Lots of people don’t get prosperous because, as we saw earlier, they are too lazy. But a lot fail because they don’t know what to do once they start to earn some money. It’s easy to think, once you’ve got your hands on a bit, that you have earned it, you deserve it, you’re going to spend it. You have earned it – assuming you haven’t robbed anyone to get it – and yes you probably do deserve it. But no, don’t spend it all now, no matter how much you want that new car, holiday, cottage by the sea, whatever.

I’ve done it. I guess we all have. I once got a massive tax rebate. I don’t remember why I was being taxed so highly but I was for several years and when they repaid me it was quite a handsome sum. And of course I blew it, on a spendid holiday. But that’s the difference between the rich and the not so well-off. The rich see a sudden windfall like that as an opportunity to make some more money out of it. The not so well-off remain not so well-off as they see it as an opportunity to have some fun. Nothing wrong with that if that’s what you want in life – instant pleasure. But if you want greater wealth and pleasure (albeit delayed) then you must learn as I did that once you get your hands on a lump sum, or build some up, you must immediately put it to good use. And frankly the only good use is as a starter kit for prosperity.

And it isn’t lost, merely put to one side to work for you. Once it has grown and attracted lots more lovely money, you can have all the holidays you want. But you have to wait and you have to use that starter kit well and wisely. See it as a ‘loader’. This is a term guides who receive tips use for starting the tip collection off. You have to put a loader in the plate or no one else will tip. Buskers do the same thing, put a coin or two into the hat to get the crowd going. No one will put anything into an empty hat. What you are going to do is load your prosperity hat.

Ah, but I hear you say, I’m never going to get my hands on a lump sum. Not true. You get your hands on a lump sum every week of your life in the form of wages – I’m assuming you do have a job here. You choose what you spend that money on – mortgage, food, car, entertainment, etc. But if you want a way out of that particular lifestyle and into another, you have to be proactive about it. And the way you start it is to put something aside each week to build up that lump sum. Once you have something built up, think about where that money is going to generate you more money, and get it invested. Ideally you need to turn that money into an asset that will generate more revenue for you – be it shares, a property you can rent out, or something else. Wealth happens slowly over a period of time, when you turn surplus cash into something that will work for you.