Many people enjoy financial independence and wealth just because of circumstance. But for those not born with a silver spoon in their mouth, this thinking is toxic. Using those born into wealth as evidence of why it’s not possible for you to become wealthy only ensures you’ll never get there.
The beauty of a capitalist society is that anyone can build wealth and live life closer on their terms. But how do we get there?
No one way works to build wealth, but financial independence also doesn’t occur by accident.
Take strides toward the life you really want to have by integrating these common behaviors of financially wealthy people.
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
In our non-stop digital economy (especially startup culture), working long hours is championed. The ones to leave the office early are perceived as weak. Higher-level employees who aren’t putting in double-digit workdays must not want success bad enough, right?
While sleep needs vary among people, and plenty of successful business people ranging from Twitter’s Jack Dorsey to Barack Obama have validated it—getting adequate daily rest should still be everyone’s goal. In fact, sleep deprivation can be as debilitating as being drunk! Getting less than seven hours of sleep can lead to many adverse health effects and decreased life expectancy.
Freedom Financial Network Founder and CEO Andrew Housser credits his eight hours of sleep a night, as well as his persistence, as the reasons for his success. He’s far from the only one.
Maintaining the Right Company
Ever heard the saying, “if you’re the smartest person in the room, then you’re in the wrong room?” Few adages ring as true regardless of circumstance. Financially wealthy people don’t get to where they are without networking and resourcefulness.
It might be intimidating to spend time with people who are smarter and more successful than you, but it’s hard to better yourself if the company you keep is content living a status-quo life. This is why so many successful people have mentors and large professional and social networks. It’s why they go out of their way to attend meetups, seminars, and conferences.
Spending time with aspirational, intelligent people will rub off on you. Leveraging their expertise through guidance and advice will steer you in the directions you want to go.
Investing in Themselves
Want to be a multi-millionaire or even a billionaire? Before you start thinking of how to hustle your way to the top, take a step back and absorb the abundance of written knowledge around you.
Esteemed minds like Bill Gates and Elon Musk to Oprah Winfrey all cite reading as a central habit to their success. This is because reading broadens our perspective, makes us more knowledgeable, teaches us discipline, and tests our understanding.
But that’s just one way wealthy people invest in themselves. On their ascent to financial freedom, they’re continually looking for ways to hone their skill set and improve what they offer. On a purely monetary level, they prioritize saving and investing first, and life needs later. This ensures their income always serves their bottom line. It also helps them avoid spending beyond their needs.
Setting Incremental Goals (and Sticking to Them)
Life moves quickly. It’s easy to get stuck in the cyclical grind making just enough to get by while having some fun along the way. But a stark contrast between the financially wealthy and those who spend their lives abiding by someone else’s timetable is setting both short- and long-term goals.
The key to setting goals that you’ll actually reach is to keep them realistic and specific. It’s great to be ambitious, but if you shoot too high, you might get discouraged and abandon your commitment. Break down your goals into incremental steps. Doing so lets you see the whole picture without getting lost in the process. Accomplishing each step along the way will motivate you to continue.
There’s more than one way to achieve financial wealth in a capitalistic society, but the difference between those who succeed and fail can be as simple as mindfulness. Integrating these four common behaviors of financially wealthy people into your daily life will go a long way toward creating the long-term financially healthy life you desire.