Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth

(Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Eker's claim to fame is that he took a $2,000 credit card loan, opened "one of the first fitness stores in North America," turned it into a chain of 10 within two and a half years and sold it in 1987 for a cool (but somewhat modest-seeming) $1.6 million. Now the Vancouver-based entrepreneur traverses the continent with his "Millionaire Mind Intensive Seminar," on which this debut motivational business manual is based. What sets it apart is Eker's focus on the way people think and feel about money and his canny, class-based analyses of broad differences among groups. In rat-a-tat, "Let me explain" seminar-speak, Eker asks readers to think back to their childhoods and pick apart the lessons they passively absorbed from parents and others about money. With such psychological nuggets as "Rich people focus on opportunities/ Poor people focus on obstacles," Eker puts a positive spin on stereotypes, arguing that poverty begins, or rather, is allowed to continue, in one's imagination first, with actual material life becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. To that end, Eker counsels for admiration and against resentment, for positivity, self-promotion and thinking big and against wallowing, self-abnegation and small-mindedness. While much of the advice is self-evident, Eker's contribution is permission to think of one's financial foibles as a kind of mental illness—one, he says, that has a ready set of cures.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Eker, a multimillionaire, teaches us how to become rich. He believes thoughts lead to feelings, which lead to actions, which lead to results, and hence the key to attaining great wealth begins with thinking--like rich people do. He offers new ways of thinking and acting that will lead to new and different results, and he tells us, "Success is a learnable skill. You can learn to succeed at anything." The book emphasizes Eker's 17 principles for amassing wealth, which include: rich people believe that they create their life, while poor people believe "life happens to me." Rich people focus on opportunities, while poor people focus on obstacles. Rich people act in spite of fear, while poor people let fear stop them. Rich people constantly learn and grow, while poor people think they know enough. This is an obvious infomercial for the author's training seminars; however, although many may not agree with all of Eker's ideas, his book offers thought-provoking advice and valuable insight. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperBusiness; roughcut edition (February 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060763280
• ISBN-13: 978-0060763282
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (414 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,578 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #5 in	Books > Business & Investing > Personal Finance > Financial Planning
  #7 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > By Topic > Motivation
  #16 in	Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Entrepreneurship

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

628 of 659 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recreate Your Financial Self-Image, March 22, 2005

By	Carmen Matthews "The Serene Samurai" (San Diego, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great book, because it starts with allowing readers to explore their subconscious, childhood money messages that are sabotaging their chance of being wealthy.

The theme is written from the premise of your worthiness thoughts lead to your actions which lead to your circumstances.

"Wealthy." The meaning of "wealthy" indicates a great deal about who you are.

The wealthy at country clubs talk about a person's net worth. The middle class at other environments talk about the raise. And the poor talk about making it.

One of the most hilarious parts to this book is the example of what happens when someone says, "Oh! Money is not that important."

T. Harv Eker's reaction is to tap the palm of his hand on his forehead as he say's, "Oh! I get it. You're broke!"

To do this, without regard for whose around and what the social situation is, would definitely be life altering for the person who says that money is not important. (I actually can't imagine someone doing this in any situation other than if they are presenting a motivational workshop, where they are in charge.

But, nonetheless, imagining this happening was funny.

Beyond humor, this book compares the rich to the poor with these assertions:
1. Rich people believe "I create my life." Poor people
believe, "Life happens to me."
2. Rich people play the money game to win. Poor people
play the money game to not lose.
3. Rich people are committed to being rich. Poor people
want to be rich.
4. Rich people think big. Poor people think small.
5. Rich people focus on opportunities. Poor people focus
on obstacles.
6. Rich people admire other rich and successful people.
Poor people resent rich and successful people.
7. Rich people associate with positive, successful
people. Poor people associate with negative or
unsuccessful people.
8. Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their
value. Poor people think negatively about selling and
promotion.
9. Rich people are bigger than their problems. Poor
people are smaller than their problems.
10. Rich people are excellent receivers. Poor people are
poor receivers.
11. Rich people choose to get paid based on results. Poor
people choose to get paid based on time.
12. Rich people think "both." Poor people
think "either/or."
13. Rich people focus on their net worth. Poor people
focus on their working income.
14. Rich people manage their money well. Poor people
mismanage their money well.
15. Rich people have their money work hard for them. Poor
people work hard for their money.
16. Rich people act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear
stop them.
17. Rich people constantly learn and grow. Poor people
think they already know.

