Thomas Corley is convinced that the richness has very little to do with luck: a successful model of behavior is made up mostly not of actions but of habits and ways of thinking. “Rich people are mostly optimistic; they are grateful, and happiness also becomes their habit,” Thomas Corley wrote.

In this study, the rich refers to people with an annual income of at least $160 thousand owning assets of $3.2 million or more. The poor in Corley’s classification refers to those who do not earn even $35 thousand a year and have less than $5 thousand in assets.

Habit is a second nature

About 52 percent of prosperous people consider daily activities important for welfare gains, and only 3 percent of respondents in the second group attach great importance to habits.

Good habits shape our daily lives, create the prerequisites for success and attract good luck to our lives. Only poor people believe that their failures are related to the will of fate or the machinations of enemies.

American Dream

It turns out that people who still believe in the American dream can be found in the modern world. 98 percent of wealthy American citizens are guided by it, while the overwhelming majority (87 percent) of the poor considers this spiritual ideal a utopia.

The foundation of a well-known optimistic ideology is capital for the increase of which only desire is enough, the possibilities are equal for all.

Networking is important

88 percent of wealthy Americans consider networking one of the most important conditions for achieving prosperity. 17 percent of opponents agree with them.

It is important to understand that any contacts can generate income. And it depends only on you whether it will be active or passive. Rich people regularly reminds about themselves, while the poor break off all ties. 

New acquaintances mean new opportunities

68 percent of wealthy Americans strive to make new acquaintances, and only 11 percent of the poor follow this advice.

In addition, successful people like to be in the center of attention, so they consciously work to create a positive image. Most of the poor do not even think about it.

Savings are very important

88 percent of prosperous Americans consider the increment of capital as an indispensable condition of their life, while it is equally important to be able to save money. Only 52 percent of poor US citizens agree with them.

An unspoken rule of success says: you use 20 percent of your income for savings and investment portfolio, then spend 80 percent on everything else.

Our fate is in our hands

One of the main components of the American dream, the question of the influence of certain factors on the life course of a person, caused the greatest divergence in the views of the two groups studied.

Thus, 90 percent of rich people believe that their personal qualities form the way of life. Only 10 percent of poor people agreed with them: they mainly blame their genetics, fatal predestination and other factors beyond their control.

Ingenuity is more important than intelligence

The rankings of the richest people in the world, published annually by Forbes, are vivid evidence that an enterprising and resourceful mind is more important than any IQ.

Among 75 percent of rich respondents who confirmed this position, many were “losers” in childhood, but this did not prevent them from achieving financial independence. 11 percent of the poor agree with them.

I love my job

Satisfaction with the work is another important indicator that a person is successful in business.

85 percent of wealthy American citizens, contrary to popular belief on this subject, are happy to fulfill their duties, so they work harder than the poor. Among the second group, only 2 percent are able to look at their work not as a routine and find something creative in it.

Good health is a key to success

85 percent of wealthy respondents confirmed that they take care of their health using preventive medical measures. Among the poor, only 13 percent of respondents are concerned about this issue.

Considering that health care costs in the United States are among the highest in the world, one cannot but agree that the smaller the number of sick leaves, the more money you get.

Risk is a noble cause

As you know, bad experience serves as an excellent incentive for new victories, but the risk should not be thoughtless.

As it turned out, 63 percent of the rich are ready to take risks for the sake of capital accumulation, while 27 percent of them made mistakes and lost all their assets at least once. Almost 6 percent of the poor admitted that they are able to take risks.