The Truth Behind Becoming A Billionaire

You want to be a billionaire, so fricking bad, buy all the things you never had, be on the cover of Forbes magazine, smiling next to Oprah and the Queen, then continue reading.

There’s a very famous saying in Hindi which roughly translates to – if you search well, you can find God as well. Similarly, if you put your mind to something, you can achieve anything. So anyone can become a billionaire if they just work hard, right? If it was as easy to become a billionaire through hard work, then the number of people below the poverty line would be considerably less, wouldn’t they?

Justine Musk, first wife of billionaire Elon Musk, while answering a question on Quora said, “One of the many qualities that separate self made billionaires from the rest of us is their ability to ask the right questions.” A small business is very demanding and if you’re not doing something you love, you’re going to lose heart very fast and no amount of determination can push you. Every billionaire in the world today created something of great value to the world, transformed a familiar story and altered daily life. What new story can you offer to the world that can create such an impact that no computer could replace you, no one could outsource you or beat you in your own game? Start with the question of what do I know, what can I do, how can I do it and how well can I do it. Then become the master of your art.

Becoming a billionaire doesn’t just require hard work. It is a long process which involves understanding the environment, reading the situation, turning it to your benefit, making countless sacrifices and never letting go. All the billionaires in the world today didn’t get to the position they enjoy by thinking about the end result. They had an idea and a passion to bring the idea to life. Billions of dollars in their personal account was a by product of the long hours and dedication they put into their work. The billions are what remains at the end of a very long, hard and tiresome journey filled with plot twists, steep turns and pits. At times their story even resembles the story of the Greek king, Sisyphus, forced to push a stone to the top of a hill only to have it come tumbling down again and having to do it for eternity. 

But then again, some are born lucky, some are born smart and some are both. But only those who understand the value of creating what the world wants and needs will succeed. There definitely is no substitute for hard work and in order to succeed you need to make things work in your favor, march forward and work hard. These qualities keep you in the game. They help you survive. But to be on the cover of Forbes requires more than just hard work and determination. 

Entrepreneurship is the road less traveled. The mindset of these billionaires sets them apart from the rest of the world. It’s not just a can do attitude or a love for challenges that keeps them going. They truly believe in their work, they are creative, ambitious, resilient, passionate, adaptable and energetic. They are all those cliches and much more. Most importantly they are unique and understand the sacrifices necessary for growth, understand the need for risks and are ready to swim naked with the sharks. So, the billion dollar question is, are you ready to plunge into the ocean?