The people to remember when you get rich are the ones who showed up in tough times, the ones who cheered your wins, the ones who told you the truth, and the young version of you who dreamed this up. Not everyone you meet is created equal. Some people come into your life, some walk away, and some you never forget. The script sorts 15 types by what they did when it mattered: who helped, who vanished, who doubted you and who pushed you on.
Reading it is also a way to size up the people around you today, and to decide who gets a lasting place in your life.
Watch the full video here, or skip to the breakdown below.
The 15 people at a glance
- Those who helped you in tough times (0:19)
- Those who ignored you during tough times (0:40)
- Those who put you in tough times (1:15)
- Day-one loyalists (2:02)
- Those who opened your eyes to a winnable game (2:51)
- The ones who clapped when you won (4:29)
- The ones who skipped the applause but came for the cake (5:28)
- The leaf people: they are only here for a season (6:26)
- The branch people: test them before you rely on them (7:30)
- The root people: they do not do things to be seen (8:36)
- The doubters who hoped you would fail (9:38)
- The ones who pushed you on when you wanted to quit (11:11)
- The honest voices who called you out on your nonsense (11:50)
- Those you did it for (12:55)
- The young you who dreamed of becoming who you are today (13:50)
1. Those who helped you in tough times
When you needed them most, they showed up, and better still, they came when there was nothing in it for them. Maybe you asked for help, or maybe they offered without being asked.
These are the people you should never forget.
2. Those who ignored you during tough times
They knew you were struggling and played ignorant. What hurts is that you believed they were friends. They said they would be there if you needed them, then did not show up when it got real.
Tough times work like a spotlight that shows who really cares. They are also a chance to clear out dead weight. Their absence taught you to handle life alone, so you are better off now.
3. Those who put you in tough times
Never forget who betrayed you, or who was part of the problem and not the solution. Some people enter your life to light a fire and hope it burns down what you built. They may even scar you.
You remember them because of how they made you feel. They showed you what some people will do, walking over anyone to get ahead. Yet you grew stronger anyway.
They did not know the dirt they threw at you was soil, and you grew out of it.
4. Day-one loyalists
They have seen all of it: the ups, the downs, the falling outs and the making up. They are the ones you split a meal with when you had nothing, and whose couch you crashed on. They understand your roots and built the boat with you before either of you knew how far it could go.
They know the real you, not the facade, so their opinions matter most. They keep you grounded. Unless their vision changes, they are the ones worthy of the gold at the end of the rainbow.
5. Those who opened your eyes to a winnable game
Someone showed you there is more to life than what others had in store, and that there are games where the reward matches your potential. You knew of winners but had never seen one do it. These people prove it is possible, like Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute mile.
Once you know the game is winnable, it comes down to execution. They open your eyes to opportunities you were blind to and show a path you did not know existed. The narrator says the Alux channel was built to do this for viewers.
6. The ones who clapped when you won
In an authentic relationship, your success counts as a shared victory. These people celebrate you sincerely, witnessed your greatness and validated your choices. They are not threatened by you. Instead of envy, your win is motivation for their own.
Celebrating others without envy shows high integrity and tells you that you picked the right inner circle. Life is lonely without them, so share your cake with them.
7. The ones who skipped the applause but came for the cake
Pay attention to the people who stay quiet when you win. They are self-serving, there for the cake and not for you. They did not share the struggle of building and may have wished you would fail, yet they find a way to get something out of the situation.
Their silence says more than their presence at the party, because their relationship with you is shadowed by envy. The video labels them utility friendships. They crumble when there is nothing left to gain, and may even stab you in the back if there is value in it.
8. The leaf people: they are only here for a season
They take what they need, and when it gets cold or the wind blows, they leave. They are tourists in your life. Some relationships are temporary by nature, fulfilling a need or teaching a brief lesson before moving on.
Knowing that lets you appreciate them for what they are without deeper attachment, keeping your emotional balance. These connections can still be authentic and meaningful. Set clear boundaries to protect your vulnerabilities. Once the common purpose ends, you part ways, as with some school colleagues, past lovers or business interests.
9. The branch people: test them before you rely on them
They may stay a couple of seasons, but break away when things get really tough. You cannot be sure of them until they are tested, which the script calls skeptical trust. Watch behavior, not words, as life keeps throwing jabs.
