Whether you decide to climb the corporate ladder or go your own way as an entrepreneur, the principles in building your wealth are the same. It is a lot about attitude and dedication as well as discipline and control. But even then, creativity and risk-taking is also part of the mix.

Lets look at the example of some self-made millionaires and hopefully see a series of examples that can form a certain pattern.

A survey of more than 50,000 millionaires showed that more than half came from dysfunctional and/or deprived beginnings. It seems that these people have made it a point to show and prove that they can be successes in spite of their backgrounds. As such, as managers and taskmasters, they were relentless.

Another trait of these millionaires was the overwhelming similarity of their desires to win and win big. Merely being competitive was not enough. If they were soldiers, not only would they take no prisoners, but would leave no stone standing.

That is not to say that theyve always been successes. Almost all had tasted defeat, and for most, several times at that. But that has never stopped them from getting up and trying again.

In fact, in these downtimes, millionaires look beyond defeat and see opportunities. When gaps are located, they plug up the holes and figure out what can and cannot be done given the environment theyre in. And they will push at every opportunity until something breaks and gets results.

But all that fire and drive will be for nothing if one cannot manage what they have accumulated. Therefore, making millions does not merely rely on how creative and insightful he is in seeing opportunities and how dedicated he is making those opportunities yield for him. It is also about developing the right savings, investing strategies and spending habits.

After coming across a good sum of money, many would think of purchasing something to reflect how much is in their bank account. An expensive watch or the latest car model are just some of the usual suspects.

Consistent millionaires would think more than once about their spendings - both for their own companies and for their personal wealth. They know when the time is right to spend and on what items to spend on and how much money to spend on it.

As stringent as they are on expenses, self-made millionaires also know how to make their savings work for them. Its not merely about lumping them all together and leaving it to lie idle. Millionaires may be relentless on their subordinates, but more so on their own money. They will find out what savings vehicles will produce the best yields in a given amount of time and will very likely spread out his wealth among these programs to get the most optimum earnings over a given period.

Having optimized his savings, a millionaire will yet still make his money work by investing it. He/she has a nose for putting his/her money on a combination of ventures that will yield substantial returns. The name of the game is diversification and having healthy percentages of savings in a variety of investments. Risks are weighed and returns are assessed with uncanny skill - skill that is brought on by experience and a lot of research. So whether in real estate, mutual funds or publicly listed stocks, these wealth-makers make sure every penny is where it should be and earns what it should.

Given these patterns, there still is no perfect and exact wealth-making secret strategy. A lot of factors come into play in building a fortune. Making your millions is beyond mere start-up capitals and/or university degrees. Attitude, skills and even a bit of providence is part of the mix. The road has been traveled by many, but each journey is unique.