As a financial planner, I meet a lot of experienced and high-level management people. I observed that these successful people are rich not because they earn a lot. They have a few habits which make them what they are – SPECIAL and SUCCESSFUL. Thus, they demand a high price for their skill set.

The following 5 habits I found common in most of them. 

Step 1 - Read for 1 hour a day at least

Reading gives you access to the smartest think tanks globally. Learning from the successful people is the fastest way to get rich. Today with the power of the internet access to books as well ideas of millionaires are available. 

The famous Charlie Munger. A self-made billionaire, Warren Buffett’s long-time business partner. He hadn’t known any wise person who wasn't a voracious reader. None, zero.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet read at least an hour a day and swear by this ritual. I rest my case here. Read and grow rich. 

Step 2 – Short-term versus long term 

I read this quote and I use it as a reminder every time I have a difficulty making a choice. It’s useful in making investment decisions as well in regular life. 

“Lifetime regrets are more painful than delayed gratification.” — Dawn Graham. 

Wanting to feel good short term is majority of people’s problems. A quick tip of investment you earn quick bucks and you gloat on the success. This is short-lived always. A mediocre life is a combination of making short-sighted trades repeatedly. The shortcuts. Constant hesitations. The small poor decisions that have a cumulative effect on your whole life. Take the long haul, you’re worth it. If you want your wealth to grow, you need an expert ( aka financial planner) to take care of it. Take this decision so over time you build a balanced growth-oriented formidable portfolio 

Step 3 – Have a fixed Morning Ritual 

This holds the key to success. Mark Cuban an astute investor say its his morning ritual that sets him out for a successful day ahead. This becomes weeks, months and years of triumphant existence. The best tips I have come across for a morning ritual are to express gratitude, stretch and breathe and have clarity on 3 tasks to be completed each day. This is not financial advice but aids financial growth. I want my clients to be ever-growing and all-rounders. They must succeed not only in investing but also in their day-to day lives. Make a morning ritual and follow it for 365 days straight. I assure you growth in your wealth. 

Step 4 – Decide what you want exactly. 

Yes. Fix the number. Fix the goal. Fix the how rich you want to be. Its easier to get there. Trust me. I am a financial planner and achieving set goals gets easy once I know what the client’s expectation is. This way you can re-balance the portfolio to ensure the growth gravitates to the required end result. 

As simple as this sounds, many people haven’t even thought about it. Write a list of 7 things you want to happen for you between now and the next 5 years. It will surprise you the things you actually want. Remember, the foundations you erect for a bungalow is not the same for a High-rise. Knowing what you want is power. This will propel you into action and thus the desired result. 

Step 5 – Push yourself out of your comfort-zone 

If you want exponential growth being content is a virtue to give up. No, I am not advising being greedy but being hungry for growth. Hungry to do more with your time. Having money in savings and building a routine are all great and necessary elements to a life well-lived. You must avoid long stretches of comfort. Everyone wanted the endless holidays. But, after a month of lockdown everyone craved to go back to work. 

The Pandemic was an eye-opener. The booming travel industry touted to grow by leaps and bounds has crashed. Oil stock piles rendered to negative returns. Gold and silver made dizzying new highs. Only a well-balanced asset class portfolio would have weathered this storm. To ensure you have a diversified balanced portfolio is one way you can beat the odds. Grow rich steadily. You may not know which areas to look at. Its best to rely on an expert for this

Along with investing your hard-earned money, this is a time where you must create many streams of income. Gain more skills or hone your current ones to their sharpest edge. Make yourself irreplaceable. Age is just a number. You want to face challenges that push you not kill you. Ultimately look back and smile that you lived to your fullest potential.

I promise my clients my experienced advice to build a retirement corpus that is growth oriented and balanced. These steps are a few ideas I recommend to see a huge positive change in your mind-set. Consequently, leading to a wealthier and wiser YOU.