17 Daily Habits That Made Me A Millionaire

What's up you guys? It's Graham here.

So for some reason, ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated with reading and studying up on millionaire habits. Like, it's really fun to think that you've discovered this cheat code to making money that involves waking up at four o'clock in the morning, reading for an hour, exercising before the break of dawn, robbing a bank, and that somehow that will manifest itself into more money than you know what to do with.

Well, it shouldn't be a surprise that throughout my entire career, I have tried pretty much every single millionaire habit out there for at least some length of time. And well, look it worked! Okay, no, but seriously, even though there were a few of those habits that I thought were a complete waste of time, there were habits that actually made a difference and made a huge improvement to not only how much money I made but also how I felt throughout the day.

Plus oddly enough, the habits that were the most effective didn't cost any money, were quick to start, and when it comes to building wealth, a study confirmed that nearly all successful people do these few things consistently. And that is what's helped shape them into who they are today. So let's go over this list and I'll give you my honest thoughts as someone who's tried them all, and I'll break down exactly what actually works if you're looking for everyday millionaire habits that you could start immediately today for free.

But really quick, I just got one favor to ask of you. My birthday is coming up on Thursday, and it would mean the world to me if you just hit the like button for the YouTube algorithm. That's it! That would be the best birthday present ever. Something as simple as hitting a like button helps the YouTube algorithm in recommending my content to a brand new audience. And then if you're interested, feel free to use the link down below in the description.

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All right, so when it comes to this comprehensive list put together by Thomas Corley, after spending five years analyzing the daily habits of millionaires, it was found that almost all millionaires read for 30 minutes a day. Now, what I found interesting was that he makes the distinction that millionaires are not out there reading the Harry Potter trilogy series, but instead, they read for information. And this is something very true for myself as well. Like, I spend probably two to three hours every single day reading, but it's not in the form of books. Instead, I'm going through the internet, I'm reading all the comments here on YouTube, I'm seeing what people are posting on Reddit, I'm scouring the news, I'm hearing other viewpoints, and I'm trying to take in as much information as possible so I understand what's going on with the economy.

Reading is certainly a good habit to have, but it's an even better habit to read other viewpoints without any judgment or bias. Chances are, someone else knows more than you do. There will be people who disagree with you, and they might have a different thought process that you might not have considered. Just be open-minded to new information. Don't only listen to people who believe the same thing as you, and that in conjunction with reading is going to push you so much further with information you may otherwise have overlooked.

Second, the study also mentions consistent exercise, which reminds me I have not been to the gym yet. So, uh, let's go to the gym really quick. Yeah, no seriously, in the middle of the video, we're going to the gym. Come on, let's go! It was found that 76% of millionaires exercise for at least 30 minutes per day.

And even though I haven't been as consistent at the gym as I would have liked, it does help. Every single time I go to the gym, I find myself having more energy the next day, I'm less stressed out, and I just think better. Plus, I've noticed that once you practice consistency in one part of your life, that tends to transfer over into other parts of your life as well. Like the type of person who goes to the gym every day is probably disciplined enough to also eat healthy every day, to read every day, to track their spending every day, and to smash the like button every single day. So just one little 30-minute tweak to your day could very well set the rest of your life in motion just by getting consistent exercise.

The third point found that successful people surround themselves with other successful people, and I gotta say, this one sounds more like an observation than a habit. That's because when I was a 17-year-old kid trying to figure out what I was gonna do when I didn't get into college, I wasn't able to go and say, "Oh, well, I guess I'm just gonna go and hang out with multi-millionaires this weekend." Why didn't I think of that sooner?

Instead, I believe it's so much more important to surround yourself with people who are supportive, who don't put you down, who believe in what you do, and push you in a positive direction. They don't need to be wealthy, but they do need to be people who you could trust, who will give you honest feedback when you need it. Over time, that will generally end up developing into a successful group of friends by default, and as you pursue your own goals, other people will naturally tend to gravitate towards that. But don't be too concerned about trying to be a rich people magnet overnight. It's more important to focus on the people who push and inspire you to stay on track. And I wouldn't be here today if I didn't have a supportive group along the entire way.

Fourth, this article talks about how 72% of millionaires do at least five hours of volunteer work every month. And even though I don't think this is the root cause of their success, I really think it stems back to the mentality that in order to receive, you must first give. And I know that's a really cliche term to talk about, but it's really important to get in the habit of understanding that you don't receive something for nothing.

Even on YouTube, I didn't monetize my content in the beginning because I was more focused on just creating content that I enjoy that people would find helpful without the expectation of turning that into a paycheck. Volunteer work absolutely plays into this, and it's really important to have the mentality that there's enough to go around for everybody. But on a deeper level, every single successful person I have ever met offers something of value first before they receive anything back in return.

Now fifth, this one goes on to talk about dream setting, which is honestly where I got kind of lost. Instead, I think it's much more important to have a specific goal in mind. The issue that I have with dream setting is that usually, it's not specific enough. And without figuring out all the concrete details of what you want to accomplish, a lot of that mental energy is wasted. So you should try to come up with a really detailed plan of exactly what you want to achieve, when you want to achieve it by, and then why it's important to you.

