HOW TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL MAN

 

                               SUCCESS IS PREDICTABLE

                           SUCCESS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT, SADLY, FAILURE IS NOT AN ACCIDENT EITHER. YOU SUCCEED WHEN YOU DO WHAT OTHERS SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO, OVER AND OVER, UNTIL THESE BEHAVIORS BECOME A HABIT. LIKEWISE, YOU FAIL IF YOU DON'T DO WHAT SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO. IN EITHER CASE, NATURE IS NEUTRAL. NATURE DOES NOT TAKE SIDES. NATURE DOESN'T CARE. WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU IS SIMPLY TAKE SIDES. NATURE DOESN'T CARE. WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU IS SIMPLY A MATTER OF LAW - THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT.

                           YOU CAN LOOK AT YOURSELF AS A MACHINE WITH A DEFAULT MECHANISM. YOUR DEFAULT MECHANISM IS THE ALMOST IRRESISBLE ATTRACTION OF THE EXPEDIENCY FACTOR AND THE PATH OF THE ADSENSE OF SELF-DISCIPLINE, YOUR DEFAULT MECHANISM GOES OFF AUTOMATICALLY. THIS IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF UNDERACHIEVEMENT AND THE FAILURE DTO REALIZE YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL.

                     WHEN YOU ARE NOT WORKING DELIBERATELY, CONSCIOUSLY, AND CONTINUOUSLY, TO DO, BE, AND HAVE THOSE THINGS THAT CONSTITUTE SUCCESS FOR YOU, YOUR DEFAULT MECHANISM IS AT WORK. YOU END UP DOING THOSE FUN, EASY, AND LOW-VALUE THINGS IN THE SHORT TERM THAT LEAD TO FRUSTRATION, FINANCIAL WORRIES, AND FAILURE IN THE LONG TERM.

                                                    THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

                           THE GREAT OIL MAN, H.L HUNT, WHO WAS AT ONE TIME THE RICHEST SELF-MADE BILLIONAIRE IN THE WORLD, WAS ONCE ASKED BY A TELEVISION JOURNALIST FOR HIS "SECRET OF SUCCESS". HE REPLIED: " THERE ARE ONLY THREE REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS. FIRST, DECIDE EXACTLY WHAT IT IS YOU WANT IN LIFE. SECOND, DETERMINE THE PRICE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY TO GET THE  THINGS YOU WANT. AND THIRD, AND THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT, RESOLVE TO PAY THAT PRICE".

                        ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS, ONCE YOU HAVE DECIDED WHAT IT IS THAT YOU WANT, IS THE QUALITY OF WILLINGNESS. SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE, WHATEVER IT IS AND FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES, UNTIL THEY ACHIEVE THE RESULTS THEY DESIRE.

                     EVERYONE WANTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL. EVERYONE WANTS TO BE HEALTHY, HAPPY, THIN, AND RICH. BUT MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE. OCCASIONALLY, THEY MAY BE WILLING TO PAY PART OF THE PRICE. BUT THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO PAY THE WHOLE PRICE. THEY ALWAYS HOLD BACK. THEY ALWAYS HAVE SOME EXCUSE OR RATIONALIZATION FOR NOT DISCIPLINING THEMSELVES DO DO EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED TO BE TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS.

 

                                                             PAY THE PRICE

  

                                 HOW CAN YOU TELL WHEN YOU HAVE PAID THE FULL PRICE OF SUCCESS? IT'S SIMPLE. LOOK AROUND YOU. THERE IT IS! YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL HOW MUCH OF THE PRICE OF SUCCESS YOU HAVE PAID BY LOOKING AT YOUR CURRENT LIFESTYLE AND YOUR BANK ACCOUNT. BY THE LAW OF CORRESPONDENCE, YOUR OUTER WORLD WILL, LIKE A MIRROR, ALWAYS REFLECT THE PERSON YOU ARE AND THE PRICE YOU HAVE PAID ON THE INSIDE.

                THERE IS AN INTERESTING POINT ABOUT THE PRICE OF SUCCESS, IT MUST ALWAYS BE PAID IN FULL - AND IN ADVANCE. SUCCESS, HOWEVER YOU DEFINE IT, IS NOT LIKE A RESTAURANT WHERE YOU PAY AFTER YOU HAVE ENJOYED YOUR MEAL. INSTEAD IT IS LIKE A  CAFETERIA, WHERE YOU CAN CHOOSE WHATEVER YOU WANT, BUT YOU MUST PAY FOR IT BEFORE YOU EAT IT.

