11 Ridiculously Successful People Who Lead A Surprisingly Simple Life

We are used to seeing lavish lifestyles of the rich splattered on page three of newspapers. Cocktail parties, personal jets, a fleet of cars, island resorts – you name it, and they have got it.

But then there is a small group of successful people who live their life happily content with simplicity. Their lives are shockingly similar to the life lived by regular people.

You might wonder how they manage to still stay grounded after all the power and money that comes with success.

1. Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg was spotted eating at a McDonalds with his wife Priscilla Chan when they were honeymooning in Paris. He also wears the same kind of t-shirt and jeans every day.

He also has a desk among his employees. There is no corner office overlooking the skyline of the city.

He also made the headlines when he decided to donate 99% of his Facebook shares to charity.

 

2. Rajnikant

Every public image you see of Rajnikanth fortifies his image of leading a simple life. He always is seen wearing a dhoti kurta, and eating food like regular people.

He doesn’t have a group of bodyguards surrounding him when he is in public and always prefers to drive his own car.

Here’s an interesting story – During his trip to the Himalayas, he was sitting outside a temple and a lady offered him 10 rupees – thinking he was a beggar. He accepted the money apparently and walked away with a smile.

 

3. Warren Buffet

Warren buffet is one of the richest men in the world. The whole world sits straight when he gives financial advice because he has made his entire earnings by investing. He is also known as one of the most frugal rich men.

He still lives in the apartment he bought in 1950 and drives a normal Cadillac.

He has always propagated his habit of charity. One must understand that rich people practice charity because they have money left over as they live simpler lives.

 

4. Narayan Murthy

The founder of Infosys still doesn’t know how to drive a car and is driven around by his wife. He used to take the company bus to his office with his employees every day.

After the notorious Veerappan had kidnapped a few high-profile people, the Karnataka government had offered to give him Z plus security – which he duly refused. The reason? He didn’t want to cause traffic jams on the road due to the state security cars.

 

5. Rahul Dravid

According to his wife, he once wore just two sets of informal clothes for an entire Cricket tour. He doesn’t care about cool gadgets and brands. He has been seen sitting in autorickshaws and booking gas cylinders without an entourage around him. He is known to move around in his Santro and flies Economy class on airplanes.

Simple life indeed!

 

6. Leonardo Dicaprio

Although he attends lavish parties and takes a model home every day home with him, he leads a simpler life due to his love for nature and the environment. He frequently flies on commercial airplanes instead of flying on a personal jet. He frequently donates to charity and does his bit for the environment by being a speaker in the various conventions and meets.

He also drives a Prius whenever he is out on private time.

 

7. Keanu Reeves

“Money is the last thing I think about. I could live on what I have already made for the next few centuries.”

He lives in a simple apartment and is one of the few actors in Hollywood who doesn’t own a mansion to his name. He eats from takeout restaurants and frequently takes the subway to get around.

He also donated $35 million of his own money to the special effects team of the movie The Matrix, because he felt that they deserved more reward for the work they did.

 

8. Azim Premji

He is famously known for monitoring the number of toilet paper rolls his company uses, and also instructs his employees to switch off the lights before they leave the office. Though this might look like a stingy move, it saves him and his company money.

He still drives his 1996 Ford sedan and takes a rickshaw when he returns from his business trips abroad.

 

9. Manik Sarkar

He has been a Chief Minister of a state for four times. Politicians usually amass a lot of money in just one term, but Sarkar is known to be the poorest CM in India. He doesn’t own a car or a house and takes a rickshaw to travel  around.

As to why he is on the list – he has been incumbent for 4 years now. Before that he was an MLA, and is still serving his state to the best of his ability. Not to mention he was born in present-day Bangladesh. He achieved success in India and served our country in the best way possible.

 

10. Paul mcCartney

Paul McCartney’s daughter has complained that her father would only pay her college tuition bill if she gets into a state school and not a private institution. He lives frugally. You would expect him to still continue living the rockstar life, considering that his personal worth is more than $800 million.

 

11. Jennifer Lawerence

Jennifer Lawrence still lives in the same apartment in LA where she moved in for the first time. She is known to avoid high-end stores and shops at Ikea. She has no personal assistant and does all the shopping on her own.

The fact that these people have been successful due to the talent they have is admirable. But what is even more impressive is that they have managed to live a normal and simple life even after being successful and powerful in their own right.

We can all learn a lesson in humility and simplicity from these successful people.

Cover Image Source