Get this: over 7 million people in the United States are millionaires.

I wondered what those people did when they were in high school and college that most of us don't do. What skills and habits did they have?

The vast majority of these folks consistently had four habits in common. And here's good news for some of us: none of these habits require massive brainpower! They have to do with discipline.

First habit: the millionaires looked ahead. Rather than just living for the day, they were thinking ahead, planning ahead. For instance, rather than spending money on a pair of fancy jeans, they would spend money on a software program on investing.

Second habit: the millionaires paid themselves first. Some of the richest people in the world today had to fight to save money—had to work extra jobs just to build savings. But they always paid themselves first, above everything else. Was it easy to pay themselves first? No. That's why most people don't do it. But scratch a millionaire and underneath you'll find a person who consistently followed this habit.

Third habit: the millionaires learned how to make smart decisions when it came to money. Sure, some millionaires were geniuses when they were young and didn't have to learn much to get rich. But the vast majority understood that making smart money decisions is a skill, it isn't magic. And guess why many of us don't make smart decisions? It's not a lack of brainpower. It's a lack of courage.

Fourth habit: the millionaires learned how to increase their income without working more. You're going to have a hard time (actually, an impossible time) finding a self-made millionaire that got rich on a salary. Millionaires happen, and get richer, because they are constantly looking for ways to make their money—not themselves—work harder.

Do you see the best thing about these four habits? You could start them right now, today. What's the worst that could happen if you actually did just that? There is no downside, people. And what's the best thing that could happen?

You could become the millionaire.

Cheers, Will