                  MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER ZIG ZIGLAR SAYS, "THE ELEVATOR TO SUCCESS IS OUT OF ORDER, BUT THE STAIRS ARE ALWASY OPEN.

TOP 20'S IDEAS TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL

 

                                

                               JOIN TOP 20 PERCENT

                     IN OUR SOCIETY, THE TOP 20 PERCENT OF PEOPLE EARN 80 PERCENT OF THE MONEY AND ENJOY 80 PERCENT OF THE RICHES AND REWARDS. THIS "PARETO PRINCIPLE" HAS BEEN PROVEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN SINCE IT WAS FIRST FORMULATED IN 1895 BY VILFREDO PARETO. YOUR FIRST GOAL IN YOUR CAREER SHOULD BE TO GET INTO THE TOP 20 PERCENT IN YOUR CHOSEN FIELD.

                   IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, THERE IS A PREMIUM ON KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL. THE MORE KNOWLEDGE YOU ACQUIRE AND THE GREATEST SKILL THAT YOU APPLY, THE MORE COMPETENT AND VALUABLE YOU BECOME. AS YOU GET BETTER AT WHAT YOU DO, YOUR INCOME-EARNING ABILITY INCREASES - LIKE COMPOUND INTEREST.

                 UNFORTUNATELY, THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE - THE BOTTOM 80 PERCENT - MAKE LITTLE OR NO EFFORT TO UPGRADE THEIR SKILLS, MOST PEOPLE, ACCORDING TO GEOFFREY COLVIN'S 2009 BOOK TALENT IS OVERATED, LEARN THEIR JOBS IN THE FIRST YEAR OF THEIR EMPLOYMENT, AND THEN THEY NEVER GET ANY BETTER. IT IS ONLY THE TOP PEOPLE IN EVERY FIELD WHO ARE COMMITTED TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.

                      BECAUSE OF THIS INCREASING DISPARITY OF PRODUCTIVE ABILITY, BASED ON KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, AND HARD WORK, THE TOP 1 PERCENT OF PEOPLE IN AMERICAN TODAY CONTROL AS MUCH AS 33 PERCENT OF THE FINANCIAL ASSETS.

                                                STARTING WITH NOTHING

                             INTERESTINGLY, ALMOST EVERYONE STARTS OUT THE SAME IN LIFE - WITH LITTLE OR NOTHING. ALMOST ALL FORTUNES IN AMERICA (AND WORLDWIDE) ARE FIRST GENERATION. THIS MEANS THAT MOST INDIVIDUALS STARTED WITH LITTLE OR NOTHING AND EARNED EVERYTHING THEY OWN IN THEIR CURRENT LIFETIME.

                      THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN AMERICA ARE ALMOST ALL FIRST GENERATION MULTIBILLIONAIRES. THIS IS THE CASE WITH WEALTHY AMERICANS SUCH AS BILL GATES, WARREN BAFFERT, LARRY ELLISON, MICHAEL DELL, AND PAUL ALLEN. FULLY 80 PERCENT OF MILLIONARIES AND MULTIMILLIONARIES STARTED WITH LITTLE MONEY, OFTEN PENNILESS, AND SOMETIMES DEEPLY IN DEBT AND WITH FEW ADVANTAGES, SUCH AS SAM WALTON, WHO DIED WORTH MORE THAN $100 BILLION. WHY HAVE THESE PEOPLE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE SO MUCH WHEN SO MANY HAVE ACHIEVED SO LITTLE?

                   IN THEIR BOOK, THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR, THOMAS STANLEY AND WILLIAM DANKO INTERVIEWED MORE THAN 500 MILLIONAIRES AND SURVEYED 11000 MORE OVER A TWENTY-FIVE-YEAR PERIOD. THEY ASKED THEM WHY THEY FELT THEY HAD BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE WHEN MOST OF THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM, WHO STARTED AT THE SAME PLACE, WERE STILL STRUGGLING. FULLY 85 PERCENT OF THIS NEW GENERATION OF MILLIONAIRES REPLIED BY SAYING SOMETHING LIKE "I DIDN'T HAVE BETTER EDUCATION OR MORE INTELLIGENCE, BUT I WAS WILLING TO WORK HARDEN THAN ANYONE ELSE".

