The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class

If, for no other reason, learning to distinguish between profits and wages makes this book worth the read. A long time ago, while having a gender debate with one of my more sophisticated female friends, she asked; rhetorically, of course, if I knew the real reason why a man should dress well? I, of course, searched for a deep answer, only to have her tell me, "because it's easy!" "It's easy", she said, "for a man to wash and comb his hair, clean his nails, put on a pair of pants that match his shirt and a belt that matches his shoes." She went on to compare the long and tedious process women endure on a daily basis to the succinct process available to most men and frankly she was right! Consequently, that statement has stayed with me for more than 20 years. And that's the type of impact The Top 10..., by Keith Cameron Smith, will have on you once you've read it. It's a succinct and simple common sense approach that helps you rethink the processes of generating wealth. While I'll admit achieving wealth may be easier said than done, the principles put forth in this teeny weenie little book will help shift and crystallize your focus. For instance, "think profits; not wages" a simple, but when you think about it, profound idea. A business; any business, well run, will generate profits. It may not be easy, but the learning curve alone increases personal knowledge. And knowledge is powerful and profitable. And frankly, profits begets profit and additional profit begets freedom and freedom always begets growth. The key is to read and internalize the material. I recommend this book because it's easy. It's an easy way to enlighten the prospect of your future financial endeavors mentally, physically and most importantly, spiritually; which should help you coalesce your financial ideas.

Have you ever wondered why so many self-help books don't seem to help? I think there are basically two reasons. The first if the people simply do not take action on the information in the book. The second reason and perhaps the most disappointing one is that people do not really understand what it takes to be successful. It is simply not enough to learn the things to do and how to do them. Many self-help teachers give the advice: Pick out someone who is successful and do exactly what they do. While that is good advice, there are some things a person does that we simply cannot see. We cannot see their mindset. And that is where most people go wrong. They concentrate on the tactics and techniques and fail to understand the mindset of successful people. It is a basic truth that successful people think differently than average people. So it stands to reason, unless we understand how successful people think and learn to think like they do, we are never going to achieve the success we dream of. I have read many books but never one so succinct when it comes to understanding the mindset of successful people. Keith has identified 10 distinctions between highly successful people and average people. And he has provided a good explanation about why these principles work and the difference they can make in your life. The book is short and easy to read. However, one reading will not change your mindset. You need to read it often to internalize the ideas and concepts. You need for these concepts to become your mindset. Adopt the 10 distinctions for your own. Understand them and more importantly, live them. While Keith talks about the differences being related to millionaires and middle class, he does point out that not all millionaires are happy. To be happy and successful in life you truly need to adopt these concepts. They are as important to your emotional well being and to your economic well being. This is a very important book. If you will study it and adopt the concepts, it will be life changing.

You'll not find a more simplified, boiled down analysis of what separates the rich from, well, everybody else. No, this isn't a book talking about how rich people are a bunch of greedy SOB's. Nor is it talking about some get-rich-quick scheme or how you can make millions of dollars overnight. While the book may be short, it's quite simple in its approach answering the question, why do some people have more money than others? The top ten distinctions the author walks us through outline the basic idea that how successful you are is largely determined by your thoughts and your actions. Most millionaires have achieved their success because they had the right mindset to become millionaires. They had goals and sacrificed what they had to to get there, but they also kept their frame of mind in the right place, asking the right questions, taking risks, and developing ideas. Because of its simplicity, Top Ten Distinctions makes it clear that anybody has it within themselves to become a millionaire. Sure, some have more hurdles to cross than others, but these things can all be overcome and financial success-financial freedom-can be achieved by anyone who puts their mind to it. The distinctions between millionaires and middle class are not that millionaires have more money, they were just determined not to live out a middle class existence that often struggles to pay bills, afford vacations, or are living from paycheck to paycheck. Financial freedom is available to all. Once you know what separates those that have much from those that don't, you can begin to mold yourself to have the mindset that allows you to become free financially. Oh, and just for a quick preview, my favorite distinction was number four: Millionaires believe they must be generous. The middle class believes it can't afford to give. I can't tell you how many times I've thought that I can't afford to donate here or help that person there. I'm off to change my own mindset!

Frankly, there's nothing new in this book. But it is a concise description of what it takes to become wealthy. Will reading the book make you a millionaire? Of course not. But it will put you on the right track. It is a quick read. I recommend reading it straight through in one sitting...then reviewing a chapter a day until your actions model millionaire behavior. Dr. Thomas Stanley's Millionaire Next Door and Millionaire Mind provide plenty of evidence to support what Smith talks about in his book. The strength of this particular book is that 10 clear easy-to-understand steps are described so that you don't have to parse through the statistics to find out what works and what doesn't. Instead of slipping cash in a card this holiday season for that high school or college student, give them a copy of this book. Note that this book is not about greed. It is about acquiring wealth and being a good person at the same time. The two are compatible.

This book is great. Smith shares a set of ten brief-but-essential thoughts and habits that, when practiced and MASTERED, cause a person to experience financial wealth instead of mere short-term comfort. He simply and bluntly lays out critical factors that separate those who tend to succeed financially and those whose actions yield mediocre results. These simple ideas include long-term focus over immediate gratification; generosity over stinginess; talking about ideas that make a difference instead of talking about other people and trivial things. Notice I said these ideas must be practiced on a consistent basis and MASTERED to yield noticeable results; exposing one's self to them one time and making a cursory mental understanding of them won't do much good. Reading this book once will not make a lazy person rich, and Smith doesn't claim this will happen. Now, if you've read a book in the past like "Rich Dad Poor Dad" or "Think And Grow Rich" and felt ripped off because it lacked specifics on how to get rich, then you probably won't find much value in this book, either, so I wouldn't recommend it because it would probably feel like a waste of $10-$15, honestly. If, however, you tend to enjoy books like this on a regular basis anyway, you'll immediately recognize and appreciate the massive value it contains. Not only will you find yourself nodding in agreement at his reinforcement of the fundamentals, but you'll also gain a fresh perspective from those unique contributions that spring from Smith's own mind and life experience. Some awesome fundamental elements that are incorporated into this book's message are also touched on in past works by Napoleon Hill (be-do-have, mastermind alliance), Robert Kiyosaki (building the asset column, taking calculated risks, ongoing financial education), Tony Robbins (empowering vs. disempowering questions, 7th power, RPM) and more. These are just the references I recognized upon the first read. (Of course, whether Smith actually discovered the ideas from these particular people is less important than the fact that he practices & shares the same principles taught by these other master educators.) I read this tiny book in under an hour and loved it. I will absolutely return to it again and again because it's concise, simple, to the point, and it packs quite a punch despite it's simplicity.