That why is something really crucial to focus on because without understanding why you're doing something, you're unlikely to stick with it long enough to actually make it happen.

Sixth, we then have the habit of pursuing your own goals, and yeah, I could pretty much attest that no one ever thought I would be a content creator on YouTube, including myself, or that I'd want to get into real estate out of high school instead of going to college.

Ultimately, I think it's important that you pursue the life that works best for you without pressure from everyone around us. I'll admit, some people would look at my schedule and hate it. They would have been retired a long time ago and done something entirely different. But I found work that I thoroughly enjoy, I look forward to it every single day, and that has been my entire goal from the beginning.

Your own goal will probably be a lot different than what other people have in mind for you, and there's definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach. Some people love working non-stop, while other people prefer taking a more laid-back approach. The thing when it comes to that is that both sides are right. So decide what works best for you and then from there, just stick with it.

Now seven, we got the one habit that is so overlooked, and that would be getting a proper seven hours of sleep every single night. I really hate that lately it seems like this badge of honor to sleep as little as possible so you can maximize productivity. But let's be real, a solid night of sleep is absolutely essential to functioning at your highest potential.

Now from a work point of view, studies actually show that mental productivity decreases after four hours. So if you want to get a lot done, do it in four-hour chunks with a break in between. Overall, the number of hours you work doesn't always correlate to getting more work done, so instead, place some of that importance back on your sleep.

Now even though I don't always get a full seven hours of sleep every single night, the one thing that I found makes a huge difference is just to keep the same sleep schedule every single day without fail. I try to go to bed and wake up at the exact same time every single day, whether it's a weekday or a weekend. And that way, my body's never constantly fighting back fatigue from sleeping in or keeping me up too late on a weekday because I stayed out too late on a weekend.

Now, you certainly don't have to wake up at 4 a.m. every single day like billionaires do, but try keeping the same routine for a month straight, every single night, and I guarantee you're gonna feel so much better throughout the entire day.

Okay, but speaking of getting up early, the next part of the article talks about getting up early. Now here's the thing: what this article says is not wrong. They say that 50% of millionaires wake up three hours before the day starts because that gives them uninterrupted time to focus without any disruptions. And guess what? I did that for almost an entire year. I was up every single day at five o'clock in the morning, and I gotta say I don't think there was ever a time in my life where I was more productive.

I loved waking up when it was still dark outside and just the feeling like you're ahead of the day before everyone else wakes up. But even though my work schedule excelled, the rest of my life became very imbalanced. I found it very difficult to socialize after 7 p.m. because of how tired I was, and if I wasn't in bed by 10 p.m., then the next day was completely thrown off. So I could confidently say that if your entire goal is purely productivity, then waking up early has so many advantages. Plus, having each morning in complete silence really gives you such a way to focus that is not as possible throughout the rest of the day.

But for my own schedule long term, I found that waking up that early for me was not sustainable. And today I found a balance of waking up at seven o'clock in the morning and then working late if needed. That way, you could still have a bit of a life outside of work without having to worry about waking up at 5 a.m. the next day.

Next, number 10. If you're going to ignore this entire video, but just remember one point, let it be this: almost all millionaires have multiple sources of income. In fact, this was such a common finding that even the IRS analyzed the tax return of high net worth individuals and found that on average, millionaires had seven different sources of income. That includes earned income from a job, dividend income, long-term capital gains, rental income, business income, or royalty income.

Now don't think that you have to go and try to create all of them, but when it comes to building wealth, the only way that you could effectively do that is by leveraging your time and having your money work for you. My recommendation when it comes to this is just to start small. Take the income you make from a job and then throw it into a broad index fund, and now you've got a combination of earned income, dividend income, and long-term capital gains. The more income sources you create, the faster you're likely to hit a $1 million net worth.

After that, number 10, it was found that they have a mentor. And unfortunately, this is where I see some problems starting. Even though I've been incredibly fortunate to have several amazing mentors, the misconception I see among so many people is that they think they need a mentor first before they actually go and do anything. But mentorship doesn't ever work like that. No one is ever going to mentor someone who hasn't already proven themselves to be dedicated and self-sufficient.

So the truth is you're better off not looking for a mentor and instead following on your own path on your own time without the expectation of anyone going out of their way to help you. The funny thing is usually it's a byproduct of you actually going out there and forging your own path and making it happen on your own. You'll naturally just find people along the way who want to help you out, and those are the people who end up making the best mentors.

Then we got number 11: successful people help others succeed. And I gotta say that is so true. This one really plays into two different perspectives. The first would be the abundant mentality, that there's enough for everybody, and by teaching other people what you do, you're reinforcing the belief that one person's gain is not always at the expense of another person's loss.

