Before millionaires and billionaires became super successful, they were usually like everyone else. At least outwardly. But they had big dreams. People like Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates were ordinary individuals, seemingly no different from you and me.
One obstacle to becoming successful is believing that success just happens. That the people who get extraordinary results “got lucky.” However, as the saying goes, most people find that the harder they work, the luckier they get.
Success does not get handed to you on a platter. It requires hard work and perseverance. You also need a belief system that says not only that it is possible to achieve success beyond the wildest dreams of most people, but that you can achieve that level of success. That means having the mindset of a billionaire.
How do you think like a billionaire?
Learn how it is done: Study the lives of the rich and famous to see what you can learn from them. Read books by and about them, read interviews, learn about how they got started. Their stories are inspiring and you can learn from what worked and didn’t work for them. It is not only their successes that are inspiring. As you learn the whole story, you will discover the failures and missteps along the way. Success is rarely a straight line.
Internalize your goal: Instead of just saying you want to be rich and successful, you have to act the part. Have the confidence of someone who is already successful. You should act like a billionaire, talk like a billionaire, and think like a billionaire. (But you might want to hold off on spending like a billionaire until you actually have the money.)
Take action: Dreaming, planning and ‘acting as if’ are great practice, but to make it happen you need to take action. Forget the idea that “All things come to those who wait.” In fact, things come to those who hustle while they wait. You will never get there with only your dreams, however great they are. You need to make your move. Choose an action and take it. Do all that you have to do, to be able to get there, and do not ever stop pursuing your dream.
A lot of people dream of becoming a billionaire someday. There is nothing wrong with that. But if you want to be a billionaire, ask yourself what you are doing right now in order to realize your dream.