Find your Winner Circle and build your Wealth
HOW TO BECOME AN INVESTORGETIC®: PASSIONATE ABOUT INVESTING SERIES: PART 12
Before I start this blog, I want to make sure you know what an Investorgetic® is. An Investorgetic® is a persona I created while writing Money Intelligence to counter the Consumerholic persona in our society. It's a term I coined that's made up of 2 words: investor and energetic. It means someone who is passionate about investing to build their wealth in a sustainable way.
How your friends impact your wealth
Did your parents ever lecture you about hanging out with the “wrong crowd”? No doubt you rolled your eyes and ignored them. But there is wisdom in this warning – and it is particularly relevant as you strive to build your wealth.
Humans are social animals. Our need to belong is strong. This need is natural, but problems arise when it overrides our objectivity and better judgement. Peer pressure – no matter how old we are – can have a devastating impact on our life’s path.
You are the sum of your friends
What kind of people do you associate with? What kind of person are you? More importantly, who do you want to be?
In his book, The Slight Edge, sales thought leader Jeff Olson says: “You are the combined average of the five people you associate with most – including the way you walk, talk, act, think and dress. Your income, your accomplishments, even your values and philosophy will reflect them.”
If you want to be an Investorgetic® and build your wealth, if you want to live a life of prosperity and meaning, you must seek like-minded people. People who have your back, who understand your path and genuinely want you to succeed. These people are your “Winner Circle”.
What is a Winner Circle?
Your Winner Circle is your cheer squad. Their support is unwavering. They are the people who build you up rather than tear you down, and the ones who you can truly trust.
Your spouse or partner should be at the centre of your Winner Circle. Then comes family and friends. These people are your “balcony people” – a term coined by US author and speaker Joyce Landorf Heatherley. They are in the balcony of your life, cheering you on, encouraging you to be the best you can be so you can reach your full potential.
Get rid of the haters
Sadly, life is full of people who will drag you down. These are “basement people”. Basement people are the ones who criticise you to feel better about themselves. They judge you, measure you and fit you into a neat socio-economic pigeonhole of their choosing. They are often blinded by consumerism and material possessions.
Forget them. If you want to build any kind of wealth and succeed in your business and career, you must rid yourself of basement people. Otherwise, you risk straying from your prosperity path to one of instant gratification, credit card debt, zero investments and insufficient retirement savings.
To build your Winner Circle, be a Winner person
Take an honest look at yourself. Are you a balcony person, or a basement person? Do you cheer people on or do you put them down? Do you feel happy for your friends when they get a promotion? Or do you secretly wish the promotion was yours?
To create your own Winner Circle, you need to be worthy of being in other people’s circles. You must walk your talk. Give rather than always take.
If you find yourself thinking like a basement person, make the conscious effort to turn it around. Change your perspective of yourself and your friends. Remember, they’re not your competition – they’re on your team!
When you feel jealous and resentful of others’ success, it means you have a poverty mentality. You unconsciously think there isn’t enough to go around – not enough jobs, money or opportunities – so you want to grab whatever you can, even if it’s from the people close to you.
Winner Circle people view life and relationships differently. They have an abundance mentality. They see opportunities where others see obstacles. They perceive possibilities where others see problems. And they take on challenges when others give up.
Of course, being in a Winner Circle doesn’t mean you shouldn’t want success for yourself. But instead of feeling jealous, if your friend achieves something you want to achieve too, ask yourself:
· What can he/she teach me that I don’t yet know?
· What opportunities are available for me to forge my own path?
· Is there a blind spot in my character that I’m not seeing?
· Am I being generous, kind, humble and helpful?
· Am I respectful of others no matter who they are?
· Do I seek help when I need it?
· Do I apologise without condition or excuses when, consciously or unconsciously, I hurt others?
A Winner Circle person understands they are not perfect. But they continually strive to improve. They nurture others’ confidence and success. They see themselves as part of a meaningful community, where each member is respected rather than competed with, and all successes on their respective paths to financial liberation are celebrated.
I hope this series on how to transform into an Investorgetic® has given you the tools to build your own wealth meaningfully and sustainably. I look forward to hearing about your successes and challenges as you embark on your own prosperity path. Please feel free to email me at susan@moneyintelligence.com.au.