Change your habits, change your life!
It is believed in the field of psychology that our behaviors are mostly shaped by our habits. According to a study by Duke University, 40 percent of our daily actions are not based on our own decisions, but rather on our habits. Our personality is a combination of our inclinations, habits, and our outward appearance. According to research, habits are the key to success. Those who have good habits tend to have a higher proportion of progress.
Tom Corley was well aware of the difference between a rich and a poor person. When Tom was nine years old, his mansion-like house burned down to ashes due to a devastating fire, and his millionaire family became homeless overnight. After this incident, Tom’s family spent 14 years in extreme poverty but managed to struggle through it.
When Tom became conscious, he started to wonder how someone becomes rich, and how someone remains poor. To unravel this mystery, Tom researched the lives and daily routines of 233 wealthy individuals and 128 poor individuals. Tom’s five years of hard work on this research culminated in the publication of a book in 2010. The name of the book is ‘Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals.’
RICH HABITS: The Daily Success Habits Of Wealthy Individuals.
This book remained on the bestseller list for three years in America. In this book, Tom revealed that people’s daily habits determine success or failure. He identified 300 such daily habits that create a distinction between the rich and poor classes. Recently, Tom Corley has come up with another book titled ‘Change Your Habits, Change Your Life.’
Through these books, American author and motivational speaker, Thomas C. Corley, offers an article for young readers.
The literal meaning of Aadat in English is “habit”. It refers to repeatedly doing a task, such that it becomes a part of our personality. Habits are like a rope that we begin weaving as a thin thread, but with repetition, it becomes thicker until it turns into a rope. Whenever we repeat an action, we strengthen our habit. Habits become chains that bind us, and eventually, we become a product of our habits.
Psychologists believe that most of our behaviors are formed by our habits. According to a study by Duke University, 40% of our actions during the day are not a result of our decision but our habits. Our personality is the sum of our tendencies, habits, and outward appearance. Our daily habits determine our success or failure. Good habits are the key to success, and people with good habits tend to have a higher proportion of success.
Just as our physical health is dependent on our daily habits, our financial health is also dependent on the decisions we make daily. Healthy habits, such as eating well and exercising, keep us fit. Similarly, certain habits can help us become financially stable and successful.
What do you do daily to increase your bank account? If you cannot answer this question, it’s time to adopt some new habits into your life.
If you want to become rich and successful, take note of those who have already achieved this goal. Here, we have mentioned some habits of people who have become billionaires through their hard work. By learning about them, you will realize that you do not necessarily need dramatic changes in your life to achieve success. Just by incorporating some simple things into your daily routine, you can achieve a lot.
So, let’s find out about the common habits of successful and wealthy people, and by making them a part of your life, you too can walk on the path of success like them.
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They wake up early in the morning:
This proves an old saying right: ‘early birds catch the worm.’ If you are someone who is in the habit of waking up late in the morning, you can suffer greatly. You may miss your classes, arrive late for work, and cannot schedule any business meetings in the morning because you know you won’t be able to wake up early.
This way, you will miss many opportunities that could have led you to success. Remember that if you start your morning in the right way, your whole day will be good. Successful people start their morning with the best practices and positive habits.
Wake up in the morning when everyone else is sleeping may seem difficult in the beginning, but 90% of successful people in the world follow this habit. The morning time is best for utilizing your creative abilities. Nothing disturbs your work during this time, and you can peacefully accomplish big tasks. Waking up early in the morning gives you extra hours in the day, and you can complete many tasks. You can prepare yourself mentally and physically to go to your office or any other work.
Most of the world’s wealthy people are habitual early risers. For example, American President Barack Obama, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey wakes up at 5 am, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson wakes up at 5:45 am, and many other famous names are part of this list. According to research by Tom Corley, approximately 50% of successful and wealthy individuals wake up 3 hours earlier than their work time.
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They keep themselves active:
If you wake up early in the morning but still feel sleepy and lazy, then there is no point in waking up early. The best way to get rid of sleepiness and gain instant energy is to exercise. It is not necessary to do any heavy exercise. A light walk is also sufficient. Morning exercise opens up the closed organs of your body and they perform their functions in the best way possible.
