Millionaires—they really are different. But it’s not just luck that helps them achieve success in financial, occupational and personal realms. Instead, it appears that there are certain millionaire success habits that the rest of the world can learn to emulate. Even better? After spending five years working with millionaires and studying the habits of successful people, author Thomas C. Corley—who is also an “internationally recognized authority on habits and wealth creation,” according to his LinkedIn bio—highlighted them in his book, “Change Your Habits, Change Your Life.” And this deep dive into some of those daily habits of successful people will help anyone live like a millionaire, long before there’s any change in their paychecks.

Corley’s principle is fairly simple. While some lucky children are born into wealth, many individuals are able to become self-made millionaires. In fact, he followed 177 such individuals for a period of five years, after which he shared some very important conclusions.

In “Change Your Habits, Change Your Life,” Corley said, “From my research, I discovered that daily habits dictate how successful or unsuccessful you will be in life.”  In fact, he continues, “There is a cause and effect associated with habits. Habits are the cause of wealth, poverty, happiness, sadness, stress, good relationships, bad relationships, good health, or bad health.”

If that sounds simple, it’s not…exactly. Certainly, people are always capable of changing their habits. Yet many don’t. And that’s how Corley was able to notice—and share—some of the most important millionaire success habits, including regularly reading, working out, prioritizing sleep and setting aside time to just think. Furthermore, he noted, these highly effective people were very careful about who they surrounded themselves with, curating their peer groups and advisors, and being very selective about goal pursuit.

Ready to get a better understanding of these millionaire and billionaire habits that helped people acquire wealth and other forms of success? Here are 15 daily habits of successful people to study and practice.

Think back through today’s events. How many hours were spent scrolling through Instagram, watching television, or simply doing nothing? What if just 30 of those minutes were spent with a great book, instead? Well, according to Corley, making that swap would be a “rich habit,” since he notes that 88% of self-made millionaires “devote thirty minutes or more each day to self-education or self-improvement reading,” noting further that “most did not read for entertainment.”

So, what is the purpose of this daily reading habit? Corley contends that “the rich read to acquire or maintain knowledge,” focusing their efforts on three distinct book categories: history books, volumes devoted to personal growth or self-help, and biographies of other successful individuals. 

Need some real-world proof that this habit is one adopted by highly successful people? CNBC’s MakeIt points out that Bill Gates reads 50 books a year, and Warren Buffet spends a huge chunk of his day reading—as much as 80% of it!

Not ready to bust out thick volumes of world history books? Even reading for pleasure can be considered one of the key daily habits of successful people. How? According to the National Sleep Foundation, reading a book before bed is a great way to wind down and sleep better. And, since prioritizing sleep is another millionaire success habit—more on that shortly—picking up the latest Dan Brown book before bed could still be an important step towards building personal wealth and success.

Here’s some serious inspiration to start a new year’s workout routine: according to Corley, “Seventy-six percent of the rich aerobically exercise 30 minutes or more every day.” Now that cardiovascular exercise could take on many different forms—running, walking, or even trying one of these fitness trends for 2023—but it is important to have an aerobic focus.

Why is that so crucial? Corley explains that “Cardio is not only good for the body, but it’s good for the brain,” because “it grows the neurons (brain cells) in the brain.” And that’s not all! Corley further notes that “Exercise also increases the production of glucose. Glucose is brain fuel. The more fuel you feed your brain, the more it grows and the smarter you become.”

Ready to serve up a meal to those brain cells and start adopting this millionaire success habit that will also boost overall health? Check out these trending pieces of home workout equipment to help jumpstart a new routine.

Corley observes that “The rich are always on the lookout for individuals who are goal-oriented, optimistic, enthusiastic, and who have an overall positive mental outlook,” because they know that “you are only as successful as those you frequently associate with.” But here’s another millionaire success habit that’s just as important as who they hang out with—who they steer clear of. Corley also notes that one of the most important billionaire habits he observed is avoiding toxic people, since “negative, destructive criticism will derail you from pursuing success.” So, when it’s time to start adopting some of the daily habits of successful people, it may also be time to start deleting phone contacts, too.

What’s the best way to steer clear of negative individuals and find a solid crew of good ones? Try taking advantage of volunteering opportunities—a habit adopted by highly effective people, says Corley, who notes that 72% of the ones in his study group spent at least five hours each month giving back to others.

Now, volunteering has some pretty important mental health benefits. In fact, Project Helping cites research that 76% of volunteers report feeling healthier, and 25% note that their efforts help manage mental health challenges such as depression. But what makes volunteering such an important millionaire success habit? According to Corley, “So many wealthy people volunteer for charitable organizations, civic groups, or trade groups [because] it helps them expand their network of other success-minded people.”

As it turns out, day-dreaming isn’t a waste of time—instead, it’s a critical millionaire success habit, as long as it’s done correctly. According to Corley, “Dream-setting involves scripting your ideal future life.” So, more than simply fantasizing about that next luxury vacation, or getting a better handle on that crazy working mom life, he suggests a more specific process. When starting to dream, he says to “Define your future life, the future you, by imagining all your dreams coming true; then you put it to paper in five hundred to a thousand words.” Sounds too simple to be effective? During his research process, 61% of focus group members practiced this specific billionaire habit.

Here’s another important way to build wealth, success, and personal fulfillment. Corey writes that, “Pursuing your own dreams and goals creates the greatest long-term happiness and results in the greatest accumulation of wealth.”

