MILLIONAIRE EXPLAINS: 6 habits that ACTUALLY made me rich

I don't wake up early, I don't journal, and I don't even work out every day. But that did not stop me from climbing my way out of six-figure debt to making my first million at age 32. I'm sure you've heard about all the habits that you should be doing, but in my experience these are the only six that really matter. Most of what we do on a daily basis is automatic, like brushing your teeth. So we might as well have some good habits instead of bad ones, because your habits have ripple effects that get compounded over time. So even just a one percent move in the right direction could mean the difference between ending up rich or poor. It is never too late to start moving in the right direction and get some millionaire habits going, so hit that like button and let's get started. The first habit I want to talk about is treating failure as just feedback. You guys, listen up. This is so key because most people give up after trying something once. That's most people. In fact, most people are so afraid of failure that they don't even try at all. If you try to start a business, you interview for a rich job, or put your money into something and it didn't work out, it's not because you suck. It's because something about your approach needs to be tweaked. Ray Dalio, founder of the largest most successful hedge fund in the world, talks about how pain plus reflection equals progress. He says that if you're not sometimes failing, it means your goals are just not ambitious enough. You have to fail sometimes, which is the pain part of the equation, and then you have to reflect on that pain so that you can figure out what went wrong and ultimately do better. That is the formula for progress and success. And I would say Ray Dalio knows a thing or two about success. Back when I was doing job interviews in college, I was going for a very competitive position on Wall Street and I would get tons of no's. Obviously, the rejection was depressing, but whenever I got a no, I would email the interviewer and ask, why didn't you pick me? And they would straight up tell me why I didn't make it to the next round or get the job. I smiled too much, I sounded immature, etc, etc, etc. And of course, it stings to hear stuff like that. Nobody really likes to hear the truth, but I would use that feedback to do better in my next interview. And after doing dozens of interviews and getting a lot of feedback like this, I got really good at interviews and ended up landing the sweetest freaking job ever. Remember guys, pain plus reflection equals progress. Failure isn't an anomaly. It doesn't mean anything about you. It's just part of the process. It's part of the equation. Become someone who can fail forward and you will succeed at everything you do. The next habit is to set goals and to plan your days around them. So I mentioned earlier that I don't wake up early, 8 30 a.m. usually, and that is something I would love to improve on, but it is what it is. However, I do make sure that each day, no matter how late I wake up, advances my goals. Every year, I list out my goals for the coming year and this list is a very curated list of the goals that I absolutely want and need to achieve that year. Then, I allocate two to three goals to focus on each quarter. Having too many goals at once dilutes my focus and I end up not achieving any of them. So I like to chunk down my goals and keep it just to two to three maximum per quarter. Then, I write them all down somewhere where I can see them daily. I've put mine in Asana, which is the productivity software that I use. Other people use Notion, Trello, etc. or people also use physical planners like the bullet journal. Use whatever works best for you, but the point is to take charge of how your time gets spent and find a system that works for you. So every morning, I sit down and look at the tasks in my Asana and the question I'm always asking myself is, which tasks get me closer to my goals? And those are the tasks that I prioritize and try to get done first. It is counterintuitive, but it's the habit of planning your time around your goals versus trying to squeeze in time to work on them after you've answered your emails, eaten dinner, done all the daily chores, gone to the gym, and just do all the daily stuff that maintain your life but don't actually move you forward. It really just comes down to getting in the habit of connecting your daily tasks to your goals as much as possible and breaking down your big, ambitious goals into bite-sized daily actions. Some resources that have helped me learn these habits were Michael Hyatt's book Your Best Year Ever, highly recommend, and if you want to invest some more money Marie Forleo's course Time Genius is amazing. And now speaking of resources that helped me learn, the next millionaire habit is learning insatiably. Whether that is from reading books, taking courses, seeking out mentors, or even working for free. Most people's family members and neighbors aren't millionaires, but you can always learn anything you want from books. And that's exactly how I started, voraciously reading books. I read every book I could get my hands on about money, mindset, about how millionaires invested, how millionaires spent their time, how millionaires thought, and eventually I became a millionaire myself. So I want to tell you a quick story. When I was living in New York City in my mid-20s, I met a real estate developer who ran a fund buying and renovating multifamily buildings in Brooklyn. He ran a small but fast-growing company. He needed a lot of help and so I offered to work for him for free. I don't know what I was thinking. I was ready to wait tables at night if I had to because I just knew that what I could learn from him was more valuable than anything he could pay me or what any other company could pay me. In the end, he appreciated my hustle and ended up finding a way to pay me a salary. It was a lot less than all my college friends were making at their Wall Street jobs, but holy ----, what I learned from working closely with a successful entrepreneur and investor was worth a million times more than any paycheck. His name was Albert. He actually passed away very suddenly a few years ago and I think about him a lot because I just learned so much from him. Not just about investing in real estate, but about family, confidence, loyalty. I remember when I would watch him talking to investors when raising money for a deal and I just noticed how confident he was. He was the opportunity where others saw fear. Now, I come from the kind of family that hoards cash under a mattress. However, I am not like that thanks to everything that I learned from Albert. I am not, at least not anymore, scared of investing. Last year when I was driving through Vegas in my camper van and came across some good property deals, I bought three rental properties without blinking an eye in the span of one month. Why? Because the numbers made sense. I saw