one wake up early the most successful individuals have a habit of waking up before dawn in fact a study found that half of them wake up at least three hours before the beginning of their work day adopting this strategy gives you the chance to tackle some of your tasks for the day in a quiet environment free from distractions thomas corley writes in his book change your habits change your life that waking up at 5 am to work on the top three things you want to accomplish allows you to regain control of your life it gives you a sense of confidence that you truly are the one directing your life the notion that early birds perform better in school which gets them enrolled in better schools which then opens doors of opportunities has for a long time been supported by research according to christoph randler from the university of education in heidelberg germany the rich and successful claim that the exact moment you wake up isn't as important as what you do after that it's all about how you manage your time and making the most out of it two live within your means the term living within your means means that the amount of money you spend every month is less than or at least equal to what you're earning at the end of the month of course this is so much harder for some more than others loans credit cards savings and emergency funds might give you the leeway to spend more than you earn but to what end this kind of lifestyle just messes you up in the end one sure way that rich people use to avoid overspending is paying their future selves first they save a fraction of their income say 20 and live on the rest a majority of those who are struggling financially are actually living above their own means they spend more than they earn and end up crushed under a pile of debt learning how to live below or within your means saves you from suffering financially and gives you a sense of ease that's present as a result of financial freedom three make a habit of reading learning and educating yourself is one of the steps you can take towards having a hold on your finances rich and successful people like warren buffett and elon musk saw the value of reading from earlier on and haven't ceased even though they are so high up the financial ladder the reason why successful people read is to improve themselves doing so sets them apart from competitors broadening their knowledge opens them up to new opportunities which means more money one of the reasons why the poor don't grow professionally and are among the first to be sacked or demoted is they don't read turns out only one in 50 of those struggling financially read to improve themselves mark cuban talks about how he would buy and read business related books that would be of any help in his autobiography the small fortune he would spend was only a small price to pay for all the nuggets of wisdom he received drew houston speaks about how he would spend most weekends reading books on sales business and marketing you're so much more valuable to co-workers clients or customers if you read information that will expand your knowledge about your business 88 of wealthy people read for at least half an hour on a daily basis and there's more than one way to go about it some listen to audiobooks on their way to and from work some read for self-development others biographies of successful people current affairs histories and some read for pure entertainment biographies of successful people are really great because they help us learn from people's very own success stories get your hands on books about success people skills and anything else that might be related to wealth and success you won't regret it before we continue i'd like to know are you getting any value so far if you are kindly like this video and go ahead and click subscribe done good let's move on 4. controlling your emotions just because you have a particular thought or opinion in mind it doesn't mean you have to say it out loud not every thought has to escape from your mouth nor does every emotion need to be expressed funny enough loose lips is a habit for those who are struggling financially 94 of the wealthy on the other hand keep their feelings in check they're more than most aware of the repercussions of giving voice to what they think out of anger or resentment they know how feelings can destroy relationships both personal and professional it would be wise to take time to cool off before reacting to certain situations fear is one of the hardest emotions to control we constantly fear change making errors failure and taking risks but once we learn to conquer them we get confidence that allows us to go for what we want 5. networking associating with people allows you to build valuable relationships that might help you reach your financial goals in the future networking is crucial in your climb to the peak of success as it helps to develop and improve your skill set be on top of the latest trends in your industry keep an eye on the job market meet prospective mentors partners clients and access resources that will nurture your career development networking will not only help you land a job faster but if done right it can also give you an upper hand throughout every stage of your career steve siebold self-made millionaire and author of how rich people think says that your net worth is a reflection of your closest friends we become like the people we associate with and it's for this reason winners are attracted to winners where you immerse yourself deeply matters 6.
do things on time avoid procrastination whether you realize it or not procrastination is a big reason why you're struggling financially in life the rich and successful understand that procrastinating impairs quality leads to dissatisfied employees and clients and also wrecks non-business-related relationships the bright side about procrastination is that you can overcome it and doing so isn't as difficult as many people painted out to be it's believed that the voice of procrastination screams just as loud and clear in the minds of those who soar in life as it does in the minds of those who do not how they silence it you ask it's quite simple those who excel in life depend on to-do lists to get things done they create distinct deadlines and meet with partners who are also accountable most of us fall into the trap of procrastination but fighting it goes a long way the more you push things aside the more they pile up and this just overwhelms you even more to quote the actor christopher parker procrastination is like a credit card it's a lot of fun until you get the bill 7. talk less and listen more for every minute that you speak another 5 should be spent listening the wealthy are good communicators because they're good listeners and according to most rich and successful individuals you learn more by listening than you do when talking richard branson self-made billionaire and founder of virgin airlines believes that to make it in the entrepreneurial world you'll need to listen more than you talk he says that he spends as much time as possible listening to the people he meets wherever he goes he's always astonished by what new and useful information he can get just by keeping his ears open he suggests taking down notes the next time you're in a meeting or having a conversation instead of taking over it there's so much you miss out on if you don't listen billion dollar buyer host tillman fertitta also agrees with this and says that great listening skills is one of the qualities he looks for in young entrepreneurs so take the advice of these wealthy individuals be a little stingy with your words but more receptive to what others have to say after all we were given two ears and one mouth for a reason eight associate with the right people avoid those who are toxic we're only as successful as the people we spend most of our time with if you want to grow financially take a step back and evaluate your relationship determine which ones are actually building you up and which ones are holding you back cut ties with those who don't have the same ambition from you and see the difference the rich are well aware of the importance of surrounding themselves with other like-minded individuals they spend their time with other people who also have talent drive and the potential to become successful they spend their time getting to know them at gatherings events and conferences or even grabbing lunch or a coffee with someone who's interesting this is time well spent as it keeps their minds focused on success and allows them to interact with new people who have bright fresh thought-provoking ideas they also get contacts from influential people in the process who help them out at some point 9. invest in pay off debt the sole reason to save money is to invest it in the future how much you save and invest is actually more important than the size of your paycheck as mentioned earlier millionaires invest at least 20 percent of their income annually and their wealth is measured by how much they've saved and invested over time and not the amount they make there are two things you must do to achieve financial freedom firstly you have to commit to paying off any and all debt begin by identifying which ones should be cleared before investing and handling them first the second thing is to make saving and investing your highest financial priority in your life funds invested properly in interest-bearing savings accounts and stocks can generate passive income which is key when it comes to getting rich with passive income money comes in without you having to get out of bed in the morning for you to be rich you have to scrub the idea that it's much easier to make money when you're older out of your mind the opposite is actually true make the money right now and use it to decrease your loans so that as you get older you're free of debt and have cleared your mortgage 10.
