Are You Ready to Be a Millionaire?

I think most people have seen at least one episode of the game show, "Who Wants to be A Millionaire". The lights dim, the audience gets nervous, the ominous music plays, and the host asks, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" The crowd goes wild.

In today's society, it seems like everyone wants to be a millionaire. Despite the economic hardships the world is currently facing, making money can be easier than ever these days and everyone would love to have a piece of the pie (myself included!). But instead of asking, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" I think the better question to ask yourself is, "Are You Ready to be a Millionaire?" I mean, really ready to be a millionaire?

Sure, it would be nice to win the lottery or have a million dollar check float down out of the sky, but how often does that really happen? And more importantly, we've all heard stories of people who win the lottery but are completely broke two years later. Then there are the athletes or musicians who make millions of dollars while in their prime, but the minute they fade from the spotlight they head straight for bankruptcy. So you can see that money is really not the issue. The real issue is whether or not you are ready to be a millionaire and handle all that money when it comes to you.

For example, one of the main reasons I wanted to create my website was because I thought that it would be a great way to pursue my passion of self help and also have flexibility and freedom to stay home and not have to work a 9-5 corporate job. I figured I could sleep in as long as I wanted, stay in my pajamas and watch movies on cable TV all day long... boy was I wrong! Instead of sleeping in every morning like I planned, I can barely sleep at all anymore because I'm so excited to wake up and work on my site! And I hardly watch any TV because I would rather update my website and research new self help resources.

What does this have to do with money? A LOT! If you want to be a millionaire, and by that I mean a millionaire who actually stays that way and doesn't lose everything after two years, then your life is going to change once the money comes. Obviously your life can change in very positive ways, but it will change and you've got to be ready for that. For example, you'll probably start dressing better than before and you don't realize it now, but people will look at you differently if you're carrying a Coach bag versus a purse you bought on sale at Target. Maybe you'll start eating out more, or taking fancier vacations and staying in high-end resorts rather than the cheapest hotel you could find.

Here's what I mean: Say you've recently booked a trip to Paris and have decided to stay in a pricey hotel right in the heart of the city because you can finally afford it. Your first night there, you discover the hotel hosts a nightly cocktail party in the lobby for all their guests and you decide to stop by. You're excited to mingle with your fellow travelers, but you notice that instead of being happy about meeting these new people you start to feel like you don't really deserve to be here among all these 'wealthy' people (even though you yourself are wealthy!). You open your mouth to speak, but all of a sudden you feel a lack of self-confidence because you just don't think these people could be interested in anything you have to say. You look down at your clothes and even though you may be dressed nicely, you assume that everyone can see right through you and see that you didn't always have this much money. You become self-conscious and start to feel as if you don't really deserve to have a lot of money after all. And this is exactly where the problem lies.

It gets to a point where you are so uncomfortable that you say to yourself, "maybe I would be better off without all this wealth!" And slowly but surely, over the next couple of months you realize that you've started doing things to sabotage your wealth, like spending more and buying things you don't really need, or not monitoring your finances and losing track of where your money goes. It can be uncomfortable dealing with those feelings that first come up when you have more money, and rather than dealing with them and working through them it is often easier to just go back to not having very much money.

Hey, money is supposed to make things easier, right?! And it can. However, you will find yourself facing issues you may never have even thought of before. You'll probably want to find a financial advisor to help you deal with your extra cash, or read books on investing in the stock market, or even decide whether or not you're going to give money to friends and family who need help during these tough times. All of this can lead to positive changes things in your life if you let it, but you have to be open to dealing with things that might seem uneasy at first. It can be overwhelming to decide which financial advisor to go with, or which investment book to read, or even figure out exactly what they're talking about!

Having a lot of money when you are not used to having very much can be tricky to deal with at first. However, it's the people who take time to deal with these issues as they arise that hold onto their wealth and become millionaires for life, rather than losing everything and having to start over from scratch. Have you ever noticed how people like Donald Trump can lose millions and millions of dollars, but within a year they've accumulated it all over again? That's because they've learned to be comfortable with having a lot of money and are ready and able to adapt to the changes and challenges that a millionaire lifestyle will bring you.

If you're really ready to be a millionaire, take a look at my website to learn about resources that will help you create wealth in your life, both in terms of money and in all-around fulfillment.

Mary Knebel is known as the Self Help Goddess, because she loves reading and finding the best self help books and resources to help others create their ideal life. She believes that everyone should be living their dream life, every single day. Check out her website at http://www.selfhelpgoddess.com to discover the best self help resources she has found over the years, and start living a life that is meaningful, fulfilling, and satisfying in every way possible!