What most people don't realize is that wealth isn't the same as income. If you make $1 million a year and spend $1 million, you're not getting wealthier, you're just living high. Wealth is what you accumulate, not what you spend.
How do you become wealthy? It's rarely luck or inheritance or even intelligence that builds fortunes. Wealth is more often the inexorable result of a person's hard work, perseverance and, most of all, self-discipline.
Who tends to become wealthy? Not the exotic back-stabbers and dabblers in high finance you see depicted on TV. The average person with a net worth of $1 million or more is usually a businessman who has lived all his adult life in the same town. He owns a small factory, a chain of stores or a service company. Married once, and still married, he lives in a middle-class neighborhood, next to people with a fraction of his wealth. He's a compulsive saver and investor. And he's made his money on his own.
Attitude is the greatest difference between millionaires and the rest of us. The rich follow certain rules. Here are some of the most important ones:
1. Live below your means.
The most successful accumulators of wealth spend far less than they can afford on houses, cars, vacations and entertainment. Why? Because these things offer little or no return. The wealthy would rather put their money into investments or their businesses. Millionaires understand that when you buy a luxury house, you buy a luxury life-style too.
2. Emphasize net worth; de-emphasize income.
Most millionaires measure success by net worth, not income. Instead of taking their money home, they plow as much as they can into their businesses, stock portfolios and other assets. 
3. Cultivate good advice.
The best wealth-builders pay careful attention to their money and seek professional advice. Those who skimp on the luxuries are usually more willing to pay top dollar for good legal and financial advice.
4. Develop a plan.
The self-made rich develop clear goals for their money. They have a dollar figure in mind - the amount they want to save by age 50, perhaps - and they work unceasingly toward that goal. 
Start developing a plan now, regardless of your age. How much do you want to accumulate, and by what age? Then work backward. To meet your goal, how much should you save every year? 
One thing may surprise you. If you make wealth - not just income - your goal, the luxury house you've been dreaming about won't seem so alluring. You'll have the attitude.