Do you have the right financial map?

95% of Americans fail to retire by age 65.

Why would a nation of 350 million people, maybe more now, all do something that we've known for over 100 years doesn't work? In other words, that statistic was the exact same 100 years ago. This is not new. So why are people doing it?

Mass insanity is one explanation, which sounds funny, but one of the definitions of insanity - I think this was put out there by Albert Einstein - is that if you do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, that's a form of insanity. Many of you have worked at jobs for 10 years, 20 years, some of you even longer. You're still not in the financial position you want to be in, and guess what you would do tomorrow if you lost your job? Go find another job. That job hasn’t gotten you to financial independence for the last 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, but for some reason, some insane reason, you think it's going to work if you do it for another 10 or 20 years? Some people don't know anything else to do and I get that, but it is still a form of insanity.

Another explanation might be mass stupidity, but I don't believe that one. I think everybody's pretty sharp and unless you've got some genetic disorder or something that has directly lowered your intelligence level, you're a lot smarter than you think you are.

The problem is that you were given the wrong map.

So, let me borrow the example from Stephen Covey. (Please read the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People… get the CDs or download it off audible dot com) He talks about a person with a literal map, in this case YOU, and I can't remember what cities he uses but let’s just pretend that you live in Houston Texas and you are using a map to get from one side of the city to another. Unfortunately, you are using a map of Dallas Texas because the printing company made a mistake, and no one corrected it. So, you begin to work on getting from one side of town to the other. You lay out your map, draw your lines and choose which road you're going to take. As you begin to drive, you are completely lost by the first turn and have no idea.

From this point on, does it matter if you double your efforts by driving faster? Would stopping to get a master’s degree in map reading help? Would you be able to reach your destination by keeping a positive mental attitude?

No. The map is wrong.

No matter how hard you work with that map, you'll never be able use it AND find your destination.

So, at this point you have to realize that the people that gave you the map (usually your parents) were unqualified to do so. They didn’t even realize that they were giving you a bad map! They weren’t malicious and they were not stupid. In fact, your parents loved you and wanted the best for you. The problem was that they had been given the wrong map by their parents whose parents had passed down that very same map to them.

It's a vicious cycle passed from generation to generation.

But what happens you discover the mistake and change your entire family's future? This is why Robert Kiyosaki (Please read the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad… get the CDs or download it off audible.com) talks about how the rich pass on habits that make them rich. The poor pass on habits that keep them poor and the middle class pass on habits that keep them in the middle class.

What you've got to do is first stop blaming yourself. Realize that working harder at the same map is not going to get you where you want to be. Realize that getting another degree is not going to get you where you want to go. And realize that just having a PMA, positive mental attitude, is not going to change the fact that you're using the wrong map!

So how do you get the right map?

You find a group or team of people who have the right map and you join them. This is a huge sales pitch for my company, Real Wealth Academy but it doesn't have to be my company. You could use another company, there are multiple companies out there that teach this material. But you've got to get with one of them. Does that make sense? You have to get a team and you have to get a mentor; you have to. That changes everything and then, and only then will your hard work, continuing education and positive attitude create results and enable you to become the person that changes your family’s financial destiny.