9 Things Rich People Do Differently Every Day
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What you do today matters.
In fact, your daily habits may be a
major determinant of your wealth.
Corley spent five years studying the
lives of both rich people (defined as having an annual income of $160,000 or
more and a liquid net worth of $3.2 million or more) and poor people (defined
as having an annual income of $35,000 or less and a liquid net worth of $5,000
or less).
He managed to segment out what he
calls "rich habits" and "poverty habits," meaning the
tendencies of those who fit in each group. But, Corley explains, everyone has
some rich habits and some poverty habits. "The key is to get more than 50%
to be rich habits," he says.
And what are those rich habits that
are so influential? Here are a few:
Rich people always keep their goals
in sight.
"I focus on my goals every
day."
Rich people who agree: 62%
Poor people who agree: 6%
Not only do wealthy people set
annual and monthly goals, but 67% of them put those goals in writing. "It
blew me away," says Corley. "I thought a goal was a broad objective,
but the wealthy said a wish is not a goal." A goal is only a goal, he
says, if it has two things: It's achievable, and there's a physical action you
can take to pursue it.
And they know what needs to be done
today.
"I maintain a daily to-do
list."
Rich people who agree: 81%
Poor people who agree: 19%
Not only do the wealthy keep to-do
lists, but 67% of them complete 70% or more of those listed tasks each
day.
They don't watch TV.
"I watch TV one hour or less
per day."
Rich people who agree: 67%
Poor people who agree: 23%
Similarly, only 6% of the wealthy
watch reality shows, compared to 78% of the poor. "The common variable
among the wealthy is how they make productive use of their time," explains
Corley. "They wealthy are not avoiding watching TV because they have some
superior human discipline or willpower. They just don't think about watching
much TV because they are engaged in some other habitual daily behavior —
reading."
They read … but not for fun.
"I love reading."
Rich people who agree: 86%
Poor people who agree: 26%
Sure, rich people love reading, but
they favor nonfiction — in particular, self-improvement books. "The rich
are voracious readers on how to improve themselves," says Corley. In fact,
88% of them read for self-improvement
for 30 minutes each day, compared to 2% of poor people.
Plus, they're big into audio books.
"I listen to audio books during
the commute to work."
Rich people who agree: 63%
Poor people who agree: 5%
Even if you aren't into audiobooks,
you can make the most of your commute with any of these commute-friendly self-improvement activities.
They make a point of going above and
beyond at the office.
"I do more than my job
requires."
Rich people who agree: 81%
Poor people who agree: 17%
It's worth noting that while 86% of
rich people (compared to 43% of poor) work an average of 50 or more hours a
week, only 6% of the wealthy people surveyed found themselves unhappy because
of work.
They aren't hoping to win the
jackpot.
"I play the lottery
regularly."
Rich people who agree: 6%
Poor people who agree: 77%
That's not to say that the wealthy
are always playing it safe with their money. "Most of these people were
business owners who put their own money on the table and took financial
risks," explains Corley. "People like this aren't afraid to take risks."
They watch their waistline.
"I count calories every
day."
Rich people who agree: 57%
Poor people who agree: 5%
Wealthy people value their health,
says Corley. "One of the individuals in my study was about 68 and worth
about $78 million. I asked why he didn't retire, and he looked at me like I was
from Mars. He said, 'I've spent the last 45 years exercising every single day
and watching what I eat because I knew the end of my career would be my biggest
earning years.' If he can extend his career four to five years beyond everyone
else, that's about $7 million for him."
And they take care of their smiles.
"I floss every day."
Rich people who agree: 62%
Poor people who agree: 16%