                                            HARD WORK IS THE KEY

                       THE INDISPENSABLE REQUIREMENT FOR HARD WORK IS SELF-DISCIPLINE. SUCCESS IS POSSIBLE ONLY WHEN YOU CAN OVERCOME THE NATURAL TENDENCY TO CUT CORNERS AND TAKE THE EASY WAY. LASTING SUCCESS IS POSSIBLE ONLY WHEN YOU CAN DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO WORK HARD FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.

                  AS I MENTIONED IN THE INTRODUCTION, I STARTED MY OWN LIFE WITH NO MONEY OR ADVANTAGES.  FOR YEARS, I WORKED AT LABORING JOBS, AT WHICH I EARNED JUST ENOUGH TO GET FROM PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK. I STUMBLED INTO SALES WHEN I COULD NO LONGER FIND A LABORING JOB, WHERE I SPUN MY WHEELS FOR MANY MONTHS BEFORE I BEGAN ASKING THAT QUESTION. "WHY IS IT THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL IN SELLING THAN OTHERS"?.

                   ONE DAY, A TOP SALESMAN THEN TOLD ME THAT THE TOP 20 PERCENT OF SALESPEOPLE EARN 80 PERCENT OF THE MONEY. I HAD  NEVER HEARD THAT BEFORE. THIS MEANT THAT THE BOTTOM 80 PERCENT OF SALESPEOPLE HAD TO BE SATISFIED WITH THE REMAINING 20 PERCENT, WITH WHAT WAS LEFT OVER AFTER THE TOP PEOPLE HAD TAKEN THE LION'S SHARE. I DECIDED THEN AND THERE THAT I WAS GOING TO BE IN THE TOP 20 PERCENT. THIS DECISION CHANGED MY LIFE.

ABOUT SELF-DISCIPLINE (THE LIFE CHAPTER)

 

                              DINNER BEFORE DESERT

                    

                        THE SIMPLEST RULE IN THE PRACTICE OF SELF-DISCIPLINE IS TO EAT "DINNER BEFORE DESSERT". IN A MEAL, THERE IS A LOGICAL ORDER OF DISHES, AND DESSERT COMES LAST. FIRST, YOU EAT THE MAIN COURSES AND CLEAN YOUR PLATE, ONLY THEN DO YOU HAVE DESSERT.

                           THERE IS A CUTE BUT MISLEADING BUMPER STICKER THAT SAYS, "LIFE IS SHORT, EAT DESSERT FIRST".

                             JUST THIKN WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU COME HOME AFTER WORK AND, INSTEAD OF EATING A HEALTHY DINNER, YOU ATE A LARGE PIECE OF APPLE PIE WITH ICE CREAM. WHAT KIND OF APPEPITE FOR HEALTHY, NUTRITIOUS FOOD WOULD YOU HAVE AFTERWARD? WITH ALL THAT SUGAR IN YOUR STOMACH, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL? WOULD YOU FEEL RE-ENERGIZED AND EAGER TO DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE? OR WOULD YOU FEEL TIRED AND SLUGISH AND READY TO WRITE OFF THE DAY AS LARGELY FINISHED?

                     YOU GET THE SAME RESULT WHEN YOU GO FOR A DRINK OR TWO AFTER WORK AND THEN COME HOME AND TURN ON THE TELEVISION. THESE ARE SIMPLY DIFFERENT FORSM OF "DESSERT" THAT LARGELY ELIMINATE YOUR ABILITY TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL FOR THE REST OF THE EVENING.'

                  PERHAPS THE WORST PART OF ALL IS THAT, WHATEVER YOU DO REPEADTEDLY SOON BECOMES A HABIT. AND A HABIT, ONCE FORMED, IS HARD TO BREAK. THE HABIT OF TAKING THE EASY WAY, DOING WHAT IS FUN AND ENJOYABLE, OR EATING DESSERT BEFORE DINNER BECOMES STRONGER AND STRONGER, AND IT LEADS INEVITABLY TO PERSONAL WEAKNESS, UNDERACHIEVEMENT, AND FAILURE.

