Thirty-five years ago, I sat in my cramped apartment, staring at past-due bills and wondering if this was all life had to offer. Like many others, I had a decent job but lived paycheck to paycheck, dreaming of financial freedom while stuck in patterns of earning and spending that so many never escape.
When I was 19, I wrote down my goals for all areas of my life in a book I was reading. From that moment on, I began moving toward those goals step by step over the next decade. I was not the fastest, but I was steady in my progress by studying, learning, and growing.
Today, my reality is dramatically different—not because of luck or inheritance, but because I made the difficult choice to quit seven destructive habits that kept me trapped in mediocrity and broke. The journey wasn’t easy, but the principles I learned transformed my bank account and my approach to life.
Here are the seven things I quit to go from the lower middle class to achieving seven-figure net worth millionaire status:
1. Quit Excessive Spending
In my late teens and early twenties, my relationship with money needed a complete overhaul. I wasn’t extravagant, but small expenses added: daily fast food runs, impulse purchases, and going out too much. These weren’t just financial decisions but emotional habits that needed addressing. I listened to Dave Ramsey when he started in Nashville, TN, and took his advice and principles to heart.
I developed a simple question: “Will this purchase move me closer to or further from my goals?” This question transformed my spending habits and helped me align my money with my values. It wasn’t about deprivation – it was about intention.
This wasn’t about extreme frugality – it was about intentional spending. I kept the things that added value to my life but redirected mindless spending toward investments. The fast food visits became eating at home and eating healthy for more energy.
Impulse purchases were replaced with great nonfiction books. Every dollar saved became an investment in my future. The most surprising discovery was that I didn’t miss most of the things I cut out. They had been habits rather than genuine sources of joy. This began my road to wealth building as I had money to save and invest.
2. Quit Settling for Comfort
Comfort was my greatest enemy in my mid-twenties. I had a stable job, a starter home, and a predictable routine. But this comfort was costing me growth opportunities. The turning point came when I took on a big management promotion at work that no one else wanted.
It meant more extended hours and learning new skills on the fly. It was uncomfortable and often frustrating, but it led to another promotion and valuable connections that later became crucial to my business success. This experience showed me that the most beneficial opportunities usually lie beyond our comfort zone.
Growth happens in discomfort. I started intentionally putting myself in challenging situations: public speaking, networking events, and managing multiple businesses. Each uncomfortable experience built confidence and opened new doors. What began as terrifying became merely exciting, and what was challenging became routine.
The key was understanding that discomfort isn’t dangerous – it’s a growth signal. Every time I felt the urge to retreat to my comfort zone, I reminded myself that this feeling meant I was expanding my capabilities. This mindset transformed challenges from threats into opportunities for growth.
3. Quit Procrastination
In my early thirties, I believed in waiting for the perfect moment. “I’ll start investing when I have more money, or “I’ll launch my business when I feel ready” were mantras that kept me stuck. The wake-up call came when a friend told me the story of one of his coworkers buying long-dated Google call options—a stock I had considered purchasing six months earlier but “wasn’t ready” for.
Those options grew by multiples and made the options trader a quarter of a million dollars in less than a year. While he took action, I was still “planning” and “preparing.” This missed opportunity became a turning point in how I approached decisions. It taught me that imperfect action beats perfect inaction every time.
This experience taught me that action beats perfection every time. I developed a simple rule: Since I had mastered personal finance and was debt-free at that point, I would turn my study into wealth building by studying stocks and options trading.
This shift led me to become an investor and start active trading with stocks and options within a week of having the idea rather than spending months “preparing.” Instead of waiting to feel ready, I learned to take action and adjust course.
This approach has since helped me seize countless opportunities my former self would have missed while waiting for the perfect moment. You can also cut a loss, but you must take action to have opportunities for big wins.
4. Quit Negative Self-Talk
The voice in my head used to be my harshest critic: “You’re not smart enough to start a business or trade stocks,” or “You’ll never be wealthy.” I realized this internal dialogue was shaping my reality. Instead of dismissing opportunities as “not for me,” I asked, “Why not me?”
