Rick Rubin the Modern Wealth Mindset Philosopher

The Creative Act: A Way of Being - Listening With a Wealth Mindset

In the book The Creative Act: A Way of Being - Rick Rubin poses an interesting thought experiment when it comes to relating to music. Listening in different environments, and with different devices offers different perspectives on the way we interpret the art.

Listening with Headphones On - Not Hearing the Full Sound

When you listen to music with headphones on, you are bringing sound directly to your ear. However you are also drowning out the surrounding sounds. Meaning the music is not just adding to your perspective, but also taking away part of your perspective.

When thinking about our Wealth Mindset we need to ensure that we’re hearing the full sound. If we just drown out the negatives, drawbacks, or opportunity cost - then we’re doing ourselves a disservice, no matter the potential gain.

Listening Through a Speaker

When you listen to music through a speaker, you add to the environment around you. This is a distinct difference to listening through headphones. Mainly because the experience can be fully shared as the music reverberates through the room, and interacts with the room and the people in it.

The experience is communal, reflective, and situational. You now are apart of a greater feedback loop.

Listening With Others

When you listen with others, your perception of the same song or musical group can shift. People may be dancing or singing. Someone might notice a lyric you didn’t catch. Another may connect with the song emotionally in a way you hadn’t considered.

When building our Wealth Mindset we must consider other perspectives.  And putting yourself in different environments to discuss similar ideas allows you to expand your scope.

Sharing ideas, gathering insights, and inviting diverse viewpoints helps you grow - not just financially, but mentally.

Building a Wealth Mindset Is About Expanding Perception

The mistake many investors make is thinking their inner monologue is enough. But like music through headphones, a limited signal may miss critical context. To cultivate real wealth, you must remain open - listen fully, seek understanding, and resist the temptation to tune out discomfort or dissent.

The Wealth Mindset: A Way to Move Forward

Rick Rubin’s idea isn’t just about how we listen to music - it’s about how we engage with the world. When we approach life with a Wealth Mindset, we train ourselves to take in new information with clarity and openness. Whether it’s in building relationships, improving our health, or growing our financial assets, the ability to truly listen is key.

The Wealth Mindset is about more than money. It’s about building the things that make you whole, grounded, and free.

Listen for Signals, Not Just Noise

In investing and in life, there’s always noise - news cycles, market volatility, social comparison. But those with a Wealth Mindset know how to listen for signals: the consistent, grounded insights that matter over the long term. Learn to filter out the hype and focus on what’s truly moving you forward.

Wealth Is Built Through Relationships

Wealth isn’t something you accumulate alone - it grows through connection. When you help others, they often help you back. Whether it’s a kind word, a helpful intro, or simply showing up, these moments compound over time.

A Wealth Mindset means showing up with generosity, not transaction. Real relationships - built on trust, shared growth, and mutual support - create a foundation of abundance that money alone can’t buy.

Give more than you expect. Listen more than you speak. You’ll be surprised how often life responds in kind.

Stay Curious, Stay Open

The Wealth Mindset is not just about money. It is about perspective. A closed mind misses more than just opportunities - it misses meaning.

Rick Rubin’s idea of listening to music in different environments reminds us to stay open. 

Open to discomfort. Open to new ideas. Open to being moved.

We grow richer when we let new ideas shift our thinking, when conversations reveal something we hadn't considered, and when we follow curiosity into unfamiliar places. These moments add depth to our lives. They help us see more clearly and feel more fully.

That is the kind of wealth that lasts.

Make Room for Silence

Listening is not always about input. Sometimes it is about space. A pause. A breath.

Just as silence shapes the rhythm of a song, stillness gives us the chance to understand our own rhythm. It helps us clarify what we value, how we feel, and how we want to move forward.

The Wealth Mindset includes the freedom to respond instead of react. To take a beat before making a decision. To choose your tone in a hard conversation. To define success on your own terms.

Making room for silence helps us stay in tune with who we are and what we want. It keeps us grounded in clarity rather than caught in the noise.