                                        THE HABIT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE

                     FORTUNATELY, YOU CAN DEVELOP THE HABIT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE. THE REGULAR PRACTICE OF DISCLINING YOURSELF TO DO WHT YOU SHOUD DO, WHEN YOU SHOULD DO IT, WHETHER YOU FEEL LIKE IT OR NOT BECOMES STRONGER AND STRONGER AS YOU PRACTICE IT. YOU REFUSE TO MAKE EXCUSES.

                  BAD HABITS ARE EASY TO FORM, BUT HARD TO LIVE WITH. GOOD HABITS ARE HARD TO FORM, BUT EASY TO LIVE WITH. AND AS GOETHE SAID, "EVERYTHIG IS HARD BEFORE IT'S EASY".

                   IT IS HARD TO FORM THE HABITS OF SELF-DISCIPLINE, SELF-MASTERY, AND SELF-CONTROL, BUT ONCE YOU HAVE DEVELOPED THEM, THEY BECOME AUTOMATIC AND EASY TO PRACTICE. WHEN THE HABTIS OF SELF-DISCIPLINE ARE FIRMLY ENTRENCHED IN YOUR BEHAVIOR, YOU START TO FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN YOU ARE NOT BEHAVING IN A SELF-DISCIPLINED MANNER.

                  THE BEST NEWS IS THAT ALL HABITS ARE LEARNABLE. YOU CAN LEARN ANY HABIT YOU NEED TO LEARN IN ORDER TO BECOME THE KIND OF PERSON THAT YOU WANT TO BECOME. YOU CAN BECOME IN EXCELLENT PERSON BY PRACTICING SELF-DISCIPLINE WHENEVER IS CALLED FOR.

                  EVERY PRACTICE OF SELF-DISCIPLINE STRENGTHEN EVERY OTHER DISCIPLINE. UNFORTUNATELY, EVERY WEAKNESS IN DISCIPLINE WEAKENS YOUR OTHER DISCIPLINES AS WELL.

                   TO DEVELOP THE HABIT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE, YOU FIRST MAKE A FIRM DECISION ABOUT HOW YOU WILL BEHAVE IN A PARTICULAR AREA OF ACTIVITY. YOU THEN REFUSE TO ALLOW EXCEPTIONS UNTIL THE HABIT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE IN THE AREA IS FIRMLY ESTABLIGHED. EACH TIME YOU SLIP, AS YOU WILL, YOU RESOLVE ONCE AGAIN TO KEEP PRACTICING SELF-DISCIPLINE UNTIL IT BECOMES EASIER FOR YOU TO HEHAVE IN DISCIPLINED WAY THAT TO BEHAVE IN AN UNDISCIPLINED WAY.

                                      
                                                          THE BIG PAYOFF

                        

                     THE PAYOFF FOR DEVELOPING HIGH LEVELS OF SELF-DISCIPLINE IS EXTRORDINARY! THERE IS A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-DISCIPLINE AND SELF-ESTEEM.

                             * THE MORE YOU PRACTICE SELF-MASTERY AND SELF-CONTROL, THE MORE YOU LIKE AND VALUE YOURSELF.

                             * THE MORE YOU DISCIPLINE YOURSELF, THE GREATER IS YOUR SENSE OF SELF-RESPECT AND PERSONAL PRIDE.

                            * THE MORED YOU PRACTICE SELF-DISCIPLINE, THE BETTER IS YOUR SELF-IMAGE. YOU SEE YOURSELF AND THINK ABOUT YOURSELF IN A MORE POSITIVE WAY. YOU FEEL HAPPIER AND MORE POWERFUL AS A PERSON.

                      THE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF THE HABIT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE ARE A LIFELONG TASK, ON ONGOING BATTLE. IT NEVER ENDS. THE TEMPTATION TO FOLLOW THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE AND THE EXPEDIENCY FACTOR LURK CONTINUALLY IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND. THEY ARE ALWAYS WAITING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO POUNCE, TO LEAD YOU ASTRAY INTO DOING WHAT IS FUN, EASY, AND UNIMPORTANT RATHER THAN WHAT IS HARD, NECESSARY, AND LIFE-ENHANCING.

                    NAPOLEON HILL CONCLUDED HIS BESTSELLING BOOK OF THE SAME NAME BY SAYING THAT "SELF-DISCIPLINE IS THE MASTER KEY TO RICHES". SELF-DISCIPLINE IS THE KEY TO SELF-ESTEEM, SELF-RESPECT, AND PERSONAL PRIDE. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE IS YOUR GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL EVENTUALLY OVERCOME ALL YOUR OBSTACLES AND CREATE A WONDERFUL LIFE FOR YOURSELF.

