15 SIGNS YOU MADE IT

Everyone's point is different, but everyone knows when they've reached that point. Your life is good, and unless some tragic event happens, your life will probably never be worse than it is right now. That's the point. That's when you know you've made it.

But that's not all there is to it. You'll know you've made it when you no longer have to work. You've managed to set up your life in such a way where you're actually proud of yourself. So let's break it all apart and see what the ingredients are. Here are 15 signs you've made it.

Welcome to Alux, the place where future billionaires come to get inspired.

Number one, you own the roof over your head. Food and shelter are the most fundamental human needs. While you can always trade time for food, the shelter part is becoming increasingly difficult to come by. Rent is just another form of someone else getting a portion of the fruits of your labor. It used to be that the middle class had both renters and owners, but every day that goes by seems like that gap is growing larger, and anyone who owns is labeled as rich.

We don't mean having a mortgage on your way to getting your own place, but actually owning 100% equity in your home. No matter what happens, you know you have a place to sleep, and worst case scenario, you can rent it out and move to a lower cost environment. This is why owning your own makes you feel like you've made it.

Number two, you're debt-free. No mortgage, no car payments, no credit cards. Western society is one of credit, one of debt. You consume first and pay the debt second. You feel like you've made it when this is reversed; you make money first, and then you consume some of it. These are debit cards. Very few people know what it's like to have plenty of money left over at the end of the month just sitting there. Debt is a self-control problem; you're unable to control your spending or your income, thus you need to rely on others to provide the illusion of freedom.

Number three, you've earned more money than some people will in their entire lives. The average person in the United States of America will earn approximately $1.7 million during their lifetime. That's around $50,000 a year with 34 years of paid labor on average, and that's about €1.5 million in Western Europe and around 800k in Eastern Europe, around 500,000 or lower the more you move Southeast on the globe.

In life, you'll judge your financial success based on your peers and the people around you. On the screen, you'll see the average yearly salary per country. Now, it's most important to note that this is the average salary, meaning 50% of the population earns more, and 50% earns less than the number on the screen. If you're still young and have already earned more than the median individual will earn in their entire lives, well patch yourself on the back.

And speaking of money...

Number four, you no longer get pricing anxiety. Ever go into a hotel room and pick something out of the mini bar without having any financial feelings? Well, that's what it feels like to make it. You stop caring about prices in a restaurant. Big purchases feel the same way. Impulsive buys used to feel international trip this weekend? Sure, flights, how HS, Airbnbs all booked right now.

Don't get us wrong, we're not stupid with our money; we still play it smart. But this is important: your life is no longer dictated by when something is cheaper. You don't go to the beach in October because it's the off-season and it's cheaper. You don't get the room overlooking the parking lot just to save a few bucks. You make your schedule on your own timeline, not based on external factors.

This is a big moment when you realize you're okay with paying the full price for things that are worth your peace of mind.

Number five, you've got third-tier income that you can invest outside of the traditional venues. Most of you have got no idea what third-tier income is. We're going to give you the gold here, so listen up! Poor people and the middle class have a single income tier. They work, get paid, and use that money for their lifestyle. Rich people do it differently, though: they work, get money.

The money they earn is never spent; it is 100% invested. This is the first tier. The investments generate money; this money pays for your lifestyle. This is the second tier. So what's the third tier? At some point, your investments generate more money than your lifestyle requires, and there's even more money left over at the end of the month or year since your lifestyle—your cars, your toys, clothes, trips—are already covered.

You've got excess capital. What rich people do here is deploy that excess capital to things that give them the thrill of a mammoth win. All right, let's just illustrate this for you, because once you understand this lesson, your life will never be the same.

The average person has a job and gets paid a salary. This salary pays for rent, food, clothing, utilities, and other expenses. The entire income is pretty much over at the end of the month, so you get back to work in order to be able to afford your next month. This is what it means to live paycheck to paycheck.

Rich people own a business, which means they earn 10 to 200 times more than an employee because they earn substantially more. Instead of using it to pay for essentials, they go out and buy a piece of property that is rented out. The money the business earns is always invested. The investments pay for the necessities. You get back to work and keep buying assets while maintaining a subpar lifestyle until you have enough properties to increase your lifestyle.

With every apartment you buy, your life gets a bit better. This is the second tier we mentioned earlier. At some point, you get really good at it. You're able to buy three, four, five properties per year. Let's say you now own 50 properties that net you $2,000 a month. That's $100,000 per month in predictable income, since your lifestyle only costs $25,000 a month. You have an excess of $75,000 every single month.

