Most of us are not lucky enough to become wealthy by winning a lotto, or having an unexpected inheritance fall into our laps. For the average Joe, wealth seems to be an elusive dream, just out of our reach that we hope to achieve “one day” when we have some time to think about it.

The reality is far different.  The same factors that make you successful at school, then at work, are the same factors that can allow you to build wealth without changing your busy schedule – consistency, strategy and focus! Sometimes people are underwhelmed when we tell them this but it’s the boring truth.

Here are some small changes you can make that can have a big impact on your goals, without having to change your lifestyle.

Read on to see how.

Pay yourself first.  That means setting up your savings like a bill that needs to be paid, so a certain amount is automatically transferred from your checking account to those accounts each month.

Once you’ve set up your finances to automatically put money away, take things one step further by incrementally increasing your savings every year. Even a small increase can make a major difference over time, thanks to the power of compound interest.

Legendary investor Warren Buffett favours index funds over most other investment options, and for good reason.

“It’s the cheapest and easiest way to diversify your money that you’re investing,”   

Experts agree that not only are index funds low-cost, but they don’t require much effort to manage. You just make the investment and let it do its thing instead of following, buying and selling shares in particular companies. And less trading means lower cost to hold the investment which translates to more money in your pocket.

That daily latté that’s more of a habit than a need? Ditch it. Choose a home-brewed cup from the couch and put the money you saved to work instead.

Self-made millionaire, David Bach, coined the term “The Latte Factor,” which basically says that if you eliminate your $25 daily latté (muffin, smoothie or any other unnecessary daily expense), you could save a significant amount of money over time especially if you use that money to invest.

There are some people out there who say you shouldn’t worry about the $25 latté, but when you think about it, cutting out the $25 latté is a good place to start. If you try to start with bigger things, like downsizing your midnight online shopping habit, it’s so overwhelming that you’re not going to do any of it.

Generating passive income takes some effort upfront, but once you get into a groove, it can become easy money. You could rent out a spare room, or do grocery shopping for the elderly, or come up with your very own idea.

Once you’ve set up a low-maintenance revenue stream, divert your extra earnings into investments. That way you’re generating two incomes and living off of one.

Walk into a millionaire’s home and you’re likely to find an abundance of books, if not an entire library, Keith Cameron Smith observes in “The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class.” That’s because millionaires know that learning doesn’t stop when you finish school.

“Success is a process,” Smith says. “If a percentage of your income isn’t going toward a financial education, you will stay trapped in the middle class. The more money you spend on financial knowledge, the more money you will make.”

The cheapest and easiest way to start investing in your financial education is through books. If you need some inspiration for where to start, check out the favourite books of billionaires such as Elon Musk and Warren Buffett.

Ultimately, the best way to boost your income is to earn a higher salary, whether that means nabbing a promotion or pivoting into a new job. You can start educating yourself on how to reach that goal now by enrolling in a class to learn a new skill or reading up the qualifications needed to switch careers.

Investing in yourself — and your future — is the smartest investment you can make.  In other words: start focusing on what you can control.

Start your journey today!