Tag: mindset

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Mindset & Psychology

10 Wise Tips from a Man Who Became a Millionaire at the Age of 37

He now works as a personal finance consultant, and major news outlets such as the New York Times, CNN, and CBS are asking for his opinion on various issues.

Chris Reining often gives his own advice, through his articles and speeches. In the following list, you will see 10 such tips given by the self-made millionaire.

1. To be able to leave.

Many may judge you harshly or badly for it, but you should be able to choose to leave work, friends, relationships. If someone or something does not enrich your life, it is okay to move on. Why stay attached?

2. Break the rules.

People want you to follow a unique path in your whole life. University, after a good job, then buy a house and have children. Life can be much more than that. As Arnold Schwarzenegger has said: 

“Break the rules. We have so many rules in life for everything. I say break the rules. Do not break the law, just break the rules.”

3. When will you say “yes” and when “no”.

When you are in your 20s and you want to explore the world to see how you fit into it. That is why you are used to saying “Yes” to every proposal they make to you in order to get out of what you are used to. Once you have found the purpose in your life, you can say no to everything, if it is to protect your time and be able to work.

4. Having money means having choices.

“When I decided it was a good idea to have money, it had nothing to do with getting expensive cars and houses and wearing expensive clothes or whatever. The best thing in life is to be able to have great choices from which to choose,” says Reining.

5. Keep your own score.

Someone will always do better than you. Whether it is living in a more luxurious neighborhood, being in better physical condition, or even being able to influence others more. It is normal to compare ourselves to anyone else by keeping a score. Instead, divert your thinking to good things in life, such as who you were the day before.

6. Do not waste your time.

When Steve Jobs realized he was going to die, he began pushing the boundaries of what he wanted to do. Death is the best motivation for life, so when you reach the end of your life what would you say was important to you? How did you watch the best series in television history or how did you contribute to something important for humanity?

7. Keep an annual notebook.

Use a notebook to keep your ideas and thoughts. Old notebooks are extremely useful, as looking at them again, you can realize how insignificant most things in life are or that in the end what you thought would make you happy in life, never succeeded. This review will help you make better decisions in the present in the future.

8. Being “constantly busy” is bad.

When one is proud that one is “constantly busy” it is not an achievement. There is no reward for this. In fact, what he has shown is his inability to manage his time and set priorities.

9. Do not be afraid to ask for help.

“I have received help from smart people, mentors, psychologists, and others. Accepting help does not mean that something is wrong with you. On the contrary, it shows that you are willing to look at things from another angle to improve yourself. “

10. Do not listen to too much advice.

It’s something that other great businessmen say. Most people give advice based on what has happened in their own lives. This does not mean that the same rules apply to you. It is useful to hear some feedback from people you value. But at the end of the day, you have to weigh the data and make your own decisions.

Categories
Mindset & Psychology Personal Finances

5 Toxic Money Habits to Quit Today

5 Toxic Money Habits to Quit Today

The first thing I did to change my financial shape was to quit my bad money habits. At 28, I was walking around with $30K in student debt, no assets, and about $8K in savings to fall back on.

Three years after I got serious about wealth building, I was debt-free and was making six figures a year. One thing people never tell you when they talk about making money is that you can make all the money in the world, but if you’re bleeding money, you won’t get any wealthier.

Too many people are focused on getting ahead without understanding what’s holding them back. Or what got them in dire financial situations.

So to get in better financial shape, give up your destructive money habits first. That alone will help you to stop your money bucket from leaking. Here are 5 of those bad habits that I had to quit.

1. Mindless shopping

Most people have a consumer mentality. They always need to spend money to have a good time. If you’re getting bored and you think you need to buy something, go on a vacation, eat out, visit a concert, or anything else that requires money, it means you still have a consumer mentality.

It’s nothing to be ashamed about. Most of us grow up with this mentality. I’m no different. Almost everyone in my immediate family is a consumer.

And look, sometimes I still feel the pull to buy myself out of discomfort. I just want to browse the web and feel like spending money. That’s mindless shopping. And if you keep spending your money on things or experiences that you assume will make you happy, it will only empty your bank account.

To be in good financial shape, we need to give up our consumer mentality. Instead of relying on consumerism for our happiness, we need to rely on inner joy and practice more mindfulness.

2. Using a credit card as a loan

Credit cards are great and serve a purpose. In most countries, you need it to build a good credit score. But the problem with credit cards is that we think it’s a free loan.

“I can spend my money now and pay later.” Yes, with a 100% interest rate or something outrageous. I don’t even know what the limit of my credit card is because I just use it to pay for small purchases. And I immediately pay it off the next month so I don’t pay interest.

Here are several ways to get out of debt:

  • Assess your financial health; see where your money is coming from and where it’s going;
  • Negotiate lower interest rates with your bank/credit card provider;
  • Make extra payments to your loans when more money is coming in. Don’t just spend it all!
  • Live on a temporary budget when your debts are overwhelming.
  • Cancel unnecessary memberships and spending habits.

3. Borrowing money for liabilities

I’m a big believer in the good old platitude, “live below your means.” But if we need to borrow money to buy a car or other consumer goods, what are we doing? We’re living above our means.

I know a guy who leased some kind of German sports car for three years. He told me it cost him about $3,500 a month including gas and insurance. That’s $126,000 in three years.

When he told me that a few years ago, he was quite apathetic about it. “I really enjoyed driving that car, but I can’t help to think that I probably could’ve bought a condo with that money.”

Don’t be that guy.

4. Spending time to save pennies

I used to spend hours online searching for deals on clothes or shoes. I even bought running shoes that were on sale instead of the ones that were actually good for my feet. Those shoes ended up injuring me.

