The very poor think day to day.
Poor people think week to week.
The middle class thinks month to month.
The rich think year to year.
The very rich think decade to decade.
It’s all in your head. It’s your perspective, your mindset. As a man thinketh, so is he, says the Bible. So, it’s time for a check-up. How well do you think? Take a look at the quote above. Read it a couple of times. Where are you in that equation? Where do you want to be? Are you surprised?
Your thoughts today determine your destiny tomorrow. John Maxwell says, “Your thinking, more than anything else, shapes the way you live. It’s true that if you change your thinking, you can change your life.” Dan Cathey of Chick-fil-a has a “thinking schedule.” I set aside a few hours for reading, writing, and thinking on Monday morning.
The question to answer right now: Will the way you’re living your life today get you to the future you want tomorrow? Most people can’t answer that question or are scared to address it because they’re overwhelmed and consumed with getting through today. At best, they are looking to next week or next month. But the ones who recognize where they are on that list can make a difference in their lives and the lives of others — today and tomorrow.
Consider this stat: 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. In other words, they’re so engulfed with their today that they can’t see their tomorrow. It’s true in every area of our lives. We are so consumed with the world’s cares that we don’t have time to think about tomorrow. Those cares choke the life out of us and handcuff us to our present.
So, the real question becomes: Are you growing or stuck in a rut?
But let’s stop a moment because the thought above pertains to more than money. It reaches into every area of our lives:
- Business.
- Personal.
- Finances.
- Relationships.
- Family.
- Health.
- Faith.
Now, jump back to the top and rate yourself in each category. Where is your thinking? What is your outlook? Are you rich in your faith, finances, health, and relationships? Or are you living day-to-day, week-to-week?
Of course, you may rank as “poor” in one category and “rich” in another. That’s the value of thinking of your life in these categories.
The mind of a person plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 NASB.
If we’re created in God’s image and know he is a master planner, shouldn’t we follow his example? The famous verse that Christians and non-Christians like to quote — Jeremiah 29:11 — says, “I have a plan for you.” God has a plan. Do you? Or, better yet, have you stopped long enough to get involved in his plan for you?
Remember the parable of the talents? Jesus rebuked the man who buried the gold and did nothing with it. Jesus said: ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.”
Are you living today with no regard for tomorrow? What will be waiting for you next year, five years, or a decade? Will you be blind-sided, or are you laying down an intentional path to get where you want? It’s not rocket science, but it does require a shift in your perspective and mindset. On top of that, it’s not an overnight change because refocusing your attention is like using binoculars instead of a microscope.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. ~Romans 12:2.
In conclusion, if you want to be rich or very rich in your life, you need to change something you do every day. That means renewing your mind. The antiques in your brain won’t do in 2022. You need fresh manna, and you get that through reading, meeting new people, and asking questions. Here’s what forward-thinking with get you.
Forward thinking.
- Opens doors and opportunities.
- Makes us better givers, blessers, and leaders.
- Allows you to see the impossible as possible.
- Causes you to dream.
- Helps us make decisions in the calm instead of the emotion of the moment.
- Builds bridges to the future.
Think about it. Let it incubate. Then, set a new course and take action.