Why is that the case? When pursuing other people’s version of success, there’s less passion in the process. And that matters, since “Passion makes work fun,” says Corley. Plus, “Passion gives you the energy, persistence, and focus needed to overcome failures, mistakes, and rejection.”

Even more importantly? When pursuing our own dreams, we gain the strength to stop blending in and to start standing out. And that’s a crucial habit of highly successful people, since Corley believes that “failure to separate yourself from the herd is why most people never achieve success.”

One of the keys to getting better sleep is to set a specific sleep-wake schedule, turning the lights out and rising each morning at the exact same time, because this supports a healthy circadian rhythm. Now, sleep has many key health benefits, so getting enough is important for so many reasons. Yet Corley also writes that “Sleep is critical to success,” which is perhaps why 89% of the millionaires he followed during his study period reported getting at least seven hours. Every single night.

While getting enough sleep each night is one of the key habits of successful people, starting the day at the right time appears to be equally important. In fact, Corley observed that almost half of the millionaires in his group rose three hours before the start of the workday, gaining the extra time they needed to tackle unscheduled events that may arise without losing focus on daily to-do lists.

Even more crucial, he notes, is the fact that these early hours are usually quiet ones, entirely free from distraction. As such, writes Corley, “Getting up at five in the morning to tackle the top three things you want to accomplish in your day allows you to regain control of your life. It gives you a sense of confidence that you, indeed, direct your life.”

With all that extra time in the day, highly successful people have the hours they need to focus on building several revenue streams, meaning they don’t have to “rely on one singular source of income,” says Corley. Of course, diving into too many projects could be more of a distraction than a millionaire success habit; here, the author suggests that “three seemed to be the magic number,” since 65% of the millionaires he followed “had at least three streams of income that they created prior to making their first million dollars.”

Wondering how to build wealth on multiple fronts without losing focus on the pursuit of a main goal or dream? The key appears to lie in passive income sources, like stock investments or real estate rental properties. Even becoming a silent partner in someone else’s business can yield a new revenue stream without sapping energy from the main pursuit of success.

Corley explains that “Finding a mentor puts you on the fast track to wealth accumulation,” because they “regularly and actively participate in your success, teaching you what to do and what not to do.” Of course, a mentor can only share that valuable insight and guidance when asked, so it’s important for highly successful people to keep checking in with mentors, even once they’ve made their millions or billions.

Not sure how to find the right mentor? Look for someone with experience—and success—in a specific field of interest, then gauge their interest in helping others. Finally, ensure that both personalities are a match, and everything else should fall into place!

While it’s important to find a mentor, it’s equally crucial to open up to others, since “Helping other success-minded people move forward in achieving their goals and dreams helps you succeed,” says Corley. In short, he explains, building a personal fortune is not a one-person job—“No one realizes success without a team of other success-minded people.” As such, he suggests, “The best way to create your team is to offer help to other success-minded people first.”

Of course, it’s ok to be selective when doling out that advice. After all, millionaires don’t roll with negative individuals. So, when looking to mentor others, it’s important to “focus on helping only those who are pursuing success, are optimistic, goal-oriented, positive, and uplifting.”

On any journey to success, there will be bumps in the road. But how people react to those bumps can be predictive of their eventual wealth accumulation, since Corley notes that “Long-term success is only possible when you have a positive mental outlook.” In fact, he suggests that could explain why “positivity was a hallmark of all the self-made millionaires” he followed for years.

But more than helping overcome roadblocks, Beth Cabrera—a PhD who authored “Beyond Happy: Women, Work, and Well-Being”—notes that positivity lends people “more energy,” also making them “more self-confident and hopeful. Because of this they tend to set higher goals and expend more effort in order to reach their goals,” which are both critical millionaire success habits.

Remember that old adage about being kind to people on the way up, since they may be encountered on the way down? Well, it turns out that it’s one Corley’s millionaires take seriously, since he observed that they “have mastered certain rules of etiquette principles [needed] to be a success.”

What should that look like? After receiving a gift, or simply after a great meeting of the minds, be sure to send a thank you note. Don’t forget big life events, such as birthdays or weddings. And, when dining out or attending special events, be sure to follow all dress codes and display proper manners.

While dropping everything to just think may seem indulgent, following this practice is actually “key to… success,” says Corley. But that thinking can’t happen in the middle of a crowded train, or at random points throughout the day. Instead, highly effective people make thinking a conscious decision, practiced at a set time, alone, and for a period of no less than 15 minutes. During this time, it’s important to reflect on ‘big picture’ questions, including job happiness, life wellness, and opportunities for new or better revenue streams.

According to Corley, “Feedback is essential to learning what is working and what isn’t working. Feedback helps you understand if you are on the right track.” One way to get this feedback is to bounce ideas off a mentor. But an even better way to get the information needed to succeed is to seek constructive criticism from a broad group of individuals, whether that’s employees, employers or even trusted family members who have a broad view of an individual’s life progress.

How many rejection letters did successful authors like Dan Gutman receive before ever getting published? What would have happened if they quit after the first one? Well, without resilience, or the goal of never giving up, their success would be impossible, and that’s why Corley notes that “Self-made millionaires are persistent. They never quit on their dream. They would rather go down with the ship than quit.”  Want to be just like those self-made millionaires? Here’s Corley’s parting piece of advice: “If you want to be successful in life, you have to persist in the face of seemingly unending adversity.”

What millionaire success habits are you ready to try? Do you want to shout out the highly effective people in your life? Comment Below!