4 Things I learned from people worth over 100 Million

During the seven year span that I lived and worked in Malibu, California, I was lucky enough to make acquaintance with several high dollar earners. I’ve been to dinners, yacht parties, fund raisers, and countless sushi nights at NoBu with these people. Some of the wild things I’ve learned have really stuck with me and today, I have decided to share them. Here are the four main common denominators:

1. Always be interested in learning everything.

This sounds obvious, but high-level individuals develop an unquenchable hunger for knowledge. They seem to cross reference history with politics and biographies or accounts of other high-level individuals when making educated statements or guesses. They have learned to learn, love to learn, and they are all voracious readers. Knowledge is their true benchmark. They sift through the actions of the past and carefully plan their course of action for the now and the future.

2. Do everything way more efficiently.

From working out to hosting meetings, throwing parties to launching new products, all of these individuals possess a unique sense of urgency. I’d say the difference between the frantic behavior of the masses, the efficient urgency of six-figure club and the calculated urgency of the big Benjamin boys and girls is this: sorting time into the following parts: high-value dollar earning, adding knowledge and reflecting on their own actions, physical and mental health, socialization, and networking.

3. They buy assets and turn everything possible into one.

Literally, anything can have a sponsorship or a rental ability. The things we enjoy can also be enjoyed by others, for a few coins. That’s the mentality. A very wealthy inventor told me “I let my son use anything I already own to make money but I never gave him anything other than a small allowance and a shit load of books. That kid pulls 100k a week sometimes!” Almost anything worth buying can be an asset, even if it’s only used to further expand your mind or enhance your energy levels and motivation. Fun people are attractive!

4. Do what you have to do and ignore the opinions of others.

A quick story from someone who hasn’t hit 100m but does extremely well for himself: I was 25, broke, at Diamond’s Malibu Gym talking with a commercial Real Estate investor who I happened to shared many beliefs with. I opened up and told him that I was struggling and asked him how he got where he is now. A few things really stuck out. He said that he bought a Yamaha 500 motorcycle because he couldn’t afford a car. He worked 2 jobs and ate like he was flat broke while his buddies were getting f*ed up at Hollywood clubs. When he finally could “afford” some nice wheels, he bought a beat up pick up truck and drove that for 10 years. He invested his money in Multi unit complexes and upgraded them. He now has several  homes in Malibu, drives whatever he wants, surfs in the morning and lives a pretty cool life! Notably, he never once judged me for being broke, in fact, he respected me for being honest.

Needless to say, I bought a 750 and drove it every day for 2 years.