A million dollars for making your bed? That sounds like the best game show ever, doesn’t it? Or maybe the best job ever, right? Nope. Apparently the difference between us and folks like Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Mark Zuckerberg is smaller than we think. (click on Bill’s and Richard’s names. They’re linked to their blogs) A socio-economist, who made up the title socio-economist, named Randall Bell, Ph.D. spent the last twenty-five years studying the behaviors that successful people have in common, and good news, writing a blog might be one of those habits. So might reading my books.
Exercise: Successful people, including Oprah Winfrey, get up early to exercise every day. That’s nice, but there is also a correlation that says rich people have a gym in their house. If Oprah Winfrey gave me a home gym I’d exercise a lot more. You get a gym, and you get a gym, and you get a gym. Everybody gets a gym!
Make your bed! Bell writes. “For example, those who make their bed in the morning are up to 206.8 percent more likely to be millionaires.” If I made my bed everyday until I became a millionaire, the first thing I’d do when I became a millionaire would be to hire a housekeeper to make my bed. Would you go broke if you stopped making your bed?
Read! You’re doing it right now. Do you feel richer already? Those who read seven or more books per year are 122 percent more likely to be millionaires. If you read all my books this year you’d be more than halfway to a million dollars and I’d be about ten dollars closer. The study says that Bill Gates reads 50 books a year. Well no freaking kidding! If I had more money than several countries, I could sit on my ass and read books all day too.
Get Up Early! Successful people tend to get up three hours before their work day begins. Seriously, I’m a big proponent of this one. Me getting up at 5 a.m. is how #ThePhilFactor gets done five times a week. Of course, I’ve been writing The Phil Factor for twelve years and I’m not a millionaire yet, so blogging may not be the best use of your time.
Have Good Etiquette: Little things like remembering birthdays and sending thank you notes is another habit of highly successful people. Now if a highly successful person were to send me a birthday card with a million dollar check in it, I could get on board with this one.
Prioritize Your Relationships: Apparently enjoying your partner goes a long way towards getting rich. Yeah, maybe, or maybe rich people have a spouse who knows on which side their bread is buttered.
Plan Out Your Day and Write Things Down: People that maintain a calendar and a to-do list are 289 percent more likely to be a millionaire. Now I wish I still had my bad ass Trapper Keeper. Write your stuff down, maybe on a blog.
Well? What are you waiting for? Get reading, writing and be nice to people. That’s about it. Blog and read everyday. You’ve already done one of those today, now go do the other. Have a great Saturday! ~Phil
I do so many of those . . No millions here either!!!
I’m sure your millions are coming though! (just like mine)
We’ll just keep waiting eh Phil!
The trouble with those types of articles is that they tell you what successful people are doing now, not what they did before they were successful. I suspect they were too busy working to go to the gym, make their beds, read, build relationships. Bill Gates, for example, was already successful and wealthy before he had time for a family.
Didn’t they all have a ‘good idea’ and make it work? When I’m making my bed tomorrow, I’ll be looking for that light bulb moment. Then I’ll be able to say that I was a success because I made my bed.
I feel like I should be a millionaire a hundred times over! I plan, I’m a nice person and I read loads…maybe I need to start making my bed rather than just giving the duvet a shake every morning?
That’s it! That all that’s been holding you back! It’s the bed making!
I do a lot of this, but I have no millions… But if I decided to move homes I will be at least a million in minus (in Norwegian kroner)
I agree with Ritu. I do most of these, too, but definitely not a millionaire. But I see the point of the research. Basically, give order to your life, plan ahead, and keep your mind active and you’ll be successful.
Based on your blog title I’m going to follow you immediately!
*Looks at her messy, unmade bed and glances back at Phil’s post* On it Phil!
Thanks for pointing out these facts Phil, I think the cheque must still be in the mail, I definitely qualify!!
Hmmmmm, I am still waiting for my millions as I do many of the things on the list already too. Must be the calendar I am failing on, as I keep forgetting to put things on it!! 🙂
Maybe add a recurring note on the calendar for every Saturday that says Read The Phil Factor
Oooooh, I admire your cheek!
Well I should be a millionaire by now….not from my job when I was working (nursing)…but from the list. My neighbour has a fully equipped gym at the end of their garden that we have private use of (yes really!! more money than sense)….does that count? On the book front I finished Time to Lie this morning, Phil and I really enjoyed it. Review to follow!! Look forward to next installment…C x
Oh thank you so much for reading my book and for the forthcoming review! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that!
Will let you know when it is done! Have told the family to read it too….x
Thank you again, so much!
I am deeply disturbed by this post. I’m on-board with many of these particular scenarios. The only reason I cannot be a millionaire is, IMO, somebody is siphoning funds form my account before they are even being deposited. Its so obvious I must have missed this for many years and must now be a hypothetical multi-millionaire. I shall make enquiries and refer official to the evidence contained within this very post.
I do all of these things. How come I’m neither successful nor a millionaire? *pours another glass of wine, completes another Buzzfeed quiz, finishes the pack of cookies* Hmmmm…
😂
Loved this, Phil! So I do everything suggested here, especially the reading (Lotsa Books! Gonna try yours!) and the writing (Calendars/Planners/To-Do Lists) but it’s never occurred to me that I should actually try reading my own writing in those calendars and planners. That’s the ticket… showing up for a previously scheduled appointment now and then! 😉
Stephanie
Too funny! Thanks for popping by Steph!
Wow! I do some of these things! I’ll let you know when I become a millionaire! 🙂
I enjoyed the list and now wonder where is the money?
Me too!
I do every one of these things
And I don’t mean to bitch
But is there some other reason
Why I’m not freakin’ rich!
I make my bed every morning, but I must not be tucking in my corners properly.
I fail to get up early when left to my own choice and I seldom take my exercise in the morning, and by this evaluation — I feel like I should get 5/7, which would be closer to a mill than not, and yet… *counts quarters*
LOL 🙂
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Hopefully I’m halfway there to being a millionaire!