Sometimes, when we talk about “escaping the middle class,” it sounds like a far-fetched dream, right?
At least it did to me. Growing up, I always assumed that a steady job and a decent salary were the best I could do.
Over time, though, I realized the real barrier was my mindset, not my environment. Thinking rich, as cliché as it sounds, really is an art. And if we embrace certain shifts in the way we view money, growth, and life itself, we can begin to see new possibilities.
As I’ve mentioned this previous posts, our beliefs act like filters through which we interpret the world. This applies here. If we adjust our filters, we can gain fresh perspectives that directly impact our finances, career paths, and overall fulfillment.
Today, I’m sharing five mindset shifts that have helped me—and that I believe can help anyone—move beyond the perceived limits of the so-called ‘middle class’.
01 Scarcity to abundance
Shifting to an abundance mindset means recognizing that opportunities are plentiful. It might mean thinking of money not as a limited resource but as something that expands in proportion to the value we create or contribute towards.
Sometimes, we only focus on salary—one narrow stream—when there’s a wide river of possibilities out there. Research seems to back this up, too. For instance, some sources suggest that on average millionaires have seven streams of income. Yes, seven!
For me, adopting this mindset meant looking beyond my job and exploring freelance work or small investments. At first, it felt risky because it wasn’t the traditional path I was taught.
But once I started, I realized how many opportunities I’d been ignoring simply because I assumed they didn’t exist or weren’t “for me.”
02 Money is a tool, not a goal
Many of us grow up thinking money is the end goal—work for 40 hours a week, get a paycheck, and keep the cycle going.
But to really break free, it helps to see money as a tool. A tool that can buy you time, freedom, and the resources to pursue what truly matters to you.
As Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of Money, wrote, “The hardest financial skill is getting the goalpost to stop moving.”
For me, this means that if you treat money like the finish line, you’ll keep moving that line forever, chasing more and more until you’re burnt out or stuck in a loop. When you view money as a tool, you start asking, “What can this resource help me build or do?” instead of “How much more can I accumulate?”
Thinking of money this way might lead you to invest in experiences, classes, or start-ups rather than just letting it sit in a checking account. It might mean working one year at a high-stress job so that you can launch your own venture the next. The shift lies in understanding that wealth is a powerful catalyst, not the ultimate destination.
03 Learning never stops
Randall Bell, a socioeconomic who has been studying success for decades found that “Those who read seven or more books per year are more than 122 percent more likely to be millionaires as opposed to those who never read or only read one to three [books].”
There’s a reason so many self-made millionaires read voraciously or consistently seek out mentors. They know that what truly propels you forward isn’t the environment around you, but the knowledge and skills you carry inside.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you should rush out and get another formal degree. It could be online courses, hands-on workshops, or a habit of reading at least one book a month.
I often dive into nonfiction about history, politics, and psychology—topics that don’t always scream “financial success.” Yet, they’ve taught me so much about the way people think and how the world truly works. That perspective shift has allowed me to make better decisions about what I do with my money and how I plan my future.
04 Success is about value provided, not time spent
Tony Robbins famously said, “The secret to wealth is simple: Find a way to do more for others than anyone else does. Become more valuable.” If you focus on how to create more value rather than on how to get more money, the money often follows.
I used to think about raises and promotions as if they were some sort of obligatory reward for time served. But I started noticing that when I genuinely cared about solving a big problem at work—or came up with a creative solution that saved time or resources—I wasn’t just more likely to get recognized; I also picked up skills that I could take anywhere.
Maybe that translates into starting your own consulting gig, building your own product, or freelancing on the side. The principle is the same: the market rewards people and businesses that consistently deliver something valuable.
And you don’t have to start with a grand vision. Even small acts—like going the extra mile on a project—can nudge you into a different league, financially and professionally. Think about where you can over-deliver in your current situation, and you’ll be surprised how quickly opportunities multiply.
05 Failure is a stepping stone, not an end
It’s frustrating, isn’t it? We try something new—maybe a side hustle or an investment—and it tanks. Our natural reaction is to run back to safety, back to the known routine.
But as Ray Dalio, the billionaire investor, has put it, “Pain + Reflection = Progress.” It’s a concept that suggests failures are not dead ends but data points. This mindset shift means you start asking, “What did this teach me?” instead of “What does this say about my worth?” The more we practice that reflection, the faster we adapt.
I learned this early on when I tried launching my own digital media consultancy. I assumed I’d have clients banging on my door right away because I’d been told there was a market for my skill set.
Turns out, I had zero clue about marketing myself. I spent months learning how to create a pitch, build a simple website, and network effectively. The initial failure stung, but I walked away with a new set of skills that paved the way for more opportunities.
Conclusion
It’s easy to think breaking free from the middle class is all about big leaps—quitting your job, sinking all your money into a new venture, or adopting an extreme lifestyle.
But often, it starts with these smaller mindset shifts: recognizing abundance, treating money as a tool, investing in yourself, focusing on value, and reframing failures.
Warren Buffett said, “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” These mindset shifts are your seeds. Plant them consistently, give them time, and be patient.
No one wave of a magic wand will rewrite your financial story. But with consistent action guided by these shifts, you’ll find yourself breaking limits you didn’t even know were there.
And really, that’s the art of thinking rich: seeing beyond the immediate, beyond the constraints people around you believe in, and letting your mindset open new paths to wealth, freedom, and purpose. Before you know it, you may look back and realize how far you’ve come—and how different your life is from those old middle-class assumptions you once held.