This third-tier investment layer is what allows the rich to get filthy rich, because even if these investments fail, you'll still be fine. So you embrace that risk; you buy another business, you become an angel investor, you invest in crypto, you start investing in your private art collection. High net worth collectors currently have an estimated $2.2 trillion of their wealth in the art and collectibles market. They do this because each piece has the potential to be worth fortunes in the future, and because this blue-chip art market is mostly dictated by the high net worth class, it's made it less likely to be affected by market shocks and crashes elsewhere.

The 1% look at these investments as lateral moves in their portfolios, especially since for the past decade it's been incredibly lucrative. Take for example the sponsor of today's video, Masterworks art investing platform, which has distributed back a total of over $55 million in investor proceeds across their 22 exits to some investors who didn't even know a thing about art.

If you've watched our past videos, you already know about Masterworks. They just passed over $1 billion in assets under management, and over 900,000 members have signed on with that number growing by the day. With previous investable offerings from art icons like Picasso, Basquiat, and Banksy, shares of some of Masterworks paintings have previously sold out in minutes. But since so many AOG subscribers have signed on so far, you can still skip that waiting list and start investing today by going to the QR code on the screen or masterworks.io. You always dreamed of. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Number six, you're living in your old wallpaper. You successfully materialized your vision board: the kind of home you wanted, the kind of holidays you only dreamt of one day going on as a kid. You know you've made it when little you would look at present you, and their jaw would drop to the floor. You became what you set out to become, and your life reflects that.

You stayed true to the pursuit when everyone else settled for less. You earned it, and you deserve it, even more so if you've got the right people around you to share it with. Because as pretty as the picture is looking out the window, it sure feels weird being alone on an island.

Number seven, you left everything that no longer serves you in the past and moved on from it. You no longer have to prove anything to anyone. You no longer feel the need to hurt those who've hurt you. You've forgiven their debts and moved on, and your life is better off because of it. Karma will take care of the rest. You sleep great knowing that on a long enough time horizon, everyone gets what they deserve. Nothing about your past still holds weight over your present, nor does it hold back your future. At this moment in time, you are full; your soul is at peace.

Number eight, you spend most of your time on things that fill you up with energy instead of draining you. You've made it when life fills you up instead of drains you dry. Listen to that again: your daily life fills you up instead of draining you. Once you experience that, you realize just how blissful life can be. Some will die never knowing what that's like. Picture yourself coming home after a long day at work and feeling like you just won an Oscar. Making it is about structuring life in such a way where this becomes reality. It's not a number of Super Bowl rings; it's not an extra zero on the screen. Making it is about a life you're feeling lucky to be living.

Number nine, your kids are happy to be around you. The billionaire founder of Kingo taught us the real definition of success. You know what success is? Success is when your children want to be with you, and when they're adults, that's success. How many people could be have all that bull and their kids don't come home for the holidays? Come on! The most cool thing I've ever been called in my entire life is "Dad." You know you're winning when you give them a good childhood, when you raise them to be strong adults. You made it when, as adults, your kids still want you to be a part of their lives, not as a dependent. You literally push humanity forward with another generation. We're biologically programmed to draw the highest form of happiness from watching our offspring grow. It's one of those things where you never realize how much you would have missed out on if you chose not to have kids, unless you have them.

Number ten, the money lessons you've been hearing finally make sense. A wise man once said, "The words will only make sense once you grow the right ear to listen." Words from your father will make sense only in adulthood. Words from your mentors will only be valuable once you face the dragon. You didn't think about it much when you received the gift, but you couldn't be more thankful now that you actually put it to good use.

This entire series we're doing here on YouTube, where we document our experience in these videos and podcasts, is a way for us to put down everything that we've learned by sharing it with you. We reinforce it into our own behavior, and this builds mental models and decision-making shortcuts for the future. This has been the secret to the wealth and life that we've been able to build. You can become incredibly good at making decisions if you train that particular muscle, just like you would train with all your other muscles at a gym.

You put your headphones in for 15 minutes in the morning and rewire your brain to get more out of life, and you can start right now. Go to alux.com/slapp and fill out the survey. Once you do, our app will build you a personalized growth path designed to dramatically increase the likelihood of you achieving your primary goal in life, and in the process of doing it, we'll start fixing the little things that have been holding you back as well.

Hundreds of thousands of people use our app to make their lives better, and if you scan the QR code on screen right now, you'll get 25% off the yearly plan. Deep down, you know you've got what it takes to make it; you just haven't had the right tool yet. So let us help you out.

Number eleven, you built a fortress of safety around you and your family using money. One of the greatest things about making it is that in the process of getting there, you build all of this infrastructure around you. You now have accountants, tax advisors, lawyers, coaches, all bundled up into a valuable network. You know people that know people. Problems that would have crushed you or you would have lost sleep over back in the day are now manageable.

This is yet another one of those "you need to live it to know what it's like" kind of things. The relief you feel, the lack of anxiety knowing that it will be taken care of and you'll be okay, is priceless. You're buying yourself predictability and minimizing risk. Your kids go to a great school; your doctors take care of your health, and your environment is safe. You did it; you built this for your inner circle.

