7 Surprising Habits to Be a Millionaire by 30

The Skill of Building Relationships

In this video, the speaker talks about the skill of building relationships and how it is a key factor in achieving success. He shares insights from an interview with Cliff Weitzman, co-founder and CEO of Speechify, who has achieved great success through his relationship-building skills.

Sending Cold Emails

• One effective strategy for building relationships is to send cold emails to people you admire or want to get to know.

• Create a list of the top 100 people who are knowledgeable about a topic and message them on various platforms.

• Sending cold emails can lead to mentorship, learning opportunities, job offers, internships, and more.

Consuming Content

• When you find someone you admire and want to connect with, consume all their content such as books or podcast interviews.

• Almost anyone with good ideas is sharing them online these days so it's easy to do this.

Providing Value

• Provide value to others by offering your skills or knowledge without expecting anything in return.

• Be genuine in your interactions with others and focus on building long-term relationships rather than short-term gains.

Following Up

• Follow up regularly with people you've connected with to maintain the relationship.

• Use tools like Boomerang for Gmail or follow-up reminders in your calendar app.

Being Proactive

• Be proactive in seeking out opportunities to connect with people, such as attending events or conferences.

• Don't be afraid to reach out to people who are more successful than you, as they may be willing to help.

Building a Network

• Build a network of like-minded individuals who can support and inspire you.

• Attend meetups or join online communities related to your interests.

Conclusion

• Building relationships is a key skill for achieving success in any field.

• By sending cold emails, consuming content, providing value, following up, being proactive, and building a network, you can develop strong relationships that will benefit you in the long run.

Downloading Knowledge and Making Friends

In this section, Ali Abdaal shares two habits that have helped him make friends and learn from successful people. The first habit is to download knowledge by listening to podcasts at a faster speed. The second habit is to get comfortable with asking people to hang out.

Downloading Knowledge

• Ali Abdaal recommends listening to podcasts at a faster speed.

• He listened to all the podcasts of someone he wanted to meet before messaging them on Twitter.

• This allowed him to download the person's talking points into his brain.

Making Friends

• Cliff, a friend of Ali's, spent time in the dining hall getting to know as many people as possible.

• He would sit with different groups of people and try to get their names.

• Ali did something similar in college by having two dinners every night and sitting with different groups of people.

• By doing this for the first two months every semester, he got to know 60% of his freshman class within that time frame.

• Even if someone has social anxiety or is an introvert, they can still build up their skills over time through systematic desensitization.

Bonding Over Ambition or Vulnerability

In this section, Ali talks about how small talk doesn't lead to deep relationships. Instead, bonding over ambition or vulnerability can help develop deeper relationships.

• Small talk has its place but it doesn't lead to deep relationships.

• When we bond over things like vulnerability or ambition, we develop deeper relationships with others.

Understanding Characters in Stories

In this section, the speaker discusses two important things to know about a character in a story that helps the audience connect with them. The first is what they want, and the second is why they can't get it.

Key Points:

• Harry Potter's wants are clear: he wants to be understood, have friends, and survive. However, he can't get these things because of how the Dursleys treat him.

• To connect with someone, it's helpful to understand their goals and challenges. This can be done by forming relationships through bonding over ambition or vulnerability.

• Knowing what someone wants and why they can't get it sparks conversation.

Writing Thank You Notes

In this section, the speaker talks about the benefits of writing thank you notes and shares some examples of how he has applied this habit in his own life.

Key Points:

• Writing thank you notes costs very little but means a lot to the recipient.

• Studies show that people who write thank you notes overestimate how awkward it will be and underestimate its impact on recipients. They also feel better about themselves after writing them.

• Examples of applying this habit include sending a random thank you note to someone who invented Audible for helping overcome dyslexia and scrolling through contacts list or recent text messages to send gratitude notes when procrastinating.

Putting Good Energy into the World

In this section, the speaker talks about habit number 6 which is to put good energy into the world without an expectation of return. He explains that when you put out value into the world, preferably without an expectation of anything in return, then loads and loads of value just comes back to you.

The Go-Giver Book

• The book "The Go-Giver" talks a lot about putting good energy into the world without expecting anything in return.

• When you put out value into the world, preferably without an expectation of anything in return, then loads and loads of value just comes back to you.

Examples

• Making videos on YouTube and just chucking them on the internet for free is one way to put good energy into the world. Preferably doing that without an expectation that you're gonna get X number of views, X number of likes or X number of revenue.

• Working for someone that you admire and working for free is another way to put value into the world without any expectations. If you do a good job at doing it chances are they will want to pay you back for your work.

Working in Your Zone of Genius

In this section, the speaker talks about habit number 7 which is working in your zone of genius. He explains how creating opportunities for yourself in areas where you personally can really shine can help make work feel like play.

Definition

• Working inside your zone of genius means creating opportunities for yourself in areas where you personally can really shine.

• You want to work inside your zone of genius and never step outside it because it's where you thrive and flourish.

Examples

• The speaker's zone of genius is real-time, live, high-pressure environments. He tries to put himself in those situations as much as he can.

• You need to figure out what your zone of genius is and where you can personally thrive and flourish. For example, some people love spreadsheets and organizing things while others love teaching or creating content.

Conclusion

In this section, the speaker concludes by saying that following your passion is not always good advice for succeeding in the world of work.

Final Thoughts

• You cannot compete with someone who's having fun so it's easier to be better than 99% of people if the thing you're doing for work is also the thing that feels like play to you.

• Following your passion is terrible advice if you want to succeed in the world of work at least. Check out his video on why following your passion is bad advice for more information.