On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes. Most thought it was impossible. Roger didn’t. It became his obsession. He literally thought of nothing else. He had limited training time, due to his medical studies, but according to Bannister, when he wasn’t studying he was thinking non-stop about breaking the 4 minute mile. In his mind, he had already decided he could do it.

For Roger Bannister, that four minute mile goal forced him to step up and modify his training. Necessity is the mother of invention and for Bannister, his limited available training time forced him to discover a new training approach that is still in use today by elite runners.

Successful people, like Roger Bannister, have one thing in common – some huge goal that occupies their thinking to the point of obsession. Obsession with respect to dreams and goals is one of the Rich Habits because when any individual becomes obsessed, they become unstoppable. No problem, no obstacle, no pitfall, no wall will stop the individual who plants their flag of obsession.

The trick is finding your obsession. How do you become obsessed with something?

Obsession is turned on like a switch when you have a clear vision of something you want to achieve. So, the starting point is deciding to do something really challenging. Something that forces you to become something you currently are not in order to get the thing you want.

When you pursue some huge reach-goal or lifelong dream, you stir the passions deep inside of you. That passion toggles on the obsession switch and that obsession will drive you to find creative, novel processes or habits which produces small, positive results that eventually leads to success.

What’s your 4 minute mile? What do you desperately want to have or be? The answer cannot be general, like “I want to be rich.” It must be very specific, just like Bannister’s “I want to break the 4 minute mile.”

Spend a few quiet minutes every day meditating or pondering about what your 4 minute mile is. If you find it, your life will change in ways you cannot even imagine.

Each day a tree will grow a little more. It’s impossible to see the changes caused by the growth on a day to day basis. But, if you were to fast forward ten years and compare pictures of the old tree to the new tree, the change would be obvious and significant.

Self-made millionaires are really no different than trees. Each day, they do small things that inch them closer and closer to success. It’s impossible to see the benefits of doing those small things on a day to day basis. But, if you were to fast forward ten years and compare pictures of the non-millionaire to the millionaire, the change would be obvious and significant.

Most people, however, only see the picture of the millionaire standing on top of his or her mountain of success. They marvel at the wealth and success that was created.

And they desperately want to know their secrets to success.

“How did you become rich?!”, is what everyone wants to know.

That’s actually the very question I asked myself back in 2004. I then spent the next five years studying the daily activities of 233 rich people and 128 poor people. The result of my findings became my Rich Habits Study.

In my Rich Habits Study, I asked each millionaire 144 questions in order to find out their “secrets to success” and shared my findings in various books I wrote, the most famous one being Rich Habits.

If you were to ask my group of millionaires how they got so rich, here is what they would say:

I did the following things, every day, that enabled me to grow into the person I needed to be in order to acquire the wealth I now possess:  

• I read to learn every day for 30 minutes or more.
• I kept in constant touch with certain influencers, certain important, success-minded people, and I built strong relationships with them over the past ten years. Eventually, those influencers helped open doors for me during my journey towards success.
• I honed and improved my skills every day. I deliberately practiced those skills every day. I also sought feedback from others who watched me perform my skills.
  
• I listened to and followed the advice of mentors who helped me during the pursuit of my dream and my goals.
• I exercised aerobically every day for 30 minutes so I could keep my body and brain strong. My strong body enabled me to work long hours. My strong mind enabled me to find creative solutions to problems and overcome numerous obstacles.
  
• I ate healthy every day in order to nourish my body and my brain, which helped my body and brain function at a higher level.
  
• When I encountered any problems or obstacles that stopped me in my tracks, I focused like a laser to solve those problems and overcome those obstacles. Oftentimes, this need to focus required that I sacrifice time with my family and friends.
  
• I worked hard every day to maintain a positive mental outlook. Especially when things were not going my way. I was able to do this because I knew exactly where I was going. I had a clear vision of my destination and that destination kept me focused on doing the work I needed to do in order to reach my destination.
  
• I spent less than I earned and then invested my savings prudently. Because I had savings, I was able to take advantage of opportunities that came along during my climb up the mountain of success.
  
• I always did my homework before taking any risk. I knew every conceivable outcome and had a plan in place to deal with every conceivable scenario, including worst case scenarios.
  
• I focused like a laser on a specific goal every day until I achieved that goal. Then I set another goal and pursued that goal. Eventually, I achieved all of the goals that helped me realize each one of my dreams.
  
• I always sought to exceed the expectations of everyone I did business with. This helped build confidence and trust and this generated more business and more revenue.
  
• I controlled my emotions and tried to remain on an even keel when dealing with others. No one wants to do business with someone who is not in control of their emotions. As a result, more people wanted to do business with me.
  
• I was careful how I spoke to others. I refused to curse or use language that offended anyone because I didn’t want to damage any valuable relationships I had devoted many years to building.
  
