1. The only way you can get really wealthy is by owning some sort of business. If you earn your company 20k more this year than last year you would be lucky to get even 5k of that. When you work for yourself that is an extra 80k plus to an acquirer, if not more.
2. Alpha is overrated vs beta. It should've been obvious after seeing baby boomers become rich by simply owning homes, but I only really got it during the last 3 years of low interest rates after a more senior trader explained this idea to me (who was around during the 2000s). It really is as simple as riding the trend till it doesn't work, and once stuff starts changing you can afford to sit it out because of hard you outperform.
Spend less, save more. The rest will come.