Being broke is economic. Being poor is a disabling frame of mind, a depressed condition of the spirit. I have carried that truth since the earliest days of Operation HOPE, and in this Thanksgiving bonus episode I connect it to something you won’t hear on Wall Street or cable news: gratitude as a wealth strategy.

Gratitude calms the mind, and a calm mind makes better decisions. Fewer emotional purchases lead to stronger savings and better credit, and better credit lowers your cost of capital. Survival mode pulls in the other direction. It keeps you reactive and scanning for threats, buying things you can’t afford to impress people you don’t know in places that don’t matter.

Growing up in Compton, we didn’t have much money, but my mother made sure we said thank you for everything. She told me she loved me every day of my life, and my father gave me the sense that I could build something. That foundation kept me centered in every room I have entered since, from negotiating with CEOs to sitting across from presidents.

I also name three holiday spending traps and invite you to treat the Thanksgiving table as a classroom for conversations about credit, dreams, business ideas and even money mistakes. Before you buy anything big this season, stop, breathe and be grateful. Wealth begins with enough.

🎧 Listen now — wherever you get your podcasts, or simply click below.

Prefer to watch? The full episode is on YouTube.