If you want to get wealthy, get used to being uncomfortable. Now, I know that sounds negative but the truth is you become more confident and resilient when you step out of your comfort zone. That is what life is all about. So many people in their old age regret not taking more risks and seeing life as an adventure.
You need to learn to operate in a constant state of uncertainty and accept it without telling yourself you can’t cope. I see so many clients who have beliefs that limit them – “I would never cope” or “I will do anything to avoid feeling bad, scared, or worried”. Distress intolerance is one of the biggest reasons why people fail.
Stepping outside of your comfort zone could mean taking a job you feel unqualified for, learning a new skill or calling up people for advice. After all, self-made millionaire Bobbi Brown and entrepreneur Koel Thomae both started their successful careers by cold-calling.
Consider the experience as an enlightening growth phase and congratulate yourself on living life instead of giving in to your fears and avoiding challenges. You are going to fail but who cares? Welcome to the club – at least you are making the most of your life and experimenting! Fantastic – keep up the good work.
As self-made billionaire Richard Branson says, “nobody gets everything right the first time. Business is like a giant game of chess — you have to learn quickly from your mistakes. Successful entrepreneurs don’t fear failure; they learn from it and move on.”
Lack of funding, lack of expertise, and connections are regularly cited as the biggest barriers to starting businesses. Of course, those who come from wealthy families or have a solid start in life aren’t typically self-made.
According to Steve Siebold, “Building wealth is a learnable skill. If you work at it, you can improve. “Like most things in life, becoming good at attracting money is no different than becoming good at anything else, be it being a sub-par golfer, losing weight or mastering a second language,” he writes in “How Rich People Think.”
So what do wealthy successful people do differently?
They take risks but have good self control
There is no way around taking risks if you want to be successful in business.
Millionaires try a lot of different things, knowing that a lot of them will fail. they know that failure is just part of the process of discovering what will truly work to build more wealth.
The billionaire Jack Cowin, who brought fast food to Australia, states “You have to take the risk to achieve something that is worthwhile. If you don’t take some risk, then you’ll have moderate success, if any. If it doesn’t require risk, it’s not an opportunity.”
Interestingly, billionaires don’t see intelligence as a prerequisite for their extraordinary business success. They stress that entrepreneurs are adventurous rather than intelligent.
It’s easier to take risks at the beginning as you have less to lose when you don’t have much capital. Be adventurous and do your research but don’t let fear stop you from moving forward.
So what is the winning formula with regard to risk?
It’s quite straightforward: take calculated risks with the best risk/reward ratio instead of “betting the shop.” In other words, take the risks you can afford that have the greatest upside and the smallest downside.
They’re ‘all over’ personal development and self-improvement
From counselors, therapists and mentors to life coaches and personal trainers. The wealthy invest in themselves. Their emotional and cognitive resources are just as important as their financial resources (if not more important).
Self-made millionaires are thinkers. They don’t bumble through life – they have a plan. They asked questions such as “What can I do to make more money?” “Does my job make me happy?” “Am I exercising enough?” and “What other charities can I get involved in?”
Thomas C. Corley, the author of “Change Your Habits, Change Your Life,” spent five years researching the daily habits of 177 self-made millionaires and found they devoted at least 30 minutes every day each to exercising and reading. Millionaires tend to read three types of books, he said: biographies of successful people, self-help or personal development, and history.
Self-awareness, learning, and growing are an intense focus for successful individuals. They constantly think about ways to work smarter.
Being rich can also be psychological richness. It is an achievement of being able to live without the worry of money.
They’re independent thinkers
Wealthy successful individuals have incredible self-belief and follow their own ideas rather than listening to everyone else. They consider opinions but they ultimately make their own choices. Entrepreneurial individuals tune into their instincts and have faith in their own abilities.
Feedback is important and self-made millionaires aren’t put off by criticism. Instead, they use this to fuel them and adapt their strategies where necessary.
