I have to admit, this was a concept lost on me in my early years. And by early years, I mean up to like four years ago. The concept is quite simple and can be summed up in the all too well-known buffet sign, “Take all you can eat, but eat all that you take.” Simply said, take what you can consume, and don’t be wasteful. When you are NOT wasteful, you leave the business in a position to receive a profit. You allow them to make some money while providing you something of value.
When it comes to leaving a profit, I think it comes down to two mindsets: Poor or Rich. Let’s look at these two mindsets and how leaving a profit is seen by each…
Poor Mindset
If you are of a Poor mindset, you are not concerned with leaving a profit for the business. And why should you? You may be thinking, “What’s it to me? What’s in it for me? What do I care?” The truth is that when you foolishly waste resources that are costing other people, it will eventually cost you. Don’t believe me, let’s look at an example.
Let’s look at a food buffet. They have it figured out how much the average diner is going to eat and what that cost is going to be. From there, they can determine their profits. But what if you constantly took more than you could eat. Perhaps you snuck it in a doggy bag to go, or you wasted the food and left it on the table. What’s the big deal…right? Well, what if everyone does that? Now, the average diner cost has gone up. Now the restaurant has to pay more money per diner, which is going to raise your prices. Either that, or they lower the amount of money they pay employees. Trust me…in either situation, you aren’t winning.
But then again, when you have a Poor mindset, you probably aren’t use to winning, which makes it seem like the world is against you, which makes you waste things. This is a vicious cycle that leaves you frustrated and contributing to the problem.
Rich Mindset
The Rich mindset says that you are only going to use what you need. This way, the cost of delivering a service or product can stay low, the business can earn a profit, and then extend that value back to you. The Rich know what it means to make a profit and what it takes. They respect the business owner and what they are providing. The Rich mindset is always thinking profit and positive, so this positive thinking results in a happier, wealthier life. Let’s look at an example of leaving a profit.
Think about the last hotel you stayed in. When you left the room, did you leave the TV on? Or did you leave multiple lights on? If you did, you’re NOT leaving a profit. You are costing the hotel more money than is necessary to deliver the service. I use to leave lights on and the TV on, thinking it will sound like I am in there and no one will try to take my stuff. But the truth is, no one is going to get into the locked room easily, so my stuff isn’t going to get stolen. Since learning about leaving a profit, I turn off the TV and lights now.
Another example occurred a couple weeks ago when I took my parents out for dinner. We had ordered drinks at the bar before we got our table. Before we could pay that tab, we were moved to our table. The bartender said our drinks would be on our bill. Low and behold, once the bill came, the drinks were not on there. A few things hit me: integrity, doing the right thing, leaving a profit. I called the waiter over and told him the mistake. I also told him what drinks we had so he could add them. Sure, the bill went up about $40, and I am sure he thought I was crazy for having him add to my bill. But it was the right thing to do and I wanted to leave a profit.
The Takeaway
If you want wealth to come your way, you have to start thinking with a Rich mindset. You have to start leaving a profit. Abandon the Poor way of thinking and trying to “get what’s yours.” Adopt the Rich mindset and start thinking positively. Allow the business you are consuming services or profits from to make a profit. Do the right thing. Put the right approach out there. Before you know it, that mindset will start doing more positive things in your life.
You can’t get rich with a Poor mindset, so think like the rich today and start changing your future. Leave a profit today, so you can make a profit tomorrow!!!