Book Review – Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

This month I had the pleasure of reading the book: Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker.  In this book review I’ll cover what I didn’t like about the book, what I loved about the book, and give it an overall rating.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – The Basic Content of the Book

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind is broken down into two main sections.  The first part of the book discusses why everyone is destined towards a certain financial endpoint in their lives due to their “financial blueprint.”  The second section of the book covers 17 facts about rich people in comparison to poor people.

So, what the heck is a “financial blueprint?”  This is basically the way your mind is programmed to think when it comes to money.  Are you satisfied with earning $50,000 a year?  If so, that’s about how much you’ll earn.  One year you may earn less, the next you may earn more, but you will average right around $50,000 because that is where you have your “bar” set.  Are you 100% committed to earning one million a year?  If so, you won’t be spending any time watching TV or sitting on the couch until you achieve this objective!  This is what T. Harv Eker means when he talks about a “financial blueprint.”

There isn’t a whole lot to say about the 17 facts short of giving away all of them.  They’re pretty straightforward and easy to understand.  T. Harv Eker makes the difference between rich and poor people extreme as possible when giving the examples so that you’re sure to understand the differences.  I found a spoiler of all 17 facts here along with a bunch of other great quotes from the book.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – What I Didn’t Like About the Book

There was not much to dislike with this Secrets of the Millionaire Mind.  At first, the book did seem a little bit like a sales copy for Harv’s live coaching seminars.  But, I got over this skepticism as I got further and further into the book.  By the time you reach the end, it does feel like Harv is genuinely interested in helping you to succeed and reach your full financial potential.

If there were any one upgrade I’d give the book, it would be to make a “master table” of all of the 17 rules for handy reference.  I’ve included them here for your reference , but you will really need to read the book to fully appreciate what each “wealth rule” actually means.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – What I Loved About the Book

Let me start off by saying that I thought Secrets of the Millionaire Mind is a phenomenal book!  I read it cover to cover twice in one month and plan to read it again within the next month or two.  It is a very inspirational book and really does help to illustrate that we are our own worst enemy when it comes to making money!  Any constraints we have around making money are almost completely self imposed when you really sit down to analyze things.

The entire book really spoke to me.  Harv breaks down the entire psychology of making money and your “financial blueprint” as follows:  Programming -> Thinking -> Feeling -> Actions -> Results .  Let’s take a closer look at each part of how the financial blueprint works:

• Programming – This is what you learned when you were a kid about right and wrong and how to handle money.  This mainly comes from your parents and close family.  Were your parents cheap skates, spend thrifts, or somewhere in the middle?
• Thinking – Your thinking about money is based on your programming.  Did you resent your parents for being cheap skates and resolve to never be the same?
• Feeling – Your thoughts around money solidify into feelings as far as money is concerned.  Did your family always use money as a source of great comfort?
• Actions – If you feel that money brings you comfort, then you will likely spend it when you are feeling bad to bring yourself some type of comfort.
• Results – each of the parts of the financial blueprint culminate into the results.  You are either poor, middle-of-the-road, or rich.  By going back all the way to our programming, we can consciously make changes to create different results for ourselves.

For example, if your parents were always fighting about money and constantly stressed over it, you will be programmed to think that money brings unhappiness and stress.  This will lead to thinking that money causes pain.  You will develop the feelings that money is bad and you need to get rid of it to achieve happiness.  Thus, your mind will subconsciously want to spend whenever you begin to build up some money.  The result is that you will always be poor.  In this example, the person will have to realize that their programming around money and unhappiness is wrong and re-train themselves to look at money in a different light.  If they are able to do this effectively, the results can be amazing!

Another important point about financial success that I picked up from this book is the power of positive thinking and the destructive energy that comes with complaining.  I realized part way through this book that I’m a habitual complainer!  I don’t know why, I just gravitate towards complaining for some reason.  I think this programming stems from my father – he is a glass is half-empty kind of guy…

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind hit me like a ton of bricks!  Since coming to this realization around the power of a positive attitude, I’ve tried to cut complaining out of my life completely.  It is definitely an uphill battle, but I’m already seeing great results in my relationships and my job.  Positive thinking and avoiding complaining really will make you a better and happier person!

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – Overall Rating

5/5 – This book is easy to read, relatively short, and will be life changing for me.  I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – Final Thoughts

I really cannot recommend Secrets of the Millionaire Mind highly enough.  I’ve already read it two times back-to-back, and plan on reading it again soon.  This book will really help you to understand why you are where you are financially.  It also gives straightforward advice on what you can do today to change your financial position and get in a better place.  It really helped to clarify things for me – it really does seem that 99% of financial success is all about your mindset.  Please do yourself a favor and check out Secrets of the Millionaire Mind today!