This mentality doesn’t mean you start spending like a millionaire, it means you should think like one. Specifically, a millionaire who made his own money and didn’t just inherit it. It has to be the mentality of someone who understands the value of what he has.

The millionaire mind is one that makes finances a priority (perhaps not #1, but certainly in the top 3) and works to preserve and build on what he has. That kind of mindset with cause you to think about wasteful spending with revulsion. A wild binge party will not please you, it will tick you off because of how much money was wasted on instant gratification.

Millionaires know that budgeting is freedom, not a prison. They know that buying new isn’t always best and they never put anyone else in control. Millionaires are powerful because they make their own informed decisions and don’t let anyone else sell them a bridge in the desert.

There are the flashy rich who can’t wait to flaunt their wealth. These people aren’t always as well off as you’d think. The true millionaire mind is in the person next door who lives in a modest house, drives used cars and shops at Target instead of Macy’s. These people understand that belongings are not where the value is. The value is in security and financial peace of mind. These are the people you’d never suspect. They work because they want to, because they enjoy their job, they enjoy contributing. They are sitting on a decade or more worth of security and the next downsizing at their employer is only an excuse to try another trade. It’s not something to fear.

These people enjoy life because they aren’t living on the edge trying to be something they’re not. They think like someone who wants to give his heirs a helping hand, but not turn them into greedy pigs who inherit too much. Generally they bequeath a lot of their assets to charities and give their children just enough to make sure they will have the chance to build wealth but not feel entitled to it.

Develop that mindset and you too will enjoy the thrill of being the secret millionaire next door.