NO LIMITS ON YOUR POTENTIAL
THE AVERAGE INCOME INCREASE IN AMERICA IS ABOUT 3 PERCENT A YEAR, JUST ABOUT THE SAME AS THE RATE OF INFLATION AND COST OF LIVING INCREASES. PEOPLE WHOSE INCOME IS INCREASING AT 3 PERCENT A YEAR SELDOM GET AHEAD. THEY HAVE A JOB, WHICH CAN BE THOUGH OF AS AN ACRONYM FOR "JUST OVER BROKE".
BUT THE FACT IS THAT NO ONE IS BETTER THAN YOU, AND NO ONE IS SMARTER THAN YOU. IF SOMEONE IS DOING BETTER THAN YOU ARE TODAY, IT IS SIMPLY PROOF THAT HE HAS LEARNED HOW THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT APPLIES TO HIS WORK, AND HE HAS BEGUN DOING THE THINGS THAT OTHER SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE HAVE ALSO DONE. THE APPLICATION OF THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT TO YOUR PERSONAL LIFE IS "LEARN AND DO".
THE ACHIEVEMENT OF PERSONAL EXCELLLENCE IS A DECISION YOU MAKE OR THAT YOU FAIL TO MAKE. BUT IN THE ABSENCE OF A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE IN YOUR CHOSEN FIELD, YOU AUTOMATICALLY DEFAULT TO AVERAGE PERFORMANCE - OR EVEN MEDIOCRITY. NO ONE BECOMES EXCELLENT ACCIDENTALLY OR BY JUST GOING TO WORK EACH DAY. EXCELLENCE REQUIRES A DEFINITE DECISION AND A LIFELONG COMMITMENT.
THE KEY TO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL ARE THE KEYS TO THE TWENTY-FIVE CENTURY. BECOMING THE BEST PERSON YOU CAN POSSIBLY BE AND MOVING TO THE TOP OF YOUR FIELD REQUIRE THE APPLICATION OF SELF-DISCIPLINE THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE. MENTAL FITNESS IS LIKE PHYSICAL FITNESS, IF YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE EITHER, YOU MUST WORK AT IT ALL YOUR LIFE. YOU CAN NEVER LET UP. YOU MUST BE CONTINUALLY LEARNING AND GROWING - EVERY DAY, WEEK, AND MONTH - THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER (AND IN OTHER AREAS OF YOUR LIFE) IF YOU'RE GOING TO JOIN THE TOP 20 PERCENT AND STAY THERE. TO EARN MORE, YOU MUST LEARN MORE.
ABRAHIM LINCOLN ONCE WROTE, "THE FACT THAT SOME HAVE BECOME WEALTHY IS PROOF THAT OTHERS MAY DO IT AS WELL".
WHAT OTHERS HAVE DONE, YOU CAN DO AS WELL- IF YOU LEAN HOW. EVERYONE WHO IS AT THE TOP WAS ONCE AT THE BOTTOM. MANY PEOPLE WHO COME FROM AVERAGE OR POOR FAMILIES WITH AVERAGE INCOMES OR WHO GROW UP IN AVERAGE CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE GONE ON TO BECOME SOME OF THE MOST PROMINENT PEOPLE IN THEIR FIELDS. AND WHAT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS AND EVEN MILLIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DONE, YOU CAN DO AS WELL. THE PHILOSOPHER BERTRAND RUSSELL ONCE WROTE THAT "THE VERY BEST PROOF THAT SOMETHING CAN BE DONE IS THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS ALREADY DONE IT.
ORDINARY INTO EXTRAORDINARY
VERY OFTEN, YOU SEE PEOPLE WHO DON'T SEEM TO BE AS INTELLIGENT OR AS TALENTED AS YOU ARE WHO ARE NONETHELESS ACCOMPLISHING REMARKABLE THINGS WITH THEIR LIVES. THERE IS NOTHING THAT WILL MAKE YOU ANGRIER THAN TO SEE SOMEONE WHO SEEMS TO BE DUMBER THAN YOU DOING BETTER THAN YOU. HOW CAN THIS BE ?
THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE. AT A CERTAIN POINT IN THEIR LIVES, THEY REALIZED THAT THE KEY TO SUCCESS WAS PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH. IT WAS A DEDICATION TO LIFELONG LEARNING.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT ALMOST EVERY IMPORTANT SKILL IS LEARNABLE. EVERY BUSINESS SKILL IS LEARNABLE. EVERYONE WHO IS PROFFICIENT IN ANY AREA OF BUSINESS SKILL IS LEARNABLE. EVERYONE WHO IS PROFICIENT IN ANY AREA OF BUSINESS WAS AT ONE TIME COMPLETELY IGNORANT IN THAT AREA. EVERY SALES SKILL IS LEARNABLE. EVERY TOP SALESPERSON WAS ONCE A BEGINNING SALESPAPER AND UNABLE TO MAKE A CALL OR CLOSE A SALE. ALL MONEYMAKING SKILL ARE LEARNABLE AS WELL. ALMOST EVERY WEALTHY PERSON WAS ONCE POOR. YOU CAN LEARN ANYTHING YOU NEED TO LEARN TO ACHIEVE ANY GOAL YOU CAN SET FOR YOURSELF.
MAKE A DECISION
THE STARTING POINT OF YOUR MOVING UPWARD AND ONWARD TOWARD BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST COMPETENT, MOST RESPECTED, AND HIGHEST PAID PEOPLE IN YOUR FIELD IS SIMPLE. MAKE A DECISION!
IT IS SAID THAT EVERY MAJOR CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE COMES ABOUT WHEN YOUR MIND COLLIDES WITH A NEW IDEA, AND YOU THEN MAKED A DECISION TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. YOU MAKE A DECISION TO COMPLETE YOUR EDUCATION, UPGRADE YOUR SKILLS, OR GET INTO A OOD COLLEGE. YOU MAKE A DECISION TO START A NEW BUSINESS. YOU MAKE A DECISION TO TAKE A PARTICULAR JOB OR START A PARTICULAR CAREER. YOU MAKE A DECISION TO INVEST YOUR MONEY IN A PARTICULAR WAY. AND, ESPECIALLY, YOU MAKE A DECISION TO BE THE BEST IN YOUR FIELD.
MANY PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE HAPPY, HEALTHY, THIN, AND RICH. BUT (AS DISCUSSED IN CHAPTER 4) WISHING AND HOPING ARE NOT ENOUGH. YOU HAVE TO MAKE A FIRM, UNEQUIVOCAL DECISION THAT YOU ARE GOING TO PAY ANY PRICE AND GO ANY DISTANCE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO PAY ANY PRICE AND GO ANY DISTANCE IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS YOU HAVE SET FOR YOURSELF. YOU HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION AND THEN BURN YOUR MENTAL BRIDGES BEHIND YOU. FROM THAT MINUTE ON, YOU RESOLVE TO CONTINUE WORKING ON YOURSELF AND YOUR CRAFT UNTIL YOU REACH THE TOP 20 PERCENT - OR BEYOND.
FOLLOW THE LEADERS, NOT THE FOLLOWERS
WHEN YOU DECIDE TO BE ONE OF THE BEST PEOPLE IN YOUR FIELD, LOOK AROUND YOU AND IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY AT THE TOP:
* WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON?
* HOW DO THEY PLAN AND ORGANIZE THEIR DAYS ?
* HOW DO THEY DRESS ?
* HOW DO THEY WALK, TALK, AND BEHAVE WITH OTHER PEOPLE?
* WHAT BOOKS DO THEY READ?
* HOW DO THEY SPEND THEIR SPARE TIME?
* WHO DO THEY ASSOCIATE WITH ?
* WHAT COURSES HAVE THEY TAKEN?
* WHAT AUDIO PROGRAMS DO THEY LISTEN TO IN THEIR CARS?
THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK IN ORDER TO FIND OUT WHAT SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE DOING THAT YOU MIGHT ALSO NEED TO DO. AFTER ALL YOU, CAN'T HIT A TARGET THAT YOU CAN'T SEE.
YOUR SELECTION OF THE RIGHT ROLE MODELS CAN HAVE AN ENORMOUS IMPACT ON YOUR FUTURE. DR.DAVID MACLELLAND OF HARVARD AND AUTHOR OF THE ACHIEVING SOCIETY CONCLUDED THAT YOUR CHOICE OF A "REFEENCE GROUP" CAN DETERMINE AS MUCH AS 95 PERCENT OF YOUR SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT IN LIFE. YOUR REFERENCE GROUP IS MADE OF THE PEOPLE WHO YOU FEEL ARE "JUST LIKE ME". YOUR NATURAL TENDENCY IS TO ADOPT THE ATTITUDES, STYLES OF DRESS, OPINIONS, AND LIFESTYLES OF THE PEOPLE WITH WHOM YOU IDENTIFY AND ASSOCIATE MOST OF THE TIME.