And second, when you teach other people how to succeed, you're likely to see things in a way that otherwise, you wouldn't have noticed. All of a sudden, all the little details that you thought might be second nature need to be explained in such a way that makes sense to somebody else who has no idea what they're doing, and in the process of that, you become more proficient in your own skill. So I highly recommend if you have the opportunity to teach someone else what you know — absolutely do it, and it's a great experience.

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Okay, no, but seriously, millionaires do have a positive outlook. Part of me feels like the reason successful people have an optimistic outlook is because they view every experience as something they could grow and learn from without wallowing in self-pity or wishing things were different. For example, if you lose your job, that could absolutely be a disastrous situation, but you might be able to reframe that as a good thing in the sense that now you'll be exposed to new opportunities that might be an even better fit in the future.

Or if you lost money from an investment, instead of going and blaming Jerome Powell for inflation, you could objectively look at why your investment didn't pan out and consider that to be the cost of a lesson so that you don't make the same mistake again. Positivity really goes a long way here, not only in terms of how you project yourself to others but also how you interpret your own experiences and choose to move forward.

Next, number 13: they don't follow the herds. And I think it really goes without saying that if you want different results than most people, you have to do different things than most people. But on a bigger level, sometimes you really got to put yourself out there if your goal is to build wealth, like taking a risk with your career or following your gut with a decision or taking a path that isn't conventional.

Like, I'll tell you, so many people thought it was crazy to spend all my time making YouTube videos for free when instead I could spend that same time selling another house as a real estate agent and making way more money. But I just knew I had to follow my intuition. This is what I really wanted to do, and thankfully, this was the best decision I have ever made. So I would encourage you to follow your own goals, even if it doesn't conform to the rest of the herd.

After that, 14, they practice good etiquette in the sense that they follow up with people, they thank them, and they're appreciative of their time. And even though I personally can be pretty terrible with follow-up sometimes, I think in the bigger picture, it's more important to treat people with respect, and that's it. Don't get caught up in drama, don't talk behind other people's backs, and make a conscious effort to be appreciative of those around you.

Then number 15: they dedicate 15 to 30 minutes every single day just to think. Now, I personally wouldn't place too much emphasis on this because chances are we all have 15 to 30 minutes a day just to run through our own thoughts, like when you go and take a shower for 10 minutes or you spend 10 minutes in the car, you spend five minutes getting your free stock down below in the description, or when you spend 30 minutes at the gym.

Sure, it's definitely a good idea to take some time to yourself and organize your thoughts, but if you're gonna be effective with this, just make sure to write them down. I can't tell you how many great ideas I have completely forgotten just because I haven't written them down.

And finally, these last two are incredibly important. Number 16 would be seek feedback. I think the smartest people out there are usually smart enough to understand that they don't know everything, and because of that, they actively seek out helpful criticism to point them in the right direction. I also think that people who are used to getting this type of feedback never take it personally, and they really do their best to try to understand another viewpoint, even if they disagree with it.

I always try my best to listen as much as I can, be open-minded, and never go into a scenario with any sort of judgment or bias that in turn might lead you to improving or learning something new that you otherwise would have been closed off to.

Lastly, 17: don't give up on smashing the like button for the YouTube algorithm! Okay, no, but seriously, don't give up is such a cliche term, and sometimes, I'll be honest, it's worth it to give up on things that just aren't working out for you. Like if I didn't give up on one of my first jobs in high school, I would be working a job I was miserable in, just earning above minimum wage.

So instead, I would change "don't give up" to "enjoy the process, not the result." The real magic is in the day-to-day of doing something that you really enjoy and working towards a goal you've always wanted to accomplish. If you really enjoy the process of getting there, it's going to become that much more likely that you'll actually get there.

Otherwise, if you're just too focused on the goal itself, it's unlikely that you're going to stick with it long enough to make that happen. So don't give up, but also focus on the process. And make sure not to give up on that free stock worth all the way up to $50 down below in the description because you may as well do that. It's almost like free money.

So you may as well just get free money down below in the description for like a few minutes' worth of work. Enjoy!

And those are the 17 everyday millionaire habits that actually work without requiring you to wake up at four o'clock in the morning or meditate for an hour a day. All of these should be fairly realistic, very easy to start, very simple to stick with, and if you actually follow these long term, you'll wind up seeing such a huge improvement like it did for me.

So with that said, you guys, thank you so much for watching, I really appreciate it! As always, make sure to destroy the like button, subscribe button, and notification bell. Also, feel free to add me on Instagram; I post it pretty much daily. So if you want to be a part of it there, feel free to add me there, as on my second channel, The Graham Stefan Show, I post there every single day I'm not posting here. So if you want to see a brand new video from me every single day, make sure to add yourself to that.

And lastly, if you want that completely free stock down below in the description, Public is going to be giving you a free stock worth all the way up to $50 just for signing up. Plus, I'm posting all of my stock trades on there. And if you want to use them as a free stock trading brokerage, they don't route your order flow or sell your data to big hedge funds. So there you go.

Enjoy! Thank you so much for watching, and until next time!