我有一位十分富有的朋友，买了一个考究的新沙发，花了他3万美元。沙发运来，却发现茶几不配套，于是更换茶几，然后是桌子、椅子，一直到最后，将整个家具全部都换掉了。这时却又发现，和容光焕发的新家具比起来，房子显得太老太旧。于是，拆掉旧房，盖上和新家具相配的新房。
“就这样，”朋友说,“为了这个沙发，我的花费加起来竟然达到30万美元。为了维护它，每年还得花11万美元。此前，我每年只要花几千美元，就可以过得相当舒服，而且没有那么多烦恼。”
今天，还有许多朋友在做着同样的傻事。比如买了一件新衣服，要配相应的项链、手表、手提包，相应的裤子、皮鞋，然后更换相应的车子，再往后，要上符合身份的饭馆……这样的消费，是没有穷尽的。
就算是一个富裕的人，以这样的方式消费，也很快就会将家财荡尽。何况有些人本来就不太富裕。
付出总有回报
不论你多么辛苦，多么疲劳，都不要把应该现在做的事情推到以后去做，哪怕只是推迟一小时。有多少人只是依靠勤勉就取得人生的成功，而他们的邻居却为了每天贪睡几个小时穷困一生。
斗志和勤奋，是成功人生必不可少的两个因素。
自助者天助。有些人成天坐在那里，抱怨这个，抱怨那个，抱怨别人都有机会发财，他却没有机会。在大多数时候，机会不会从天上掉下来。
据说有一天晚上，先知穆罕默德带着信徒和随从在沙漠中露营，他听到身心疲惫的信徒和随从在交谈：“我可不会再拴骆驼了，让真主去管吧!”
“不、不，不能那样。”先知说，“应该先拴住骆驼，再交给真主安排!”
尽自己所能去做，再相信天助，或随便你把它叫做什么。但别忘了，尽自己最大的努力去做!
别想别人的钱
有个年轻人，走路干活都显得懒洋洋的。有一次我问他：“你为什么一天到晚老是一副无精打采的样子呢？”那个年轻人读过书，受过很好的教育，有很高的学历。他说：“我受那么多的教育可不是为了给别人当伙计的。我得自己干，自己当老板。”我说：“这很好呀。那你为什么不从现在就开始自己干呢？”他说：“我没有启动资金。”“那么你这样就会有启动资金了吗？”“我在等待。”“你在等待什么？”“等待我的启动资金。”
接着他就告诉我，他有一个年迈的姨妈，非常有钱，“她没几天好活的了。要是她不能够马上就死，那我会再去找其他一些富有的老家伙。他们会借给我几千块钱，那样我就可以开始了。只要拿到启动事业的资金。我一定会干好的。” 他怎么会有这样的想法？我真是不敢相信！别说他这样是否真的能够拿到事业的启动资金，就算是拿到了，我也不相信他能够干好。没有经过磨难得到的资金是不牢靠的，这就是钱来得快去得也快的道理。在这样的情形下，他并不会知道金钱的真正意义，金钱的真正价值。没有自我约束、纪律、节俭、耐心、毅力，总是指望着以别人的钱而不是自己的积累去开创一番事业，这样的心态是可怕的，也不可能获得成功。这位年轻人所指望的那些老人，比如他的那位姨妈，是如何获得成功的？据我所知，在我们国家富裕的老人中十个有九个是穷孩子出身，白手起家。他们依靠的是自己坚定的意志、决心、努力、执著、节俭，以及良好的习惯，才获得成功的。在他们渐渐发迹的过程中，他们将钱小心地积攒下来，才成就了他们晚年的富裕，这也是积累财富的最好方法。
集中所有力量
执著地敲打一只钉子，使劲地敲，直到最后钉子钻得很深很透。
关注一项事业，坚持干好，直到成功，或者直到经验告诉你可以放弃。当一个人的精力没有分散，执著于一项任务时，头脑会一直想着如何改进这项工作，那他一定会不断提高。要是脑子同时装满了十几个不同的项目、任务，专注力也会开小差，离他而去。财富也就那么从手中滑落，所以请记住，当你在做一件事情时，要集中你所有的力量，尽心尽力地将它做好。在做好这件事情以后，再去做下一件事情。正如老话所说，打铁要一片一片地打，不能全部放在一起打，否则，得到的将是一堆废铁。
小心这种朋友
当一个人有钱以后，我们通常可以看到，他的身边马上会聚拢一堆人。这些人都自称是他的朋友。他们教他怎样打牌，怎样吸烟，怎样识别各种不同品牌的雪茄和葡萄酒，总之，都是一些让他往外掏钱的玩意儿。辛苦赚来的钱，很快就在这些朋友的“关怀”下被挥霍一空。有时候他们也会告诉你，在哪里哪里，有一个如何如何好的机会，“保证你能大赚一笔”。结果为了赚到几千块钱的意外之财，你可能损失几万块钱。
这些朋友最擅长的就是对你进行吹捧，在这样的吹捧下，很多人很快就会忘乎所以，以为他们真的有点石成金的金手指，是无所不能的大神仙。你可能听到他们中的一位说：“哎呀，对这门生意我一窍不通，只有你能教我。”于是你慷慨地教他，全然忘了你自己对这门生意同样一窍不通，在对方的甜言蜜语下，慷慨地投入1万元，继而追加到2万元、3万元，直到你最后彻底破产，你才幡然醒悟，原来，自己不是神仙，也没有点石成金的金手指。过去的那些“亲密”朋友这时候却一哄而散，只留下你一个人在那里孤孤单单地品尝失败的滋味。
千万不要糟蹋自己辛辛苦苦赚来的金钱。当你有钱了，紧紧跟随，将你夸得跟朵花似的，而在你没钱时，他们踪影不见的朋友，都不是真正的朋友。你要小心这样的朋友！
保持正直操守
正直操守比钻石和金钱更珍贵。有个将死的吝啬鬼对儿子说：“一定要去赚钱，能诚实地赚钱就赚诚实的钱；不能的话，也要赚钱，无论如何就是要赚钱。”这个建议不仅邪恶无比，令人厌恶，而且集中体现了愚蠢的精髓。实际上，他好像在说：“如果你觉得诚实挣钱不那么容易的话，那不诚实的钱赚起来倒不难，不妨去赚不诚实的钱吧。”一个不诚实的人，在商场上肯定藏匿不了多久，很快就会被人发觉，那么通向胜利和成功的大门就将对他关闭。对于这样一个没有原则，不择手段的人，人们不得不心存疑虑，担心受骗上当，担心和他来往会玷污自己清白的名声。
缺乏正直操守的人，也不可能真正享受到成功的喜悦，因为真正的喜悦需要用一颗和平、安宁的心才能真正体会到。金钱本身无所谓善恶，是人们对金钱不加节制的欲望，才使金钱成为所谓的万恶之源。就金钱本身来说，如果使用得当，不仅是家中得力的帮手，而且可以给自己和他人带来幸福和满足。
正如莎士比亚所说，金钱是人们的好朋友。对金钱的渴望无所不在，无可指责。但是记住，当你拥有了足够的金钱以后，你也必须承担因为拥有大量金钱而带来的各种社会责任，比如修桥补路，乐善好施。
译文:
How to Become a Rich One
I have a very rich friend, he bought a new sofa with a nice taste which cost him thirty thousand dollars. When the sofa was delivered, he found that the tea table didn't fit with it and had it replaced, and then it was the table, the chairs...in the end, the whole furniture had been replaced. This time, he realized that the house looked too old compared with all the glistening new furniture. He then had the old house torn down and built a new one.
"Just like that," my friend said, "I spent more than three hundred thousand bucks for this sofa. The maintenance alone costs me a hundred and ten thousand every year. I used to live fairly comfortable without any trouble, and it only costs several thousand a year."
Many people are still doing the same stupid thing today. They bought a new dress and then went for the right necklace for it, and then the watch, purse, trousers, shoes, then cars, and later, they must go to the resturant fit for their identities...there is no end to spending money like this.
Even for a rich one, if he keeps going on like that, will be left with nothing in the end. Let alone some of those people aren't that rich at all.
It always pays to contribute