But then, I read that Naval Ravikant doesn’t even bother returning items that are worth less than he values his time.

Naval believes everyone needs to put a dollar value on their time, and use that to make decisions. For example, if you value your time at $300 an hour, do you really want to spend an hour searching for the best deal on a shirt you want to buy?

5. Having one income stream

People who have one income stream usually live with a perpetually fearful state of mind and terrible money habits. They realize that their income is vulnerable. If they rely on only one website like YouTube or Medium for 90% to 100% of their income, they do anything to defend their income source.

It’s the same for people who have a job without much prospects. They’re afraid to lose their job, so they say yes to everything and let people walk over them at work. That’s how many people become bitter over time.

But you don’t have to do that. By investing in yourself and spending less time on entertainment and consumerism, you can build a more stable career.

You can build a side business, invest your money in real estate or dividend stocks, or work in a field with a lot of job prospects. When you have options, you feel more at ease.

Having multiple income streams is the most important money habit because it’s a different perspective. Most of us grow up with the mindset of a consumer and worker. You get a job, put your head down, do what they say from 9–5, and then you get paid so you can live in the evenings and weekends.

That doesn’t sound like a good deal to me. If we control our money, we take control over the practical aspect of our lives. Sure, it’s not the answer to everything, but it sure will give you more freedom. The price is that you need to give up certain money habits, but is that really so bad?

Money Insights from Darius Foroux

Categories
Mindset & Psychology

4 Things Better Than Money — And You Usually Don’t Realize It…

4 Things Better than Money

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people that they don’t like.”

Will Rogers

Money is just paper. A number on the screen that makes us happy at first and miserable later.

Because you think it’s the solution to all problems when you don’t have it. But when, after a lot of work and sacrifice, you get it… you realize that you can’t buy happiness.

  • You can’t buy your partner’s love.
  • You can’t buy your children’s health.
  • You can’t buy the respect of your peers.

There are many things that money can’t buy. And among all of them, for me, these are the most important.

1. Time is the ultimate measure of wealth

The most vital thing in this world is time. No one can buy time. Time is spent whether you use it well or bad. Besides, you can’t quantify it. It is foolish to think that we have all the time in the world because no one knows how much time s/he has left.

Today you are here. And tomorrow, you are gone.

These are the numbers according to World Population Review,

World Death Rate

  • Deaths per Day: 163,898
  • Deaths per Hour: 6,829
  • Deaths per Minute: 114
  • Deaths per Second: 1.90

The only thing you can do with money is to free your time from unnecessary responsibilities and tasks. And that is the ultimate measure of wealth.

Houses, cars, jets, all that stuff takes time. Imagine having to manage three mansions, four Lambos, and so on. You have no time left to live!

You live for your possessions. Therefore, your possessions own your time and not the other way around.

Don’t forget: what you own takes over your life.

2. Energy is more valuable than money

Life energy is more important than a bank account full of bitcoins.

Have you ever felt down for a long time?

You don’t have the strength to do anything that makes you happy. You lie around like a rag all day long. You don’t even feel like eating.

Life without energy is a torment. And that kind of life is usually caused by spending money on unnecessary things: in the typical short-term rewards that screw up our life in the long term.

  • Fast food
  • Netflix
  • Video games
  • Alcohol
  • Tobacco
  • [Insert your favorite bad decision here]

And it’s not enough to just shoot up on caffeine.

According to the NHS, the Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends that anyone feeling tired cut out caffeine.

Try to stay off caffeine completely for a month to see if you feel less tired without it.

What you need to do is drink plenty of water. One of the main reasons for tiredness is a lack of hydration.

So now you know, stop spending the money you earn on unnecessary luxuries and lead a healthy life, you will surely go further. (Or at least get you off that couch 🙂

3. Health is more valuable than money

“So much does health prevail over all external goods that probably a healthy beggar is happier than a sick king.”

Arthur Schopenhauer.

What good is money to you if you can’t lead a happy life?

If you don’t take care of yourself, money is an accelerant. Your vices will take you to the grave much faster.

I have a friend who is a millionaire. And one day, he told me how he made his fortune.

His father owned a chain of car repair shops and a travel agency that operated all over Europe. But his father always wanted more and spent his days under a lot of stress. He smoked too much, ate a lot, slept too little. And what was bound to happen happened: he died prematurely at the age of 50.

That’s why my friend was rich in his thirties.

Do you know what my friend told me when he finished telling me the story of his fortune?

No money in the world can replace the loss of a father. I wish I was poor. But I could go to the field on Sundays with my old man.

4. People are better than money

“Would you rather have a million dollars or a million friends?”

Asked, in an interview, Grant Cardone to Brian Rose. Brian looked thoughtful, and Grant said.

“Choose a million friends. The people are the ones who have the money you’ll need. People are the real wealth.”

I know most of the time, we think people suck. But it doesn’t.

Not everyone is evil. Some people are living miracles. Stars that fell from the sky to illuminate our darkest nights.

A good friend is something money can’t buy and will give you more happiness than anything money can buy.

What happens is that you have to be careful and know who you are with.

But how do you know who will be a good influence in your life and who will not?

An old monk once told me this,

If you ask me for money and I don’t have it
How can I give it to you?
It’s the same with happiness
You can’t give what you don’t have
If we are not happy with ourselves
How can we make others happy?

Love yourself
Love yourself so much
So much!
That you can give happiness as a gift…

And that’s the key to choosing the right friends. Be happy. Because when you are happy, you attract the right people into your life.

Last but not least

Remember,

A golden cage will always be a prison, no matter how beautiful its bars are. Living surrounded by luxuries and comforts will never be synonymous with being lucky. Because there is no greater misfortune than not being free in your private environment where it is so important to feel respected.

Insight by Alberto Garcia