Rich Thought, Poor Thought: Why the Rich Gets Richer and Poor Stay Poor

There is one resource the rich have in abundance, but the poor don't. Even with a mega lottery winning, the poor don't get a chance to utilize this resource. When the rich people lose access to this unique resource, they won't stay rich for long.


What is that special resource that keeps some rich and others poor? One clue. You can't buy it.

Before we go further, we need to put the word poor in perspective. In this article, poor means people who struggle to make ends meet, have less money than they need, and can't increase their net worth.

The poor are also hardworking people, often working more than 10 hours a day. If hardworking alone makes one rich, these people would become rich a long time ago. While hardworking is a good quality, that quality is not a big friend of the poor.

They work in the days. They wake up in the middle of the night, feeling horrible about their financial situation. They worry about the future of their kids. The loans they have to pay. The food they have to buy.

Rich Thought, Poor Thought

Simply put, they spend all their mental energy worrying about their existence. Something the rich don't have to do and there starts all the difference between the rich and the poor.

The lack of financial worries is one advantage the rich have over the poor. How does the lack of financial worries help rich become richer? Let's find out.

The rich can think about ways of growing their net worth. Instead of worrying about paying electricity bill, they can think about the assets to purchase. They can scrutinise the various investment opportunities coming their way. They have time to seek new passive income opportunities. And, they discover new business ideas.

At the same time, the poor are worrying about paying bills, feeding themselves and sending their kids to school.

The rich have the luxury of thinking about improving their net worth. The poor have their mental resources exhausted by constant worries.

Both the rich and the poor are spending the same mental energy. When they think about money, the rich have positive thoughts and the poor have negative thoughts.

Now think about this for a moment. Do the difference in thought has an influence on their financial conditions?


The poor don't have time to think about investing their money. They tell you they have no money to invest. They tell you they can't make any progress in life.

They utter sentences like: I can't invest. I can't put aside a percentage of my money. I can't pay my bills on time. I can't send my kids to good school.

Can they make a difference by stopping negative self talk? What do you think will happen if they back themselves up, learn to put aside a portion of their earnings towards savings, and make some income-generating investments?

Even if they don't become rich in a year or two, they surely can become financially independent in five to ten years.

If they can't put aside at least a tiny percentage of their money towards savings and investments every single month, they can't support themselves in the long run. A single jobless month can make them bankrupt, homeless and sick.

For most people it is a big leap. If you are committed enough, you can utilise your mental resources to change your financial situation for the better. Once you commit to it, you will discover ways of becoming financial independent. You will then worry little about keeping a roof over your head, feeding your family or giving your children the best education they can get.

Image credit: Bill Brooks