I recently read The Science of Getting Rich* by Wallace D. Wattles and thought I’d take this opportunity to write my very first book review. After all, there’s definitely some magic involved here, and this book is heralded as one of the first in the self-help genre. Way up my alley!
I’ve been meaning to read this book for years. I first heard of it in Brittney Castro’s Money Class, which I recommend to anyone who feels confused or intimidated by things like budgeting, calculating interest, investing, and financial management in general.
The first thing I want to say about The Science of Getting Rich is that it was written by a white man in 1910, and it often reads as such.
Even though it’s categorized as a business book, The Science of Getting Rich delves into metaphysical concepts like the Law of Attraction. People already familiar with the LoA, gratitude, manifestation, and The Vortex will recognize many of the principles Wallace describes in his book. For some reason, Wally’s blunt, tell-it-like-it-is approach resonates with me in a way the glitter-embellished language of contemporary new thought authors has thus far failed to.
The second thing I’ll say about The Science of Getting Rich is it’s short enough to keep anyone’s attention. Weighing in at less than 100 pages, this book contains absolutely no fluff. However, my copy came with a few lined pages for note-taking in the back, which I used. I don’t consider this fluff.
So, without further ado, here’s what I learned from reading The Science of Getting Rich.
Top takeaways from The Science of Getting Rich
The Right to Be Rich aka Money Mindset
Wally starts off where many of us have the most resistance — money mindset. I’m talking about the way we think and speak about money.
In order to get rich, you must first have the desire to do so, and a purpose you feel good about. But so often, we stand in our own way of achieving wealth by holding onto old money beliefs we learned during childhood. Stories like, “money is the root of all evil,” “rich people are bad,” “there’s never enough money,” and “mo money, mo problems” aren’t going to bring you into alignment with abundance.
In Wally’s words: “you can render to God and humanity no greater service than to make the most of yourself.”
The Formless Substance
In The Science of Getting Rich, Wally refers to the Formless Substance. Or, as most of us woo-woo hippie witches call it, The Universe.
He (repeatedly) describes the Formless Substance as such:
There is a thinking stuff from which all things are made, and which, in its original state, permeates, penetrates, and fills the interspaces of the universe.
A thought, in this substance, produces the thing that is imaged by the thought.
Man can form things in his thought, and, by impressing his thought upon formless substance, can cause the thing he thinks about to be created.
Wallace D. Wattles
This is, in so many words, the recipe for manifesting I’ve learned countless times from just as many sources. Basically, it means you attract that which you focus your thoughts.
I want to take this opportunity to say this book completely disregards racism, sexism, ableism, and all systems of oppression that I believe affect an individual’s ability to generate wealth. For the purposes of this book review, I’m not going to go there.
But I see your fury, and I felt it too.
Thinking Big and Increasing Life
Wally talks a lot about increasing life. I like this term and think I’ll start using it. In The Science of Getting Rich, he describes how all life on this planet is driven to multiply, reproduce, expand, and increase. In this way, it’s only natural for you to want more wealth and resources.
The universe desires you to have everything you want to have. Nature is friendly to your plans. Everything is naturally for you. Make up your mind that this is true.
Wallace D. Wattles
See what I mean about being straight to the point!?
But he makes an important point I’ve heard many times before. It’s okay for you to have what you want. That doesn’t make you greedy or selfish. Having more wealth for yourself doesn’t deny it to others because there’s always more where that came from.
Another thing Wally says about increasing life is that we should always seek to elevate the people in our lives and deliver more value than what they pay for.
I really like that.
Sometimes, when I feel down about money, I think of a way to be generous at that moment. I might throw a few extra bills in my barista’s tip jar, make a charitable donation, or buy a gift for someone. It reminds me that I have more than enough, and sharing feels good.
Gratitude
Once you have a clear vision about getting rich, gratitude is what brings you into alignment with it.
The grateful outreaching of your mind in thankful praise to the Supreme is a liberation or expenditure of force; it cannot fail to reach that to which it addressed, and the reaction is an instantaneous movement towards you.
Wallace D. Wattles
Expressing gratitude for something attracts more of it to you.
I believe this is true, and even if it isn’t, it works.
Gratitude is something I practice every damn day, starting first thing in the morning. I watch the sunrise and say thank you to the open sky, write gratitude lists in my journal, and record voice memos of things that went really well. This is an essential part of a good life.
If you’re not living in gratitude, what are you doing????
Creative vs Competitive Planes
My favorite lesson from The Science of Getting Rich was about focusing on creativity rather than competition. Wally suggests thinking in terms of creating your own wealth instead of punching yourself to grind, hustle, and outperform the competition.
I’m totally down with this notion. As a recovering workaholic, I can tell you that rushing, stressing, and striving to overachieve are not the paths to wealth. In fact, they’re symptoms of a scarcity mindset.
Begin where you are
Throughout the book, Wally encourages the reader to start NOW. Wherever you’re at in your financial journey, it’s not too early or too late to begin the work of thinking and acting in the Certain Way he describes.
So, what’s stopping you?
psssst ~ If you can’t think of an answer, yet still aren’t getting to where you want to be in life, I can help!
In conclusion, I recommend The Science of Getting Rich* to anyone who wants to get rich and learn more about the Law of Attraction from an og self-help guru. Just keep in mind the whole white man in 1910 thing.
a * indicates an affiliate link. I only recommend things I use and love.
Thank you for reading!