prosperity.

Remember:

1) Accomplishments alone do NOT make you happy.
2) You better have self-care and a support system or things “blow up”!

Warmly,

Tom

Tom Marcoux
CEO (leading teams in United Kingdom, India and USA)