Most successful people do not limit themselves to a lazy lifestyle but prefer to stay physically active. They exercise for at least an hour daily, which enhances their creative ability. According to Tom Corley, 76% of wealthy and successful people exercise for four days a week, while 66% of rich people exercise for at least 30 minutes daily by doing jogging, yoga, cycling, aerobics, etc., whereas only 23% of poor people follow this practice. Therefore, do not compromise your health. Light exercise and healthy food are both essential for success and a happy lifestyle. Take out 30 minutes from your 24 hours for your body and health. As they say, precaution is better than regret. If you stay healthy, your money will stay in your pocket instead of going to the doctor.
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Successful people take care of themselves:
Most of the world’s wealthy and successful individuals practice self-care on a daily basis. Tom Corley has listed several politicians, business figures, famous actors and athletes, doctors, journalists, academic scholars, and authors among those who practice self-care.
{The young picture of Apple founder Steve Jobs, who had a specially designed room for meditation, is a reminder of his youth. }
Many wealthy and successful people around the world practice daily mindfulness, including politicians such as the former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, and business personalities such as Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Apple founder Steve Jobs, Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, and LinkedIn’s Jeff Weiner. Others include HuffPost editor Arianna Huffington, Ford Chairman Bill Ford, Google Dot Org founder Larry Brilliant, and celebrities like Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Emma Watson, Jim Carrey, Clint Eastwood, Cameron Diaz, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eva Mendes, Megan Fox, Hojiak Min, Jennifer Aniston, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
They consider mindfulness an important tool for their success. Ray Dalio, the founder of one of the world’s largest fund companies, Bridgewater Associates, says that “Meditation, more than anything in my life, was the biggest ingredient of whatever success I’ve had.”
“My observation is important to me in every aspect of my life. So far, whatever success I have achieved, a large part of it is due to observation,” experts say that there are multiple mental and physical health benefits to meditation, ranging from improved memory to a stronger immune system. Keeping these benefits in mind, more than 500 companies like Google, Apple, AOL, and Etsy offer special meditation programs for their workforce.
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No compromise on health:
As we have previously mentioned, exercise and healthy eating are both considered essential for success and a happy lifestyle. Poor dietary habits have a detrimental effect on health and fortune. According to Tom Corley’s research, 57% of business people choose their food based on calories. 70% of wealthy people consume less fast food. On the other hand, 97% of poor individuals use unhealthy foods and end up suffering from various diseases. In contrast, wealthy or successful individuals adopt healthy eating habits, exercise, sleep for seven or more hours, and practice dental hygiene.
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The habit of reading:
Former US President Harry Truman is famous for saying, “It’s not essential to be a leader, but it’s essential to read like one.” American billionaire businessman Warren Buffett was asked how he achieved success, to which he replied, “The more you learn, the more you earn.”
“Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.” -Warren Buffet
Most successful people in the world are book lovers. Warren Buffet, who reads between 500 to 1000 pages daily, spends 80% of his time reading. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has been a book enthusiast since childhood and completes 50 books every year. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg dedicated the year 2015 to books and now reads one book every two weeks. Many other names are also part of this list.
According to Tom Corley, 88% of wealthy and successful individuals read non-fiction or career-related books for at least 30 minutes every day, while this percentage is only 2% among poor people.
63% of children from wealthy households read two to three books per month, while this percentage is only 3% among children from poor households.
Set aside just 30 minutes for reading every day. You don’t have to read difficult literature, you can also read light books on professional careers.
Most of the world’s wealthy people read newspapers or keep themselves informed through news websites. However, many individuals only read headlines or news related to their interests or pages during breakfast.
It is recommended to make reading a quick newspaper a habit during breakfast. Stay informed about current events before leaving the house. If you do not read the news, you will be uninformed.
Interestingly, according to a study by Tom Corley, most business people do not check their emails or messages immediately after waking up. They tend to do this mostly after breakfast, exercise, or monitoring.
According to Thomas Corley’s research, 67% of the world’s most successful people avoid watching TV for more than an hour, and some do not watch it at all because they know they can do something productive during that time.
Only 23% of poor individuals watch TV for less than an hour, while 6% of wealthy individuals watch reality shows, and 78% of poor individuals watch them avidly. According to the research, 77% of unsuccessful individuals spend more time watching television, while successful individuals spend very little time on it.
