When it comes to the topic of making money, becoming rich and creating wealth, The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles is one of the oldest still regularly read. Originally written in 1910, The Science of Getting Rich has inspired lots of other money books including Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret.

THOUGHT

The central theme of the book is that “getting rich is the result of doing things in a Certain Way”. A big part of this involves THOUGHT.

“THOUGHT is the only power which can produce tangible riches from the Formless Substance”

Like a lot of other Law of Attraction books, Wallace talks about the need the power of visualisation – “You must form a clear and definite mental picture of what you want; you cannot transmit an idea unless you have it yourself”. Wallace repeatedly talks about the power of clearly being able to visualise the money you want. He emphasises only focused on the rich and allowing no images of poverty or failure to enter your mind.

MONEY AND TALENT

Wallace doesn’t believe that money follows talent. He states that “many people who have great talent remain poor, while other who have very little talent get rich”. Talent alone will not make your rich. You need to use your talents in the right way and follow the science of riches. However, Wallace does admit that “It will be EASIER for you to succeed in a vocation for which you already have the talents in a well-developed state; but you CAN succeed in any vocation”.

ANYONE CAN BECOME RICH

Repeatedly Wallace writes about riches being open to everyone. Firstly, there is an emphasis on the fact the being poor now doesn’t mean you can’t achieve riches in the future – “No matter how poor you may be, if you begin to do things in the Certain Way you will begin to get rich”. That is because Wallace doesn’t believe in needing money initially to make more money. In fact, he states that “No one is prevented from getting rich by lack of capital”.

Not only is riches open to anyone regardless of their financial background, but it is also open to you regardless of your industry. Wallace states that “You can get rich in ANY business”. This statement really stood out for me. In society there are such strong stories around industries that make money (finance, tech and legal) and those that don’t (arts and culture). However, within every industry there are some who are rich and some who are poor.

TAKING ACTION

Action is another key theme within the book. Action is what makes you rich –

“If you do a sufficient number of efficient acts, you will become rich”. In addition to efficient act, there is an emphasis on acting now.

“Act now. There is never any time but now, and there never will be any time but now”

What I personally found interesting was Wallace’s emphasis on why “There is nothing wrong in wanting to get rich”. This is something that comes up frequently in books about women and money, but it was interesting to hear it being stated by a male author. Wallace follows on to say that wanting to become rich is “great or noble” and “ The desire for riches is really the desire for a richer, fuller, and more abundant life”. I believe that part of the reason Wallace believes there should be no shame in wanting to be rich, is because you make the world richer and that is the best thing you can do.

“The very best thing you can do for the whole world is to make the most of yourself”

Overall, Wallace believes that “There is a science of getting rich, and it is an exact science”. However, I’m not entirely convinced that The Science of Getting Rich reveals a scientific process to follow. Regardless, there are lots of value in the book and it was definitely worth the read.

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