Skip to content

I’m proud of my financial position in life, but contrary to what a lot of people may think, I never aspired to be rich. I wanted to be wealthy. It wasn’t always that way, though. I think there was a lot of fear driving me. Fear of being poor again and fear of going back to that impoverished life from my childhood.

Being rich and being wealthy seem to be synonymous with success. However, there’s a big difference between the two. The main difference between being rich and being wealthy is knowledge. Wealthy people know how to make money, while rich people only have money. Rich people are motivated by money, but wealthy people are motivated by their dreams, purpose and passion. Most rich people make a lot of money with their paychecks but the moment they stop working, they also stop making money. Wealth, true wealth, is often generational money and money that works for you.

Most people do want to be rich. We want to enjoy the fruits of their labor and live a life that is more fortunate and ultimately extravagant than the average man. We dream of having the nice things. These are things that everyone wants, but very few actually achieve. Essentially, it comes down to the person and their mindset. It also comes down to their purpose, motivation and will power. It’s never the ones that are just motivated by money, it’s the ones who are motivated to change the world and build a legacy because that is what wealth really is.

Your ability to cultivate desire and take persistent action is what will make you successful, not your natural talents. It’s all about consistent daily action. Wealthy and rich people both may experience downfalls and failures in their ventures. However, wealthy people are knowledgeable when it comes to money matters and can start all over again and build wealth over time.

The key to acquiring wealth is to regularly monitor and increase your passive and portfolio income by increasing your means to earn and decreasing your expenses. The moment you decide to make passive and portfolio income a part of your financial habit and discipline yourself in building it, you are on your way to financial freedom.

This is the path in maintaining a strong wealth foundation. Never forget that what you do on a daily basis determines your habits, and your habits determine who you are, what you accomplish, and the legacy you leave. People will measure you by what you do and what you have managed to accomplish in your lifetime, which then of course leads to your legacy.

If you have inspired people and they can share and tell your story for generations to come, then you have created wealth in your life. You have left a legacy. You have done something different – you didn’t settle for simply being rich.

I don’t work for my money. It works for me. That’s the key to separating the wealthy from the rich. While I am still working diligently on my plan to independent wealth, I am confident I am on the right path. Which path will you choose?

Avatar photo

Visionary, Inventive, and Dynamic truly describes Mahisha Dellinger, President and CEO of CURLS. Founded in 2002 by Dellinger, CURLS continues to be one of the best recognized natural hair care brands in North America. As a beauty advocate and product innovator, Dellinger pioneered the newly natural hair market when she launched CURLS, a family of award-winning organic hair care products targeted for women embracing their natural textures.

Today, Dellinger’s astute business acumen and natural talent for delivering market driven products has made CURLS into a multi-million dollar brand that continues to experience tremendous growth. As a “Modern Day Madame C.J. Walker”, Dellinger has singlehandedly built a strong demand for CURLS in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Africa and the United Kingdom. The company has multi-channel distribution, including retail, where CURLS products can be found nationwide in Target, Sally’s Beauty Supply, Wal-Mart, Rite Aid, CVS and Duane Reed.

In February 2015, Dellinger released her first book on her climb to the C-Suite. Published by Brown Girls Publishing, Against All Odds: From the Projects to the Penthouse, is a story meant to uplift and inspire. The book illuminates Dellinger’s journey from “the projects to the penthouse” and how despite insurmountable odds, she found the will to not only survive, but thrive.

Dellinger currently lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband and 3 children.

For more information, please visit curls.biz

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Thank you for this excellent post! I love how you explained the distinctions between rich and wealthy. Congratulations on your company CURLS and your great mindset in forging ahead toward wealth. God bless!

  2. Great post Mahisha, thanks for sharing. As you say not only education is the key but the daily practices and habits which turn into your legacy and people who achieve excellence within their chosen fields are examples of this. In that vein wealth could really be about living a life to the full, whatever that means for each individual, leaving a legacy for those who follow. When I think of people who inspire me, they may not always have been rich, but they had a passion andvision for life that lasted long after they were gone and inspired generations to follow.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *