Catherine graduated from one of the most prestigious universities. She is above-average in intelligence and her working hours seem to be 24/7. But Catherine has always been jealous of Erika, her average childhood friend who got a bachelor’s degree in a state university who is now a professional but still manages to go barhopping every Friday and take trips outside town once a month. As far as wealth is concerned, Erika is way above the financially struggling Catherine.

What does Erika have that Catherine doesn’t? The millionaire mind. I recently got this book by T. Harv Eker entitled The Secret of the Millionaire Mind. Let me share with you what secrets I have discovered about the so-called millionaire mind:

• The key to wealth is not the tools (skills, intelligence, luck, education, etc.), it’s the PERSON. That is, his mindset, his inner set of beliefs.
• It is about engraving that money blueprint in our subconscious mind to automatically direct us to make money and achieve our goals.
• The millionaire mind helps you set your eyes on making fortune whereas others are glued to fear. This financial blueprint is created through our everyday exposure to money messages from the environment we live in.
• It says, “I create my life”. The poor mind says, “Life happens to me”.
• It plays the money game to win. The poor mind plays the money game to not lose.
• The millionaire mind is committed to staying wealthy. The poor mind wants to be rich.
• It thinks big. The poor mind thinks tiny.
• It concentrates on opportunities. The poor mind is glued to hindrances.
• The millionaire mind takes rich and successful people as models. The poor mind resents the rich.
• It is positive. The poor mind drowns in pessimism.
• It swallows their problems. The poor mind is swallowed by their problems.
• The millionaire mind thinks “both”. The poor mind dwells on the “either/or”.
• It values its net worth. The poor mind prizes its working income.
• It manages their money well. The poor mind mismanages their money well.
• It lets their money work hard for them. The poor mind works hard for their money.
• The millionaire mind works despite fear. The poor mind allows fear to stagnate them.
• It never ceases to learn and grow. The poor mind says it already knows.

What is the secret of millionaires? Their millionaire mind! We have outlined the differences between the millionaire mind and the poor or ordinary mind. The question is: Do you have the poor mind? Or do you have the millionaire mind?

Or, better yet, do you want to have a millionaire mind? Decide now. And decide quickly.

There comes a time in everyone’s life that there is a need to perform unpleasant and daunting tasks for a reason or two–that kind of stuff hits me every once in a while. You know, having to tango with a colleague I don’t like, going to school on Mondays, washing the dishes, studying for exams. Stuff like this sucks every inch of motivation I have in me and, in the end, I feel frustrated, weary and even irritated. But you know what? I manage to go along—all thanks to a little bit of motivation 101.

If you’re a normal human being then sudden bouts of non-motivation will bother you. But fear not! Here’s a little crash course on motivation 101:

• Motivation is a drive that sets in motion behavior and gives this behavior direction. It is an internal condition that fuels the human being to act. Motivation is anchored in the most basic need to decrease physical pain and increase pleasure. Whereas a goal is something you strive to achieve, motivation is the fuel that powers the vehicle to get you there.

• Intrinsic motivation is motivation derived from rewards built-in to a task or activity itself. To be intrinsically motivated means doing an activity with no evident reward other than the activity itself.

• Extrinsic motivation is rooted outside the person—either to get a reward or to avoid punishment. This type of motivation can extinguish and replace inherent motivation. There must be a balance between intrinsic motivators and extrinsic motivators.

• The mind set can be a deciding factor in being motivated. A mindset filled with growth-inhibiting beliefs, prejudices and biases will hinder the person in pursuing his goals. Furthermore, the fear to move out of one’s comfort zone will make a person hard to motivate as he will blatantly refuse a new idea if it doesn’t fit his comfort zone.

• The level of motivation is dependent on grasping knowledge about possible obstacles ahead of time. By doing so, you can avoid them or, if not, focus your motivation when they are near.

There you have it—what you need to know about motivation from a crash course on Motivation 101. To stay motivated is a Herculean task. But, you see, it is not impossible. You can do something about that alleged elusive bachelor called motivation. Just do your homework in Motivation 101.