Gratitude and money are two things that don’t seem to belong in the same sentence. But hold onto your wallet, because we’re about to dive into how a practice as simple as “thank you” can reshape your entire relationship with wealth. And yes, this involves your mind, your bank account, and maybe even that dream yacht you’ve been eyeing. So, what exactly does gratitude have to do with cultivating a millionaire mindset? Spoiler alert: everything.
Let’s start with a quote from one of the personal development greats, Tony Robbins, who famously said, “When you are grateful, fear disappears, and abundance appears” (Robbins, 2014). Here’s the catch: We’re often conditioned to focus on lack. How many times have you thought, I’ll be happy when I make six figures or Once I buy my dream house, then I’ll be satisfied? We’re constantly chasing more, as if abundance is just beyond our reach. But here’s the twist: The more you chase, the more it eludes you.
The secret sauce? It’s not really about earning more or working harder (though, hey, that doesn’t hurt). It's about mindset. Gratitude shifts your focus from scarcity to abundance—something that self-help juggernauts like The Secret (Byrne, 2006) have drilled into our heads for years. But instead of writing off gratitude as some "woo-woo" concept, there’s actual science backing it up. Psychologist Robert Emmons, in his book Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier (2007), shares research proving that gratitude can lead to increased well-being and, yes, greater success. Turns out, people who regularly practice gratitude are more likely to feel optimistic, set higher goals, and achieve them (Emmons, 2007). Sounds pretty “millionaire mindset” to me.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: That’s great and all, but how does me writing “thank you” in a journal help me land a seven-figure income? Well, humor me for a second and think about the power of perspective. Gratitude is a daily reminder that you already have more than enough. When you stop living from a place of “I don’t have,” you start opening the doors for even more to flow in. The universe—or, if you prefer, the stock market—rewards those who feel abundant with more abundance.
Still skeptical? I get it. We live in a world where “I’ll believe it when I see it” is the motto. But what if, instead, you flipped the script to “I’ll see it when I believe it”? The millionaire mindset is all about creating the mental space for wealth before it physically shows up. And trust me, that space is cluttered with doubt, fear, and enough stress to give you a permanent twitch. Gratitude is like Marie Kondo for your mind—it declutters the fear of not having enough and tidies up your mental space for wealth to take up residence.
So, grab your gratitude journal—yes, seriously—and start writing down everything you’re thankful for, from your morning coffee to that last paycheck (however big or small).
Now, you might be thinking, Okay, so I just write “thank you” a few times and money will rain down on me? If only it were that easy, right? Gratitude isn’t some magical spell that turns your checking account into a savings account the size of a small country. Instead, it works more like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. And once you start flexing that gratitude muscle, you’ll be surprised at how it shifts your mindset and impacts your financial reality.
Here’s where the millionaire mindset comes in. According to T. Harv Eker, author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind (2005), “Rich people constantly learn and grow. Poor people think they already know.” This is where gratitude comes into play. When you’re thankful for what you have, you’re also more open to learning, growing, and taking advantage of opportunities. The act of gratitude rewires your brain to focus on the positive, making you more likely to see possibilities where others see problems.
Think about it: If you’re constantly focused on what’s missing in your life, how likely are you to notice the opportunities right in front of you? For example, maybe you’re so focused on the fact that your business isn’t making a million dollars that you miss the opportunity to collaborate with someone who could help you scale. Gratitude pulls you out of that scarcity mindset and helps you see the abundance already present in your life. And once you start seeing the abundance, you naturally attract more of it.
James Clear, in his best-selling book Atomic Habits (2018), explains that small, consistent actions lead to significant changes over time. The same principle applies to gratitude. Writing down three things you’re grateful for every day might seem trivial, but it’s like planting seeds. Over time, those seeds grow into a mindset of abundance, and—wait for it—money. It’s like compound interest, but for your brain. The more you practice gratitude, the more you begin to see opportunities that align with your millionaire goals.
Now, I’m not saying that every rich person sits around meditating on gratitude every morning (though many do). But the truly wealthy—those who not only have money but also feel abundant—tend to have one thing in common: they appreciate what they have. Even billionaires like Warren Buffett, who lives in the same house he bought in 1958, practice gratitude. In fact, Buffett has often said, “If you’re in the luckiest 1% of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99%” (Kirkpatrick, 2010). His gratitude for his life’s blessings has not only kept him grounded but also contributed to his generosity, philanthropy, and overall sense of abundance.