This simple question challenged my self-imposed limitations and opened up possibilities I had previously dismissed. It wasn’t about unquestioning optimism—it was about giving myself permission to try and fail rather than never try at all.
I began treating myself as I would a friend – with encouragement, understanding, and accountability. When negative thoughts arose, I challenged them with evidence of past successes. This mindset shift gave me the confidence to take calculated risks that later became game-changing decisions.
The most potent change came from replacing “I can’t” with “How can I?” This subtle shift transformed obstacles from roadblocks into puzzles to solve. It made every challenge an opportunity to learn and grow rather than a confirmation of my limitations. Success became a game I believed I could win.
5. Quit Time-Wasting Habits
In my mid-thirties, after tracking my time for a week, I discovered I wasted over 14 hours on nonproductive things like television or the computer. Those were hours I could have spent learning, building, or connecting. The revelation wasn’t just about the lost time but also about the opportunities missed.
These weren’t just empty hours – they were potential investments in my future that I was squandering. I didn’t eliminate these activities, but I set strict boundaries. Entertainment became a limited reward rather than a default state.
I created power hours—focused blocks of time for specific tasks. Entertainment was relegated to designated time slots, and TV became an afterthought until completing essential tasks, not a default activity. The freed-up time went into reading business and investing books, developing technical skills, building side businesses, and creating cash-flowing assets.
This reclaimed time became my most valuable asset. Every hour invested in learning or building returned multiples in terms of opportunities and growth. The key was not just cutting out time-wasters but replacing them with activities that moved me toward my goals.
6. Quit Toxic Relationships
Success is contagious, but so is complacency. From the start of my journey, I had to make difficult decisions about relationships holding me back – friends who dismissed my ambitions and family members who projected their negativity onto my dreams. This wasn’t about superiority – it was about alignment with my goals.
These decisions were among the hardest I had to make. It didn’t mean cutting people off entirely, but redefining boundaries and reallocating my time. Some relationships naturally faded as our paths diverged, while others evolved into more supportive connections.
I actively sought out mentors and peers who challenged me to think bigger. I joined trading groups and surrounded myself with people who were where I wanted to be. The conversations shifted from complaining about life to discussing opportunities and sharing strategies.
The impact was immediate and profound. Being around ambitious, positive people raised my standards and expanded my sense of what was possible. These new relationships provided inspirational and practical guidance and opportunities I would never have found in my previous circle.
7. Quit Blaming Others
The economy, my background, my job – I had plenty of excuses for not achieving my goals 35 years ago. The transformation began when I took full responsibility for my circumstances. This meant acknowledging that while I couldn’t control everything, I could control my response to anything.
I created opportunities instead of blaming my boss for not giving me opportunities. Rather than complaining about the job market, I focused on becoming more valuable. This shift in perspective was empowering – it meant my success was in my hands rather than someone else’s.
This ownership mindset transformed how I approached challenges. Every setback became a lesson, every obstacle an opportunity to problem-solve. Success and failure became feedback, not final verdicts. This mindset shift was perhaps the most crucial change of all. It enabled me to move from an employee into management, grow my net worth through investing and trading, become an entrepreneur, achieve financial freedom, and finally achieve millionaire status.
Taking responsibility meant looking for solutions rather than excuses. It meant asking, “What can I do about this?” rather than “Why is this happening to me?” This approach led to better outcomes and gave me a sense of control over my destiny.
Conclusion
These changes didn’t make me wealthy overnight but laid the foundation for sustained success. Each habit I quit created space for better ones to take root. The path from middle class to millionaire isn’t just about making more money – it’s about becoming someone capable of building and maintaining wealth.
Start with one change today. Choose the habit that resonates most strongly and commit to changing it. The compound effect of these decisions will transform your life, just as they transformed mine. Success isn’t about dramatic changes – it’s about consistent, intentional choices made day after day.
The journey to financial freedom is a journey of personal growth. Money is simply a byproduct of becoming someone who thinks and acts differently. By quitting these seven habits, you’re not just changing your behavior—you’re transforming your identity into someone capable of creating and sustaining wealth.