Lessons - Why Thinking Small Keeps You Poor Forever | Grant Cardone - Real Estate Mogul & Sales Expert

Summary

Success Story Podcast Summary: "Lessons - Why Thinking Small Keeps You Poor Forever | Grant Cardone"

Hosted by Scott D. Clary | Release Date: July 25, 2025

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of the Success Story Podcast, host Scott D. Clary engages in a thought-provoking conversation with renowned real estate mogul and sales expert, Grant Cardone. The discussion delves into the critical mindset shifts necessary for achieving financial freedom and building generational wealth. Grant shares his insights on parenting, wealth creation, and overcoming societal and psychological barriers that often hinder individuals from reaching their full financial potential.

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Raising Financially Confident Kids

Early Education and Parental Influence

Grant emphasizes the importance of instilling financial confidence in children from a young age. He argues that parents should begin educating their kids about business, investment, and responsible financial conduct early in life, rather than waiting until they are teenagers.

"You don't have to think that 20, 25 is the right age. You can get your kids started early, help them understand business, help them understand how to conduct themselves, help them understand how to invest."
— Grant Cardone [00:00]

Removing Distractions

A significant part of Grant's parenting philosophy involves minimizing distractions such as YouTube and social media. He believes these platforms can negatively influence children by exposing them to unrealistic lifestyles and misinformation about health and well-being.

"You cannot turn them over to YouTube and Facebook. Those are not nannies. You grew up on Tom and Jerry TV. YouTube is garbage. You're watching garbage every day."
— Grant Cardone [02:10]

Homeschooling and Structured Education

Grant shares his personal approach to education, highlighting the benefits of homeschooling to maintain control over his children's learning environment and socialization.

"We took our kids out of school. We took full responsibility for their education. We homeschool them 365 days of the year almost. They're required to work for us since they were six years old."
— Grant Cardone [02:35]

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Unlearning Limiting Money Beliefs

Challenging the Middle-Class Mindset

Grant asserts that many people have internalized limiting beliefs about money, often accepting a middle-class lifestyle as the ceiling of their financial potential. He encourages listeners to challenge these beliefs and aspire for greater wealth.

"Most people have tapped out on the money game. They think the game's rigged. They just need to be happy. They're just going to save what little bit they have rather than earn more and create wealth."
— Grant Cardone [04:17]

Desire and Obsession with Money

Highlighting the necessity of a strong desire for wealth, Grant shares his lifelong obsession with money, tracing it back to his childhood experiences and the influence of his parents' financial dynamics.

"I've been obsessed with the concept of money since I was like 8 years old. Whoever's got the money makes the rules."
— Grant Cardone [04:04]

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Persistence in Wealth Building

Choosing Discomfort for Financial Freedom

Grant emphasizes that achieving lasting financial success often requires embracing discomfort and making sacrifices that go beyond the middle-class approach of merely getting by.

"Choosing discomfort leads to lasting financial freedom and generational change."
— Grant Cardone [00:00]

Upper-Class Mindset

He differentiates between middle-class and upper-class problems, urging listeners to adopt the mindset of the wealthy to attract similar financial opportunities and challenges.

"What you want is some damn upper class or wealthy class problems. If you're not looking for those problems, you're not going to have them."
— Grant Cardone [08:25]

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Financial Challenges in Modern Times

High Cost of Living: The Toronto Example

Grant discusses the escalating cost of living in major cities like Toronto, illustrating how young professionals are struggling to afford basic necessities such as housing due to stagnant wages and soaring expenses.

"In Toronto, the cost of living is very high. Single bedroom condos are a million dollars, but you can only make 70 grand out of university or college."
— Grant Cardone [07:56]

Economic Stress and Societal Pressures

He addresses the pervasive sense of being overwhelmed by financial obligations, highlighting how societal pressures contribute to stress and hinder individuals from achieving financial independence.

"You feel like you've got to start life back 10 years. You're 35 to start when your parents were 20. Everyone feels lost and stressed out."
— Grant Cardone [08:16]

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Wealth Creation Strategies

Active Wealth Building vs. Passive Saving

Grant advocates for an active approach to wealth creation, encouraging individuals to focus on income generation, asset acquisition, and passive income streams rather than solely relying on saving.

"Your goal would not be to be a starving artist. It would be to be a wealthy artist."
— Grant Cardone [06:14]

Making Wealth a Priority

He urges listeners to prioritize wealth creation as a central ambition, regardless of their career paths or personal passions, to ensure long-term financial security and prosperity.

"Make wealth one of your number one most important ambitions in life, to create tremendous amounts of prosperity for yourself and your family."
— Grant Cardone [06:33]

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Conclusion

In this insightful episode, Grant Cardone articulates the profound impact of mindset on financial success. By advocating for early financial education, challenging limiting beliefs, and adopting an active approach to wealth creation, he provides listeners with actionable strategies to break free from the constraints of the middle-class mindset. Grant's candid discussion serves as a powerful reminder that thinking big and embracing discomfort are essential steps toward achieving lasting financial freedom and generational prosperity.