Daily Goals List:
Successful and wealthy individuals know what they need to do every day after waking up in the morning. According to Tom Corley, 81% of successful and business-oriented personalities arrange their daily goals list and 67% of them review this list every day.
Make a list of tasks that you have to complete throughout the day. Do this when you wake up in the morning. This will not only make it easier for you to manage your tasks but also help you set a target for yourself of completing certain tasks by the end of the day.
Remember that just making long-term plans is not enough; you also need to set short-term and daily goals. At the end of the day, look at your goals and see how many tasks you have completed and which factors helped you achieve them. Try to make a priority list for your tasks for the coming days. When you see that you have completed all these tasks, you will feel a sense of satisfaction.
Successful and wealthy individuals not only make daily plans but also make long-term plans. Create a clear purpose for your life and move forward step by step every day to achieve it.
Remember that rich and successful people do not reach that position overnight. Their success is the result of years of hard work, sleepless nights, and challenging days that are usually not visible to others. 62% of successful people daily work on their long-term plans to achieve their goals.
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Common lifestyle:
You must already know that money doesn’t grow on trees. You have to work hard for it. Even if you become successful in earning wealth, it doesn’t mean that you start spending excessively. In reality, some of the richest people in the world prefer to live modest life. For example, the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, who has a net worth of $68.6 billion, doesn’t like to spend on fancy clothes and cars. He wears the same grey t-shirt multiple times and drives an inexpensive car. If you search for images of Mark Zuckerberg on Google, you will mostly see him wearing a simple grey t-shirt. His wardrobe doesn’t consist of expensive suits, only plain grey t-shirts, and hoodies.
A similar situation existed with Apple’s founder Steve Jobs. He was often seen wearing the same black shirt at various events. Successful and wealthy individuals usually spend less time thinking about their appearance, which is why they prefer simplicity. Their focus is on bigger goals, so they don’t waste their time on thoughts like “what should I wear today?”. By avoiding aimless shopping trips and wasting time and energy on new clothes, they can use their time and resources to create new innovations and engage in other purposeful activities.
the billionaire business magnate manages his own investments.
Despite being a billionaire, Warren Buffett does not keep a mobile phone, computer, or any other electronic gadgets with him. Carlos Slim Helú, a Mexican billionaire businessman, lives in a house with only six rooms and drives himself. The CEO of the famous Chinese store Huawei, David Green, prefers traveling by car instead of space travel. Bill Gates used to travel by commercial flights for years. On the other hand, 95% of poor people drown in debt rather than savings. Spreading their feet more than their sheet becomes a cause of financial pressure for them, so they decrease their living standards.
Pursuing your Dreams
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once said that in order to achieve what you love, you have to work hard to figure out what it is that you want to do. If you haven’t found your purpose, try to discover it, and don’t hold yourself back. Other experts also say that no one can succeed in life if they continue to do something they don’t enjoy.
If you want to be successful, do what you love. This means striving to achieve your personal goals. Many people make the mistake of interpreting other people’s dreams.
Always choose the path that you like. Keeping a job that you hate not only stresses you out and makes you unhappy, but it also negatively affects your chances of success or becoming wealthy. In fact, pursuing your dreams is the key to success.
Means(Source) of Income:
Successful people don’t just rely on one source of income, they strive to explore multiple means of income. They either search for the best possible option or invest in a business venture. Investing is an effective way to generate additional income, and the earlier you start, the better the benefits.
On average, millionaires invest 20% of their annual income. Such individuals don’t count their wealth based on their annual income but on their savings and investments. You can start with 10% and work your way up if you want to succeed in life. However, research suggests that people generally feel comfortable with a limited threshold and are hesitant to exceed it. Successful people, on the other hand, are not easily troubled even in uncertain circumstances.
They are self-employed:
Self-employment is also a habit that is found among millionaires. They determine their own salaries and work. Mark Zuckerberg is a great example of this, as he recruited himself to Facebook after introducing it in 2004. Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snap Inc., is also on the list. Such people do not prefer to work in a strict and conventional manner, which means they do not work as much as their office or factory demands, but they work as much as they are capable of doing.
