7 Thinking Styles Of People Who Make The Most Money

I’ve been in business for myself for over a decade. I’ve made as many mistakes as wins. I’ve followed those who succeeded and I’ve coached others. I’ve seen what worked and what brought me and others misery. Some commonalities tie those who seem luckier than others.

Here are 7 thinking styles of people who make the most money:

1. They are willing to let go of their past.

Few people who succeeded in business held on tight to their past. They may have fond memories, but they don’t allow the past to dictate present actions because you need to evolve, adapt, and change. This includes letting go of the stories they had about themselves or their regrets. Many old friends had to be dropped. Those who have trouble leveling up tend to be overly sentimental, and unable to introduce substantial change. You must disconnect, burn the past, and continually be reborn to succeed above the crowd.

2. They are ‘unreasonably’ persistent.

The most successful people possess a seemingly inhuman level of persistence. They may be frequently criticized for their hunger or obsessiveness for their work. They have faith that they will see results if they stay on track and creatively find their way through. They stay moving, even if they need to evolve and pivot. They know that they put themselves at a tremendous advantage by staying with a project that little bit longer than most who gave up because it isn’t easy. Most people don’t want the difficult option. But staying in it is what sets them apart, and ensures their plans come to fruition. They know they can’t possibly fail if they don’t quit.

3. They don’t ‘trust’ the process.

Trusting that things will work leads to hesitation and self-doubt. You can’t put blind faith in something that hasn’t happened yet. This leads to unnecessary mistakes and wasted time. It’s all uncertain. But you can test things first. This puts you in far more control. Successful people are continually experimenting. They validate their ideas by speaking to people before going all-in on larger projects. They make small bets before making bigger bets. They do more of what has already shown itself to work. How can you test the water before diving in, so you know the risk to take is a risk worth taking?

4. They are guided by what works.

When everyone else is running around trying to figure out their purpose, those who succeed are following what works. They start by following their inclinations and nudges of interest, but they don’t expect all aspects of the work to be loveable and fun. They are alert to those aspects of their work that indicate they are on the right track. If a product attracts interest, they focus on scaling up that product, while diminishing the attention placed on a less well-performing product, for example. What they find is that by following successes and tripling down on what is working, they often end up finding something they can be excited about anyway.

5. What many see as setbacks, they regard as data.

Whenever I’ve adopted the ‘hope strategy’ in business, I’ve struggled. I wasn’t aware of the relevance of using continual feedback and data to help guide things forward. I saw business more as a reflection of me. When things didn’t work the way I wanted, I took things personally and I was hurt. But it’s never about you. It’s about what kind of system you are building. Successful people take themselves and their insecurities out of the picture, and instead of being upset when things don’t work, they ask what they can learn from this. They refer to the data, not their egos.

6. Biased to completion.

The majority of people who try their hand at business underestimate the amount of work, time, and energy a project will take before it comes to fruition. Those who succeed expect it to take more than what they planned for. Because they are biased toward finishing things, regardless of the hardships along the way, they are far less likely to quit. They know when to adapt and pivot appropriately, so they may change tracks, but that doesn’t mean they jump off the track entirely. And they don’t use "pivoting" as an excuse to avoid facing up to the challenge of completing something worthwhile. Don’t expect anything to be easy, finish everything you start, and you will have the advantage.

7. Don’t categorize themselves.

The most successful people aren’t really "freelancers," or "CEOs" or "artists." They may say they are but deep down they know they transcend labels. Why is this important? Because labels are limiting. They make us overthink and get too hung up on specializing and "niching." Labels may help their clients understand more about how they can help, but they don’t categorize themselves in their mind’s eye. They are, instead, a life force. They are built to serve expand and transcend. They are limitless in their minds. They are ferocious and relentless, like the crashing sea. Are you?