Do you ever look at some of these super-rich people and wonder, What’s the difference between us and them? No, they aren’t superhumans. No, they didn’t strike a deal with the devil. No, they weren’t born into a massive inheritance. Well, actually, some of them were.
But, anyway, the difference between the super-rich people in the world and you comes down to a few crazy habits which, if you implement into your own life, you could be one of those super-rich people one day!
These are the 7 crazy habits of rich people! Let’s go!
#1: They Wake Up Early
This first habit is one of the hardest to get into because, you know, we all love our sleep. But do you want to lie in bed all day or do you want to be rich? Get your ass out of bed and start making money! One thing that you’ll hear almost every rich person say is that it’s so important to wake up early.
Apple CEO Tim Cook starts his mornings at 3:45 a.m. Bill McNabb, chairman of Vanguard Group, is sitting at his desk by 6:15 every morning. Scott Adams, the dude who makes those funny Dilbert cartoons, gets up at 4 a.m. every day. Michelle Obama and Oprah both get up at the crack of dawn. The list goes on and on.
So, why are all these rich people getting up so early? Well, simply put, it just adds more time to your day. You get a few hours up on everyone else. You can respond to emails as soon as you wake up and get that out of the way. You can exercise and do your other routines before you start your day. Also, early risers tend to be much happier and more productive.
So, I know it might seem tough, but get out of bed! As they say, time is money, and you ain’t earning if you’re sleeping.
And, once you get out of bed, start thinking about ways that you can spend less money!
#2: They’re Frugal
A lot of the time, we think of super-rich people as being extravagant spenders living in marble mansions, driving Bugattis to work, and eating at 5-star restaurants every night. And while that’s true for some rich people, it’s far from the reality of all rich people.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook who’s worth around $33 billion, drives a Volkswagen GTI. That’s right, he drives a $30,000 car. Google co-founder Sergey Brin still shops at Costco. Warren Buffet, currently the 5th richest man on the planet, eats at Dairy Queen all the time! Dairy Queen!
You see, part of the reason that these people became so rich is that they value their money and don’t spend it frivolously. Money can be seen as a way to buy stuff, or it can be a tool that works for you, for you to put into investments or new businesses or learning new skills.
Cut out those unnecessary purchases, save your money, and make it work for you. But, it’s not just about how you use your money, it’s how you take care of your mind too. Studies have shown that meditation can be one of the best things you can do for your mental health.
#3: They Meditate
No meditation isn’t just for monks living out in Tibet or wherever. Arianna Huffington, the founder of the Huffington Post, meditates. Jerry Seinfeld, the comedian worth over $800 million, is a big advocate of meditation. Wildly successful UFC host and podcaster Joe Rogan also meditates. Jeff Weiner, the Yahoo executive turned Linkedin CEO, also swears by meditation.
If all these super successful people are doing it, there has to be something to it. Studies have shown that meditation can physically change your brain matter. It can help you reduce stress and make better decisions, it can help your attention span and your memory retention, and it can make you happier, which is a great reason to meditate in and of itself.
It may seem like a strange thing to close your eyes and just breathe for 10 to 20 minutes a day, but the proof is in the pudding. Meditation and success go hand-in-hand.
Meditation can make you relaxed and focused, but that’s not enough to make you super-rich. You’ve got to be bold too! And have no fear of failure!
#4: They Fail
No person who’s made a lot of money has ever succeeded at everything they’ve ever tried. In fact, successful people fail on the regular! And sometimes those failures mean losses in the millions! Hotel mogul Kirk Kerkorian, who’s worth over $4.4 billion, lost millions of dollars in the 2008 financial crisis by investing in Ford stock. But Kirk, being the businessman that he is, understood that failure is just a minor bump on the road to success.
If you want to be rich and successful, you need to be bold enough to take risks, to put yourself out there. If you do that, you’re going to fall flat on your face every once and a while, but you just get right back up and keep climbing that mountain of wealth.
Successful people aren’t afraid to try things, and they’re trying new things out constantly. If you want to be filthy rich, you’re going to have to get used to being busy all the time.
#5: They Keep Busy
The average self-made millionaire in America works an average of 60 hours per week. So, if you’re doing a 9-to-5 shift and thinking that you’re going to end up with a million in your bank account, think again. While it’s true that successful people learn how to work smarter, not harder, they still work pretty damn hard.
Elon Musk apparently works 80 to 100 hours per week, and he’s said that if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, that’s the type of work ethic you need to have. Hey, maybe you value your free time too much and you’d rather watch every show on Netflix than work those extra 20 to 30 hours a week. That’s fine! Just understand that it’s probably never going to get you super-rich. Or you might win the lottery, who knows? Just kidding, successful people don’t play the lottery.
Oh, and speaking of Netflix, rich people don’t watch Netflix either. So, what do they watch? Hulu? Disney Plus? HBO Max? Nope, they read books, those old paper things you forgot existed.
#6: They Read Books
According to Thomas Corley, author of the successful book Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits Of Wealthy Individuals, 86% of wealthy people love to read, and 88% have said that they read at least 30 minutes a day for self-improvement.
On the other hand, Corley also found that 67% of wealthy people watch TV for an hour or less per day. Apparently, too, only 6% of wealthy people watch reality TV, whereas 78% of poor people do. Hey, I like reality TV as much as the next guy. Survivor? Jersey Shore? Those are pure gold!
But, if you want to be successful, pick up a book or get an Amazon Kindle or one of those other e-readers if you want to look more tech-savvy. Join the Ideal book club! Just kidding, that doesn’t exist, but if it did, I’d say to pick up Middlemarch by George Eliot. Plenty of rich people say that book changed their lives. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand was one of Steve Jobs’s favorite books, and I think it’s quite a page-turner too.
Whatever book you go with, just start reading! It’s a great way to improve your focus, and it can be really enjoyable once you get into it!
But, if you want to find time to read, you’re going to have to learn not to do every little bit of work that comes onto your desk. You need to learn how to say no.
#7: They Know When to Say No
Warren Buffet once said, “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” You see, it’s all about efficiency. If you spend hours and hours running around in circles, you’re going to end up in the same exact place.
The key is to identify the tasks and actions that are going to actually move you forward toward your financial goals, and say no to everything else! Don’t let people pass off work to you that’s just going to slow you down to no end result. Learn to defend your time and say no when a certain task doesn’t benefit you.
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