Number twelve, you sleep great at night. You feel comfortable and wake up with a smile on your face. Now there are three parts to this. The first one is about how you sleep at night. There are many rich people who cannot sleep or feel like they sleep with an eye open. That is not winning. The second part is about comfort and beauty. Your medium feeds you energy. What do you think living in a cramped studio apartment with only one window does for your soul, for your creativity, for your outlook on life?

What about living in a bright, airy space surrounded by light, nature, and beauty? There's an emotional, psychological, and even financial positive impact that comes from living in a comfortable and inspiring place. All of your material needs are covered, and you've even purchased yourself convenience. Those who have an in-home gym, sauna, or pool know just how amazing it feels using it for the first time.

The third part is about waking up with a smile on your face. It's realizing that this is the life you get to live. When this is your morning, something beautifully peculiar happens to your brain.

Number thirteen, your focus has shifted to helping out the people around you. You've already helped yourself, so it's natural that you want to give back. Every rich person we've ever met is beyond generous, not only with their money but with their time and wisdom. Once you make it, you want others to experience what you're experiencing, especially those who mean something to you. You take them under your wing, you show them how things work, you provide guidance, tools, and even a little bit of inspiration.

Deep down, we want everyone around us to win, because as comfortable as first class feels, it's still an L if your family is cracking jokes together in economy.

But Alux, how do I know when I'm done? How do I know when I've hit my number? Well, fortunately for you, there's actually a great answer to this question.

Number fourteen, you reached your withdrawal rate. A couple of weeks ago, we were talking to one of our financial coaches, an incredibly smart guy who sold four companies for many millions of dollars, with the last one being over 50 million. We had some questions, as you did: when does it feel like you're done? Is there a number? Is it an award? How do you know you've made it?

Without even batting an eye, he said, "Withdrawal rate." Once you hit your withdrawal rate, all the pressure, all the anxiety goes away. So what is this withdrawal rate, and how does it magically remove all the bad juju in your body and soul?

Well, every time he sold one of his companies, he threw the majority of the funds into boring investments like the S&P 500 and other ETFs. He took only a small portion to finance his next one and did it over and over again. That investing portfolio averages around 9% return per year. The withdrawal rule says you can take out as much as 5% of your investment portfolio every year, allowing the rest to compound.

You win when that 5% is more than your full cost of living. To simplify matters, let's say our mentor's portfolio is worth $50 million. At 9% per year, he's earning $4.5 million in returns. He'll pull out $2.5 million, and that's his budget for the year. All of his expenses—his travel, his cars, etc.—are all covered by that. As long as he doesn't go over the $2.5 million a year, every year he'll be able to take out even more money, because next year he'll draw 5% out of $52 million and so on.

This allows him to never work a day in his life until he dies, and his net worth will keep going up. The truth is you don't really need $2.5 million a year to live; nobody does. But it gives you the mental space knowing that you could literally double your lifestyle, and you would still be okay.

Which brings us to the last item on today's list.

Number fifteen, you need to dream new dreams. Last weekend, something incredible happened: Andrew Schultz sold out Madison Square Garden for two nights in a row. Not sure how familiar you are with this comedian, but this has been a pursuit of his for the past 17 years. Two nights, 17 years in the making. Getting to see someone fulfill their lifelong dream was not only exhilarating but it makes you reflect on what is next for someone who made it.

That's when he dropped this gem: "You need to dream new dreams." And it hit us right in the soul. Alux, or get to a point in life where, by necessity, you need to dream some new dreams so you can watch those come true as well.

We know this was a mix between money and a little bit of philosophy, but we want to pass this question on to you: When will you know that you've made it? Write it down in the comments so that when it happens, you can return to that comment and confirm your achievement.

And since you stuck around for this long, we feel like you've earned yourself a bonus: Beyond this point, maximize life, not money. Here's another golden nugget for those true Aluxers that watch these videos until the very end. If you already live a comfortable life, then choosing to make more money but live a worse daily life is a bad trade. Money is not worth it in that case.

Or let us put it an even better way: at some point, more money becomes too expensive. If you finished Foundation week in the Alux app, you know our thesis is to maximize the quality of our lives for the longest possible time horizon. And you do that by going after the five pillars of a good life: money, health, intellect, relationships, and emotions.

Since you've been with us for a long time, we want to reward our loyal community with a gift. Scan this QR code or go to alux.com/sl50 off, and instead of paying $1.99 for the yearly subscription, you'll get everything for only $99. Think of that $100 as our gift to you.

We believe you can get everything you want out of life, but let's get you rich first. If you think you'll make it one day, write the word "one" in the comments. By doing so, you'll go from one day to day one of your new life.