This is a great book because with each assertion T. Harv Eker gives excellent real life scenarios, as well as experiences that he has live through.

117 of 129 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Infomercial Fluff, May 12, 2005

By	T. Roth (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wanted to believe - in Harv Eker - I really did. I have read many books on wealth building and self-improvement, and I have been very successful by following the principles taught by authors such as Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, Napolean Hill, and Robert Kiyosaki, among others. I have applied their principles and found that they work. But these other authors provide something that Mr. Eker does not - substance.

The first 187 pages of this book are filled with shallow generalities and soundbites such as: "Rich people are bigger than their problems. Poor people are smaller than their problems." I don't disagree, but there is nothing to back up these simple "wealth principles" and little in the way of direction for implementation.

Still, this book could be an adequate primer for those who have had no introduction to the genres of wealth-building and self-improvement -- except for the continual pleadings to visit the author's website and attend his seminars. Yes, I know that authors in many fields often write books as a means to promote themselves and their other products, but I have never seen a book, other than giveaway promotionals, that so blatantly pushed the author's other products while providing so little in return. Like an infomercial, this book continually tells you what you could experience if you would only attend his seminar. And all those website freebies promised throughout the book? You must give him your name and e-mail address before he'll let you in. And after you do that, you must provide a credit card and pay a $100 deposit for that free seminar.

I'm returning my book tomorrow and getting my money back. For the same amount of money you can get BOTH "Maximum Achievement" (Brian Tracy) AND "Think and Grow Rich" (Napolean Hill). Neither is an infomercial in disguise.

Oh, and what comes after those first 187 pages of fluff? A five-page invitation to visit the registration-required website and attend the credit card-required seminar, a four-page advertorial for the same seminar (still no mention of a credit card here), a two-page lecture to "share the wealth" by committing to tell at least one hundred people about the book (or buy the book for them!), and a four-page list of seminars, home learning programs, and instructions on how you can hire Harv to speak at your own event.

Come on, Harv - I don't fault you for building your own wealth through seminars, CDs and speaking engagements, but please don't charge us $20 for your catalog. Give us something we can use!

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More gold than you can imagine, September 28, 2005

By	L. Power "nlp trainer" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

If you are thinking about buying this book, then you obviously would like to be a millionaire.

Do you actually like millionaires and respect what they have achieved, or do you resent them for what they have, or think rich people are bad?

If you resent them then you may have have a poor person's attitude to wealth, and think that by becoming wealthy you may turn into that very thing you despise, and accordingly sabotage yourself subconsciously.

Make no mistake, this is a very good book, with proven formulas that work. For example, thoughts, feeling, actions = results. Rich people focus on opportunities, poor people focus on obstacles.

As you read this book, you will discover many interesting insights into how to become wealthy. You will also discover the mindsets of rich people compared to poor people. It is very illuminating to see the connection between how people think and how they do.

For example, I have a friend who is quite spiritual, yet his attitude towards money is if I win the lottery, I would give most of it away, as I would feel guilty having all that money. What a limiting belief to have.

If you're like me then reading through the contrasting mindsets of rich people and poor people will be most illuminating. For exmaple when I read that 'poor people focus on problems, rich people focus on opportunities, I totally changed my mindset, it has become my mantra, and using it has enabled me to look beyond the problem which may or may not be real, and to go for the opportunity.

I also highly recommend Think and grow rich by Napoleon Hill, which as far as I am concerned is the ultimate work on this subject.

Hope you find this helpful.