• I treated everyone with the respect they deserved. Those that treated me poorly, I refused to do business with. Those that treated me with the respect I deserved, I did more business with.
• I limited my exposure to toxic, negative people. They just drag you down and infect you with their negativity. My positive outlook helped keep me focused on seeking and finding solutions to my problems. Positivity made me a problems-solver. Negativity made me a problems-finder. 

There are many more things the collective millionaires in my study would be happy to share. Unfortunately, most people would stop listening. These millionaires would lose their audience half-way into their list of “secrets”.

The sad truth is that most people are looking for a speeding train they can ride up the mountain of success. When people say they want to know the secrets to success, most really only want to know the short-cuts to success. They want some world-shattering, aha nugget of information that will guarantee them success in a very short period of time.

They most definitely don’t want to listen to a boring list of daily habits.

The truth is, the secrets to success are the little boring things you do every day, that nudge you inch by inch, up the long, steep mountain of success.

Consistency in doing those little things, keeps you growing and moving forward in the realization of your dreams and achievement of your goals.

The little daily consistent things you must do to become successful are not exciting “secrets”. They are boring habits. But they are boring habits that guarantee success.

Getting adequate sleep every day is the #1 most important health habit.

Adequate sleep is not measured by the number of hours you sleep every night. Rather, it is measured by the number of full sleep cycles you get with each night’s sleep. The number of hours you sleep, therefore, is less important than the number of complete sleep cycles your body requires every night.

The average adult requires between four to six sleep cycles a night. Each sleep cycle is composed of five separate levels of sleep: alpha, theta, delta, rapid eye movement (REM) and then back to theta.

The first three sleep levels (alpha, delta & theta) last approximately 65 minutes. REM lasts 20 minutes and the final level of sleep, theta, lasts 5 minutes. So, each sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes.

Four sleep cycles is about six hours of sleep. Five sleep cycles is 7.5 hours of sleep and six sleep cycles is approximately nine hours of sleep.

Five sleep cycles a night, or 7.5 hours, is optimal.

Certain individuals are able to complete an entire sleep cycle in as little as sixty minutes. This is why some individuals require less sleep than others. It all depends on how many sleep cycles your body requires every night.

Why is sleep so important to good health?

Good Brain Health

Sleep improves memory, learning and allows the brain to clean its brain cells of free radicals that accumulate during the day, as the result of eating food.

The dream phase of sleep is when brain cells are bathed in neurochemicals that help consolidate learning and memories. It is also when the brain removes or deletes memories that serve no long-term purpose.

Restores Immune System 

Sleep restores your immune system, which becomes depleted and overused during the day.

Blood Sugar Levels Rebalanced

During the day, the body’s glucose levels and insulin levels surge and wane. During sleep, glucose and insulin levels are rebalanced and fine-tuned in preparation for the next day.

Nourishes Gut Bacteria

During sleep, the microbiome, or bacteria inside your gut, is fed and nourished, which helps your gut bacteria flourish and grow.

Improves Cardiovascular System

During the day, blood pressure levels rise. High blood pressure damages the cardiovascular system. Sleep forces a reduction in blood pressure, restoring your cardiovascular system to a healthy state.

Good Organ Health

During the day, your organs work tirelessly to maintain all body functions. When you sleep, organs are able to rest and restore their equilibrium, teeing them up for another day of work.

If you do nothing for your health, get adequate sleep. Sleep is the most important health habit and it should be your #1 priority.

In order to become rich and successful, your body and brain must be healthy.

As one of the self-made millionaires in my Rich Habits Study said to me: “You can’t make money laying in a hospital bed.”

A great deal is being learned from the study of sleep. The mysteries of why we sleep are being unraveled.

One of those unraveled mysteries has to do with why some are early risers while others are not.

The circadian rhythm is the internal clock that determines when we fall asleep and when we wake. According to experts in neuroscience, such as Dr.Matthew Walker, this clock is approximately 24 hours and fifteen minutes, or approximately, one day.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus, sitting in the middle of our brain, just above the intersection where the optic nerves switch sides, is the internal biological clock that governs our sleep-wake cycle.

As Dr. Walker discovered in his twenty years of studying sleep, not everyone’s circadian rhythm is the same.

About 40% of the human population are morning types. These individuals wake early and go to bed early.

Another 30% are evening types. These individuals wake late and go to bed late.

The remaining 30% are somewhere in the middle.

One’s affinity for being an early bird or night owl, therefore, may not entirely be determined by your sleep habits. It might have everything to do with your genetics. You may not therefore be, by choice, a night owl. Your DNA could be making that decision for you.

And here’s the big takeaway. Because some people are genetically predetermined to be night owls, they are on an uneven playing field. Society’s nine to five work schedule puts night owls at a decided disadvantage, since such a work schedule clearly favors the 70% who are not night owls.

