Alfio Bardolla Training : The Fear Of Wealth, How To Overcome It

Over the past years, I've carried out several researches on brain functioning.

I'm an extremely curious person, and I'm ready to spend a lot of money, and a lot of time, to understand how things I'm fascinated with work, hence don't be surprised if, from time to time, I'll tell you about some study I performed.

More often than not, over the years, I've been delving into the human brain, and there is a cause at the root of it all: people's inconsistency. The fact that, quite often, a person says one thing and does another, that's what I mean.
For instance, if I were to ask someone, 'Would you like to get rich?' They would reply to me, 'By all means.' Nevertheless, they would not be ready to do what it takes to get rich, and would keep up those actions that make them poorer, rather than richer.

Inconsistency applies to any domain

This example clearly applies to any domain: from the husband saying he's not willing to let go of his wife, while he keeps doing the very same things that drove her away, to the kid saying he wants to get good grades at school, but spends his afternoons playing computer games, to the man saying he wants to get rich, but can't bring himself to snatch any investment opportunities, and would rather keep his money in the bank.

Inconsistency: a neurological issue

But why are people inconsistent, thus not acting in accordance with what they say they want? That's because decisions are dictated by fear. Fear takes over the brain, overpowers it entirely, and prevents it from taking decisions that rationally knows it has to make.

How does the brain work? Essentially, it's composed of three parts.
1) The left hemisphere: associated with tasks involving reading, writing, and speaking.
2) The right hemisphere: associated with creativity and imagination, hence with tasks such as painting, music, and the arts as a whole.
3) The reptile brain (or reptilian): the one Americans call 'old brain,' the most primitive area which controls the decision-making process.

The reptilian brain and the fear of wealth

The reptilian brain reacts, fights back, is belligerent, and gets paralyzed. It's the area that handles the way we relate to people and things, and determines, as a result, the success (or failure) in love, work, relationships and business.
Despite it being able put up a very strong resistance, it is possible to control the old brain. Through working on yourself, you can drive its response in given situations, thus replying gently when angry, or reacting calmly when scared, and so on…

Most people, however, have not learned how to control their own reptilian brain, and are therefore overpowered by the fear that guides them. If you want to get rich, you must learn how to master your fear.
It's likely you have different types of fear, such as of failure, or of money loss. Fear is a prison which has been used forever to push you into inaction. 'If you don't put in enough work, you'll be fired.' 'If you don't study enough, you'll flunk out,' 'If you don't behave, you'll be disciplined.' These are staple sentences in our culture.

Let's look, for example, at one of my old university buddies I've stayed in touch with, now a high-ranking manager at an investment bank. He was always among the elite, both at school and in the workplace, and has been hankering for a change for some time, and for doing something different. And yet, he can't, because the mere idea of changing, of failing, of not earning enough, keeps him stuck in his current situation. He's controlled by the reptilian brain.

His problem is that he spends most of his time alongside people who behave exactly as he does, live in the exact same surroundings, and are plagued by his exact same fears. Therefore, he will keep behaving as he always did, because any person in his circle reinforces inside him the very same mental approach that holds him back. For my friend, the only way to break out of the trap of fear is to change surroundings, only then will he be able to change his mental approach and his response.

No fear, rub elbows with who you want to be

The same applies to any domain: do you want to become an actor? Rub elbows with actors. Do you want to become an investor? Rub elbows with professional investors. Do you want to get rich? Start mingling in with people who got results. You don't know how to find them? Where do they hang out? Tennis clubs? Golf resorts? Where do they go on vacation?
All it takes is making a choice (I know, it's not easy). You will have to choose whether to keep doing what you've been doing forever, or to set off the mindset-changing process that will lead you to riches. When you start developing your financial intelligence, you will meet people who will help you acquire the right mental approach, finally free of the fear that hinders you and surrounds you!

Here's to your financial independence!
Alfio Bardolla