First, I want to say that I don’t want to become a millionaire for the money. That’s not my thing. For me being rich means having the freedom to choose how to spend my time. In the future, I want to have time for my family, my children, and my own projects. I want to choose how I spend my time.

That’s why I started the project “Becoming rich and self-reliant” this year.

Here are the baby steps I took to start my journey (which you can take too):

Read “Think and Grow Rich”

The book by Napoleon Hill is a must-read for everyone, and it changed my life. It’s about changing your thoughts and mindset, and you will eventually become and grow rich.

It’s full of great success stories with great historical figures. The book was published in 1937, and the words in it are still valid.

It’s about the mindset of rich people that makes them rich.

What I especially liked about it?

It’s full of inspiration and motivation, and it provides you with affirmations you can read out loud every day to change your mindset.

It may be weird at first, but since I read the book I’m reading the affirmations out loud and it makes me think of my goals every day, and that is the key.

“Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.”

— Napoleon Hill

I Changed My Mindset About Money

Before I read the book, I already listened to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks about finances, and they all said to change my mindset first. I didn’t know where to start, though.

You will not know what unconscious mindset you have about money. It’s engraved since your childhood, and you learned it from your parents or your environment.

First, you have to realize what bad thoughts you have about money.

“You have to work hard for your money”

“Rich people are arrogant”

“I need a job and the money from it to live”

“I’m poor because I grew up poor”

“Money is the devil”

“Money stresses me out”

“I hate money, and I hate rich people”

…

Did you recognize yourself there?

I definitely had the negative mindset that rich people are arrogant, that I have to work really hard to become wealthy, and rich people are only rich because they inherited the money…

Reading the book “Think and Grow Rich” made me realize that I had a bad money mindset, and saying out loud my affirmations every day made me change it to a positive one.

Find your own bad beliefs about money and change them to good ones.

“When you close the door of your mind to negative thoughts, the door of opportunity opens to you.”

— Napoleon Hill

I Started A Morning Routine

My morning was always stressful. I was able to squeeze in my breakfast after my shower, and that’s it.

I liked to stay in bed as long as possible, until the very last minute.

Since October, I gradually wake up earlier and earlier. I now wake up 1 hour earlier than in September, and I also go to bed earlier.

Why? Because I read the book “Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod, and I found out that the time in the morning is really quiet and much needed.

Before, I squeezed in my writing somewhere after work and volunteering, and going to bed.

Now I have quiet time in the morning to focus on myself, my morning routine, and my writing. Nothing, and nobody interrupts me. My boyfriend is still sleeping, and my phone is still off.

I’m more productive and calm, the whole day.

I already achieved my daily writing goal before 8 am, before I go to work.

My mind registers a success every day. It boosts my self-confidence.

Start slowly to wake up a little earlier! Don’t forget to go to bed earlier too!

One thing that was crucial for me: put your alarm somewhere away from your bed where you have to stand up to turn it off, or else you will hit the snooze again. (I know what I’m talking about -> snooze addicted!)

“If you want your life to be different, you have to be willing to do something different, first.”

— Hal Elrod

I Wrote Down My Goals

Goals are important to know so that your mind knows what to focus on. While I read the book “Think and Grow Rich” I set the goal to have assets of 100.000€ on my 31st birthday. I think about my goal every day after I wake up.

I know my goal and I know why I want to achieve it. Based on that I plan my weeks and my year.

It makes you think about how to achieve that goal. What are the steps you have to take to get there? You will make a plan and then you know how to get there and you will achieve it.

That’s the idea behind having a goal. By reminding yourself every day, you will keep your focus.

“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

— Napoleon Hill

I Consumed Less

I’m a minimalist. I love to have fewer things. I don’t need things.

I know my income, and I know my expenses. I have an eye on my expenses, and I always save money instead of consuming things I don’t need, and I invest it into my future.

By investing in your future instead of consuming now, you will be less reliant on your day job and your boss. You invest in your freedom. You will get independent. The immediate satisfaction after buying something stays only for a short period of time. If you invest it instead, you will have more money in the future to do something better with it.

I Made Investments

Before starting to invest, you need to analyze your income and your expenses first. If you don’t know that, you don’t know what you have left to invest in your future.

At the moment, I’m investing 25% of my income, and that is one big expense I automatically transfer at the beginning of the month. I don’t have to worry about that. It’s an investment in myself and my future freedom, and that’s my number one priority every month. It’s getting invested automatically and done.

It takes only a little time at first to figure out what you want to invest in; after that, you will automate the process, and it’s done.

I Started My Online Writing Career

As you can see, I started my online writing career. It’s another investment in my future and my freedom. Since August, I’m consistently writing every week, posting daily on Twitter, and I have my weekly newsletter.

Do I earn money from it? Barely. It’s about 0,40 $ each month here on Medium.

It’s not about the short rewards but the long-term goals.

Because consistency is the key to success, and through that success, I will be rich in the future.

Based on my goals and my values, I’m planning the year 2023, and I will take more baby steps toward my future freedom.

And you can do it too!

What do you want to achieve in life? Think about the baby steps you can take today or this week to get nearer to your goals.

Everything is possible if you can imagine it!

Dream and then make it come true!

Status December 2022:

• Assets: 6.600€
• Emergency fund: 5.000€
• No debt
• Next update: December 2023