opportunity where others might have seen fear. And if you don't come from a background of investors and entrepreneurs, of people who take risks, the only way to learn this kind of mindset is through finding a mentor. The right information, the right training, and the right mentorship is priceless. Don't be that person who's always like, Oh, I already know this. You know, you never know what new piece of information or nugget could change your life. So never stop seeking, never stop learning. The next millionaire habit that made me rich is making your own luck. When it comes to success, yes, luck can certainly play a role sometimes. But something that I've learned over the years is that you can also make your own luck. Millionaires ask themselves, What are all the ways I can make this happen? While people who are always struggling ask themselves, Here are all the reasons why this can't happen for me. Don't take no for an answer. Don't make excuses. Don't blame the economy, your boss, your parents, or the government for your financial situation. Take inventory of what you can control because there's actually a lot and carve your own path to what you want. If you don't like your job, then put together a dream job role that your company needs and pitch it to your boss. Or work on a side hustle in the evenings so that you can eventually quit that crappy job. There's always something you can do. I remember six years ago, I was really unhappy with my career and I was making okay money freelancing on Upwork as a bookkeeper. But what I really wanted to do was teach people about personal finance. That's what I was passionate about. Back then, I didn't know anything about YouTube or how to make a career out of my passion. So you know what I did? I borrowed a little room in a co-working space. I put up an ad on meetup.com and I started giving free classes at night on personal finance and investing. I did this for about two years. And only about six to ten women would show up to every class. But this is how I gained my first few subscribers and the confidence to eventually start my YouTube channel. I could have said, no one knows who I am. I don't have the time. I don't have the resources, etc. But no, I had a dream and I wasn't going to let my excuses get in the way. You see all the subscribers that I have now today. But what you don't see is what it took me to get started. You got to make your own luck. That is how we all start. And look, I know we all have different starting points in life. I get it. It is not a level playing field. But here's the question. So what? Stop making excuses for why your dream life can't happen and start making things happen for yourself. Here's another very important millionaire habit. Saying no a lot. A lot of people struggle with saying no. And saying no is hard. I get it. However, millionaires understand that time, energy, and money are limited resources. They know that saying yes to that fun last-minute weekend trip to Miami means they're saying no to buying their dream home sooner or saying no to a much-needed weekend of rest. Everything has a trade-off. And at the end of your life, you're going to look back and you will see the result of everything that you said yes to. All the trade-offs that you made. So make sure you only say yes to stuff that really matters to you. When I decided to get out of debt, I had to say no a lot. I hardly bought anything other than the bare necessities. And I was able to do it because I knew that it would only be for a finite amount of time. It wouldn't be that way forever. And now that I'm actually out of debt and financially free, I still say no to a lot of things. I'm not exactly frugal, but I'm also very clear that I don't value designer clothing or luxury hotels and restaurants. So I don't spend a dime on those things, even though I very well could. So don't act like time, energy, and money are unlimited resources. Because they're not. Always ask yourself, does this support the life I'm trying to create? If not, it's a hard no. Recently, I had to set boundaries with a family member who would drain my energy every time she called me. It was literally affecting my business and health negatively. So I stopped taking her phone calls. I only talk to her via text now, and it has done wonders for me. So this is a habit and a muscle I'm always having to practice every single day. So please take it from me. Say no to things that don't serve you. Give yourself what you need to thrive. And speaking of giving yourself what you need to thrive, millionaire habit number six is taking care of your health. You can't do anything without health. And no matter how much money you have, you can't enjoy it if you're dead. Look at anyone who's reached any level of success. And you know what they all have in common? They were all healthy. I've noticed that anytime I neglect my health, my productivity takes a toll. You know, zero energy to do things. So I take care of my health. I take walks. I try to do dance breaks every day, eat healthy and organic 80% of the time. And even though it's not fun, I get a full health checkup every year because frankly, if there's something wrong, I would rather know about it as soon as possible so that I can fix it and live a long, healthy life. Maybe you just wake up and hydrate with a glass of lemon water first thing in the morning. It's something really easy to do, and it's so good for your body. Then once that little thing is second nature, start doing another daily thing for your health, like taking vitamins and supplements. Just add things on one at a time. Taking care of your health is probably the most important habit that I've talked about so far because without your health, you have nothing. At the end of the day, becoming rich isn't the most important thing in life. Let me be very clear on that. The day I hit a seven-figure net worth, I really didn't feel any different. And I literally had the same $2 tacos that I eat almost every day for lunch. I'm also fully aware that one day all this money could go away. Material wealth comes and goes, right? But you know what will stick with me? Who I had to become to create this wealth. I had to overcome my insecurities and inner demons, rise above my circumstances, learn as much as I could, and build habits that helped me build a life that I could be proud of. Now that is a journey worth taking. It's honestly so much easier sometimes to just watch Netflix and eat potato chips, but the journey is so worth it. Habits don't form overnight, so please be kind to yourself and just focus on improving 1% or even just 0.0001% a day, and eventually you'll look back and be shocked at where you end up. That is exactly what happened to me. Anyways, that is it from me. I really hope this video has inspired you because with the right habits and knowledge, you can do anything. I really mean it. I love you guys so much. Be sure to subscribe if you haven't already, and I'll see you guys next week. Same time, same place. Bye.