This is a re-run of a post earlier in 2016. Since I have some rather unorthodox readers, many of whom I wish would NOT read my blog (and who are proudly in the lower rung of one percenters), reruns of blog posts are in order.
Anyway, I am not sure where this material came from. I came across it while living in Australia. I apologize to whoever wrote it and will quickly attribute ownership once I find out. So, in the meantime, please know that I do not claim authorship.
In my life, I have come to see several different characteristics which help to define the rich, the one percenters, if you will, quite apart from their money, which of course is difference enough. But you know what? They could easily LOSE that wealth, so to the extent they hold onto it, they must be doing something right. I have also come to the conclusion that many of the 1% class are as close as your next door neighbor. They need not live in Beverly Hills or the McMansion on the hill over there.
Here are 22 of the common characteristics that I have found. I don’t for one minute believe that all 22 operate at the same time, or even that all 22 form a complete list. But they are surely emblematic of many of the richer people I have known. Wealthy individuals tend to have many things in common.
1. They set achievable and specific goals.
More than 60% of rich people who took part in a recent research study agreed that they focus on their goals on a daily basis. What’s more, the goals they set themselves are achievable through specific physical actions, so they know exactly what separates them from achieving it.
2. They create to-do lists and review them daily.
To come closer to their goals, rich people spend time creating to-do lists and maintaining them every day. Whatever you want to accomplish, there’s a certain amount of task work you need to do in order to get there. This is what a rich person makes sure to determine. With that knowledge, they commit to work on it day after day, with no excuses.
3. They take care of their bodies.
To fully focus on their ambitions, they need functional and efficient bodies. Through a healthy diet, regular exercises and treating the body as a temple, they accelerate the progress, stay in shape, avoid laziness and separate themselves from the crowd.
4. They read daily and they love it.
Rich people don’t only feed themselves with healthy food, but they also feed their minds with wisdom and information. Almost 90% of the wealthy people we surveyed agreed they love reading. Mostly, it’s self-improvement books and nonfiction, which serve as a great source of inspiration and knowledge.
5. They listen to audiobooks while commuting.
Instead of blasting pop music while being on the road, rich people listen to audiobooks so the mind is always in the mood for achieving extraordinary results. Let’s say you spend an hour a day in traffic. If you devote it to audiobooks or podcasts, that could mean an extra 365 hours of self-improvement time in a year.
6. They are the hardest workers in the room.
When asked for the secrets of success, Dwayne Johnson (The Rock?), once and famously said, “there’s no secret sauce. It’s always being the hardest worker in the room which brings you one step closer to making your dreams a reality.”
7. They make family life a priority.
A rich person knows best what money can and cannot buy. That’s why they give so much value to the family time, something which they consider priceless. They realize – whereas money can always be made – there’s a limited amount of time they can spend with their families. That’s why they make it a priority.
8. They respect their time and spend it wisely.
In a world full of distractions, it’s easy to lose track of your time. It’s something rich people never let happen. They realize that time, once wasted, is gone forever; that’s why it’s such a precious resource for them.
9. They surround themselves with positive-minded people.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” said Jim Rohn. Indeed. Letting naysayers influence your thoughts and actions is out of the question for a wealthy person. To protect themselves from negative people, they make sure their surroundings motivate them to further growth. They do not let others set the table, nor do they allow others to bully them.
10. They pay attention to their habits.
Your habits form who you become. If you eat junk, practice negative talking, and spend your time mindlessly, there’s likely no bright future ahead of you. Wealthy individuals select their habits carefully so that they only practice ones that contribute value to their lives.
11. They learn how the world of finances functions.
Nowadays, the right financial knowledge is the key to survive without getting lost in debt and other financial commitments. Rich people devote time to become the financial experts, so in the end, their money works for them and not vice versa. They know precisely where there money is and what it is doing. I recall someone asking Bob Hope once (at a time when he was among the richest people in the world), if he knew roughly how much he was worth. His answer? “I know precisely how much I am worth.”
12. They don’t believe in financial luck.
Money is made through hard work combined with creativity, market-research, and other factors, but pure lack is definitely not among the most important ones. That’s why wealthy people avoid lotteries and gambling. Frankly, they leave such inanity to the poor. They still take financial risks, but they are calculated.
13. They don’t spend more than they earn.
If you make $1,000,000 and you spend the same amount, you are still broke. Poor people tend to spend more than they make which is caused by short-term thinking. Wealthy people can extend the gratification in order to stay financially stable and make the future safe. I have also noticed that wealthy people drive American cars, buy those same cars used, and routinely drive them for more than 200,000 miles. In other words, their cars are not status symbols. Their bank accounts are.
14. They don’t watch TV.
Television is a huge time-suck with almost no value added to your life. It leads to a sedentary lifestyle, obesity and increases your chances of Type 2 Diabetes. Since rich people are always striving to eliminate bad habits, they make sure to replace TV with more creative sources of entertainment, like books.
15. They don’t give anyone responsibility for their lives.
“We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future, ” said George Bernard Shaw. People who can’t achieve anything significant in their lives tend to avoid the responsibility for their future. There’s always some external factor to blame. Contrasted against that mindset is that which is held by the achievers, who always take the blame and learn from their mistakes.
16. They don’t follow the flow.
Thinking differently is mandatory. There’s no way to achieve extraordinary results through regular actions and ordinary thinking. Rich people aren’t afraid to dream big and break the rules and dogmas to accomplish something. As I look back on 2016 and my experiences dreaming big and breaking rules, this one characteristic resonated with me. Sadly, many people in the academy do not wish to break rules (many of which they themselves have set) or to counter the prevailing dogma (all of which those self-same people have authored).
17. They don’t miss opportunities.
To ensure they squeeze as much as possible from what life throws at them, rich people put themselves in the right place at the right time. They realize some chances are game-changing experiences. This is the kind of thing that happens when you aren’t watching TV or listening to rap music played at mind-blowing volumes.
18. They don’t rely on formal education.
But, to be fair, they are indeed WELL educated. Wealthy individuals are life-long learners. They treat self-growth as a never-ending process and they fully enjoy it. Cultivating the mind is achieved through a broad variety of experiences.
19. Thoughts influence their actions.
Negative thinking is especially dangerous when you decide to believe in excuses and rationalizations. Your brain wants you to stay in the comfort zone, so it will spare no effort to convince you that you can’t. The key to success is to let these thoughts fade away and replace them with powerful reasons to believe in yourself.
20. They don’t say yes all the time.
Saying no at the right moment is a powerful skill which brings health, wealth and happiness. One the other hand, if you practice saying yes way too often, you are more likely to get off the track and waste your time on unnecessary commitments. Rich people know there are plenty of things you don’t need to say yes to.
21. They don’t focus entirely on the money.
Opposed to common misconceptions, money isn’t what matters the most on the long road to getting rich. Using their capital and influence, wealthy individuals want to change the world for the better, contribute to the society and simply experience the life like most people can’t. Bill Gates is the wealthiest person on the planet. But he’s also one of the most generous people. He gives back a lot of his money and he decided to donate the majority of his wealth to philanthropic causes when he dies.
22. They don’t give up.
Never, ever give up. Getting rich isn’t an overnight process. It takes a lot of time and effort to go through the path full of obstacles and failures to finally meet your goals. The key is to stay persistent, practice self-belief, and never ever give up. In 2016, with the help of some really neat people, I did not give up and am pursuing some mighty lofty goals including helping people in need, writing more (rather than less, or not at all in the case of some), and continuing to challenge the dogma.
