7 Things Successful Millennials Do

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Who doesn't want to be successful? People spend millions of dollars a year trying to learn how to do it — whether in business or for their personal lives. (The most popular books on Amazon are, you guessed it, books on how to be successful.) Even successful people scour resources to learn how to be more successful.

But for Millennials, the definition of success — and the path there — is a little bit different. Work hard, stay focused, and consider these seven steps for becoming a successful millennial.

1. Invest and Save

Successful Millennials know that if there ever was a motto in life to follow, it should be "Invest and save." In fact, being young is your best investment advantage. You have time on your side — and all that time means that your money has the best chance to grow, thanks to the power of compounding. The first place you will probably invest is in your employer-provided 401(k) or IRA; successful Millenials aim to save at least 5%–10% of their income now, in order to reap big rewards later.

2. Healthy = Wealthy

Successful Millenials know that being healthy not only leads to feeling better, but also to being more successful in all areas of life. Following a consistent workout schedule coupled with eating well is a strong recipe for success. With online tools such as Yoga with Adriene, and cooking sites like Spoon University, there are no excuses for not learning how to eat well and workout on a budget.

3. Learn and Learn Some More

Successful Millennials never stop learning. Forget the fancy (aka expensive) degrees. It's never been easier to follow the old adage, "learn something new each day." Acquiring new skills will eventually lead to more job opportunities and salary increases. Millennials are also a large part of the new entrepreneur generation that emerged during the economic downturn. Successful Millennials have taken that entrepreneurial spirit on, and dedicated themselves to reading at least one new article a day, investigating new career opportunities, and growing their skill base by utilizing free and low-cost online learning with sites like Lynda.com and Udemy.

4. Travel Your Way

Successful Millennials don't just sit back and watch life pass them by; they travel, and travel a lot. The world is more accessible than ever, and with good financial strategies to utilize credit card reward points, and lodging alternatives like Airbnb, budget traveling has never been easier. Successful Millennials not only like to travel, but they are far better at balancing life and taking time off to recharge than their older counterparts.

5. Perfect Your Passion

Successful Millennials charge head first into developing their passion and never look back. There are so many career options that didn't exist even a few years ago. YouTube stars are making six-figure salaries, bloggers are traveling the world and making a solid living, entrepreneurs are launching ideas funded with startup money that is now more accessible, and new careers are emerging in areas of social media and marketing. The most successful Millennials find a way to infuse their passion into their career, and if that career doesn't exist, they simply create it.

6. Give Back

Successful Millennials love to make money, but more than anything, they love to give back and affect change. Millennials love to find ways to better society, such as companies like Toms that donate a pair of shoes for every shoe purchased, or entrepreneurs like Detroit Dirt's own Pashon Murray who makes money by giving back to her growing community. Successful Millennials know that giving back is not just about money, but also about offering skills and talents that can change their community in new and inventive ways.

7. Redefine Wealth

Successful Millennials understand that the old-school definition of wealth no longer exists. The 1980s version of wealth, with BMWs and classic clothing, bores successful Millennials. For them, wealth is about all of the steps in this list. It's about creating a life and a lifestyle that infuses their passions, skills, talents, mindset, and vision of the world together to create a better financial future. Successful Millennials know that no matter how much (or how little) money you have, you can always be wealthy if you've created a life as true and original to you as possible.

What steps are you going to take to become a successful Millennial?