 Lao Zhu allegedly said, What your thoughts, they become your words. What your words, they become your actions. What your actions, they become your habits. What your habits, they become your character. What your character, it becomes your destiny. In the culture where I grew up, most people see success and riches as something that happens. So many people believe in luck while others believe in destiny. I don't know what to say about luck and destiny, but I do know what to say about success and riches, because I have the practical experience rising from abject poverty to building a worthwhile life. If you need me to tell you what I know about riches and success, I'll use one of my country's proverbs, which goes like this. Little drop of water becomes river. This essentially means that it's a combination of little drops of waters that ends up becoming a big river. When it comes to success and achievements in life, it's the combinations of habits that turns to our destinies, and that's why in today's video, I'll be sharing with you five of the most important habits you need to become rich and successful. Yes, these habits are difficult, yet there's no shortcut other than to learn them. One, focus on who you're becoming, not what you have. More than a decade ago, I learned a simple formula, which changed my life, and that is be, do, have. This formula means that the very first step towards a successful life is who you're becoming, and that is the first thing you have to focus on. Like the saying habits never die, most people focus on what they have, and that's why they always look for ways to make what they have to grow. You have to form the habit of being focused, because whatever you focus on in your life will grow. A good example of this was what happened to me in my 20s. I spent all of my 20s reading, learning, and growing. My major concern was that I was learning, and how my mind was improving. I met my wife when I was 24, and married her when I was 29, and she later confessed that I was one of the dirtiest people in the world, a little exaggeration here. The point I'm making here is that, while most of my contemporaries were buying beautiful shoes and clothes, I was buying books and seminar tickets, because I focused extensively on who I was becoming, not what I have. Check yourself, check your habits. Are you focusing on what you have, or on who you're becoming? While I'm not suggesting that you wear rags the way I did, I honestly think that one of the primary bad habits of most people is that they focus on what they have, not who they are becoming. It's difficult to focus on the growth of your mind than the growth of your wardrobe or social media followers, but that's what you have to do to become successful. Two, action-driven mindset. There are two kinds of people in the world, people who talk a lot, and people who do a lot. You don't need me to tell you which group becomes successful. But it's a habit. Action-driven life is a habit, just as procrastination is a habit. I love Paul Collio's book, The Alchemist. The Alchemist tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. On his way, Santiago met different people, among which was an older man who had been dreaming all his life. The difference between Santiago and the older man is that Santiago doesn't just dream. He dreamed and took actions, while the older man had only dreamed all his life. I know so many people who only dream. It's no accident, it's a habit. Action-driven life is a habit too, though very difficult to learn. In June 2008, I wrote my final exam on a diploma course I was doing. Before this time, I had already made up my mind to start my own business, even though I had no money. July 24th, 2008, I went fully into the business world with less than $50 in my hand, and I have never looked back since that day. I didn't do this because I had some superpower. No, I did it because action has always been a habit to me. I love doing. I hate talking. I hate making excuses. This is my challenge to you. Stop talking. Stop dreaming. Stop making excuses. Make it a habit always to step out and try things, because until you have an action-driven mindset, you can never become successful in life. 3. Focus on one thing. Just yesterday, I was having a conversation with one of my friends about a man who started a YouTube channel. Like everyone, he posted on his channel for about four months and stopped posting. Probably 90% of people who began anything are like this man, and it's a habit. People who have the habit of quitting merely try a few weeks or months, while people who have the habit of persistence stay there to figure out how to improve what they are doing and achieve the success they desire. We worked hard and invested everything we had for the entire year before we saw any results on this channel. That is my experience about virtually everything I've ever built, and I've made it a habit to hang in there, learn and learn till I have a breakthrough. When I talk about an action-driven mindset, some people would think that that means to wake up and tackle everything in the world. No, you have to choose your battle carefully and fight it till your last drop of blood. 4. Desire to win all. A few days ago, I was watching an interview of Lionel Messi where he was asked which of the tournaments would you like to win this season? Guess what his answer was? You guessed right, everything. People who win at all in life are the people who want to win everything. Yes, you can't win everything, but if you're not aggressive enough to want to win everything, you won't win anything. Positive aggression is a necessary habit because it's such a habit that makes you push yourself hard, practice hard and prepare hard. It's because a sportsman wants to win all the tournaments that he forgets every pleasure to train hard. It's because the entrepreneur wants to have 100% of the market share that he studies hard to understand the market and his competition. Yes, you won't win it all, but if you desire to win small, you'll win nothing. 5. Say no more often. I've told you before on this channel, and I'll repeat myself. Most of the things in the world aren't worth it. The problem is that you'll always be tempted to think that those things are worth it, simply because everyone does them. Steve Jobs said, the reason we don't question the norms is that we don't know that the people who created those norms are probably not as smart as we are. Over the years, I've learned and I'm still learning how to say no to different things. This can be people like a friend who's not helping your journey in any way. It can be an event or a social media platform. It can be a business idea which isn't your area of strength. Just last week, I decided that I was going to stop pursuing one of the business ideas I've waited some money on, simply because I discovered that my team doesn't have the strength to win in that area for now. You have to know your strengths and choose your battles carefully or else you'll never win. First, focus on what you're becoming, not what you have. Second, focus on what you're doing, not what you're dreaming. Third, learn how to play for long. Don't give up on things after three months of trying. Fourth, dream big. Aim to win all the tournaments, because without such audacious dreams, you will win nothing. Five, say no to most things, events and people so you can focus on what matters to your success. If you like this video, don't forget to share it with your friends and subscribe. We love you.