Let’s be real: You don’t need Warren Buffett’s bank account to feel gratitude. And you definitely don’t need to wait until you’re rolling in cash to start practicing it. In fact, the time to practice gratitude is before you’ve made your millions. It’s the habit that gets you there. Just like you wouldn’t wait to lift weights until after you’ve run a marathon, you shouldn’t wait until you have wealth to feel grateful.
So, how do you actually practice gratitude in a way that leads to abundance, rather than just checking off a box in your daily routine? First off, you need to go beyond the basics. Saying "thank you" for your coffee or the fact that it’s Friday is great, but let’s aim a little higher here. Remember, you’re cultivating a millionaire mindset—not just a “yay, I survived the week” mindset.
To take your gratitude practice to the next level, start with what Brené Brown calls “wholehearted living” in her book The Gifts of Imperfection (2010). She says, “Practicing gratitude is how we acknowledge that there’s enough and that we are enough” (Brown, 2010, p. 84). So instead of being thankful because something good happened—like landing a new client—try being thankful despite the challenges you face. If you’re able to find gratitude in tough times, you’re rewiring your brain for resilience, and guess what? Resilience is one of the cornerstones of success.
Take, for instance, Sara Blakely, the billionaire founder of Spanx. She’s been open about how gratitude played a key role in her journey. Despite facing constant rejection early in her career, Blakely remained grateful for every lesson she learned along the way. In an interview, she said, “It’s important to look at what’s going right, even when so much seems to be going wrong” (Blakely, 2016). That shift in perspective didn’t just keep her going—it attracted the opportunities that eventually turned her into a billionaire.
Speaking of reframing challenges, let’s get real for a minute: Life is messy. Entrepreneurship is messy. But the beauty of gratitude is that it doesn’t require everything to be perfect. In fact, it works best when things aren’t perfect. Gratitude has the sneaky ability to turn setbacks into setups for success. Remember when Thomas Edison’s lab burned to the ground, destroying years of work? His response was, “Thank goodness all our mistakes were burned up. Now we can start fresh” (Dyer, 1990). That’s millionaire mindset thinking—seeing opportunity where others see disaster.
Now, let’s talk about how you can start using gratitude to turbocharge your own millionaire mindset. First, set a regular gratitude practice. And no, it doesn’t have to be a long, soul-searching ritual (unless you’re into that). A simple list of three things you’re grateful for each morning is enough to get your brain on the right track.
Next, level up your gratitude by expressing it. Don’t just think about how thankful you are for your team, your clients, or even your competition—tell them. Studies have shown that expressing gratitude strengthens relationships, and strong relationships are crucial in building a thriving business (Emmons & McCullough, 2004). Plus, when you express gratitude to others, you create a ripple effect. People who feel appreciated are more likely to reciprocate, creating a cycle of abundance that benefits everyone involved.
In conclusion, the art of gratitude is more than just a feel-good habit; it’s a game-changer for your millionaire mindset. By cultivating gratitude, you’re not only rewiring your brain to focus on abundance, but you’re also setting the stage for greater success. As James Clear (2018) reminds us, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” Gratitude, my friend, is a system—a powerful one. It shifts your mindset from scarcity to abundance, primes you for opportunities, and keeps you grounded no matter how high your net worth climbs. So, the next time you’re tempted to chase the next shiny object, pause, take a deep breath, and give thanks for the abundance you already have. Trust me, it’s a millionaire move.
References
Blakely, S. (2016). How I built this [Interview]. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/howibuiltthis/
Brown, B. (2010). The gifts of imperfection: Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are. Hazelden Publishing.
Byrne, R. (2006). The secret. Atria Books/Beyond Words.
Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Avery.
Dyer, W. W. (1990). You'll see it when you believe it: The way to your personal transformation. HarperOne.
Emmons, R. A. (2007). Thanks!: How the new science of gratitude can make you happier. Houghton Mifflin.
Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2004). The psychology of gratitude. Oxford University Press.
Eker, T. H. (2005). Secrets of the millionaire mind: Mastering the inner game of wealth. HarperCollins.
Kirkpatrick, D. (2010). The Facebook effect: The inside story of the company that is connecting the world. Simon & Schuster.
Robbins, T. (2014). Money: Master the game. Simon & Schuster.
Links to books referenced in this post
Disclaimer these are affiliate links
Comments