Читать книгу Money Mammoth - Ted Klontz - Страница 24

If you are like many Americans, your family has been in the land of opportunity for generations. So why weren't more of us born into an ultra-wealthy families? Take a moment to answer this question for yourself. Your most valuable answer in terms of truly understanding yourself will be the first thought that popped into your mind. You may be tempted to modify this so that it sounds more rational. Resist the temptation and stay with the image that first popped into your mind. Let the implications of that belief unfold. Just let it flow.

If your ancestors achieved financial success, congratulations! Now that doesn't mean that they passed this down to you, but hopefully, you have benefited from either the resources they were able to build or the mindset that allowed them to become successful. But if you are like most of us, ask yourself this question: Why weren't your ancestors rich?

So why aren't you rich? The answer is simple: You and/or your ancestors didn't successfully hoard enough money or valuable objects. Of course, there are a plethora of other considerations, but in strict behavioral terms, that's pretty much it. Rich people have amassed a bunch of money for themselves. Poor people have not. It turns out that high financial net worth is not about how much money you make; it is defined by how much money you save.

Here are two possible causes for your ancestors not becoming wealthy. The first is that they were dedicated to the concept of saving money, but they were unable to do so because the money or the opportunity to learn about money was not afforded them. This would include having been the unfortunate victims of oppressive governments, discrimination, or any number of atrocities throughout human history from which they were not able to recover.

The second possible cause is that they didn't buy into the concept of hoarding. According to Dictionary.com, hoard is defined as “a stock or store of money or valued objects, typically one that is secret or carefully guarded.”¹ There are several key elements to this definition. First, it requires someone to stock up and save money or valuable objects. Second, it requires someone to protect, preserve, and safeguard the hoard.

The great news about this is that if you are reading this book, you likely live in a free society where people just like you have been able to create financial success. So while institutional and/or cultural barriers exist, it is possible for you to overcome them.

Today, we honor hoarders of money and resources. If you are not among them, it would be normal for you to feel bad about yourself. You may ask: Why were they able to do it, and me and my ancestors failed to do it? But here's the thing: While today we honor hoarders of money, thousands of years ago we killed them.