Who wants to be a millionaire?

We all do. But many people can’t see further than a lifestyle of fast cars, mansions, an army of servants and clothes to make the Beckhams envious. And very few of us get rich enough to not worry about maintaining our current lifestyles.

There are many books on the market that allude to the notion that all you need to do to get wealthy is to "think positive". If this were true, scores of us would have thought our way into the driver seats of Ferraris and no one would show up for work. Obviously, in order to become wealthy one cannot sit and daydream. There has to be action behind the desire.

Evidence for Law of Attraction?

So is there any shred of evidence supporting the so-called Law of Attraction?

Yes, as long as in addition to focusing on the desire you also start making plans to achieve it.  When desire is accompanied by a plan and goals, there is a good chance of achieving that desire.

However, to create lasting wealth you have to put structures in place that sustain and support your objectives. Wealth is not just about making money. It is about holding onto it and growing it.

Your mindset will influence how well you fare in this arena. You need to examine your beliefs and identify why it is that you want to make money. If you don’t believe you deserve wealth, and if your reasons for making money have not been clearly defined, you will falter.

Banish negative beliefs about money

There are many taboos and beliefs around money. Only the lucky or ruthless get rich … it is difficult to make money … money does not buy happiness… If you believe that it is an uphill battle to build wealth, it will be. So work on your self-speak. If it is peppered with negatives, concentrate on turning the conversation to positive statements. It is interesting that the average toddler hears the words "no", "can’t" and "don’t" 400 times a day. It is no wonder we are programmed to be hard on ourselves and to perceive life as difficult or restrictive.

Whether you use wealth affirmations, visualisations or inspirational books to help you on your way to positive speak, do it every single day. Get the support you need to maintain a wealth mentality by finding people interested in learning how to develop their own wealth strategy. Better still, find a mentor who has already achieved a degree of wealth and find out how they did it.

The next step is to tap into your passion and your skill set. Once you have decided that you want to get wealthy, and what drives you to make money, find a pursuit that really excites you. It’s no good deciding that you want to make money for charity, then choosing an uninspiring way to raise funds. Your desires have to align with your passion and skill sets.

Article continues on page two: preserving and growing the money you make, avoiding emotional contagion and developing a positive mindset...