When asked, a Harris poll found that six out of ten people say they would like to be billionaires. (Four out of ten say they despise billionaires; no gray area here.)

Interestingly, 44 percent of respondents said they "have the available tools" to become billionaires.

Even though, as Ryan Holiday writes:

Clearly Holiday has figured out how to write great -- and bestselling, which don't always go hand in hand -- books. How to produce an extremely popular podcast. How to launch and run an independent bookstore.

And he's figured out more than a few things about money, as described in his recent article 31 Lessons I've Learned About Money.

Here are some of my favorites, and how you can apply them.

You'll never reach your number

Ask, and just about everyone has a number: the "if I had $X, then I would be set" number. 

But no one ever seems to reach their number, if only because, as Holiday writes, they constantly move the goal posts.

Take the guy I know who splashed a cool $450 grand on a Lexus LFA with the Nürburgring package. His everyday car is a Porsche 911 Turbo S. I was sure he was rich.

Then he told me what he wants most in life is a Bugatti Veyron, but he'll need to spend well over $1 million to snag one of those. "I have money," he told me, "but not that kind of money." It bums him out. He thinks about it all the time.

Even though, by any objective standard, he's rich... he doesn't feel rich.

The better approach? Stop thinking about the number you want to hit -- a number that, as you get close, you'll inevitably increase -- and start thinking about the life you want to live. How you want to spend your time. Who you want to spend your time with. The impact you want to make, especially on the people you care about.

And work on hitting that.

Always pick the low-hanging fruit.

One example: Holiday has had to remind employees to sign up for the 401k match his company offers. That's low-hanging fruit; anyone who doesn't max out on the match leaves free money on the table. 

If you set up a normal 401(k) plan, roughly speaking you must offer the same plan benefits to your employees as you receive. So you may not want to establish a plan with a huge match.

But if you are your only employee, then you can feel free to match to your heart's -- and business's resources' -- content.

That's what I do. My plan is set up to match 100 percent of employee contributions, which means I match 100 percent of my contributions. Since I'm over 50 and can make "catch up" contributions, this year I can contribute up to $30,000 a year as an employee (if you're under 50, the annual limit is $22,500), and my employer (me) can match that amount. And since the total allowable amount is $66,000, my employer (me) can toss in an additional $6,000 in profit sharing.

While that's not free money -- my company clearly has to earn at least that much -- it is tax-deferred money. And it's low-hanging fruit.

Make sure you pluck some of your own low-hanging fruit. Call your cable company, tell them you're thinking about cutting the cord, and see what discounts they offer. Tell your insurance agent you're thinking about shopping around. Look for things you spend money from out of habit, not necessity. 

As Holiday says, always do the easy things first.

Favor investments that are dependable

As Holiday writes:

My wife and I have a similar approach. As I recall from a conversation we had, Holiday favors making real estate loans that generate monthly payments. (He'll tell me if I'm wrong.) In our case, we own rental properties that generate monthly income.

We couldn't quit working tomorrow -- shoot, we don't want to quit working tomorrow -- but if we did, the real estate spigot wouldn't get turned off. 

Which is a good thing, if only because...

If you have a problem that can be solved by money, you don't have a problem

Relieving stress is often a simple matter of perspective. If your car breaks down and you have the money to fix it, the solution may be painful... but it's not a problem.

Having no way to get to work for the foreseeable future? That's a problem.

The same is true for business; if sales are down this month but you have a solid reserve to fall back on, the problem shifts from worrying about making payroll -- which is super-stressful -- to finding new ways to increase sales.

Money can do a lot of things, but arguably the most important thing is to create choices.

Which is especialy true when you...

If it makes you a worse person (parent, neighbor, writer, whatever), it's not success

Why? Here's Ryan:

As you plan a business or embark on a new career path, take the time to decide what "success" really means to you. If your goal is to become wealthy, the economics of the industry might mean a level of effort and commitment that could leave you feeling unhappy and unfulfilled.

Make sure that what you really want reflects what you design your business -- and your life -- to deliver. 

To you.

 

Inc