dream big. All the millionaires I interview have big dreams. They believe they are worth more than a 9 to 5 job and that there is more to life than working forty (or more) hours a week for forty years only to take a forty percent pay cut once they retire. These big dreamers are also prepared to risk money and time (reasonable risk) and go for it. Some of them have even risked the farm a couple of times. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not asking you to do this, and I’m not asking you to put all your eggs in one basket and hope. However, you may want to consider taking some of those hard-earned dollars and trying something new, maybe just part-time at first. Try building a small business, investing in a stock, or trading some real estate for cash. You never know, it could be the next time you get interviewed!
Get out of your comfort zone. We all operate within a comfort zone, a specific way of life that we have grown accustomed to over time. Unfortunately, these comfort zones often keep us from doing what we really want. For years, I believed I was worth around $50,000 a year, and during this time, $50,000 is what I was paid. I didn’t know any better, so I kept working for someone else and earning less than I deserved. Then I experienced an awakening and came to believe that I was worth $250,000 a year. I quit my job and started my own business. Well I didn’t make $250K that first year, but I did make $245K that year! You must attack your comfort zone. You must get out of it; push yourself to do things you don’t like; push yourself to try new things; work to break your bad habits and discard your limiting beliefs. Push yourself, don’t be AFRAID! All successful people recognize the undiscovered planet, the realm of the unknown and the unknown. Now, it’s your turn to join the ranks of these successful people.
smart work, not difficult. Millionaires tend to work smarter, not harder. Don’t get me wrong; they are still prone to working 16-hour days, but they use their time much more effectively than others. They have a better plan for making money and a better plan for profiting from their work. And if they’re going to work a sixteen-hour day, they want to personally reap the fruits of their labor. Your time is worth too much to waste on making money for someone else. Here are some smart strategies: Invest in real estate. Owning a small business. Let your money make money. Invest in stocks. Manage, but not do. Be unique in the market. Find successful role models and mentors and follow their model. Trade money for time, not time for money!
The quick and the dead. One of the main rules for successful people is “Take Action!” While you’re sitting there thinking, someone else is taking action. People are starting a new business, taking control of their credit, starting online businesses, buying new homes or investing in property, cutting their taxes by 50%. Stop over-analyzing things and make a judgment. It’s time to take quick action.
Remove emotions from decisions. Confront FEAR! In our culture, we are taught to weigh both sides of a decision. For the most part, that’s good advice. It only becomes a problem once people get involved in the weigh-in. They spend all their time looking for one more piece of information. They check him to death: “Should we? Shouldn’t we?” By the time they make a decision, the opportunity is gone. For most people, there is only one reason they miss out on opportunities: FEAR! You may experience fear of loss, fear of failure, or perhaps fear of rejection. This fear is holding you back. It is costing you financially and emotionally. In contrast to this mindset, millionaires learn to conquer their fears, overcome them, and focus on three simple things: first, investing; second, the return; third, the probability of success. If an investment offers a good return, go for it! Even when you’re petrified with fear, you just need to take that first step forward.
full commitment Successful people give everything they have and never say the words “I tried.” Either they get the result they want or they don’t. They never stop at a project. It keeps them up late and gets them up early. They work at their regular jobs for 40 hours a week and then spend another 20 hours buying real estate or starting a small business, even when they’re tired. Let it not be said of you when you are old and gray that “you lost your dreams because you were watching television”. All you need to do is schedule some time for success. This can be as little as eight hours a week to start with, maybe every Saturday morning or Monday night (okay, maybe Tuesday nights during football season). Schedule the time and the results will follow.
mentors. Mentors are worth their weight in gold. Take my word for it; This has been proven time and time again! Mentors will teach you things you could never learn from a book, self-study manual, video, or website. When I first learned to play golf, I already had some experience playing hockey, but I found that swinging a golf club like a hockey stick would result in a terrible cut to the right. I bought all the golf magazines, books and videos to correct the problem. I was cheap and didn’t want to spend the money on lessons. After many struggles, I decided that the problem was not me, it was the clubs! So I bought new sticks (fire sticks). Unfortunately, those new clubs just helped me drive the ball deeper into the trees. Finally, I broke down and bought a few lessons and in the first lesson the problem was corrected. Immediate feedback, a coach, or a mentor can quickly get you on the path to success.
successful student. Millionaires never stop learning. They continually study success. They study money, real estate, business, and asset creation. They thirst for new knowledge and are the first to buy tapes, books, and manuals, or to seek additional training. Several years ago, I documented purchases of over $81,000 for seminars, training, and self-study materials to further my education. I couldn’t have gotten to where I am now without this. Continuing education is the key to my success and that of many others. Invest in yourself first!
bounce well. Millionaires are not without failure. They have losses, but they maintain a positive attitude. They tell themselves, “I’ll have them next time. I just have to work a little harder or smarter to get a better result.” They know that all they need is a better plan, and they remember that a flat ball doesn’t bounce, so they keep it inflated.
Selective memory. There are no failures, only learning experiences. When successful people hit a baseball, they don’t remember 66% of the time they miss; they remember 34% of the times they get hits. They hold their success close and let go of their failures. The problem for most people is that they refuse to forget the last time they failed. No wonder they stop swinging the bat. Selective memory is the key to success.
do not give up. The character of men and women is not measured by the number of their failures but by the number of times they shake off those failures and try again. Just ask Sylvester Stallone whose Rocky script was rejected over 300 times! Ask Edison who made over 10,000 (no, that’s not a typo – TEN THOUSAND) attempts to invent the light bulb. Ask Lincoln who experienced failure a dozen times as he strove for political office. Success is just a decision and a step! Never give up and you will stay on the path of prosperity.
