We stumbled on to a new show that we find fascinating. Joan Rivers gets herself invited to wealthy peoples’ houses and asks, “how did you get so rich?” During each episode she takes us inside the mega-mansions of everyday Americans who started out with nothing except great ideas in their heads and determination in their hearts, and turned it all into a bloody fortune. Without exception, the people she visits with are nice people that are willing to share with her their life and the struggles. That’s right the struggles. Not one of them made it “easily”. There was a great deal of work, tenacity, singleness of focus, overcoming their friends and families “advice”, and in some case overcoming themselves.
On the show a couple nights ago Joan introduced us to a Croatian immigrant named Robert Herjavec who grew up with dirt floors and no running water. His hard work has paid off: He now has his own 55,000-suqare-foot home with his own ballroom to dance in, paints his walls with liquid gold and swims laps in an indoor pool that he doesn’t heat! Some people may call that frugal or thrifty but she called it cheap and chilly! He also has seven different Lamborghinis, each in a different color for every day of the week.
She also interviewed the inventor of the five-chamber bubble blower who is so rich his dog has a walk-in closet and a private chef. This pampered pooch also has a psychiatrist because at times, he gets stressed out.
A number of “commonalities” have hit me. They all have done it “on their own”. None of them have had a job and lived on less than they made to get rich. All of them own something. Almost all are “rags to riches” stories or at relative to where they are now. All of them “left the good for great”. Some wanted to be rich and set the goal. Others did what they loved doing and got rich. Some were inventors- which means they recognized a need and built something to fill it. Others found a business system and maximized it for them. Most of us are held hostage by our choices which include our choice of making a living. It seems to me that most people live on “fixed income”. Let’s think about that. Fixed income by definition means that your income is fixed- it can not go up or down- it is fixed. Most of the time that term is used when it applies to government pay but don’t most that have a job live on fixed income? The answer unfortunately is yes.
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