                    THE ABILITY TO PRACTICE SELF-DISCIPLINE IS THE REAL REASON WHY SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE SUCCESSFULAND HAPPY THAN OTHERS.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE DAY

 

                                       TAKE CONTROL

                 ANOTHER DEFINITION OF SELF-DISCIPLINE IS SELF-MASTERY. SUCCESS IS POSSIBLE ONLY WHEN YOU CAN MASTER YOUR OWN EMOTIONS, APPETIES, AND INCLINATIONS. PEOPLE WHO LACK THE ABILITY TO MASTER THEIR APPETIES BECOME WEAK AND DISSOLVE, AS WELL AS UNREALIABLE IN OTHER THINGS AS WELL.

               SELF-DISCIPLINE CAN ALSO DEFINED AS SELF-CONTROL. YOUR ABILITY TO CONTROL YOURSELF AND YOUR ACTIONS, CONTROL WHAT YOU SAY AND DO, AND ENSURE THAT YOUR BEHAVIORS ARE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR LONG-TERM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES IS THE MARK OF THE SUPERIOR PERSON.

                 DISCIPLINE HAS BEEN DEFINED AS SELF-DENIAL. THIS REQUIRES THAT YOU DENY YOURSELF THE EASY PLEASURES, THE TEMPTATIONS THAT LEAD TO DO ONLY THOSE THINGS THAT YOU KNOW ARE RIGHT FOR THE LONG TERM AND APPROPRIATE FOR THE MOMENT.

               SELF-DISCIPLINE REQUIRES DELAYED GRATIFICATION, THE ABILITY TO PUT OFF SATISFACTION IN THE SHORT TERM IN ODER TO ENJOY GREATER REWARDS IN THE LONG TERM.

                                                      THINK LONG TERM

                    SOCIALOGIST DR.EDWARD BANFIELD OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY CONDUCTED A FIFTY-YEARS STUDY INTO THE REASONS FOR UPWARD SOCIAECONOMIC MOBILITY IN AMERICA. HE CONCLUDED THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT SINGLE ATTRIBUTE OF PEOPLE WHO ACHIEVED GREAT SUCCESS IN LIFE WAS "LONG TIME PERSPECTIVE", BANFIELD DEFINED "TIME PERSPECTIVE" AS "THE AMOUNT OF TIME AN INDIVIDUAL TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN DETERMINING HIS PRESENT ACTIONS".

                     IN OTHER WORDS, THE MOST SUCCESFUL PEOPLE ARE LONG-TERM THINKERS. THEY LOOK INTO THE FUTURE AS FAR AS THEY CAN TO DETERMINE THE KIND OF PEOPLE THEY WANT TO BECOME AND THE GOALS THEY WANT TO ACHIEVE. THEY THEN COME BACK TO THE PRESENT AND DETERMINE THE THINGS THAT THEY WILL HAVE TO DO - OR NOT DO - TO ACHIEVE THEIR DESIRED FUTURES.

                   THIS PRACTICE OF LONG-TERM THINKING APPLIES TO WORK, CAREER, MARRIAGE, RELATIONSHIPS, MONEY, AND PERSONAL CONDUCT - EACH OF WHICH IS COVERED IN THE PAGES AHEAD. SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING THEY DO IN THE SHORT TERM IS CONSISTENT WITH WHERE THEY WANT TO END UP IN THE LONG TERM. THEY PRACTICE SELF-DISCIPLINE AT ALL TIMES.

                    PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD IN LONG-TERM THINKING IS SACRIFICE. SUPERIOR PEOPLE HAVE THE ABILITY TO THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES MAKE SACRIFICES IN THE SHORT TERM, BOTH LARGE AND SMALL, SO AS TO ASSURE GREATER RESULTS AND REWARDS IN THE LONG TERM.

                   YOU SEE THIS WILLINGNESS TO SACRIFICE IN PEOPLE WHO SPEND MANY HOURS AND EVEN YEARS PREPARING, STUDYING, AND UPGRADING THIER SKILLS TO MAKE THEMSELVES MORE VALUABLE SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE A BETTER LIFE IN THE FUTURE, RATHER THAN SPENDING MOST OF THIER TIME SOCIALIZING AND HAVING FUN IN THE PRESENT.

