Notes from a Sigma Male
Too often, I hear and see the men I know sitting around and feeling bad about wealth, and wishing there was a way they could beat the odds and make it as a financial success. And while they’re right that the system of wealth and ownership that is currently enforced is generally rigged against the little guy, making it hard to considerably ascend the ladder of wealth without a great deal of assistance or wealth, it’s not all as simple as that.
The truth is, while systems of money and class do make it difficult to achieve success, letting this attitude of defeatism get the better of you is the first great mistake that condemns people to a life of immobility – never reaching the success or financial freedom that they desire.
In order to break free from this negative mindset and truly open up the possibility for growing wealth and achieving financial freedom, there are certain key thought patterns you need to learn to identify and overcome within yourself.
Luckily, sigma males possess many habits and tendencies that predispose them to a life of success and growth, and these are traits that – while they come naturally to sigma males – can be learned and implemented by anybody. Learning these critical life lessons from the way of sigma males is an important step in breaking free of the defeatist attitude that may well just be what’s holding you back in life.
In this post, let’s take a look at the hallmarks of this defeatist mentality, and study the habits of the sigma male that allow them to embody that millionaire mentality. I want you to use these tips and reflect on your own approach to life, and by the end of the post have a better idea of the attitude and habits you need to develop to emulate that millionaire sigma mindset.
Let’s get to it.
The problem
Most of us in life toil away day in day out, oftentimes working in a job we don’t feel particular joy or fulfilment from, purely to pay the bills and maybe in the hopes of one day saving up enough to invest and reach a place of financial freedom. So when people see themselves putting in all this time and energy day in day out, year in year out and yet never seeming to get any closer to achieving their goals of wealth and success – it’s not hard to understand where frustration and a sense of hopelessness arise from.
As a result, people may say that the only way to achieve wealth is to be born into it. And while this sure helps, it’s far from being the only way to make big money.
The market research firm Wealth-X combined data from 2018 studies and concluded that the majority of the world’s ultra-wealthy population — categorised as those with a net worth of $30 million US Dollars or more. Of those individuals, 67.7% were self-made, while 23.7% had a combination of inherited and self-created wealth. Only 8.5% of these global high-net-worth individuals were categorised as having completely inherited their wealth.
When the research and analysis firm Fidelity investigated self-made wealth in the same year, they revealed that self-made millionaires’ top sources of assets were investments and capital appreciation, compensation and employee stock options/profit sharing. This path to wealth is noticeably different from the path most often taken by those who inherited their wealth, who are more likely to cite entrepreneurship, real estate investment and the inheritance itself as asset sources.
What this goes to show is that while inherited wealth may allow for bigger starter investments, such as real estate or launching a business empire, the mindset and attitude that produces high net worth is what’s most important when it comes to making wealth – regardless of where you start off.
So what are the millionaire habits that sigma males have perfected that allow them to be among those able to transform attitude and habits into concrete wealth and success?
They look for feedback.
Sigma males live outside of the bounds of the traditional social hierarchy, meaning they do not gain their sense of inner value from their social relationships, or what others think of them. Whereas other male personality types, such as alphas and betas, rely on their relationship with one another in order to gauge their path in life, sigma males simply write their own stories and reject placing themselves on a ladder with everyone else.
Their lack of need for social validation means that they do not fear criticism in the same way that others in society do. Rather than allow the criticism of others to bring them down or make them feel inadequate, they are able to listen to feedback and extract from it as much valid criticism as possible.
By actively listening to and ruminating upon the feedback they get from others without their egos getting in the way, they are much better at learning from their past experiences and mistakes than others. Learning in this way is a key aspect of the millionaire mindset, as men who are able to truly take a good look at their actions and evaluate them in earnest are more likely to build better, more adaptable strategies for success moving forward. Doing so throughout life ensures that they can better identify blind spots and guarantees that their ventures will be more likely to succeed.
They pursue their passions
The reason so many men get sucked into the cycle of unfulfilling work is because they are pursuing a career out of something other than passion. Sure, there are a whole range of flashy careers and job titles that sound great on paper and come with added perks and the respect of others – but is it what you really want to do in life? Or are you merely pursuing such a position because you think it’s the “right thing to do” if you want to get rich?
Following a career from this profit-oriented perspective causes many men to end up entering a workplace that they don’t in fact enjoy, and dedicating their days to something for which they have no passion. While at first this may seem manageable in exchange for the perks that will eventually come, the truth is many men will in fact burn out before they ever reach that point.
Sigma males pursue their passions above all else, and they live with the mindset that they will turn their passion into a financial endeavour. By prioritising their own personal sense of freedom and self-actualisation over a sense of being tied to a paycheck, sigma males end up having a lot more energy and soul left over to give their all to their careers. Instead of listening to the skills or pursuits that society tells you it is “most beneficial” to learn, look inward at your own talents and passions and explore ways to make this the locus of your earnings – you’ll find yourself in a far better position to dive right in with the kind of enthusiasm and stamina that results in financial success.
They are not afraid of failure.
As sigma males break away from the rest of the pack and walk their own path in life, they don’t care for the judgments of others. They are not held back by the fear of failure, or the critique they may get from naysayers. Some people might have a great idea for a new business or investment, but when non believers tell them that their project is bound to fail – they’ll quickly drop the idea out of fear.
Sigma males, on the other hand, are more prone to risk taking. They are highly analytical thinkers who assess every possibility and outcome to make sure they’re approaching their goals in the most sensible way, and then implement feedback as they go along to keep on the right track to success. This logical, analytical way of implementing plans gives a sigma male great confidence in his ability to succeed, and is a major part of the reason why they are not afraid of failure.
They understand the value of time.
There’s truth to the age old saying that time is money, and both sigma males and millionaires know this all too well. Not only does this mean that, most of the time, earning money will require time and a long term commitment, but it also means that all things that you want to do right, need to be given time.
While they might be risk takers, sigma males by no means underestimate the true value of time. They like to reflect fully and deeply before putting any plan into action, and don’t blindly walk through life. They like to construct long term goals, and look back as they progress and be able to evaluate their progress over time. This natural tendency greatly aids sigma males when it comes to establishing financial success and developing true wealth.
So as I mentioned earlier, the majority of self-made millionaires came into their millionaire status through a combination of appreciating capital and employee stock sharing – things that are only profitable through a solid combination of savvy long-term decision making and the passage of time. Rather than blowing all your paycheck on living in the now, try to live strategically and create a long term financial plan that will see you transform income into wealth.
Think carefully and stay focused
Of course, the habits and attitude of a sigma male greatly help in building a solid financial footing that can be transformed into true wealth, but attitude is only half the battle. No money-making attitude will generate true wealth if it is not accompanied by sound financial investments and careful money management. Make sure to thoroughly do your research in order to make wise, carefully thought through financial decisions that will indeed benefit you in the long run – and take inspiration from the confidence, analysis, and foresight millionaire mindset that comes naturally to sigma males.
