Becoming a millionaire often requires a combination of strategic financial planning, hard work, smart investments and discipline.

Here are some steps you can follow:

1. Evaluate Your Surroundings.

There is an expression that is about that: “You are the people you surround yourself with.” It is absolutely right. You don’t need toxic people in your life! Toxicity is contagious. It really is. If you hang around toxic people for too long, you might become toxic yourself. Because your brain will do anything to justify why you hang around those people and therefore, rationalize and normalize their behavior. So get out of there now! You might feel lonely sometimes, but that is better than being surrounded by narcissists. When you will feel lonely, never go back there! You wouldn’t drink poison just because you’re thirsty, right? Bad, void, shell people only drag you down with them.

2. Specific Goals

Define clear financial goals for yourself, including what goals you want to achieve and within what time frame, and work toward them systematically. These can be short-and long term goals, such as paying off debt, saving for a house, or building up a retirement fund. It can be a way to overcome fears and anxiety. It will give a feeling of direction, motivation and self-confidence too.

3. Debt Management

Avoid taking on unnecessary debt, especially consumer debt with high interest rates, and minimize existing debt wisely by avoiding high interest rates and paying it off in a timely manner.

3. Live Below Your Means

Try to spend less than you earn and avoid lifestyle inflation, where you increase your spending as your income increases.

Be aware of where your money is going. Keeping your spending under control by creating a budget and being aware of your spending habits, is essential to managing your finances. This includes planning your income and expenses to make sure you stay within your financial means and achieve your goals. Look for ways to save toward non-essential expenses. This allows you to save and invest that money for the future instead.

5. Learn High-Income Skills

Everything is a high-level skill. It just depends on how well you use it. Writing, content creation, marketing, consulting, coaching, … You have to invest in yourself, so you can be more valuable in the marketplace.

Also, learn more about financial topics, such as loans, debt, saving, investing, taxes, …

6. Make More Money

Look for opportunities to increase your income, such as promotions, changing job, taking additional training or create multiple income sources, such as passive income from investments, freelance work, starting or buying your own business.

You don’t need a ton of money to buy a business. These days, you can buy a business for as little as a few thousand bucks. A bigger business, can quickly cost you between $50.000 and $3.000.000. But a lot of banks will loan you that money, without your assets being in collateral, because they will loan you that money based on that business. An amazing site to see which businesses are for sale is BizScout.

7. Invest

Save money regularly for emergencies and long-term goals, such as retirement or a home. It is also important to invest to grow your money and achieve your long-term financial goals. Start by investing your money in assets that can add long-term value, such as stocks, bonds, funds, real estate, mining, agriculture, art or business. Take advantage of compound interest to grow your wealth over time. Invest regularly and diversify your portfolio to reduce risk.

8. Entreprenurship

Consider starting/buying your own business or investing in start-ups if you have the right skills and risk awareness.

9. Financial Education

Keep learning about financial concepts, investment strategies, economic trends and personal development to make informed decisions and improve your financial well-being. Read books, take courses, listen to podcasts and seek advice from financial experts to increase your knowledge and skills.

10. Prioritize And Sacrifice

Prioritize small tasks at the beginning of the day, that are annoying, but that can make a big impact. If you will feel that satisfaction at the beginning of the day, it will motivates you to do great things for the rest of the day. If you’ll do it at the end of the day, it wouldn’t have that big of an impact; so you’re better to do it at the beginning of the day. What could be helpful at the end of the day, is everything in your life that is creative. Either it is to post on social media, create courses, write books, dance, sing, …

If you have to prioritize tasks, goals, things and people, that means you’ll have to sacrifice tasks, goals, things and people as well.

11. Consistency, Gratefulness And Discipline

Building wealth takes time and requires patience and consistency. Stay focused on your goals and don’t get discouraged by setbacks.

Iis a hard step to begin, but even more to stay consistent, I’m not saying this to scare you, but to warn you.

Practicing gratefulness can really help in building wealth. As I once heard: “There are only two things who define a person: the patience they have when they have nothing and the attitude they have when they have everything.” And I absolutely agree with that. You might think, why should I be grateful when in reality, I am impatient to get real money. Why should I sit and wait around when I can use that time more efficiently by making myself more attracted to money, so it can find its way easier towards me? Well, because if you want wealth to badly, you will fail. You are already attracted to money, it doesn’t add any value to watch people bragging about their clothes and homes on social media.

If you get more disciplined, you can become a millionaire. Procrastination truly is the killer of all dreams.