You’ll often hear me say, “with every decision you make, you’re either building or destroying your empire.” Boiled down, it means you can be the creator of enduring wealth. Or…
You can be the creator of mediocrity…
Through the choices you make and the actions you take.
This is true in all areas of your life.
And that’s what I want to talk about today when I go deep into the 5 pillars that bring me enduring wealth.
Pillar #1 – Mindset
As an empire builder, you must refuse to get comfortable. When you hit a new success level, you must immediately reach for the next rung on the ladder.
Not everyone is cut out for this approach.
But it’s the only way you can 10X your life.
And when you 10X your life, you must be willing to give up your old ways of doing things… so you can make way for the new.
Think about it…
If you’ve ever wanted to sit at a better table, what must you do first?
You must first give up your old seat, before claiming your new one. It works the same way in life.
It means you must throw off aspects of your old life like…
- Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
- Spending time with naysayers and small-thinkers
- Making excuses
- Indulging in victimhood
- Staying out late
- Eating the wrong foods
- And buying into limiting beliefs
For example, when Grant and I got married, I believed I didn’t need a man to take care of me. It’s why I rejected Grant’s financial support.
It’s also why I forged ahead in my Hollywood career, even though I had fallen out of love with my craft.
When the financial collapse hit, it dawned on me…
Grant and I would never create financial freedom if we didn’t pull together as a team.
So, against every fiber of my being, I quit my acting job to go all in on Grant. And when I did, the benefits were endless:
- Grant and I stopped butting heads over petty disagreements
- I was free to give Grant the support he needed in his business
- I could raise two beautiful daughters to be empire builders
- I got clear on my purpose and never felt more fulfilled
In short, everything improved when I upgraded my mindset.
Pillar #2 – Business
If making money feels like wading through mud, it’s not your fault. A lot of people dream of becoming a millionaire, but very few make it. Why is that?
Oftentimes, it’s because they chose the “wrong vehicle.”
There are two ways you can choose the wrong vehicle. First, you can get caught in a career or business that can never pay you enough money.
If that’s your career…
You could hustle for 1000 years – and still not make it.
The second way you can get caught in the wrong vehicle is if your career falls out of alignment with your purpose.
Case in point:
At age 17, I moved to LA to build my acting career. I did it partly because I was great at acting (and not great at studying).
But mostly – I did it to escape my old life in Louisiana. Back then…
Escape was my only purpose. And acting fulfilled that purpose.
Fast-forward 12 years and I no longer needed to escape. And so, acting no longer fulfilled my purpose.
Which is why I quit acting to focus on a new purpose with Grant.
Pillar #3 – Relationships
Only 2 relationships matter. The first is your relationship with yourself.
The second is your relationship with others.
And you cannot develop great relationships with others if you have a dysfunctional relationship with yourself.
Which is why I want you to start by fortifying yourself. How do you do that?
You start by regularly reflecting on your:
- Beliefs
- Behaviors
- Shortcomings
- And the strength of your network
Then, you address where you are not fully leveraging your strengths.
Your goal is to become the most valuable asset you can be… so you become an asset to the people around you.
Which brings me to your relationship with others.
Back in the day, I made every mistake imaginable in my relationships.
For starters, I believed marriage meant monogamy (and that’s it!).
Plus, I believed old friends had an automatic right to a place in my empire.
Both of these beliefs are false.
Marriage is about way more than monogamy. It’s about building a partnership and working toward a joint purpose.
And friends must earn the right to stay in your network. Supporters can stay. While naysayers have no place in your inner circle.
Pillar #4 – Health
You need to have energy to create the empire you desire. It’s funny…
Back in the day, I thought staying healthy meant working out and starving myself. Turns out I was mistaking being thin for being healthy.
Nowadays I see how destructive my eating and drinking habits were.
These habits sapped my energy…
They stole my sleep…
And they sent my performance through the floor.
Nowadays, Grant and I make our health a priority. We eat good amounts of nutritious food. We barely drink alcohol. And we drink plenty of water.
In fact, Grant and I believe so strongly that health equals wealth… we just bought a health company!
Pillar #5 – Finances
I grew up in an average Louisiana family. Like a lot of people, that meant I grew up with the wrong information about money.
If you were ever told to “save for a rainy day”…
Or that “money can’t buy happiness”…
It’s likely you’ve been fed incorrect information too.
Which is why one of the best things you can do for your empire is to straighten your thinking about money.
Grant always says getting wealthy is simple when you follow 3 simple steps:
Step 1 – You must make money by earning a salary or generating revenue in a business.
Step 2 – You must store money. Storing money means setting it aside, short-term, so money doesn’t slip through your fingers on designer shoes, fast cars, or fancy watches.
Step 3 – You must invest money. This final stage is crucial if you truly want to build an empire. Investing is the only way you can multiply your money and create enduring wealth for you and your family.
Grant and I invest millions each year in our businesses, in real estate, and in ourselves – all to create enduring wealth.
These are our core assets. And they’re the way we create the empire and the life we desire.
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Grant and I have distilled our enduring wealth down to these 5 pillars after years of trial and error.
I encourage you to optimize each of these pillars so you can avoid making the same mistakes we did.
Build an empire,
Elena Cardone
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