The Million-Dollar Conversation I Had With
My 18-Year Old Son … Over a Bag of Ice
Today, I’m going to get a little personal.
I hope you don’t mind … and I don’t think you will because if you take the time to read through the little “talk” I had with my son last month, it might help you gain some perspective on life … and some prosperity too!
Time to Rethink My Strategy…
I dropped the interrogation and fled to my office to regroup.
Being a researcher at heart, I fired up the laptop and began bombarding the search engines with every phrase I could contrive for “taking care of an injured knee.”
Every site I found recommended exactly what his doctor had ordered: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.
And my son wasn’t doing any of it!
Instead, he was going out at with friends in the evenings and playing basketball or soccer for hours on end. Or hanging out with friends at the mall, walking all over creation.
The only hint of “rest” was when he’d lie on the couch and watch TV. And then he’d complain to his mom about how much his knee hurt and gladly let her bring him dinner and snacks at the couch.
No ice. No elevation.
I knew I needed to confront him. And talk a little sense into him.
But rather than ambush my son with more lectures, I decided to employ a “back-door” approach.
So I slunk myself down in the recliner next to the couch and started watching TV alongside him. Which was an adventure itself. I rarely watch TV and certainly don’t “channel surf” the way he does.
As he flipped between “Duck Dynasty,” “Pawn Stars” and “Ridiculousness,” I began asking him how school was going.
Brady is majoring in Business Administration. So we talked casually about his goals and motivations.
It soon became clear that his motivation for a degree in business was the potential to earn a high-end salary.
So I started asking him what he thought were the most important traits of a successful, high-earning businessman.
The Most Important Traits of the Successful
He assumed all the knowledge he’d be learning over the next few years in college would provide him with the traits that mattered.
So we discussed how college doesn’t necessarily teach you everything you need to know. And that you don’t have to “know everything” to be successful.
Rather, you rely on other people who are smarter than you in specific areas.
If you are a business owner or a manager, that means hiring people smarter than you in those areas. It means educating yourself with information you can’t get in school.
And not just listening to their advice, but actually using it. Putting it into practice. Like listening to the doctor’s advice about his knee.
We also discussed how you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to be successful in life, but instead use tools and systems that others have developed to make your job more efficient.
Then I cleverly transitioned into his situation with the knee. I told him his ATTITUDE was the real problem.
He was content to COMPLAIN about his situation. To use it as an excuse. Trying to gain sympathy from others because of his plight.
You Can Be “Poor” Even if You Earn a 6-Figure Salary
I then told him he would end up poor in his life unless he changed. And I told him he'd be poor, even if he became a business executive making a 6-figure salary.
I've met plenty of those…
But … IF he learned the lesson, he could be as rich as he wanted.
At this point I had his full attention,
So then I asked him the BIG question.
Basically, here’s how it went down…
“Ok Brady,” I said in my most fatherly tone, looking him straight in the eye, “if want to become wealthy, would it be better to …
1. Follow the advice of a bunch of people who are not wealthy?
2. Try to figure out how to become wealthy on your own?
3. Or follow the advice of those who have already become wealthy and successful?”
“Well that's a no-brainer dad,” Brady said immediately. “ I'd rather follow the advice of those who are already successful … and rich!”
“Wise choice my son,” I said as I bounced up off the sofa. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
I led my son into my study where I fired up The Elevation Group website on my laptop and entered my password.
I asked Brady to watch the Introduction to the Elevation Income Lesson and then watch as much as he wanted of the ten lessons.
Meanwhile, I snuck off to the kitchen, poured myself a glass of Cabernet and retired to the master suite.
The Transformation Had Begun
Brady was asleep when I awoke the next morning and I was away from home most of the day. When I returned mid-afternoon, I was a little disappointed to see Brady on the couch again.
But then I noticed something different….
…the TV was off, his leg was propped up and he had a bag of ice balancing on his knee!
Plus, he was reading a book on his Kindle.
“Hey dad,” he said. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure,” I said. “What's up?”
“Well, I watched the Elevation Income Lessons like you said to and now I have a completely different perspective on money.”
“Oh yeah?” I replied. “How so?”
“Well, now I realize that I've been thinking about money and success in a completely wrong way. Like you said, now I realize that even if I get a business degree and climb the corporate ladder and make a big fat salary, I could still end up being poor. It’s a matter of mindset more than how much you make.”
“Well,” I replied, trying hard to conceal the huge grin forming inside, “sounds like you’re off to a good start. So how far did you get in the Elevation Income lessons?”
“Haha. I only got through lesson 2 because it was so much information. But wow! It was really good and I learned a lot! I was gonna watch more this morning, but I didn’t have the password to your computer. So, I downloaded this book instead,”
“Which book is it?”
“It’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I know it doesn’t teach you how to build a business, but I figure I need to get my thinking changed about how money works, and I heard your boss recommend this on one of the videos.”
“Yes, that is a good book,” I replied. “And the neat thing is that The Elevation Group actually picks up where that book leaves off. EVG actually provides the ‘how’ to do it and the ‘who’ you need to know to make it happen. Both of those are critical.”
“I get it now dad,” said Brady. “And now that you’re home, I was wondering if I could get your password and go through more of Elevation Income … ‘cause I’m already getting a neat idea for a business I could start …
… and I’m really excited to see Lesson 3 and find out how I’m only one skill away from my first million!”
I smiled, “Yes, it is exciting stuff. And I’m glad you’re willing to learn from people who’ve already done it and been successful. Just keep that attitude your whole life, and you’ll go far.”
As I wandered upstairs to find my wife, I thought about Brady and his future.
I don’t know if Brady will make a million dollars … but I do know that he learned a great lesson. And with the knowledge he has about how to make money work for him, rather than letting money control his life, he’s already ahead of 95% of kids his age.
And with that knowledge, he’ll live a prosperous life and never be poor.
If you’d like to learn how to live a prosperous life, The Elevation Group can show you how the wealthy do it.
Click Here To Find Out if an Elevation Group Membership is Right for You
Your Partner In Prosperity,
The EVG Research Team
After a romantic dinner, we continued the evening in bedroom. I never thought that sex could be so nice, the thrill of intimacy had improved in several times.