Or is that really a true statement?



The perception is truly in the eyes of the beholder. The problem may not be the product or opportunity staring you in the face. Could the problem be with some stinkin' thinking?

In a recent discussion, the subject came up about how to make more money to get ahead. Comments resembled: "I cannot do that. -- What you are asking me to do is not convenient for me. -- I resent rich and successful people. -- I enjoy my friends, so what if they are negative and unsuccessful. At least we have love. -- I just do not know about the idea of selling to get rich. It is not for me. -- I would think about getting rich, but I have too many bills I have to pay now that take up all my attention!"

If you can relate to any of the above comments, read on.

T. Harv Eker, author of "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind," states it this way, "If I had to nail down the number one reason most people do not reach their full financial potential, it would be this: most people are poor 'receivers.' They may or may not be good at giving, but they are definitely bad at receiving. And because they are poor at receiving, they don't (receive much money)!"

In his book, (which is highly recommended reading), T Harv Eker has done a great job of examining the way wealthy people think compared to those who are not and how the human mind can be the biggest sabotage to efforts of improving your desired financial status. Coming from past conditioning that we have learned as small children to now, if we are not in the financial state that we long to be, we probably need to readjust our views on probably everything, including receiving.

Think of it this way, when you buy someone a present isn't at least part of the fun enjoying their response to or receiving the gift? If the person that you gave the present to refuses to open the gift, isn't it frustrating? There is a feeling of incompletion.

Why does a person feel that another wouldn't genuinely want to help me or offer something that would be of great benefit to me? Eker explains, "First, many people feel unworthy or undeserving. Where does this low self-esteem come from? For most of us it comes from hearing twenty no's for every yes, ten 'You're doing it wrong's for every 'You're doing it right' and five 'You're stupid' for every 'You're awesome.' Even if our parents or guardians were incredibly supportive, many of us end up with feelings of not being able to continually measure up to their accolades and expectations. So once again, we're not good enough.

In addition, most of us grew up with the element of punishment in our lives. This unwritten rule simply states that if you do something wrong, you will or should be punished. Today, however, it could take the form of, 'You were bad, so no money.' This explains why some people limit their earnings, and why others will subconsciously sabotage their success."

No wonder we have difficulty receiving. It would be lovely if as adults we could just adopt this new way of thinking. The good news is we can! But it will take practice.

Here's a simple exercise to work on. Simply say "you're welcome" when someone thanks you for anything. This gives you a chance to receive the thanks that the person was offering and completes the interaction while at the same time helping you become a better receiver.