A self-made millionaire who studied 1,200 wealthy people pinpointed the way their relationship with money differs from everyone else's

After studying more than 1,000 of the world's wealthiest people, self-made millionaire and author Steve Siebold noticed something about their relationship with money: They see money as their friend, while the average person sees it as their enemy.

"Most people have a dysfunctional, adversarial relationship with money," he writes. "After all, we are taught that money is scarce - hard to earn and harder to keep. If you want to start attracting money, stop seeing it as your enemy and think of it as one of your greatest allies."

Mastering your money and attracting wealth hinges more on mindset than anything else.

It's a concept that Napoleon Hill preached in his 1937 bestseller "Think and Grow Rich," the culmination of his research on 500 self-made millionaires, and one that has just as much relevance today.

One way to start acquiring wealth is to start thinking about money differently.

"It's a friend that has the power to end sleepless nights of worry and physical pain, and can even save your life," Siebold writes. "The rich see money as a special friend that can help them in ways no other friend can, and these positive feelings lead them to build a stronger relationship every day."

Seeing money as a friend allows them to find peace of mind in wealth, while the average person lets money stress them out.

The reason wealthy people earn more wealth is because they're not afraid to admit that money can solve most problems, Siebold says: "[The middle class] sees money as a never-ending necessary evil that must be endured as part of life. The world class sees money as the great liberator, and with enough of it, they are able to purchase financial peace of mind."