Almost everyone wants to get rich, but probably not one in a hundred knows what “rich” means. That’s probably why most people don’t make it. After all, how can you hit a target when you don’t know what it is? So, your first step is deciding “what does rich mean to ME?” For some, it might mean a certain amount of money. For others, an income level. And for still others, the ability to do what you want to do when you want to do it. In other words – freedom. So sit down in a quiet place with some paper or a laptop this weekend and figure out what getting rich means to you.

Let’s say you decide being rich is having one million dollars. How do you go about achieving that goal? Talk to most rich people and they will tell you a “secret” that seems so simple and obvious that you may be tempted to ignore it, but please do not discount its power. The secret is simply this – they learned to live on less than what they made and saved and invested the difference. That’s it. Not much fanfare to that one is there? But sometimes the simplest things get the best results.

A man I knew graduated college, went to work for a large firm as an engineer, got married and started a family. He and his family lived comfortably, yet modestly, which enabled them to put away money early on. As he got better at his job and received promotions and salary increases, he increased his savings. Not that he and his family lived miserly by any means, but they kept things in balance. He invested mostly in his 401(k) and in bonds and CD’s. Nothing flashy, just something that gave him fairly steady returns. By the time he retired, he and his wife had amassed a nest egg north of three million dollars. So, with time, some discipline and a decent rate of return, you could do that exact same thing. Remember your goal is only one million dollars!

Want to get rich? Start today. Sign up for an automatic debit from your checking account so you don’t even have to think about it. Even if it’s fifty dollars, just do it. You won’t miss it and as you see you nest egg grow, you’ll want to add even more. Before long, your million dollar goal won’t be a dream, it will be a reality.