Job performance of night owls is not optimal in the early morning hours. Even worse, due to this rigid nine to five work schedule, night owls are in perpetual sleep depravation mode, which impairs their long-term health, acuity and emotional stability. If you are a night owl, working in our nine to five world, you are susceptible to poor health, foggy brain and unbalanced emotions.

So, which are you – an early bird or night owl?

If you are struggling on the job, it might not be that you are in the wrong career. It might be that you are working the wrong hours in your career. Nine to five is holding your back from peak performance.

If you are stuck in a nine to five job and are one of the 70% who are not genetically predisposed to be a night owl, you can habitualize waking up early, thus maximizing your peak performance to match your genetically predetermined circadian rhythm.

Success is a team sport.

Every self-made millionaire in my study had a Success Buddy – someone who walked alongside them during their long march towards success.

But Success Buddies, real Success Buddies, do more than offer moral support, encouragement and motivation. A true Success Buddy helps you pull the cart when it becomes too hard to pull. They step in, during the tough times, to lend a hand, grab the handles and do the work that needs to be done in order for success to happen.

Success Buddies have an important role in your success:

• Success Buddies believe in you and your mission.
• Success Buddies have skills you don’t have, and lend you those skills when you need them most.
• Success Buddies help you solve problems.
• Success Buddies recruit others to solve problems, overcome obstacles and who can help you pull your cart.
• Success Buddies know influencers who can open doors for you.
• Success Buddies remind you about your goals and keep you focused on the destination.
• Success Buddies calm you and help keep your emotions in check, so that you can think clearly.

It’s not easy to find a Success Buddy. Like a house, they must be built.

As I’ve often said, relationships are the currency of the wealthy. Self-made millionaires do things to forge strong, enduring and committed relationships: Hello Calls, Happy Birthday Calls, Life Event Calls, consistent networking via charities or non-profits – these are the things that build relationships. And these things take time and effort.

Success Buddies don’t just manifest out of thin air. They don’t drop in your lap. They are constructed and forged over many years.

To find your Success Buddies, you must do the work that transforms ordinary relationships into powerful ones. Eventually, that work will lead you to your Success Buddies And they will become an integral part of your success team.

Habits take many years before their effects can be noticed.

The effects of eating too much junk food, drinking too much beer and not exercising, do not show up immediately. But, after many years, these Poor Habits have a rain barrel effect on the body. Their effects on your life fill up your rain barrel year after year, until, one day, your rain barrel overflows. Type II Diabetes, kidney problems, heart disease, etc. result.

Exercising every day, eating healthy and drinking alcohol moderately do not show up in the form of immediate good health. But, after many years, these Rich Habits help your body keep an equilibrium, ensuring that your rain barrel never overflows. Longevity and the ability to jog, bike or play tennis well into your 70’s is the byproduct of these good habits.

Good habits are a down payment for a better future – good health, financial security, strong relationships, etc.

Bad habits are a down payment for future problems – poor health, financial problems and weak or non-existent relationships.

Habits create the circumstances of your future life. That future life is built by your habits.

If you want to live the life of your dreams, you must forge specific habits today that will help create that life.

Habits are the construction crew of your life. They go to work every day to produce the future circumstances of your life. What those future circumstances are, depends on the habits you forge today.

Good habits truly are a down payment for a better tomorrow!

Those who embrace Entitlement Thinking, deep down, see themselves as hopeless and helpless victims. And because they are victims, they believe they are entitled to, or have a right to, certain things other people have.

Entitlement Thinking is a Poor Habit fed by this victim mindset. It’s a negative limiting belief fueled by a sense of helplessness and hopelessness.

Those who have an Entitlement Mindset believe in the redistribution of the wealth of others in order to level out the playing field. They ignore, however, the effort and sacrifices required in order to create that wealth. They want what they don’t have because, in their minds, they are entitled to it.

Entitlement Thinking is a slow march to poverty, mediocrity and unhappiness. It forever keeps you dependent on others.

Fortunately, there is a way out of the feeling of hopelessness and helplessness that is the cause of Entitlement Thinking. That way out is called the Rich Habits:

• Forging a Positive Mental Outlook
• Forging Habits That Help You Grow and Improve Your Knowledge and Skills
• Forge Habits That Build Positivity, Confidence and Happiness (Daily Exercise, Eating Healthy, Read to Learn, Practice New Skills, Express Gratitude Every Day)
• Eliminating Bad Habits and Do-Nothing Habits
• Taking Action on Your Dreams
• Creating and Pursuing the Goals Behind Your Dreams
• Find Apostles for Your Dreams and Goals
• Focusing Every Day on Your Dreams and Goals
• Finding Success Mentors
• Saving 10% or More of Your Income by Living Below Your Means
• Daily Self-Education by Reading to Learn 30 Minutes or More Every Day
• Developing New Skills
• Creating a Blueprint of Your Ideal Future Life
• Building Relationships With Other Success-Minded Individuals
• Controlling Your Emotions
• Doing Work That You Like or Love
• Taking Calculated Risks Surrounding Your Dreams and Goals
• Seeking to Add Value to the Lives of Others

Values are the things that are most important to you.

