I earned my first million at age 24 — here's how to earn yours, in 7 steps
Flickr / Porto Bay Hotels And Resorts
Do you remember hearing your family talk about money as a child?
Growing up on welfare in New York City, I remember my family talking about getting rich. It seemed like everyone wanted to be a millionaire, but neither would admit it. They would talk about traveling the world, eating the finest food, and even gallantly arriving to the Oscars in the most luxurious clothing.
Soon enough, the conversation would come to a brief halt and the leader of the discussion would sharply castigate the dreamers, leading to an immediate silence. Within the same awkward minute, the wiser members of my family would nervously giggle, and then gasp in my direction, "Don't worry Daniel, when you go to college and get a job, you can bail us out."
Most people want to become millionaires, but like my family, they are put down because their goal is too 'unrealistic.' They're taught to conform to the patterns of former generations. The possibilities of becoming rich are soon obstructed by excuse-making, limitations, and perceived setbacks.
However, the path to becoming a millionaire is easy once you’re able to admit it. Instead of writing off the possibilities and accepting the advice of failures, you must believe that it can happen. You must affirm to yourself and those who support you that you’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen.
Danny E. Martindale / Stringer / Getty Images
1. Make promises.
In order to reach your highest goals, you need to make promises to everyone you meet. This is the single-best way to hold yourself accountable. It’s like the villager who told everyone in his village, “I’m going to catch the biggest game in town.” Not only did he challenge himself to find creative ways to hunt, but he also pushed his friends and foes to achieve more too.
In the process of becoming rich, there are many people who are willing and able to help you reach your goals. However, they can only do so if you tell them your aspirations. Go ahead and tell everyone that you’re writing a book, starting a new business, or losing weight. Let your ego work in your favor. Eventually, your promises will come to fruition if you get enough people involved.
The people that you are looking for are also looking for you
Drew Hallowell/Getty
2. Achieve self-acceptance.
If you want to be accepted by others, you need to first accept yourself. To accept yourself, you have to acknowledge that you’ve done your best up until this point, even if you know you can do more. By accepting yourself, you’ll be able to confidently overcome fears, criticism, or rejection from others. Self-acceptance will allow you to have unprecedented breakthroughs in your life.
In high school, I was ranked second to last in my graduating class. The last guy was actually in jail! Despite my academic failures, I began to realize that my talents will only be developed when I accepted myself. Within a matter of months, I dropped out of MBA school, moved out, and started my own business. Since then, I've never turned back. If you believe in yourself, everyone will believe in you.
If you accept yourself, everyone will accept you.
Tristan Fewings/Getty
3. Own your wealth.
If you want money, you must take responsibility over your personal finances. Many people don’t want to deal with their money directly. Oftentimes, they direct their financial responsibilities to others. In one study, I found that 76% of people fail to check their bank accounts on a daily basis. Who can have more money if they don’t know what they have?
One of my clients told me of his financial despairs: "My wife takes care of the bills. I just ‘make the money’ and let her handle the finances. She always buys whatever we need for the house." Of course, this total irresponsibility is the reason why this man was failing financially. I told him about the value of discussing financial affairs with his wife. Within one year, he more than doubled his income.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider