“A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon, you’re talking about real money.” That’s a quote from Senator Everett Dirkson, from back in the 1960’s. These days, a billion dollars doesn’t mean much to Washington politicians. But to the rest of us, it is still a lot of money, and it is real money.
Author and speaker, Rafael Badzaig, has looked into the lives of people who have made real money, billionaires. He interviewed and worked with over two dozen self-made billionaires around the world to discover their secrets to success. His book, “The Billion Dollar Secret: 20 Principles of Billionaire Wealth and Success,” shares what he has learned.
Of course, most of the “secrets” he learned are not really that secret. The secrets are actually positive habits that you have probably heard about all of your life. The “secret” is that the billionaires develop the positive habits, put them into practice, and continue them. What are some of those principles? Here are some of them from a “Turning Point” devotional about the subject I read recently:
They wake up early. They know that “the early bird gets the worm.” So that means that they go to bed at a reasonable time, which relates to the next principle.
They keep healthy and exercise regularly. They know they have to keep their engine running as efficiently as possible in order to do all they need to do.
They are avid readers. While they may read some for entertainment, more importantly, they read to learn.
They take time to contemplate and think. I can’t imagine how busy and hectic the lives of those billionaires are. But yet, they find the time to slow down, back away, and think.
They develop routines and rituals. If it works, they continue doing it. Many worry that a routine can become a rut. But a positive routine and habit can actually elevate a person, rather than drag them down.
They practice discipline and self-control. They know how to say no to potentially harmful things, and yes to the helpful things, even if those helpful things are difficult.
As mentioned earlier, the “secrets” mentioned above are not really that secret. We’ve heard them many times over the years. (Now you have heard them again.) And while we won’t become billionaires, we all know that those principles can really make our lives better. So, why don’t we do them? It’s pretty simple, they’re hard. If it was easy, we would already have done it.
Those positive principles are especially hard when we begin. We often don’t see positive results initially, so it’s easy to become discouraged. But a couple of lines from the end of the devotional gave me a visual comparison and encouragement:
“All these are habits, and habits are like spaceships. It takes a lot of energy to launch them, but once they’re in orbit their momentum becomes natural.”
Think back to when NASA was involved in the space race. The rocket ship sitting on the launch pad was enormous. But most of the rocket ship was an engine and fuel just to get it launched off the ground, through the earth’s atmosphere and into orbit. The actual space capsule was small, especially on the first space missions. Once the spaceship entered into orbit, less energy was needed to keep it going.
Getting a positive habit in orbit in our lives is often hard. But once it is developed, momentum will take over. Where can it take you?