Welfare activities:
Wealthy individuals wield influence over the world through their wealth. They not only take from the world but also give back through philanthropic activities, often through agricultural initiatives or other businesses or financial institutions. Bill Gates and numerous billionaires have announced that they will use their wealth for the greater good of humanity.
These individuals include Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, Carlos Slim, Andrew Carnegie, Nelson Rockefeller, and a Saudi prince, among many others. At the age of 83, Warren Buffett was the world’s richest businessman in 2008 with an estate worth $62 billion. However, in 2009, he donated so much to agricultural organizations that his net worth decreased to $37 billion, causing him to drop to second place on the list.
Saving money is a useful skill for becoming wealthy, but if you want to become truly rich, the first investment you need to make is in yourself.
Savings, but at what cost?
Warren Buffett, a famous businessman with a total net worth of $107.1 billion, says that having the ability to save money is crucial to becoming wealthy, but if you want to become rich, the first investment you need to make is in yourself.
“Do not save what is left from after spending, but spend what is left after saving.” – Warren Buffet
“After spending money, don’t save what’s left, but spend it on what remains after saving.”
When it comes to savings, there is a more comprehensive saying than this. In reality, when we earn one rupee, we first start paying off others. From rent to electricity bills and gas bills, we pay everything else off first. Then, whatever is left, we pay ourselves – that is, we save.
The most important step to becoming rich is to save first and then look towards expenses. The initial formula should always be to set aside at least 10% of your income and manage your financial transactions with the rest. The habit of sufficiency can quickly put you in the ranks of the rich. Therefore, reduce your unnecessary expenses and save as much money as possible, but not with stinginess.
There is no doubt that saving is very important for increasing your wealth but do not think so much about your income that you start to ignore it. The sign of those who climb the ranks of wealth is that they never lose focus on earning. It would be correct to say that you can get your essential items cheaper from one place, but also consider how much valuable time you wasted going there and coming back. That time could have been spent earning. So, think about whether you are saving enough or not.
Never Give Up
One common thing among all the successful and wealthy people that Thomas Corley has researched is that they have all failed at least once in their lives, but they never let failure get the better of them. They know that failure is a part of success.
Jack Ma, the richest man in China, a famous businessman, and owner of the internet company “Alibaba” with assets worth $23.1 billion is living proof of this. 15 years ago, he was an English teacher in a school in China, earning only about $2,000 a month. When he started looking for better employment opportunities, he faced failure, to the extent that even a restaurant of the FCC denied him employment. It is worth remembering that Jack is the same person who failed the entrance exam twice in college. But he never gave up and kept trying.
Today, he is the 70th richest person in the world. Alibaba provides online buying and selling services to people and 80% of online transactions in China are done through Alibaba.
If you want to be rich, want to see yourself successful, or want to go far in life, then know that there will be many stages where you will face uncertainty and failure. Those who have a successful mindset realize from the beginning that becoming a millionaire or billionaire is not easy, so they work hard and ultimately achieve their goal.
New Day, New Hope!
Every new sunrise brings new hopes and opportunities. Never think that today is a bad day. It’s possible that something better is waiting for you at the end of the day. If there is a day that you think is bad, don’t dwell on it too much. Tomorrow will surely bring something better for you. Stay away from disappointment and despair and try to be happy in every situation.
As you think, so does time behave. It’s up to you whether you think positively or negatively. Don’t just make positive thinking a habit, but adopt it as a way of life. If you eliminate the negative thoughts and factors that limit your mental abilities from your routine, you will see how quickly you can achieve success. Adopt a passionate and friendly attitude and welcome every new opportunity related to your progress. Long-term success is only possible when your thoughts are positive. Many people don’t realize whether their thoughts are positive or negative. If you stop listening to your thoughts, you will become aware of this.
Tom Corley found in his research that positive thinking is the hallmark of successful people. Long-term success is only possible if you possess a positive mindset.
Positive thinking, positive talking!
The majority of successful people have a positive mindset and included individuals with positive thinking in their circle of friends. Successful individuals prefer to be with intelligent individuals like themselves, according to experts. Your social status is a reflection of the social status of your close friends, according to experts.
According to Thomas C. Corley, all wealthy people share one common trait: they try to stay away from pessimistic individuals and do not allow them to come close to them, no matter what the cost. You can only be as successful as the people you frequently interact with.