For more in-depth discussions and strategies on sales, marketing, business, startups, and entrepreneurship, visit www.successstorypodcast.com.

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Note: Timestamps correspond to the provided transcript segments and may not reflect the actual podcast episode timing.

Transcript

[A]

In this lessons episode, discover why raising financially confident kids begins with early education and removing distractions. Learn how to unlearn limiting money beliefs. Understand why most people give up on wealth too soon, and explore how choosing discomfort leads to lasting financial freedom and generational change. What do you. What do you tell parents when they're trying to raise their kids? You made a good point.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You don't have to think that 20, 25 is, is the right age. You can get your kids started early, early young. Help them understand business, help them understand how to conduct themselves, help them understand how to invest. But parents, a lot of parents don't do that. I don't think you're the norm. No, you're not the norm with the parents.

[B]

I don't know. I don't know. I watch my kids, you know. I know.

[A]

Good outlier, huh? You're a good outlier is what I'm saying. You're not the normal parenting.

[B]

Well, maybe. I mean, I don't know. You know, who, who knows? It's yet to be determined whether I'm a good parent or not. We'll see what, you know, when they grow up and they start functioning in society and they start, you know, going out on their own, doing their own deals, then, then we'll find out whether we got a really out of our kids or not. But, you know, when I'm watching my kids at 6 and 7, watch YouTube, I'm like, that can't be good for them. So now I could take the YouTube away from them, but then what are they going to do? Like, I need to spend time with them, you know, to like. Because I want them to hear what I'm doing Now. Now. Just because I think what I'm doing is right.

[A]

Yeah, but what's your advice for parents on how to raise good kids? Well, you're being super kind and, and you're saying that we don't know. Listen, the way to parents is phenomenal.

[B]

My advice to parents is, is you cannot turn them over to YouTube and Facebook. Those are not nannies. Okay? Or, or like I grew up on Tom and Jerry TV. TV is just another TV was an early form of. YouTube is garbage. You're watching garbage every day. Junk. You're being sold medications 1 out of every 3 ads on any channel that you're on is going to be. You got hypertension, you got restless leg syndrome. Do you have erectile dysfunction? Do you have depression? Bipolar? Like, this is terrible. Your kids are being programmed with. To believe these are normal things. They're terrible things. And they're not even real. So get your kids off of TV. Get your kids off of YouTube. You got to get your kids active. You know, we took our kids out of school. I do not want my kids with your kids. No offense. That's how you're raising your kids. I don't want my kids with your kids. Your kids believe in all this made up diseases and I don't want my kids hearing from your kids what your kids have been programmed to believe. So. And it doesn't make me right. Like, I'm not making anybody wrong here. And what I'm saying. We took our kids out of school. We took full responsibility for their education. We homeschool them with us 365 days of the year almost. They're required to work for since they were six years old. They have contracts to work for us. They have a list of things they have to do. They're happy kids, man. They're very socialized. You know, everybody's like, oh, yeah, they're not gonna, they're not gonna be socialized in the schools. Yeah, exactly. They're going to be socialized the way we want them educated. So. And, and again, I just want to like preface all this by I am not giving parental advice. I'm just telling you how we raised our kids.

[A]

Yeah. But I like that you, I like that you have a different opinion than most. And it's not just with how you raise them. It's like you, you have, you have opinions about investing, about wealth, and you just reframe, you reframe in a way that I don't. Growing up, I didn't get access to the information about wealth, about investing. My parents, and again, nothing wrong with my parents. I love them so much.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

But I did, you know, my dad worked for the government. Right. It's risk adverse 9 to 5.

[B]

So I wish. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

That I had a little bit more of your wisdom.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

When I was young.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So how do you, how do you, you know, how do you re, how do you fix your relationship with money and wealth if you come from that super risk adverse family?

[B]

Well, you, you, I think you have to, you have to want it. I've, I'm, I've been obsessed with the concept of money since I was like 8 years old. I've always been interested in it. You know, I'm a kid watching. My dad had the power. Mom didn't have any. You know, I think women, women couldn't even get a damn credit card till like 1974 or something that's true. Is that true?

[A]

I don't know. That's wild.

[B]

Let me ask, when did women first get a credit card? 1974.

[A]

Get out, dude.

[B]

I was graduating from high school and. And. And kids. My mom couldn't have access to a credit card if she wanted to get a loan. She needed a husband or a brother. Why am I telling you that? Because how could. What? Women. Women have been left. Left alone in the finance department. Okay? My mom, the woman that raised me because my dad died when I was 10, didn't have access to a credit card. So that was suggesting that women didn't understand about money. The men were out working to take care of the women, and dad dies. I don't have anybody to teach me about money either. But I noticed this. My dad had control of the money. He's the one that decided what car we drove or had when we bought a house or didn't, how much money we could spend if we ever went to Disneyland, you know, and we did. We went to Disneyland one time. I had one trip in 10 years, and it was the end of his life. He knew it. So I'm like, man, whoever's got the money, bro, makes the rules. And so I've been obsessed with the concept of money. So the first thing I would tell you is people need to make a decision whether they're. They want money or not. And I think most people have tapped out, Scott, on the money game. They're like, I'm not going to have it. The game's rigged. I just need to be happy. I'm just going to save. I'm just going to save what little bit I have rather than. No, I'm going to earn more, and I'm going to create wealth for myself and my family. So I think that's what people need to decide first. Yeah, they want to change. Do you even want to create wealth?

