Model the best. Steal what works and throw away the rest. Not cause it rhymes, but because it is what I have done to become better habitually. Better at thinking better. Better at acting better. Better at living better. There are 5 habits that I have noticed in millionaires that I’ve stolen, and you should consider stealing too! Better is a big word. It’s a big word because no matter at what point you meet it, you can always level up. Be better. People claim they are the BEST. Well I want to be better. Let’s look up this word, because you probably never have.  According to Merriam-Webster, better is comparative to the word “good” – good for me is average. When people greet and ask me, Stacy, how are ya? I don’t say “good” – That’s average talk. I usually respond with words like, great, excellent, fabulous, extraordinary, amazing, awesome, energetic, powerful, and better than ever!  Better is defined as, improved in accuracy or performance. It also means, to surpass in excellence – to make more complete or perfect. We all know how infinite potential is and how working towards potential is better than working towards quotas and average demands. I intend to surpass average statistics. That is why I model millionaires. Not because of the money, even though money is infinite. I model millionaires because of their ability to form BETTER habits consistently over time in order to achieve greatness.  Over the last year, I focused on a handful. I wrote down qualities that they possess and made it a point to activate these qualities in myself. Here are 5 habits that are easily transferable and easily noticeable in millionaires that you should consider.  Waking up early (4-6A.M)  I work too, so don’t even bring that to the conversation. If you have a job and are still able to maximize time you will soon benefit more than most from waking early. What do you do when you are up? Read. Write. Meditate. Energize. Create Targets. Learn. Focus. and Be thankful.  Read more books on education and personal development.  Thomas C. Corley, author of Rich Habits conducted a study consisting of 233 wealthy individuals. of the 233, 177 were self-made. His book was on my hit list during my model phase. I needed to know what these people did on a daily basis and why I wasn’t doing it. According to Corley’s interviews it was concluded that:  85% read two or more books a month for education and learning purposes 63% listened to educational audio books during their commute to work 88% read 30 minutes or more each day for purposes of education and learning 58% read biographies of famous successful people 51% read history books 55% read self-help books Two or more books a month? According to the Pew Research Center, as of January 14, 2014, 76% of Americans adults stated they read on average 1 book per year. I saw those numbers and it became evident to why so many are failing at being better. Just by reading one more book per year you are better than the average person. But, I asked myself, why stop there? Why not read two or more books a month! This year I am aiming for that very number. Two a month. Since January, I have already finished Turning Pro and Business Brilliant (again) and Secrets of a Millionaire Mind and BOBA (5th time) and currently rounding up 3 more.  I hardly read fiction. Actually, I will rephrase that. I haven’t read fiction since high school. Just not my thing. Sorcery and scandal plots does nothing for me. Maybe I’ll read a one when I am 90 years old. Journaling You know who I love? I love Benjamin Franklin. I love his 13 week journal, daily schedule. Love how he scheduled his day to be optimal and productive. I always admired good habits in an individual, that’s why one of the first products that I created was the Comfort Killers Journal. I saw how millionaires, and billionaires always created time to write.  It’s not the type of journaling that we did in high school. The type that made us cry and weep. The entries that were poetic and depressing. The type of journaling that millionaires do is one that highlights the lessons of the day, strengths, ideas, value, honesty and thoughts.  Remember, we are focused on getting better. It’s new to you and maybe weird at first but you have got to get into the habit now! This is the reason I decided to donate 20 journals to children in Philadelphia. I know how important it is to leave your story behind. Leave your mark and get those thoughts on paper. Make it real. They don’t consume television and or social media for entertainment Again, my friend Thomas C. Corley has the best Rich Habits Study ever! Over the course of 5 years he interviewed, sat with, watched and listened to millionaires. He noticed similarities and wrote a book about it, which I suggest you grab right now! I remember Mark Cuban vividly stating – “I don’t watch the news” over and over in a documentary about his journey to fame and wealth. He even asked the viewers to stop watching the news. Now, what does the news do for us? There’s apps for the weather, apps strictly for sports – why do we watch?  Well, for me it was tradition. 6 o’clock nightly news, morning news. You want to be in the know. You want to be included in conversations at work or in elevators – I am not sure. I thought watching CNN made me smarter but I quickly realized it made me sad. I was depressed with the news. It’s sensationalized. There’s always something horrible, horrid or horrific going on in the world and it will be broadcast all day long.  For me it was more than the news, it was about time wasted. I shut the damn cable off. I called up COMCAST and said, turn it off. They told me about triple play and how it will be cheaper than just having the internet and fax alone. They even tried to scare me with a disconnection fee. I was no longer a slave to TV. I took my time back. I turned it into productive time which takes discipline and builds crazy habit! In the Rich Habits Study, Corley asked a set of questions that the millionaires either agreed or disagreed with:  “I watch TV one hour or less per day.”
Rich people who agree: 67%
Poor people who agree: 23% They have goals – Big Goals.  Here I am, wanting to find out what characteristics and qualities and habits to STEAL and everything I read about millionaires had one major thing in common. Creating and working towards goals.  I was just working. I got up, watched some TV, fooled around a bit, took naps, called some people, went to work, went to the casino, hung out – my life was drab as hell now that I think about it. I didn’t have anything to live up to. I didn’t have anything to be better at. I was walking about similar to a zombie – dead.  Once I realized that having and measuring goals (even if I don’t attain them) was important, I started smiling more, feeling much happier, I started to thrive. Average habits became less important as I wanted to have a bursting sensation of achievement and desire. It was hard at first to figure out what my goals should be. I had no idea how to create goals. I just wanted to be better.  It was then that I wrote down crazy goals – 1) get up early 2) read a book 3) exercise daily 4) start a business 5) stop gambling  Wow! Now I have something to work towards. It was my own personal freedom and enjoyment. It was up to me. I was directing my life now. It became clear that my research was super needed. I needed people to model. I needed to create new habits.  Remain uncomfortable, Stacy A. Cross