Without being born into wealth, many many people have overcome significant obstacles and become wealthy. It is not an impossible dream nor is it unlikely if you apply the right combination of mindset and skills.

For many who want wealth, it seems so ‘far away’ that it becomes difficult to focus on doing the things that count on a daily basis. If this describes you, take heed of the advice given to me by a gentleman who used to be my mentor…’How do you eat an elephant?’ he would ask rhetorically. ‘One bite at a time,’ he’d reply with a smile. At the time I thought the phrase was a little disgusting, but now I understand the wisdom behind the idea: it’s another way of saying Rome wasn’t built in a day. These cliché sayings exist for a reason – they make sense and are based in proven wisdom.

If you’d like to create a brighter financial future for yourself but feel overwhelmed at the prospect, some ideas that may help you eat YOUR elephant in one day include:

• Learn little by little: read finance books, take classes, read the daily financial news. Even if at first you find you don’t understand much, you will gain in perception as you continue the habit/s. As with any new subject, the learning curve will be steep but if you keep at it, someday soon you’ll feel very familiar with the terms you read and hear.
• Stay motivated: Do what successful people do and keep yourself in a state of learning, growing and being motivated. We all have habitual thought patterns which keep us in certain moods, and you need to break through these in order to progress. Source and listen to motivational audios every chance you get – on your way to work, while walking the dog, etc. You can even listen listen to guided, financial motivation audios while falling asleep for an extra boost.
• Seek out mentors: Life is too short to reinvent the wheel, as we’ve said elsewhere. Find people who’ve done what you want to do and learn from them. This will accomplish two things: one, you will shorten your learning curve significantly and two, you’ll have living proof that what you want is possible, which will act as a powerful motivating factor.
• Be patient with yourself: Nothing is accomplished in one day, and sometimes we forget to take credit for how far we’ve come. Keeping a journal will help you chronicle your mentality changes as you learn and grow financially, and looking back occasionally will remind you of how much you’ve changed, encouraging you to keep going.