The famous American billionaire Bill Gates did not settle for founding Microsoft to become one of the richest people in the world, but achieved this through long-term thinking, building smart habits, and maintaining his constant curiosity.
Gates has shared many principles that can help anyone, regardless of their salary, to increase their wealth over time. Here are five tips Gates has given on various occasions to grow your wealth, build resilience, and start thinking like a billionaire.
📌 Master skills that do not become obsolete over time
Gates learns throughout his life; he reads dozens of books each year and still allocates time for deep study. Gates said in an interview with The New York Times, "Reading is still my primary means of learning new things and testing my understanding."
He is particularly optimistic about learning programming, data analysis, or understanding science and systems thinking, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be technical; according to Gates, it is important to acquire skills that add long-term value and can grow with you, like writing, solving complex problems, and leading a team.
📌 Stay optimistic even with slow progress
Bill Gates said during his speech at Stanford University’s graduation ceremony in 2014, "Even in the toughest circumstances, optimism fuels innovation and leads to new approaches that relieve suffering."
This same principle applies to building wealth; if you are starting from scratch, it’s easy to feel like you will never make progress, but optimism combined with hard work is what drives you forward.
Gates emphasizes that wealth is not built overnight; it is built by people who believe in the importance of their efforts and continue to work even if it doesn’t seem impressive or fast.
📌 Save and invest consistently
Gates said in a television interview, "Save like a pessimist and invest like an optimist," meaning prepare for emergencies but don’t let fear keep you on the sidelines forever.
Gates always kept enough money to run Microsoft for 12 months without generating any revenue, while at the same time investing in innovations that changed the world like the internet, software, and clean energy long before they became mainstream.
Gates clarifies that if you want to grow your wealth, build a safety net, but also learn how to recognize long-term opportunities and act on them.
📌 Don’t confuse being busy with being effective
For years, Gates believed that a busy schedule was a sign of a serious leader until the famous investor Warren Buffett changed his perspective. Gates said in a conversation with Buffett and Charlie Rose, "I remember Warren showing me his daily schedule; there were weeks when there was nothing at all," at that time Gates was booking every minute and believed that this was the only way to manage a company.
By observing Buffett, Gates realized that constantly rushing from one task to another was not necessarily a sign of productivity; since then, Gates has become more cautious with his time and learned the importance of rest for making wiser and smarter decisions.
📌 Pay attention to global trends
Throughout his career, Gates has remained ahead of his predictions for the future of the world; he founded Microsoft during the software revolution and later focused his philanthropic efforts on global health threats long before pandemics made headlines.
In a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) directed at college students, he said that if he had to start building his wealth today, he would study artificial intelligence, energy, and life sciences.
Gates always advocates moving towards the future, so if you are choosing a side job, investment, or career path, don’t just look at what is trendy now but consider what will bring about radical change in the next decade.