The Rules of Wealth, 4th Edition

RULE 19

It’s harder to manage yourself than it is to manage your money

So how well do you know yourself? Pretty well? Not at all? Vaguely? We think we know ourselves until we come to give up smoking, lose weight, get fit, get rich. And then we realize we are lazier, have less willpower, less determination, make less effort, get too easily dissuaded, fall by the wayside too readily.

If I wanted to tuck you under my wing and make you wealthy, the first thing I would need to know is: ‘Do you have what it takes to be wealthy? Are you determined enough? Will you work hard enough? Will you stick at it? Do you have backbone? Stamina? Guts? Relentless focus?’ You see, if you don’t, the chances are you won’t succeed. I’m not trying to put you off. I ...