There is only one entitlement we are given in life – time. We are all entitled to the same amount of time every day – 24 hours. What separates those who achieve and succeed from those who struggle in life is how each group uses those 24 hours. Which group do you fall into? “Yes” to the following questions means you’re on the path to success in life:

• Are you reading to learn every day, 30 minutes or more?
• Are you exercising 30 minutes or more every day?
• Are you pursuing at least one big dream every day?
• Are you pursuing goals every day?
• Are you watching less than 1 hour of T.V. every day?
• Are you spending less than 1 hour a day recreationally on Facebook, Twitter etc?
• Are you getting at least 7 hours of sleep each day?
• Do you get up early every day to pursue your dreams and goals?
• Are you building strong relationships with other success-minded people every day?
• Do you accomplish 70% or more of your to-dos every day?
• Do you express gratitude every day?
• Do you practice good etiquette every day?
• Do you seek feedback every day?

You’ve got 24 hours. How will you invest the next 24 hours? Are you processing success or failure into your life on a daily basis through your habits?The greatest risk we all take is not how we invest our money. It’s how we invest our time. Make a habit of investing your time wisely.

One of the common threads amongst all of the self-made millionaires in my study is that they took action. They made a decision to pursue their dreams and wishes and then built goals around those dreams and wishes. Goals are action steps that you have the capability of performing. By capability, I mean you have the skills and knowledge necessary to accomplish those goals.

Each day you hold back from pursuing some dream means another day is lost. We are all given the same amount of time – 24 hours in a day. If you have a dream pursue it today. Begin with baby steps. Something small that does not consume much time. Commit to pursuing your dream with just fifteen minutes a day for the next two weeks. Fifteen minutes is all it takes to get the momentum started. If you don’t start today, that someday could become never.

The path to success is not made by sprinting. It is the little steps you take, day in and day out, that take you to the promised land. Taking massive action on any dream or goal depletes your energy and willpower quickly, leaving you exhausted and frustrated when that action does not produce the results you desire. There are times during your success journey that require bursts of massive action, but they are the exception, not the rule. To succeed, you must show up every day and do the little things that move you forward and allow you to grow into the person you need to be in order to realize success. You must define your dreams and wishes, build goals around those dreams and wishes and then develop daily habits around those goals. Your daily habits are the means to success. Habits are the small steps that you must take each day which ultimately leads to big outcomes.

When you think of self-made millionaires, what images immediately pop up in your mind? Do you see a well-dressed individual surrounded by a posse, jet-setting from one exciting place to the next in private planes, exotic cars and yachts? Or do you see someone sitting all alone in boxer shorts and a tee shirt behind a desk, computer or stack of books at 5 am in the morning?

The fact is, most of that journey towards success is, at best, insanely boring where nothing happens day after day, despite your superhuman efforts. Or, at worst, it’s a walk through hell in which you must overcome one hurdle after another, one let down after another, one disappointment after another, one rejection after another or just simply being ignored by those who, with a snap of their fingers, could alter your life forever. In other words, it’s not a life you would wish on your worst enemy.

What keeps you in the game is your belief that what you’re doing will pay off down the road. It’s knowing, with unfailing faith, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Passion and a love for your work is the source of your energy, motivation and enthusiasm, despite the stifling nothingness or painful hardship you must endure. You simply must love what you are doing and believe in yourself and your cause. That belief and passion is what enables you survive the journey of nothingness and hardship.

The next time you see a self-made millionaire, pause and consider that that individual very likely spent much of their life walking through hell, so that one day they could be living the life of their dreams. Don’t envy their exciting, new life. Instead envy their persistence in getting there.

Everything that happens in life is a lesson. The biggest regrets you have about your life are learning experiences that help you grow as an individual. Never regret the path you’ve taken in life. Ultimately, every path leads you to a new path. This is why there are no should’s in life.

The #1 common characteristic of all self-made millionaires is persistence. Becoming persistent, therefore, is critical to success. So, how do you become persistent?

Habits, by their very definition, are persistent routines. When you adopt a success habit, you’ve effectively automated persistence into your life. This is why habits are so important. They put you on auto pilot for success (good habits) or failure (bad habits).

The start of the success journey is always the same – it starts with a dream, often a very big dream. You must Dream-Set before you Goal-Set. Dream-Setting provides you with the destination; Goal-Setting is the transportation to get you to your destination. Goals are not desired outcomes or wishes, as most have been taught. They are the action steps you need to take in order for your dream to come true. These action steps, these goals, need to be daily ones. You must build goals around your dream and everyday pursue those goals. Each completed goal is like a rung on the ladder of success. When you have completed all of the goals behind each individual dream, only then will you reach the top of the ladder. But you can never know what your goals in life should be without dreaming first.

Definition of Lament – To complain or express regret.

• Programs you for failure.
• Produces the feeling of scarcity.
• Creates sadness and depression.
• Causes stress, the root of all illness.
• Fosters hopelessness.

Definition of Gratitude – To give thanks or express appreciation.

• Programs you for success.
• Produces the feeling of abundance.
• Creates satisfaction and happiness.
• Produces the feeling of well being, which is the root of good health.
• Fosters enthusiasm.

This tip will take most of you out of your comfort zone. Why? Because I’m going to ask you to make the call. What’s the call? It’s that phone call you should have made a long time ago to that one person you’ve lost touch with many, many years ago. This person was someone who had a positive influence on your life but for some reason they’ve dropped off your radar. Forging relationships with people who matter, people of substance, who are upbeat, enthusiastic, encouraging and kind is a Rich Habit. You need to make an effort to grow and maintain relationships with those people. Everyone has run into one or more of these people in their lives. Now I’m asking you to get them back into your life by making the call. 

Most people do not pursue one singular dream for very long. When success does not happen overnight, they shift their attention to the next new thing to pursue. They jump from one venture to another when success is not immediate and the money comes hard. You’ve seen them all around you. Each year they are obsessed about something new that will make them a lot of money, such as becoming a published author, developing phone apps, creating you tube videos, becoming a real estate investor, business coach, trainer, financial planner, inventor etc.

I like to call this New Shiny Object Syndrome. New Shiny Object Syndrome prevents individuals from succeeding in life because these individuals have not developed the Rich Habits of focus, patience and persistence; three success habits that are a prerequisite for success. This malady prevents you from developing the necessary skills and knowledge that enable you to grow into the person you need to be in order for success to visit you.

64% of the self-made millionaires in my study pursued one singular goal for many, many years. They single-mindedly focused on the realization of one dream. Unfortunately, this takes time. 28% of those self-made millionaires did not get their big break until age 51. 31% had to wait until age 56. Another 21% didn’t catch their break until age 60. These millionaires were able to succeed because they stuck to one thing for many, many years. They learned what to do and what not to do by focusing on one thing. They did not give up on themselves. They did not allow themselves to give in to the temptation of New Shiny Object Syndrome.