This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with John Paul DeJoria, an 82-year-old self-made billionaire and philanthropist based in Austin. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

When I started John Paul Mitchell Systems in 1980, I was 35 and living in my car in LA. Inflation and unemployment were high, loans were difficult to get, and we waited in line to buy gasoline.

Everyone said, "You can't start a business with no money." Yet I started with essentially nothing and went on to help build two billion-dollar companies, including Patrón Tequila. I'm now a billionaire myself.

I sold Patrón Tequila in 2018 and am working on several new businesses, two of which are software tools—Vendidit and GlobalSKU— that help businesses and individuals handle returns and resell products across online marketplaces.

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My career inspired me to write my upcoming book, "Success Unshared Is Failure," an autobiography cowritten with Mark Victor Hanson, to show how people can do this for themselves and find happiness in life.

Peace, love, and happiness are what motivate me. That's my purpose on this planet. Throughout my day, I keep in mind that when you're kind to people, kindness comes right back to you.

Here's what my typical day looks like.

I usually wake up between 6 and 7:30 a.m.

The first thing I'll do is drink 15-20 ounces of room-temperature water that has been sitting overnight. Hydration is a priority for me.

After the bathroom, I go directly back to bed for at least five minutes, sometimes longer, doing what I call present time. It's similar to meditation, where I try to clear my mind except for one thought: "Thank you, creator of souls, for this incredible life of abundance. May joy stay with me throughout the day, for me to learn more each day as an observer without judgment of all my fellow humans."

After meditating, I spend about two minutes doing 30 perfect push-ups, a technique popularized by Navy SEALs. That's my main exercise.

As for breakfast, I drink about half a cappuccino cup of regular coffee with biscotti.

I work from home daily when in town. After that, I make any necessary phone calls to my European businesses. Then I'll turn to the other businesses I'm involved with, along with my philanthropic work.

I don't have an email address

I don't even own a computer. If needed, I'll use my assistant's computer. I'll either call you or write you a handwritten letter instead. I like that personal touch; it's old-fashioned, but it works for me.

Before lunch, I'll drink another glass of water, and I'll stop at 3 p.m. to prevent sleep interruptions.

I mostly eat at home, but I'll occasionally meet people in downtown Austin for lunch. We have a chef, whom I brought on 17 years ago, for my anniversary with my wife, Elaine. We're very fortunate. He cooks for us five days a week and usually sets food aside for the weekend.

I consider my blood type for meals

I have Type O blood, and I follow the blood-type diet philosophy. I've found that I do better when I eat some meat. I've tried to be a vegetarian before. I need meat, but everything in moderation. I always leave the table a little bit hungry.

After lunch, I might spend time with my wife and grown kids, or I'll finish up business tasks, whether that's making phone calls or visiting the headquarters of my businesses in Austin. I'm helping to lead and advise Vendidit and GlobalSKU in their mission to streamline and optimize the resale and reverse logistics industries — including frequent calls with internal teams and industry experts.

Sometimes I'll go downtown to the entrepreneur center I started for the homeless to give lectures or serve food.

Dinner from our chef might include vegetables like sweet potatoes, broccoli, or his delicious black-eyed peas, and for protein, we have fish or beef — organic, no antibiotics. I drink red wine about three times a week.

After dinner, I'll stretch and take a moment to be thankful

Evening is an ideal time to call Asia, so I'll make any last business calls.

To wind down, we've been watching TV. We started watching Game of Thrones after it had already ended and binged on three episodes a night.

Other nights, I might read. I enjoy reading books about self-help and spiritual books about the soul, the universe, how we ascend, and how our frequencies rise.

By 8:30 or 9 p.m., the TV is off

We're ready to go to bed by 10 p.m.

Before I sleep, I say to myself, sometimes out loud, "Thank you, creator of souls, for the joy in my life and for all the abundance I have. When something goes wrong, I remind myself it's only happening so I can learn from it, because I truly believe we're on this planet to learn."

People often ask, "What's the one thing you would change from the past?" My answer is nothing. I wouldn't change a thing, because everything that happened in my life brought me to where I am today.