Five Takeaways from Talking to Seven Millionaires

Feb 8

When shit doesn't work out, it's a lesson.

When you are on the side of shit not having worked out, it's realllllly hard to find the silver lining.

Today's a Monday. The last Monday in January, in fact.

Which would be a perfect day for my #millionairemonday series. A series where I interview real people about what they did to find themselves sitting with a cool $1M. This series has sparked fantastic conversations, filled my inbox with "thank yous," and allowed me to further my work by showing you that it IS possible for you to have fun with your money while taking stock of what's happening with it.

But today.

It didn't happen.

The person I'd interviewed was so self-promotional that I couldn't hit "post" or "send" today.

I looooovvee when the millionaires I feature have a product you can buy, like a book or course, a service they offer, like coaching or speaking, or they share their website that shows you what they are doing to make money, such as a vacation rental site.

But this one didn't have the warmth and empathy that the other interviews had.

My brain thrashed a bit; "you HAVE to post it!" "People are going to think you're lazy if you don't have an interview!" "How can you start the year without consistency?"

But in the end, my gut knew what was right.

It didn't feel right to share this interview. So I won't.

Instead, I wanted to highlight some of the key things I've learned since starting the #millionairemonday series. Part strategy, part beliefs, it’s all about what you can take or think to take steps towards your version of financial freedom.

They buck the idea that your home is one of your biggest investments. They look at real estate as an investment but don't include their primary residence as the only investment. They often buy rental properties, whether that's for traditional year-long tenant stays, or for short-term vacation stays.
They don’t fall victim to lifestyle creep. They don't do major upgrades to their lifestyle when their income increases. They might buy that new bag they wanted, or replace a car in need of replacing, but they more or less keep their lifestyle in check (see my video on lifestyle creep for tips on how to do this in your life)
They give back to causes that are important to them. Whether it's with time or money, they are generous by offering back to their communities.
They find value in their life outside of their net worth. For all the folks interviewed for the #millionairemonday series, they keep working once they've hit millionaire status. Not to "hustle" but because they know the value on their mental health to have a routine and purpose beyond sitting and staring at their bank accounts.
They say “Thank you, next” to people who aren’t supportive. Whether it’s family or coworkers, they don’t let a little side-eye distract them from their goals of financial freedom. That might look like someone saying, “but you can afford it!” when they choose to not purchase something. It might sound like “you are spending another weekend looking at rental properties, doesn’t that get old?” They dust off the digs, and move forward, knowing they’ve got their eye on the price.

Here's your challenge: what can you implement from these #millionairemonday habits? What are things they are doing that can help you shift towards a millionaire mindset? As my friend Kronda of Karvel Digital recently reminded me, "they like to you when they said 'seeing is believing.' It's backward. Belief has to come first."