This weeds out those you cannot rely on. It can hurt to learn someone you thought solid was not, but you end up with people you can trust. It applies to your company, your friends and even family. Branch people are not as clear-cut as leaf people, and stress testing shows how far to rely on each.
10. The root people: they do not do things to be seen
Root people are the unseen foundation of your life. They give unwavering support without seeking recognition, and hold you up as you are. That is the highest form of loyalty, and it makes them rare. You feel them.
With them you can be fully vulnerable. They are quiet, consistent and reliable: family members, lifelong friends or mentors. A mentor is the professional version of a root person, with the balance so skewed in your favor that they want you to win with little to gain themselves.
11. The doubters who hoped you would fail
These are the ones you will eventually prove wrong. They told you that you would never be anything. Their worth is tied to your failure, and dragging others down is the only way they feel better.
Success is the best revenge, and you can use them as fuel. But the script warns against making proof the goal. Their negativity never paid one of your bills, and the more you care about what others think, the more you are their prisoner. If you spend 20 years proving a high school bully wrong at the cost of everything else, you are the loser.
12. The ones who pushed you on when you wanted to quit
At some point it got so hard you were ready to throw in the towel. One or two people pushed you to try again. They reminded you why you started and how you said this would be your life.
Life tests how badly you want it. It is meant to be hard and to make you want to quit, and getting through is what makes you worthy of the rewards. Alux gives a shoutout to Gary Vee, who was that person for the Alux team when they needed it.
13. The honest voices who called you out on your nonsense
The biggest gift someone can give is opening your eyes to a truth you are ignoring, one that is holding you back. Uncomfortable truths make you re-evaluate your choices and recalibrate.
It is the friend who tells you your partner is cheating even though it will hurt, the boss who privately calls out poor performance, or the relative who names an addiction that is wrecking your life. Truth is the most valuable currency in any relationship, as long as it comes from genuine concern.
14. Those you did it for
Your kids, your parents, your community, your tribe. In times of struggle they can become your why. The script points to soldiers who survived war because someone was waiting at home.
It is easy to quit when you do it just for money or fame, and much harder to stay down when your family needs you strong. Focusing on others also makes you think long term, since your actions become investments in their well-being. These people are the gateway to selfless happiness.
15. The young you who dreamed of becoming who you are today
Remember wishing for what you have now, and the little you who said one day you would be someone? You owe that person the potential they saw in themselves, and the raw talent they did not know what to do with.
Fulfilling the dreams that once inspired you shows you did not give up on life, and some people do. The context changes, but the desire stays the same: to be someone you are proud of, who helps and who matters. It is not too late to make the shift.
Bonus: your first and last love shaped your emotional soul.
You are the product of who you let in
The bonus point in the script: the first love gets the purest form of love you can give, raw and unpolished, while the last gets the mature, complex end product. Each person we love leaves a permanent mark, which is why people look up a school crush decades later.
We are products of the people we allow to shape us, and you will meet more people with carving and molding power. Be deliberate about whom you let leave a fingerprint. The narrator counts relationships as one of the five pillars of a good life.
FAQ
Who should you remember when you become successful?
The video lists those who helped you in tough times, those who stayed from day one, those who opened your eyes to a winnable game, those who pushed you not to quit, and your younger self.
What are leaf, branch and root people?
Leaf people are only here for a season. Branch people must be tested before you rely on them. Root people give quiet, unwavering support without wanting recognition.
How do you spot someone who is only there for the cake?
They do not celebrate when you win but show up to the party anyway. Alux calls them utility friendships, because they leave when they have nothing more to gain.
How should you treat people who doubted you?
Use them as fuel, but do not make proving them wrong the goal. The script says the more you care about what others think, the more you become their prisoner.
Why are people who call you out valuable?
They give you the gift of truth, which is essential for personal growth. The narrator says it counts when they do it from genuine concern.
What does skeptical trust mean?
It means testing a branch person’s loyalty in hard times. You watch their behavior instead of trusting their words, so you know how far to rely on them.
Keep reading
- 15 Secrets RICH People Use to Get Everything in Life
- 15 Things Poor People Think Rich People Do (That They Actually Don’t)
- 15 Ridiculous Things Rich People Have to Explain to Poor People
