Who Can You Actually Trust?

Everywhere you go you are hit with pieces of information. How much data are you taking in every day? Different sources have opposing agendas and people are left searching for what the truth is. If you don’t rise above the noise, you will be left skeptical and confused. Truth is out there, but it has to be separated from mountains of false data.

Conflicting data is everywhere.

There are now countless YouTubers telling you advice about which cryptocurrencies to invest in. Google "Bitcoin" and you'll quickly find 3 different "experts":

• The first guy will tell you that Bitcoin is going to a million dollars.
• The second guy will tell you that Bitcoin is a big bubble about to crash.
• The third guy will tell you Bitcoin will stay flat, neither crashing nor going to the moon.

How do you find the truth, and who can you actually trust?

Which headline do you trust?

I was recently online at CNBC looking on the topic of mortgages and on one single web page I saw 6 different subject lines about mortgages. There was conflicting data with one headline saying mortgage applications dropped while another headline saying they were creeping up. One headline said homebuyers were pulling back while another headline proclaimed there is a home buying surge.

The middle class trusts headlines, they trust YouTube talking heads, they trust anyone who seems to know what they're talking about. You have to challenge where you get your information.

The whole “knowledge is power” doesn’t take into account how powerful conflicting knowledge has on most people.

In the new internet world that we live in, getting data isn’t the problem—the problem is too much data and too much wrong data. Knowledge is power, but what if the knowledge is wrong?

Why do people give up on learning? I don’t believe it is laziness or being too comfortable. People become skeptical because they’ve received so much incorrect information and its failed them.

There's never been more content than in 2017—books, e-books, podcasts, TV, radio, internet, apps—you can read and listen to just about anything. It seems that the more information out there, the dumber people get. Have you been noticing that?  

With so much information available why are people not smarter today than 30 years ago? Smartphones have not made people smarter.  

Most people go to school for 17 years and learn nothing—or they learn a bunch of things that they will later need to unlearn. When you remove false knowledge, answers are still there. The middle class has false data on ideas about buying a home, college, debt, jobs, how to make money, and how to invest—just to name a few.

• Get an education
• Buy a house
• A penny saved is a penny earned

All of these ideas come from the influences in your life that taught you how you should act in the world. 

Here are 2 truths about knowledge:

#1 Wrong Data Distorts—Think of receiving a piece of information like putting on a pair of glasses. The right pair helps you see better, but if you put on someone else’s prescription glasses, it completely distorts the world around you and prevents you from seeing things how they really are. Looking at it financially speaking, an understanding of what glasses you are wearing is the first step to getting out of the middle class. Too many people have the wrong pair of glasses on and see the world distorted. Choose your glasses wisely.

#2 The Data You Have Will Influence Your Actions—The information you have serves as a mental steering wheel that moves you where you believe you should go. If you are what you eat, aren’t you also what you choose to watch, read, and listen to? People should be just as careful with the media they consume as they are with the food they eat. Just as downing a few doughnuts is going to make you feel differently than eating vegetables, different pieces of information are going to influence your mind. How you think is how you act.

When it comes to your money, if you aren’t happy with your income level, its because you have wrong information.

If you had the right information, you’d already be a millionaire. If you want to increase your income, you need to start looking at the world differently. Most people see money as a scarce thing when in reality there is abundance everywhere. People think a 40-hour work week is normal and that they deserve frequent holidays. If you wear the same glasses as the middle class, then trust me, you will stay in the middle class.

You don’t need to be confused when it comes to money, investing, and creating massive amounts of wealth for you and your family. I went from broke at 25 to being wealthy today and you can do the same. I know if I can, you can. You just need the right data.

Knowledge is power, but knowledge doesn't give power if it leaves you confused.

This is why you must filter your data intake. Start reading and studying people who have what you want to have. You get information from either legitimate or illegitimate sources, and just because someone wrote a book doesn’t mean you need to get their advice.

Be selective about where you get advice from and read everything from one or two people. Go deep before going wide.

My personal rule is never to take advice from a quitter. If a woman has quit on relationships, don’t take advice from her on relationships. She thinks all men are pigs because she has some false data.  I would never take advice from my father on health issues because he let himself go in that area and his heart blew up in his chest.

There are too many people out there giving data to others about things they know nothing about. This is why so much confusion and skepticism exists.

I know how to make money, and knowledge is power. A few spots opened up in my Success Mentoring Program this week, which means I will personally mentor you. Would you be interested in that?

Be great,

GC

Grant Cardone is a New York Times bestselling author, the #1 sales trainer in the world, and an internationally renowned speaker on leadership, real estate investing, entrepreneurship, social media, and finance. His 5 privately held companies have annual revenues exceeding $100 million. Forbes named Mr. Cardone #1 of the "25 Marketing Influencers to Watch in 2017". Grant’s straight-shooting viewpoints on the economy, the middle class, and business have made him a valuable resource for media seeking commentary and insights on real topics that matter. He regularly appears on Fox News, Fox Business, CNBC, and MSNBC, and writes for Forbes, Success Magazine, Business Insider, Entrepreneur.com, and the Huffington Post. He urges his followers and clients to make success their duty, responsibility, and obligation. He currently resides in South Florida with his wife and two daughters.