[A]

People do. I'm sure deep down.

[B]

I don't think so.

[A]

You don't think so?

[B]

No, I think most people have quit on it. The concept.

[A]

Do you think they quit because they don't know how?

[B]

I think they quit because they don't believe they can be. Because they've been programmed to believe you can't be one of the wealthy people.

[A]

And money is for them, not for me. That's what they think money's for. The other, the 1%, the 0.01. Yeah.

[B]

It's for some lucky group. Yeah. Some specific race, you know, And I don't know how to get it. So I'm just going to take the job. I have, like, I would highly recommend to everybody to make wealth one of your number one most important ambitions in life, to have wealth, to create tremendous amounts of prosperity for yourself and your family. Income, acquiring assets, passive income, massive appreciation. Like, have tremendous. Like, like I think a target for all married couples and individuals. Regardless of what your passions in life are, if you're an artist, your art, your, your, your goal would not be to be a starving artist, it would be to be a wealthy artist.

[A]

No. Of course. You know what happens in Toronto, this is what happened in Canada. In Toronto, cost of living is very high.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Young, young people. Young people, whatever.

[B]

There you go. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

25, 30 year old people cannot buy a house.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They can detached home. So they're trying to buy a condo.

[B]

Or they're renting a condo. Yeah.

[A]

And then they're getting married later if it's too expensive. They're having kids later because it's too expensive. And the thing about Toronto, which is even worse than New York or Miami or la, is the cost of living is going up and the jobs, the salaries aren't going up in line.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So now you have a single bedroom condo. That's a million dollars. But you can only make 70 grand out of university or college.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How the are you going to afford that if you don't have your parents giving you money? So now all of a sudden.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You feel like, I just got to life back 10 years. So I'm 35. To start when my parents were doing it when they were 20 years old. Right.

[B]

But they, they didn't get ahead either.

[A]

No, they didn't get ahead. But now everyone feels lost and stressed out.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then this is where they have to start to relearn.

[B]

You got to, you got to decide. You know, your parents thought that the middle class was just enough. They thought that owning a home, paying off your debts, preparing for retirement was going to be enough. They were wrong. This goes back to what we talked about earlier. Look, when you find yourself in a place in life where you're like, this is up. Okay. Whether that's, whether that's a drug addiction or you're like, wait a minute, dude, I'm working my ass off. These are just different problems. This is a high, not even. It's a middle class problem. Man, I'm working my butt off, man. I'm doing everything right. Yeah. Y' all don't talk like that up there. But I'm doing everything right. And, but I got nothing. I got no Free time. I got no money. I'm stressed all the time. That's a middle class problem, right? What you want is some damn upper class or wealthy class problems. And if you're not looking for those problems, you're not going to have them any more than if you're not looking for a butterfly, you're probably not going to see one. So you got, you. You're going to get what you look for, okay? And if you're just looking to get by, which most people in Canada are simply looking just to get by, I just want to be happy.

[A]

I think a lot of people get by.

[B]

Trudeau wasn't that bad. Like, guys, you have the highest tax rates in, of almost any developed nation, the lowest wages. If we added Canada to America, you would be the second lowest state wages in the, in North America. You spent. You take the pst, the gst, you guys have more taxes. It feels like you're at a diddy party. Okay? You go from room to room. Take this, take this, take this, take this. I'm like, God damn, bro. Like, you know, you guys just like, bang, bang, and you get your little, you get your health insurance for free and you think, oh, we get health insurance. You're getting killed. And that's why I am for Canada. Joining America as the 51st state is not just Canadians.

[A]

It's not just Canadians that are stressed out trying to figure out life.

[B]

Dude, it's all up.

[A]

It's all over.

[B]

It's all over.

[A]

And I mean, we were fortunate that we had the ability to come down here. We had the resources, didn't hurt too much. We could change our whole life.

[B]

You figured out how to get down here though. Yeah. You left Comfortable.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To get, to move toward a dream.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And that's what people should do. They should leave comfortable. Comfortable is an addiction too, by the way. Okay. Comfortable is a serious addiction. It allows you to socially drift through life. You don't even know you're on a drug, but you are. You're on a drug of like, I don't want to take risk. I don't want to feel stress. I, I just want enough. I just want everything to be perfect. Yeah, bro, you're living in a fantasy. You're addicted to a fantasy that does not exist. And sooner or later, you're going to feel economic stress in your life to retire, to take care of the bills, to take care of your parents. It might not even be you, by the way. You might not be driving Bugattis and Rolls Royce and all, but you find out, oh, your dad's got dementia and you got to put him in a place and that place is going to cost 15 grand a month and you weren't planning on $180,000 a year bill for the next 12 years.

[A]

Thanks for tuning in. If you found this valuable, don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. And if you want to dive deeper into this conversation, check out the links in the description to watch the full episode. See you in the next one.