How to become a millionaire: 10 winning habits
Is there a magic formula that explains how to become a millionaire? I doubt, however, there are 10 habits shared by millionaires all over the world. A strange coincidence, isn’t it?
Today I want to talk to you about how to become a millionaire and I want to do it without bullshit with binary options, online casinos, or foolproof methods for the modest sum of $ 97 instead of $ 997 (just for today!).
These systems are nothing but junk. Do you know why they are so successful? Do you know why when we google “how to get rich” or “how to make money online” we are literally inundated with this digital shit? Because they are exactly what 95% of people want to read: “magic pills” to become a millionaire overnight, without the slightest effort. The truth is, there is no secret. There are only established strategies and daily habits that the same 95% of people are not willing to follow for more than a week.
In this article, I want to talk to you about the habits of millionaires. The more I study and experiment on my skin how to get rich, the more I am convinced that it is the small actions we do (or don’t do) every day that determines our path of financial growth. Specifically, there are 10 habits that are cultivated daily by the wealthiest people and that are instead snubbed by everyone else. What do you say, is it worth taking a look at?
Tom Corley explains how to become a millionaire
Tom Corley is the author of the bestselling book Rich Habits and for the past 5 years has observed and documented the daily activities of 233 multi-millionaires and 128 people in financial distress. In the course of his “social experiment,” Corley identified more than 200 activities that the rich do every day that are overlooked by everyone else.
These activities, unlike what one might think, are not a consequence of the different lifestyle, but rather the cause. In fact, these actions are at no cost and can be traced back to 10 habits that anyone can establish today, despite their current economic condition. Here they are:
1. Define your goals and focus on one at a time.
67% of multi-millionaires define and write down their goals, compared to 17% of the less well-off. Not only. More than 80% of the rich are focused on achieving only one goal at a time; on the contrary, 88% of other people scatter their attention on several projects at the same time.
Apparently, the first habit of successful people is knowing exactly where they want to go and focusing all their energy on this single goal. How are you behaving? Have you already defined your goals? What about Curly’s Law, are you applying it?
2. Write your daily activities on a to-do list.
Defining a goal is not enough; if you really want to achieve it, you need to focus on your to-do list every day. 81% of the wealthy manage their daily activities thanks to a to-do list. Only 19% of the poor do this and often it is just the shopping list.
3. Wake up 3 hours before entering the office.
44% of the wealthy wake up on average 3 hours before starting work. Among the less wealthy, this habit is adopted by only 3% of respondents. It will be as you say, but what the hell do these rich people do every day at dawn? Many of them start the day with the famous “holy” hour. Of course, if you go to the office by helicopter, instead of being stuck in traffic, you have an advantage; yet successful people took advantage of their mornings even when they were moving on the subway. How? Listening to audiobooks, podcasts, or reading personal growth books.
4. Read 52 books a year.
Speaking of reading, 88% of millionaires surveyed read training books for at least 30 minutes a day. This same habit is adopted by just 2% of people in financial difficulties, who, however, do not give up (in 77% of cases) to watch at least one hour of TV every day (latest model and strictly paid in installments). But reading doesn’t just make you rich – there are many other reasons why you should devour books. Keep in mind that we are not talking about books like Twilight or 50 Shades of Gray, we are talking about business and personal growth books.
5. Eat less than 300 calories of junk food per day.
Corley’s studies show that 97% of the poorest people regularly eat more than 300 calories a day of junk food. In contrast, more than 70% of millionaires are careful about their diet and eat “off-limits” foods for less than 300 calories a day. One could jump to easy conclusions by observing that junk foods generally cost less and are therefore chosen as a matter of savings.
It is not so. The group of “poor” people was still able to satisfy all their primary needs (home, food, etc.), it follows that the food choices were made more to accommodate the ephemeral pleasure given by some junk-food, than for economic reasons. Investigating deeper it turns out that the two groups have opposed mental attitudes to food.
The former consider food for what it is: “gasoline” for mind and body; the higher the quality of the petrol, the better their quality of life. The latter, on the other hand, see food as a refuge pleasure in which to drown their daily frustrations. Hey, no one here doubts that you can enjoy a good meal now and then; but if you seek only pleasure in food, there is something wrong and this is not just about how to become a millionaire.
6. Work out at least 4 times a week.
76% of millionaires do aerobic exercise (no, landing stairs aren’t worth it) at least 4 times a week. By now I have lost count of the articles in which I have included sports as a key habit to improve one’s life. Yet it is one of the most difficult to establish: maybe we join the gym on January 1st, to give up even 2 months later. The secret, in this case, is graduality.
7. Talk less and act more.
From the interviews conducted by Corley, it emerges that only 6% of multi-millionaires gossip, that is, tell everyone what is going on in their mind or what are their plans for the future. Conversely, 69% of the least successful people love to chat about anything and everything. Curious, isn’t it?
8. Change your beliefs about luck.
More than 90% of the underprivileged are deeply convinced that wealth and poverty are just a matter of luck or bad luck. 84% of those who made it, on the other hand, trace their success back to good habits. What do you think? I try to give you an idea: have you ever heard of the Locus of Control?
9. Stop playing videolottery.
Gambling is one of society’s most serious problems and is getting worse as the economic crisis worsens. The less money we have, the more we cling our hopes for financial well-being to a lucky event. This explains then that 52% of people in economic difficulties who, despite everything, “burn” their salaries by betting on gambling. Among the rich, only 23% gamble and do so for fun, and with money they don’t need to live.
10. Call your mom for her birthday.
You weren’t expecting this, did you? 80% of wealthy people maintain regular contact with their loved ones, compared to 11% of the less wealthy. Birthdays, anniversaries, anniversaries: millionaires never miss an opportunity to make a phone call to the people who matter. Not only that: 79% of millionaires dedicate at least 5 hours a month to networking activities. If you want to achieve your own success, you need to help others achieve their own personal success.