They are disciplined
I’ll be the first to admit that I HATE getting up early. I am working to improve this but I work around it most of the time.
You don’t need to be perfect before you start – just keep doing what you can but make sure you are consistently going in the right direction.
Wealthy successful people keep to a strict morning routine. Getting up at five in the morning to tackle the top three things you want to accomplish in your day allows you to regain control of your life,” Corley wrote. “It gives you a sense of confidence that you, indeed, direct your life.”
They allocate their time differently – allocate their time differently — they spend more time focusing on personal growth, planning for investments, and working, and less time sleeping.
They set goals and re-assess regularly
No debt – they are frugal and spend below what they earn. Spending above your means, spending instead of saving for retirement, spending in anticipation of becoming wealthy makes you a slave to the paycheck. Saving allows for investment. Invest in index funds. wealth-building is a long-term frame
Millionaires take personal responsibility, practice intentionality, are goal-oriented, and work hard.
Multiple streams of income and save save save
It’s worth considering what you can do in your spare time if you have been unable to leave your full-time job and pursue your ultimate career goals.
Passive income is a wonderful way for money to keep coming in, even while you sleep. Diverse investing is a great idea – never put all your ‘eggs in one basket’. Smart people have learned that the best way to build wealth is to turn your active income into multiple passive income machines.
Here are common types of income streams:
- Earned Income – This is your day job and it is most people’s main income source. You trade your time for money.
- Business Income – You own a business.
- Interest Income – This is income you make from lending your money out – crowdfunding schemes, savings accounts.
- Dividend Income – This is money that’s distributed as a result of owning shares of a company.
- Rental Income – You own something and you rent it out.
- Capital Gains – This is money earned when you sell an investment, like stocks. An example – Index Funds.
- Royalties / Licensing – You create a product, idea, or process, and you let someone use it. They pay you a small fee every time they do.
Experts recommend seven or more streams.
Resilience and perseverance
They don’t give up at the first hurdle. They accept failure is a part of life and a fantastic way to learn what not to do. Resiliency is a characteristic we all need at various points in our lives in order to cope with life’s challenges and emerge healthy, stronger and with increased self-awareness.
What is resilience exactly?
Resilience is the ability to emotionally recover after a personal/professional setback. Ideally, you learn something from this experience. Some people are born with this trait but it is something you can learn, hone and develop as a skill.
Counseling (especially Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) can help an individual to become more resilient especially if they engage well in the therapy sessions. Those who are not as resilient tend to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, workaholics, etc. that are used as an attempt to feel better—but actually make them feel worse.
Since my teens and early twenties, I have had to work on this too. Thankfully, I am much more capable of bouncing back quickly when it comes to my career/business, but still at times struggle to move forward as quickly in my personal life. I am a work in progress as they say!
Parents are role models and their children observe how they handle set-backs and difficulties. It’s never a good idea to hide the negative side of life as this doesn’t help children learn and witness recovery from tricky situations.
Self-awareness is key – know your triggers, strengths, and weaknesses. It takes discipline to look within, learn from experiences with others, and acknowledge what is and what isn’t within your control. Learn to let go of what you cannot control.
In summary:
Keep the faith, believe in yourself, and don’t listen to the nay-sayers. Stay focused and don’t give up. Don’t fear failure and accept feeling uncomfortable. Even when you have a set-back, take a deep breath – embrace the failure as a part of life and see what you can learn from it. Get up again and keep going in the right direction, even if you have to slow down at times.
Start today – small steps will begin the process – break down the steps and work through each step at a time….you’ve got this.
Mandy X
Photo by the blowup on Unsplash
References:
https://www.businessinsider.com/millionaire-habits-how-to-build-wealth-time-energy-money-2019-4?r=US&IR=T#they-put-more-energy-toward-personal-growth-activities-9
https://justentrepreneurs.co.uk/blog/how-billionaires-approach-risk
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/10/hard-things-you-have-to-do-if-you-want-to-be-rich.html
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
