You Were Born Rich by Bob Proctor: Why I Blew My Best Year

Why I Picked This Up

I'd just finished reviewing three books back to back on my other channel — Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker, and Quantum Warrior and Mind Power, both by John Kehoe. Then Bob Proctor's clips started showing up in my feed. I'd first heard his name in The Secret, then again through Jack Canfield's Success Principles, and I finally picked up You Were Born Rich. I got a 1997 edition off Amazon for a penny plus shipping. I usually buy new to support the author, but this one was worth the exception.

I went in thinking the whole "your mind controls your wealth" idea was woo-woo. I'd spent my whole life assuming what you earn is what you earn — that the only way past it is longer hours and proving you deserve the raise. This book took that apart.

Your Mindset Has a Money Ceiling

Proctor's core argument: your bank account reflects your money "capacity," and if you make more than your mind is set up to hold, you'll find a way to lose it. He says he once made a million dollars in a year and blew every cent of it, because his mindset was never actually at a million dollars. He brings up Mike Tyson — $500 million earned, all of it gone. Curt Schilling, the Red Sox pitcher — $100 million, gone. College athletes who sign for a $10 million bonus and go straight into a new house, a new car, and clothes, because their mindset never grew into the number on the check.

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This one landed hard because it's my own story. I had a banner year in 2013, beat it in 2014, and made more money than I ever had — I own a real estate company, so it wasn't steady, it was a spike. I spent a lot of it. I saved some. Then I went about three months producing almost nothing, and I sat there confused about how I'd made that much and then nearly nothing. Proctor's answer is simple: my capacity wasn't built for that number yet, so I didn't hold onto it or protect it. I got complacent instead.

Me and Money: Stop Treating Wealth Like It's Dirty

The first real chapter is "Me and Money," and the point is that most people never get rich because they secretly think being rich is bad — that wealthy people are greedy, or that money is sinful to want. If that's sitting underneath your goals, you'll sabotage yourself before you get there. I give a small amount to three charities every month right now. If I had more money, I'd give more. That's the whole argument for wanting it in the first place — wealth gives you better options, better choices, more to give away, not less.

Risk Takers: The Risk Changes as You Grow

The "Risk Takers" chapter is the one that hit closest to home. I've always taken risks I already knew I'd win — starting my own company, for one. I knew that would work. But now that the company exists, the risk isn't starting it anymore. It's getting in front of the right people to actually expand it. That's a different kind of risk, and it's the one I'm sitting with right now.

The Vacuum Law of Prosperity: What I Actually Do With It

The last chapter, "The Vacuum Law of Prosperity," is where the book turns practical. Only a handful of people actually commit to making their goals happen, and getting there means clearing out the small negative thoughts you carry through a normal day — daily, not once.

Here's what I took from it and actually use:

• Every morning I visualize where I want Botensten Properties International to be by a specific date — the top boutique real estate firm in New York City. I made an actual card with the company name at the top, written as if it's already true.
• When a doubting thought shows up mid-day — something like "how are you actually going to pull that off" — I don't argue with it. I say thank you for coming into my mind, and then I choose not to believe it and let it go.

That choice is the whole book in one line: you decide whether to believe the doubting thoughts tied to your past, or you send them out and keep moving.

Who Should Read This

If you've ever made real money and then watched it disappear and couldn't explain why, read this before you read anything else on the list. It's an old book — mine was printed in 1997 — but nothing in it is dated. I'd put it ahead of half of what gets assigned in business school.