No matter how tired you are, never postpone what you should do now, even just for an hour. Many people have achieved success in life by mere hard-working while their neighbours go poor for their whole lives just longing for several extra hours of sleep.
The will to fight on and the spirit of hard-working are two indispensable elements of a successful life.
Those who help themselves get help from the God. Some people just sit there all day, complaining about this and that, about how everyone else had a chance to become rich while he didn't. Oppotunity seldom drops from the sky itself.
It is said that Mohammed the Prophet once made camp in the desert with his disciples and followers, and he hear the fatigued disciples talking with his followers: "I am not going to tie the camels anymore, let Allah take care of that!"
"No, no, you must not do that." the Prophet said, "You should tie them first, then hand it over to allah!"
Do the best you can, then have faith in God or whatever you call it. But never forget to do the best you can!
Do not be tempted by others' fortune
Once there was a young man who was always lazy whether walking or working. I asked him: "Why are you so beaten all day long?" The young man had received good education, and had a very good academic degree. He said: "I didn't study hard just to be somebody's errand boy. I need to work for myself, start my own business." I said:"Good! Then why don't you get started right now?" He said:"I don't have enough money to start."
"Then are you going to have it acting like this?"
"I'm waiting."
"For what?"
"My money."
And then he told me that he had an old aunt who was financially affluence. "She doesn't have much time to live on now. If she doesn't die in time, then I'll go find some other rich old guys. They'll lend me several thousand bucks, and then I'll be good to go. I will do well once I get the money I need." How could he think like that? Unbelievable! Put aside the fact whether he can actually acquire his financial support is still in question, even he does have it, I still don't believe that he can achieve sccess. Money that comes without hard working is unreliable, and that's why it comes as fast as it goes. Under such circumstance, he won't be able to realize the true meaning and value of money. It is really a terrible mental attitude that one hopes to create his career with other's financial support rather than his own savings with even no self holding, discipline, austerity, patience and persistence. It goes without saying that failure awaits for him. How did those old rich guys, like his aunt, manage to achieve success? Based on my knowledge, nine out of ten of those people came from poor families and started with absolutly nothing. It was hard will, steel resolve, arduous working, persistency, austerity and good habits that helped them on their way to success. They kept saving their earnings carefully during their successful career, and now they can live their late years comfortably. It's also the best way to accumulate fortune.
Focus all you've got!
Hammer a nail, hammer it hard, until it goes deep in.
Focus on a career, keep up the good work till you have success in your pockets, or give up when your experience tells you to. When a person stays focused on his job without any disturbance, he'll keep thinking about the ways to improve his work, and thus he will. Have a dozen different projects and tasks stuck in your head at the same time, you lose your ability to focus, and your fortune with it. So remember, any time you do anything, focus your strength on it and give it your best to complete the job. Move on to the next job only after you get this one finished. Like the old saying goes, "Forge one piece of iron at a time. Forge all of them together, and you get a bunch of crap."