Breaking the Millionaire Myth

MANILA, Philippines - A cursory glance at a bookstore’s self-help section yields a crop of books promising how-to-be-a-millionaire wisdom. Whether stemming from a verified success story, or a person who’s just blessed with the right opportunities, these books possess an equal amount of anecdotal evidence, enough to encourage ordinary Janes and Joes to embark on a quest to become self-made millionaires themselves. But they can also meld into a strange combination of both, as in the case of Leila Hernandez, a former globetrotting accountant who went on a journey to the depths of financial woes and emerged with a story of her own. This she shares in her book, 9 to 5 Millionaire.

“I know there are a lot of books written about how to get rich and, actually, I would encourage readers to learn from a lot of people, not just from one person,” Leila says. “Even I have a big collection of books and I try to learn from a lot of people.”

Leila was inspired by stories of struggles that she collected while working in Singapore and Hong Kong several years back. She graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines Diliman with a bachelor of science double degree in business administration and accountancy. During her work for multinational companies such as McDonald’s and Procter and Gamble, it’s the plight of her OFW friends that truly moved her to share what she knows in the hope that this would also empower those who strive to get through the day by making do with their meager incomes.

Most employees work with the paycheck on their minds as a motivation to do well, but come payday, it’s always a puzzle how to pay the bills and still have something left to save. Ultimately, it’s this important question that Leila asks in her book: How do you liberate yourself from the confines of your job into getting the life that you really want?

9 to 5 Millionaire is a book anyone can easily get into. Leila details her early financial woes up to her triumphant run to the finish line. And it’s not only just about getting the first million –– it’s also about acquiring a discipline that lets you enjoy life like you’ve always wanted to. Retiring young and happy is always something that we look forward to and maybe, with these tips Leila shares to get you started, we can actually see it materialize on the horizon:

1. Read up and be inspired.

“It’s important that you read and you get to a point where you formulate your own philosophy about what works for you,” Leila says. “You start to piece together your own framework and action plan on how you want to be rich and become a millionaire. What I try to do is I have shared my own experiences for over 10 years; what I learned and what my failures are. Hopefully with that, people will avoid making the same mistakes and get richer faster than I did. What I really would like to see are readers taking action and transforming their lives. I wouldn’t be happy with just people buying my book.”

2. Get your own financial strategy.

“Avoid spending more than you earn. Cut up credit cards if you are addicted to them,” Leila suggests. “You should also be happy and find a job that can honor your talents and the world. I haven’t worked a day in my life because the jobs that I had were the ones that I really wanted to do. I was not forced into getting those results. I really wanted to do them. For all those people in a nine-to-five job, think over what your strengths and passions are. And I’m sure there is a job or an opportunity where you can contribute those and the world will be blessed because of that. And you will be blessed in turn.”

3. Soldier on.

“If you are afraid, then the only thing you are going to have is a hundred percent failure rate. You can never succeed if you don’t try. I don’t recommend just acting without thinking things over. You have to learn enough. It can’t be all theoretical,” Leila says.

4. Identify weaknesses and obstacles.

“In order to make progress and learn from mistakes, one has to address the root of the problem, not just the symptom of the problem,” Leila says. “If it is a certain behavior that keeps on repeating that gets you into trouble, the solution is not to look at the behavior but the underlying belief or values that it is coming from.”

“When you grow up, sometimes you inherit beliefs from the people you grow up with and you unconsciously adapt them. But you have to ask, ‘Is this what I want?’ ‘Is my life now what I want?’ And if it’s not you have to change things so your life can change,” she adds.

5. Put things into perspective.

“I find it amazing sometimes that people spend more time shopping and searching for the perfect car, dress, or gadget more than thinking about what they can do so they can afford to buy anything they want. Learning how to do it is also investing. For example, you want to invest in your financial education, and my workshop is P5,000. People might say ‘Hey, I can’t afford that.’ But isn’t it important that you learn how to invest your time and money right?” she says.

6. A companion always does you good.

Going on a journey this grueling is never just for one person to embark on, Leila says. “You have to find someone who has done it, someone who resonates with the values that you have. And at the same time, a person who wants to have a coach should be ready. They should to be committed to get the results that they want.”

7. Don’t just leave it to fate.

“I think we need to live life and have a balance between the things that we plan as well as being able to enjoy living day to day,” she enthuses. “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I trust that God will be with me in this journey but I also have to do my part as well.”

8. Know what you really want.

Finally, all of these tips wouldn’t be of use if you’re not really sure of your direction in the first place. “You just have to decide how much important this is to you. I read somewhere that ‘The price of something is the amount of life you exchange for it.’ At any point in time, we are investing our lives in something so make sure you invest in something worthwhile,” Leila says.

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For more information about Leila Hernandez and the 9 to 5 Millionaire book and workshop, visit 9to5mil.com or facebook.com/the9to5millionaire.com.