The Ten Times Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure

Chapter 11
Breaking Out of the Middle Class

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Please don't take offense at what I write in this chapter. I know many of you
have spent your whole life trying to get to the middle class, and I am about to tell
you it is the wrong goal. Have an open mind. I am going to write an entire book
on this topic one day—but for now, let's just think about breaking out of what I
call the “middle-class mentality.” I believe I can make the case that the middle
class is the group hurt most by its members' thinking and actions—leaving
themselves to be the most susceptible to insecurity and pain. Although this is a
group that many people aspire to be a part of, it's also the group that seems the
most trapped, manipulated, and at risk. Is the middle class really as good a status
as you've been made to believe? Do you even know what it means to be middle
class or what puts a person in this group? Before you make a decision about
where you are going or the group you're striving to belong to, it would be wise to
inspect the statistics of that group.
The Incomes of the Middle Class
Reports from Wikipedia and the 2008 Census suggest that the middle-class
income range is somewhere between $35,000 to $50,000 per year. Read another
set of studies, and these figures are between $22,000 and $65,000 per year. It's
no secret that it would be extremely difficult to live on either of these income
levels in an urban area like New York or LA—much less feel financially secure.
This experience is not what most people would consider a desirable situation.
The middle class is further divided into the upper and lower middle class. The
upper middle class usually consists of people who have substantial assets and
household earnings of over $1 million per year, although there is nothing to
substantiate what makes $1 million the mark. I guess it just sounds good. Most
people consider $1 million to be a lot of money—until they have it. Then they
realize that it doesn't go very far since a person's decisions and considerations
tend to change once he or she enters a new income bracket.
The people in the supposed upper middle class occupy noticeably higher
positions in their offices and are considered financially more stable than many of
their peers. This may very well be the case—until any sort of economic
destruction occurs. Then we tend to see that even this group is unprotected.
Admittedly, members of this group should experience a considerable rise in their
incomes due to the economic growth of the nation in good times. They have

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higher disposable incomes than many of their counterparts in the lower middle
class, which consists of people who have basic educational qualifications and an
annual income of between $30,000 and $60,000. The lower middle class
constitutes a large part of our country's total population. This set frequently
struggles to reach the upper middle class's level; however, when economic
hardship takes hold, everyone gets pulled down.
A client of mine recently asked me via text message on the 26th of a recent
month, “Grant, I have to net $10,000 to keep my doors open this month. How
can I do this?” I happened to get his message during a Sunday football game, so
I asked him, “Are you watching the game today?” He texted me back, “Yes.” I
then replied, “What are you doing taking a Sunday off to watch the game?! You
should be out distributing fliers, spending every second of every hour trying to
create income in excess of what you need. And by the way, you need $100,000
in net profits—not $10,000.” “Sunday,” he responded, “is a day of rest.” Oh boy.
I shot back, “It is for those that worked the other six days! The Lord wasn't
talking to the people who are short on funds and haven't earned the day of rest.
So turn off the game, get off your couch, and go get the money you need! Quit
being a middle-class slave, and go create the income you need to secure wealth
and financial freedom—for yourself and your household and your company!” I
think he got the message.
My client is at risk because he has been operating based on what he needs and
therefore is just “getting by.” Unfortunately, this middle-class mentality will not
create financial security. The banks dried up on him; he could no longer depend
on credit for his cushion, and he can now depend only on his actions. This is the
problem with many members of the middle class. They go after what they've
deemed