If you were a millionaire, life would be pretty easy, wouldn’t it?  If you’re like me, right now you’re thinking of all of the things you could buy and all of the bills you could pay off in one shot.  You’d be debt-free and living the good life.  It probably seems out of reach, but really, there’s not much difference between you and them.  A millionaire simply thinks like a millionaire.

It doesn’t matter the path you choose to reach this goal.  Maybe you’re aiming for a nice retirement, or maybe you’re starting a business and you’d like to live comfortably within the next few years.  Maybe you want to be an actual millionaire, or maybe you’d like the flexibility to quit your job and pursue a hobby full-time.  You have to start by believing that it’s possible.  Redirect your thinking, change your perspective, etc.  If you begin by expecting failure, guess what?  You’re probably going to fail.  A positive attitude has a much bigger effect than you might think.

Avoid negativity as much as possible.  Ignore and stay away from people who are determined to convince you that failure is inevitable.  Some people simply carry those thoughts with them and would rather not see other people succeed and move on to better things.  You can’t let anyone or anything convince you that it’s not possible to reach your goals.

You’re going to have to invest time and energy, and lots of it.  Not that you need to spend every waking moment stressing out over how to reach your goal, but you’re going to have to devote a significant amount of your time into the process.  And you will run into bumps and small failures.  Learn from it and continue.  Perhaps the incident will spark an idea for a better and easier way to reach your goal.  If you view even the negative moments as opportunities rather than obstacles, it will be easier to stay on the path.

Change your thinking to long-term.  Unless you win the lottery tomorrow, it’s going to take time to build up your wealth.  Don’t set unattainable short-term goals; you’ll only set yourself up for disappointment.  Set your goals far enough away that you’ll have time to take all the necessary steps to get there.  If short-term goals make it easier for you to stay on track, be sure to keep them reasonable.  Stick to your deadline, but don’t be discouraged if you find it’s going to take a little longer to fulfill once you get to that day.

Finally, make sure you’ve chosen the path to wealth that you’re passionate about.  If you’re really not interested in being a business owner, then that’s not the way for you to become a millionaire.  Maybe a high-interest savings account would be the way to go.  Find a way that works for you and that can help you reach your goals by the time you’d like to.  If you follow your passion, the path will be easier to stick to.

The idea of becoming an entrepreneur can be intimidating.  You might feel like you’ll be in this by yourself, and what if you fail?  The key is to think big but start small.  Nothing will happen overnight.  It’s going to take a lot of work, but if you follow steps like these, the process can be much easier.

• Start with your idea.  Does it have potential?  What will your start-up costs be?  What about overhead in the future?  How much time will you need to invest to get things off the ground?  Who is your market?  Do they want what you’re selling?
• If you’re having trouble thinking of a good idea, try thinking of a bad one.  If you can see what won’t work, it may be easier to view the opposites to find what would.  Try to meet a need, and don’t over-think it.  The simplest solution is usually the best one.  If you find a need to meet but aren’t sure how well your solution would be received, consider one definition of selling: convincing people that they need or want something that they didn’t know they needed.  Can you do that with your product or service?
• Don’t get overwhelmed by your idea and all of the surrounding questions!  There’s an easy way to settle in and find your answers, and that’s by creating a business plan.  You should go as in-depth as possible regarding every aspect of your business, but there’s no need to create a 50-100 page document (unless you’re going to apply for a bank loan for funding).  You’ll find yourself forced during this process to answer questions you may not think of at the start.  One detail will open up a new question, and you’ll want to know the answer.  Plus, writing everything down, especially goals, will give you a better chance of success.
• Know that you are not alone.  Go networking, attend seminars and conferences, and talk to people.  You’ll encounter entrepreneurs who are just starting out like you and others who have been at it long enough to offer you some sound advice and possible help.  You never know; that person behind you in the checkout lane might be the best mentor for you, and you won’t know it if you never open your mouth.
• Keep your work ethic strong.  You’ll only get out what you put in.  Start part-time if you need to; you won’t be raking in the millions right away, perhaps not even for a few years.  So don’t quit your day job if you know you won’t be able to survive financially without it yet, and focus all of your free time on your business.  Once it grows, you can take the next step into running it full-time.  Try not to get discouraged by any failures or slow times.  It’s inevitable.  Learn from it, talk to contacts and mentors, and keep going.
• Another simple but great piece of advice is to READ.  Chalene Johnson, a personal favorite entrepreneur and motivator, suggests in her blog that reading is the key to succeeding at anything, business or otherwise.  Pick up books and magazines and check out websites and blogs and the like.  You’ll learn about other people who have been in the same boat and have been kind enough to pass on details of their journeys and what they learned from their successes, failures, and other people.  And you don’t have to stick purely to business material.  Motivational, self-help, spiritual, and comedic books can all help you, and of course the list doesn’t stop there.  Think you don’t have time?  Make time.  Find time.  There’s probably at least a few minutes in between daily duties where you can pick up and read a few pages.  (The Kindle from Amazon comes highly recommended, as you can download and store numerous books at once and read on the go.  If you’re exceptionally busy, this can be extremely helpful.)

As you may suspect, I recommend checking out Chalene Johnson’s blog at www.chalenejohnson.blogspot.com.  She may be a fitness personality, but her passion lies in motivating others in all aspects of life.  In her July 16, 2009 blog, “Become the Smartest Person You Know,” you’ll find her advice on how reading will help you reach your goals.  Also, www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com is a very interesting site, with more advice than I had time to read!  (I know, I know…I’m not listening to my own advice.  But my article had a deadline!)

The best way to manage your money is to have a plan.  Or a budget.  Or a financial checklist.  No matter what you call it, you won’t truly be in control until you know how much money is coming in and where it’s all going.  The tough part is being honest with yourself about your spending.

If you’re like most people, you’re admittedly afraid to see your spending habits written down.  It’s scary, and seeing any negative habits on paper can give you that uncomfortable sinking, twisty feeling in your stomach.  Well, too bad!  You have to do it.  Get someone to hold your hand or offer you a shoulder to cry on or fix you a drink.  You’re going to make a financial checklist so you can get on the right track, right now.

Check Your Spending

Start with your income.  Next, write down all of your monthly expenses.  Include all of your bills, groceries, gas for your car, and yes, even the random but common little expenses like eating out, going to the movies, your weekly magazine, and your daily cup of designer coffee.  You’ll see right away how much of your extra cash is being spent on unnecessary items.  You can make dinner at home, join a movie rental service like Netflix for cheap, read your magazine online, and brew your own coffee for less than $10 a month.

Invest Your Finances

Once you figure out where to cut back, you’ll see a little bit more wiggle room with your money.  Take that money and start a savings.  Invest in an IRA, your 401(k), a CD, a Money Market, etc.  Even a few dollars a week saved can add up quickly enough to come in handy when an emergency arises.

Plan to Get Out of Debt

Make a plan for getting yourself out of debt.  You’d probably have even more extra money if you didn’t have to pay those darn credit cards that keep accumulating interest.  Take some of the extra money you found from cutting back and put it toward your debt.  Start by paying off your smallest debts first, then take that amount you were paying to that account and add it to your payments for the next smallest.  If you follow a plan like this one, you’ll slowly but surely climb out of the hole.

Check Your Future

Don’t forget about your future.  Set some financial goals, and write those down on your checklist, too.  Writing down your goals has been proven to increase your chances of actually achieving them.  Where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years?  Even better, where do you SEE yourself in that time?  Don’t dream it, do it.  It starts by being honest with yourself and writing it all down.  What are you waiting for?