Successful and wealthy individuals often like to surround themselves with people who are optimistic, enthusiastic, and have a positive mindset and who are successful and like-minded as they are, and their attention is always focused on achieving their goals. Thomas Corley further writes that in my research on wealthy people, 86% of them associate with individuals who are successful and stay away from those with a negative mindset.
Collaborate and Work Together!
Studying the lives of most successful people reveals that they never achieve success alone but rather, they collaborate with like-minded people to achieve success. Generally, it has been observed that those who do not understand you take advantage of your abilities with reluctance.
The presence of such individuals in your vicinity creates mental pressure and frustration. That is why successful individuals surround themselves with people who have a positive outlook and support them, not pull them down.
Time Ahead:
On average, people want to earn as much as the time they give to work. However, remember that there are only 24 hours in a day, out of which you can work for a maximum of 18 hours. Even if you can earn 1000 rupees per hour, you cannot go beyond 18,000. In contrast, wealthy people receive payment based on results. You can also understand that they earn more than those who work hard and those who know the art of doing the work quickly and better. According to experts, the rate of being rich is higher among people who present their services to various individuals or organizations and earn income from the results presented.
Self-upgrading:
The best way to achieve your dreams and aspirations is to enhance your talents by noting down your dreams. Talent addition is a guarantee of a certain future. If you want to gradually progress in your job and get a good salary, it is essential to keep upgrading your abilities in terms of time and technology. Learn something new about your work and learn the art of improving it better and better.
Regular Listening Habits:
Just as speaking well is an art, consistently concentrating on listening is also an important and unique art. Successful people are good listeners. Understanding what people want from you by listening and comprehending it correctly is one of the habits of successful and wealthy people. For example, if you are starting a new business, less talking and more listening can be the key to your success. By improving your listening and comprehension skills, you can learn from others and be able to help people around you.
Advice:
The fear of criticism keeps people away from the suggestions or recommendations of others, but it is an essential thing that can be helpful in learning. This way, it becomes clear what not to do, and it is also evident whether you are on the right track or not. Accepting criticism, whether good or bad, is an essential element for learning and progressing. Successful people always seek advice from their elders or colleagues before starting any work or they even sit alone and seek advice from themselves. Even after completing their work, they continue to seek feedback.
Retirement is not for everyone. Many people want to earn money so that they can save it for retirement and live a comfortable life after they retire, but successful people do not think about retirement. They do not even consider retiring until they are at least 70 years old. Many wealthy people continue to work even after they retire from their positions.
According to a Gallup poll, in the 1990s, people in the United States retired at an average age of 57 years, but now the retirement age has increased to 65 years. Financially successful individuals actually feel comfortable in work because they are used to working hard.
There are no shortcuts:
A common person thinks that being rich is a special reward or luck that only a few lucky individuals get. The truth is, in this era of science and technology and capital, there are many opportunities for you to become rich, but you need to show the right direction, hard work, and planning. There are no shortcuts to success and becoming wealthy.
Most of the world’s successful and wealthy businesspeople do not rely on the lottery or gambling. Only 6% of wealthy people have the habit of gambling or playing the lottery. Meanwhile, 77% of poor people believe that they can become rich by winning the lottery or gambling. Successful people say that attention and hard work can make you wealthy more quickly than winning the lottery.
People become used to habits:
Extremely successful people have unusual work ethics and habits. They are accustomed to working hard and doing whatever it takes to achieve their goals. They often say that it is important to work hard and set goals, but it is also important to take breaks and recharge your batteries. They find what works for them and continue to follow that routine, which eventually becomes a habit.
Habits of Successful People:
- They know when to move forward.
- They use their fears or doubts to increase their determination.
- They understand that failure is a part of success.
- They train their minds to see the positive in everything.
- They remain committed to their goals.
- They don’t take things personally.
- They believe in themselves.
- They don’t try to interfere with things beyond their control.
- They consider themselves lifelong learners.
- They avoid things they don’t want to do.
- They celebrate the happiness and success of others.
- They are always willing to help without a specific motive.
- They don’t adopt an apologetic attitude for their unique style.
- They accept that they can’t change everything.
Read Also: The Secret to Success.
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