I know people whose lives revolve around their friends. Their #1 priority is their friends.

I know people whose lives revolve around exercise. They spend an enormous amount of time every week exercising.

I know people whose lives revolve around the pursuit of their dreams and their goals. In fact, I know 177 of them – my Rich Habits self-made millionaires.

You values determine how you spend your time. And how you spend your time, shapes the circumstances of your life.

If you are happy with your life, then your values are good. If you are unhappy, then you’re spending time on the wrong things. Or, put another way, you’re spending time on things that, deep down, are unimportant to you.

Happiness is value-driven. When you are doing things that are truly important to you, happiness follows. When you are doing things that are not important to you, unhappiness follows.

If you are unhappy with your life, you must focus your actions and behaviors on the things that are most important to you. Those things that are most important to you, are your values.

In order to determine your values, however, you must have a come to Jesus meeting with yourself. You must be honest with yourself in order to unearth what’s important to you. To define your values, ask yourself this one question – what matters most to me?.

Once you define what’s most important to you, you will then know where you should be spending your time.

When you act in accordance with your values, happiness follows. So, your values are your own personally constructed guidance system, leading you to a life of health, wealth and happiness.

The mirror tells all.

If you’re able to pay your bills and save money, the refection is of someone living below their means and building their future wealth.

If you’re eating nutritious food and exercising consistently, the reflection is of someone who is fit and healthy.

If you’re pursuing your dreams and your goals, the reflection is of someone who loves what they do for a living.

It’s hard to look in the mirror, however, when you know you are not doing the things you should be doing.

If you’re overweight, the reflection is of someone eating too much and exercising too little.

If you’re struggling financially, the reflection is of someone spending too much and saving too little.

If you hate your job, the reflection is of someone who has put their ladder on someone else’s wall, and who is still climbing the wrong wall.

If your reflection in the mirror is a negative one, I want you to indulge me.

Imagine for a moment that you are a writer who has been tasked to write a chapter about the ideal you, ten years into the future. What would the chapter say?

Hopefully, it would paint a picture with words of your amazing future life. It would include information about how fit and healthy you were. It would, in detail, describe your amazing home, the fascinating places you’ve traveled to over the past ten years, the fun and exciting things you’ve done on your many vacations, the passion you have for what you do for a living that has helped you create your enormous wealth. It would share details about a life, dreams are made of.

The purpose of this exercise is to create a blueprint of the life you were intended to live. It will help provide clarity in the form of a future desired destination. This blueprint will become your GPS, directing you to forge good habits and make better decisions, forever changing the trajectory of your life.

With this clear vision of the life you desire, your blueprint will change the reflection you see, the next time you look in the mirror.

24% of the wealthy in my Rich Habits Study had a success mentor. Of this 24% however, 93% attributed their wealth to the fact that they had a success mentor.

The average saver/investor in my study accumulated $3.3 million over a period of thirty-two years. The average wealth of the rich in my study who were mentored, however, was $4.6 million, which they accumulated over eighteen years.

So, mentors not only shortcut the accumulation of wealth, they dramatically increase how much wealth you accumulate.

Success Mentors teach you what to do and what not to do. They steer you in the right direction, helping you avoid mistakes and obstacles. They offer valuable feedback, so that you can improve your skills. They share their wisdom and experience, helping you solve problems.

How and where do you find mentors?

• Work – The easiest way is to find someone at work, who is outstanding at what they do, and regularly pick their brain and experience.
• Networking Group – Networking groups are a great way to meet new people both within and without your field of expertise. Over time, your relationships will grow stronger and you will be able to identify outstanding individuals who can act as your mentor.
• Local Non-Profits – Volunteering at coal  community-based non-profits or civic organizations will introduce you to individuals who can become your mentors in life. Many wealthy, successful individuals sit on the boards of these non-profit organizations or work in the various committees that every non-profit has. In these nonprofits you will find that outstanding individual who can act as your mentor.
• Trade Groups – Trade groups or trade organizations are another source for mentors. Getting involved in these trade groups will expose you to many individuals who are leaders in their industry. They have industry-specific wisdom and experience.
• Books – You can find mentors in books. Biographies of successful people share the life stories of these successful people. They also sure the pitfalls and obstacles they had to overcome. This not only helps you identify the potential obstacles and pitfalls you’ll face, but also the solutions to them.