Rich people and regular people do things differently. I had the grand epiphany that if we could find out what Richie Rich does on a regular basis, then all we would have to do is copy him and we’d be rich, right? I dunno. Let’s find out.
These are the habits of rich people that you’re likely not doing:
1. Rich people want to be rich.
I know. Thanks for the breaking news, Captain Obvious. But often it’s the most obvious answers that are the answer. I’m thinking of all five regular friends of mine right now (I have a five-regular-friend limit). None of them want to be rich. They may say they do, but they don’t really want to.
Here’s a quote that should encourage you:
“Nearly all rich and powerful people are not notably talented, educated, charming or good-looking. They become rich and powerful by wanting to be rich and powerful.”
—Paul Arden, It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be
2. Rich people hang out with other rich people.
They usually start doing this before they ever get rich. Have you ever seen the person you’re hanging out with yawn, and it makes you yawn? Well, when you see the person you’re hanging out with make a million dollars, it makes you make a million dollars. True story.
3. They stalk down many, many mentors and suck their brains dry like knowledge vampires.
Let’s take me for example, because I am super rich. I have multiple mentors for all the key areas in life that, when combined, equal sustainable holistic richness. And not just any mentors, mind you—the best mentors.
I have a business mentor. He’s a billionaire. His family invented the shopping mall.
I have a nutritional mentor. He has five Ph.D.s in biochemistry, neurobiology, nutrigenomics, human nutrition and something else no regular person would ever even think of having. He makes Dr. Oz look like… Dr. Oz.
I have a physical fitness mentor. He lives in New York City and trains strictly superstar pro athletes. I originally had to wear a Derek Jeter mask to get in with him. By the time he figured out I wasn’t the real Jeter I had already won him over with all my best CrossFit knock-knock jokes.
I have a spiritual mentor I meet with once a week at my house to ask the hardest questions anyone has ever asked him. He pastors an awesome church, has a doctorate in theology from the top seminary in America and got four books published. He is possibly the wisest man alive.
I have a psychological mentor—otherwise known as a shrink. He is the most insightful human being I’ve encountered to date. He thinks I’m there for inner healing. I’m actually there to see how he mind-twirks me so I can do it to other people.
I have a singing mentor so I can sing better in the shower and be prepared for when The Voice calls me. This is not a lie. I really have this.
And on, and on, and on.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Simply track down the wheel inventor and ask how they came up with that idea.
4. Rich people teach other people stuff rich people do.
What new thing did you learn today? Nothing? You suck. Take out a piece of paper, write today’s date on it and light it on fire. That is symbolic of what you just did with your day. You know you only get about 28,000 days, right? Then you die. Think about that. 27,999… 27,998…
Maybe don’t put the fire out and just let it burn your whole life to the ground. Because if you keep doing what you did today too many more times, that’s what going to happen.
Always be learning. And always be teaching other people what you just learned. It will both help you remember it better and make other people think you know things. Everything in this article? I just learned today. I am going to take out a piece of paper, write down today’s date, pour champagne and do a victory dance all over it.
5. Rich people connect rich people with other rich people.
I’m constantly telling winners about other winners. I just figure if someone is winning and they just helped me win something, they should be rewarded with free advertising from my mouth. This builds your goodwill account with lots of rich people. “What goes around comes around,” and all that. You do this often enough, and the whole world will love you and use their goodwill to make you rich.
6. They work like their lives depend on it.
Their lives do actually depend on it, of course. So this just makes rich people rational people. How many hours do you work every day? Double it. Or stop complaining.
7. They do what they’re good at.
What are you unusually good at? Get 100 times better at it and then reveal yourself to the world. Don’t forget to charge money for it.
8. Rich people do not work for what they would do for free because they love it so much.
That is literally the dumbest thing rich people have ever heard.
If rich people had all the money they wanted and could do anything they wanted with their time, they would lay on the beach and have a mai tai with an umbrella in it just like every other human being on planet Earth. Work, no matter what type of work, is a grind. Forget doing what you love. Do what you’re great at.
9. They save their money.
I used to not believe this. I made such an obscene amount of money at one point that I literally just thought I could make it infinitely. Then I stopped making it for some normal cyclical reason that shouldn’t have been surprising but was. That’s when I realized you have to save it. Save your money.
10. Rich people finish every single thing they start. Especially my articles.
Regular people start things and rarely finish. Rich people would rather bungee jump off a bridge with the bungee cord tied to a baby rabbit that’s not tied to anything than not finish something. I could be reading the worst book on earth, and I simply cannot bring myself to not finish it just because that’s how much I hate not finishing things. Start it? Finish it. Or just don’t start it at all.
This article was published in November 2015 and has been updated. Photo by oneinchpunch/Shutterstock
