Special to the Financial Independence Hub
The ambition and ability that it takes to achieve wealth comes from all kinds of people, but not all from the same locale, upbringing or backgrounds. This begs the question, do rich people have anything particular in common? Well in a sense, yes they do.
Most of the people who have achieved the status of millionaires engage in daily rituals that help them meet their goals. These are primarily activities that engage them in a personal and private way, but many other millionaires share these daily rituals in common with other wealthy individuals.
So for readers who would like to become richer and realize their potential to become millionaires themselves, here are the ten things to consider incorporating into your own daily routine. These 10 daily rituals may be the boost you are looking for to become the next millionaire, or at least a person of better financial means.
1.) Be the Early Bird
Everyone has heard this one expressed by mentors in life, but not everyone takes it to heart like they probably should. Starting early is a common theme when discussing daily rituals with most modern day millionaires. Getting a jump on the rest of the day begins by being awake earlier than the other birds out there. Also, being up early allows more time in the day and more hours to engage in personal activities. This seems to be the most common daily ritual that most millionaires practice.
2.) Maintain a healthy diet
Staying healthy is important, but a lot of people don’t make it a priority. Not the average millionaire: these people understand that a sick day means a non-working day. The more involved in wealth building a person becomes, the more value they place on their personal health and well being. Because if you are not able to get out of bed, you surely cannot make decisions and be there when needed in the business world. So eating right is a first step to being more successful.
3.) Keep fit and exercise
In conjunction with eating healthy, most modern millionaires understand that keeping fit is a priority in life. If your body is fit, then your mind can work all the better at solving problems and just enjoying living. Exercise can be incorporated into any daily routine, even those that only take short breaks throughout their days. Fifteen-minute periods of exercise are enough to stay very physically fit, but not doing so can cause the body to deteriorate even faster from aging. So get exercise every day.
4.) Take time to relax and recharge
Taking breaks throughout the day is a must. Even the most busy people need to relax and recharge during their work days. This may be done by sitting outside, meditating, going for a drive, or even playing your favorite video game. All that matters is turning the mind off for a few minutes at a time, and giving yourself some space to be calm. Nobody can deal with the stress of being wealthy, if they don’t take time to recharge their bodies and relax their minds regularly.
5.) Read about current events
Many millionaires read the financial pages, stock market forecasts and other related money talk each day. In fact, reading about current events of all types is important to keeping in touch with reality. Reading current events also keeps a person informed and continues expanding the mind to learn. Learning is the key to having a creative and successful world view. So reading everyday can be considered a win-win, as daily rituals are utilized in life.
6.) Learn something new every day
This doesn’t take a lot of time, but it is a very important daily ritual and makes an impact on anyone’s life. Trying to learn something new everyday, even the smallest fact, will set a tone of independent thinking and enrich the life of all persons. This can be done by watching TV, attending events, going to seminars, or even simply talking with other people. Continuing to educate ourselves and learn into our later life is an essential part of being more successful, but it is also fun.
7.) Make time for Self-Improvement
Being a better person should be the goal of all people, but those with wealth discover this early on in most cases. In order to deal with life better, we must be capable of understanding ourselves and having empathy for others. Making time for activities that improve ourselves is a conscious decision. It might mean practicing yoga, going to a church meeting, engaging in community service, or seeking personal counselling. In any form, making time for self-improvement makes people better leaders and more apt to meet their own goals. Doing so leads to a happier, more fulfilled way of living.
8.) Sleep less than 8 hours a day
The general rule of sleeping 8 hours a day isn’t ascribed to by many successful people. Thomas Edison is known to have taken short naps with a metal ball in one hand, when he fell deep enough asleep his hand would release its grip and drop the ball into a pan on the floor. This noise would awaken Edison and he would get back to work. He did this several times a day and never let himself sleep 8 hours in a single day. How most millionaires do this may differ, but many do feel that sleeping too long is not a necessary good and leaves fewer hours of the day for working.
9.) Reflect on success and failure
Most modern millionaires probably engage in this privately, inside their thoughts. The act of reflecting on the day is a daily habit that is both practical and useful. One must reflect on daily success to find out what worked well and try to repeat it again. One must reflect on daily failures to understand what went wrong and not be fearful of it. Overcoming fear of failure is a trait that helps one be successful, so these two reflections aid in being whole as an individual.
10.) Dream about the road ahead
Wealthy people teach themselves various things that aid in their success. Dreaming of the future is usually something they have done their whole life, but most millionaires take this a step further. There is a saying that if you are only dreaming about your own lifetime, you aren’t dreaming nearly big enough. This is paraphrased, but the message is quite clear. Those who dream should dream big. Nobody ever achieves great wealth by not thinking about the future. This is an end-of-the-day ritual, and something all people should try incorporating into their lives.
Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who focuses on personal finance and other money matters. She currently writes for Checkworks.com, where you can get personal checks and business checks.