Senior man reading a book

As a broke college student, Steve Siebold's path to finding wealth began with an interview with a millionaire.

Then he interviewed more than 1,200 other of the world's richest people - and throughout this process noticed the wealthy share a pastime.

They educate themselves by reading, Kathleen Elkins wrote for Business Insider.

And The Independent indicated anecdotes and statistics on the most prosperous fall in line with Siebold's findings.

Warren Buffett estimated 80 percent of his working day is dedicated to reading, The Independent wrote; 67 percent of rich people watch TV for less than an hour per day, compared to 23 percent of poor people.

The Independent detailed Siebold's account of making this connection among the rich.

"Walk into a wealthy person's home and one of the first things you'll see is an extensive library of books they've used to educate themselves on how to become more successful," the report quoted Siebold as saying. "The middle class reads novels, tabloids and entertainment magazines."

Other organizations noted what else Siebold found on his quest to find prosperity and interview 1,200 others who've done the same.

The rich put expectations high and refuse to set lower standards to avoid disappointment, an article on Yahoo Finance explained.

"Psychologists and other mental health experts often advise people to set low expectations for their life to ensure they are not disappointed," the report read. " ... No one would ever strike it rich and live their dreams without huge expectations."

Siebold also found that though the wealthy don't avoid setting the bar high, they do steer clear of one thing: nostalgia, Inc. wrote.

"It's a terrible, self-defeating temptation, Siebold says, to believe that your best days are behind you," Inc.'s piece stated. "Instead: 'Self-made millionaires get rich because they're willing to bet on themselves and project their dreams, goals and ideas into an unknown future.' The past, he says, is only there for them to learn from."

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