Spoke to hundreds of millionaires and billionaires: Thomas Druyen. Thomas Druyen / Collage: Dominik Schmitt
According to wealth researcher Thomas Druyen, rich and successful people have incredible energy, willingness to take risks and obsession.
Elon Musk is an example of this. “He is close to madness and is not afraid of loss. This is crucial. Anyone who plays it safe has a hard time,” says Druyen.
Druyen emphasizes the importance of having an open mind and willingness to experiment, as the world is changing quickly and mistakes have to be made in order to find the right path.
Why do some people manage to become rich and successful while others struggle to make ends meet? Renowned wealth researcher Thomas Druyen conducted hundreds of interviews with millionaires and billionaires around the world to answer this question.
According to the sociologist from the Sigmund Freud University in Vienna, it takes more than just intuition, you have to have a “special energy”. “Passion sounds too positive, but it’s an obsession,” the wealth researcher tells Business Insider. Elon Musk is an example of this. “He is close to madness and is not afraid of loss. This is crucial. Anyone who plays it safe has a hard time.”
We have to be willing to make mistakes to figure out which path is the right one
Thomas Druyen
(wealth researcher)
And this is exactly where Druyen takes issue with Germany as a location – they have a “real problem”. “We don’t enable enough young people to realize interesting things that will be effective for the future.” Reason: German entrepreneurs, banks and investment companies are often too conservative or profit-driven. This may have made sense in the past, but in today’s fast-moving world everything can change from one day to the next, explains the researcher.
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Rich people are not afraid of risk
The main thing is that today you have to try things out experimentally. “Many investors are already doing this in countries like Israel, Finland and elsewhere in the world. They have the mentality there to support ten projects, maybe eight of which fail, but maybe all ten of them are successful.”
In Germany, people are still strongly focused on traditional ways of thinking and business returns. “We only invest when there are signs of a profit” Druyen’s tips: Stay away from old terms like “risk minimization”.
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“We have to be willing to make mistakes to find out which path is the right one.” Nowadays you can no longer plan anything for the long term because developments are so fast-moving that even a plan from tonight can already be out of date, says Druyen.
Recognize opportunities and think ahead
Another character trait that builds on this is the ability to recognize opportunities and think ahead. “Successful people can project things into the future and then have the courage to make them happen. They have the courage to take out loans and take existential risks, whether it works out or not. And even if they fail, they have the determination to pick themselves up and keep going,” said Druyen.
According to the rich expert, it requires a get-up-and-go mentality because things never go straight up, as well as a certain self-esteem – or it doesn’t exist at all. “There are people who do an incredible amount because they don’t consider themselves valuable,” says Druyen. This means working excessively and becoming successful in order to be able to prove to yourself that you are a valuable person.
Upbringing and background also play a role. It doesn’t always have to be the perfect environment that increases the likelihood of success. “There are people who come from nothing but have incredible energy and drive without even realizing it. They just want to get out.”
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