         

              LONGFELLOW ONCE WROTE:

                  THOSE HEIGHTS BY GREAT MEN, WON AND KEPT,

                  WERE NOT ACHIEVED BY SUDDEN FLIGHT.

                  BUT THEY, WHILE THEIR COMPANIONS SLEPT,

                   WERE TOILING UPWARD IN THE NIGHT".

                       YOUR ABILITY TO THINK, PLAN, AND WORK HARD IN THE SHORT TERM AND TO DISCIPLINED YOURSELF TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND NECESSARY BEFORE YOU DO WHAT IS FUN AND EASY IS THE KEY TO CREATING A WONDERFUL FUTURE FOR YOURSELF.

                     YOUR ABILITY TO THINK LONG TERM IS A DEVELOPED SKILL. AS YOU GET BETTER AT IT, YOU BECOME MORE ABLE TO PREDICT WITH INCREASING ACCURACY WHAT IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN TO YOU IN THED FUTURE AS THE RESULT OF YOUR ACTIONS IN THE PRESENT. THIS IS A QUALITY OF THE SUPERIOR THINKER.

MIRACLES OF SELF-DISCIPLINE

 

                                       SELF-DISCIPLINE

                         WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN OTHERS? WHY DO SOME PEOPLE MAKE MORE MONEY, LIVE HAPPIER LIVES, AND ACCOMPLISH MUCH MORE IN THE SAME NUMBER OF YEARS THAN THE GREAT MAJORITY? WHAT IS THE REAL "SECRET OF SUCCESS"?

                       OFTEN I BEGIN A SEMINAR WITH A LITTLE EXERCISE. I ASK THE AUDIENCE, HOW MANY PEOPLE HERE WOULD LIKE TO DOUBLE THEIR INCOME"?

                          ALMOST EVERYONE SMILES AND RAISES THEIR HANDS. I THEN ASK, "HOW MANY PEOPLE HERE WOULD LIKE TO LOSE WEIGHT? GET OUT OF DEBT? ACHIEVE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE"?

                      AGAIN, EVERYONE SMILES, SOME PEOPLE CHEER, AND THEY ALL RAISE THEIR HANDS. THEN I SAY, "WONDERFUL, ! THESE ARE GREAT GOALS THAT EVERYONE HAS. WE ALL WANT TO MAKE MORE MONEY, SPEND MORE TIME WITH OUR FAMILIES, BE FIT AND TRIM, AND ACHIEVE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE.

                      NOT ONLY DO WE ALL WANT THE SAME THINGS, BUT WE ALL KNOW WHAT WE HAVE TO DO TO ACHIEVE THEM. AND WE ALL INTEND TO DO THOSE THINGS, SOMETIME. BUT BEFORE WE GET STARTED, WE DECIDE THAT WE NEED TO TAKE A LITTLE VACATION TO A WONDERFUL FANTASY PLACE CALLED "SOMEDAY ISLE".

                      NOT SURPRISING, THEIR EXCUSES ARE LARGELY THE SAME, "I DIDN'T HAVE A HAPPY CHILDHOOD, " I DIDN'T GET A GOOD EDUCATION,"  " I DONT HAVE ANY MONEY", MY BOSS IS REALLY CRITICAL", "MY MARRIAGE IS NO GOOD", NO ONE APPRECIATES ME", THE ECONOMY IS TERRIBLE".

                     THEY HAVE COME DOWN WITH THE DISEASE OF "EXCUSITIS", WHICH IS INVARIABLE FATAL TO SUCCESS. THEY ALL HAVE GOOD INTENTIONS, BUT AS EVERYONE KNOWS, "THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS".

                     THE FIRST RULE OF SUCCESS IS SIMPLE. VOTE YOURSELF OFF THE ISLAND!

                     NO MORE EXCUSES. STOP USING YOUR INCREDIBLE BRAIN TO THINK UP ELABORATE RATIONALIZATIONS AND JUSTIFICATION FOR NOT TAKING ACTION. DO SOMETHING. DO ANYTHING. GET ON WITH IT! REPEAT TO YOURSELF, " IF IT'S TO BE, UP TO ME!".

                     LOSERS MAKE EXCUSES, WINNERS MAKE PROGRESS. NOW, HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOUR FAVORITE EXCUSE IS VALID OR NOT? IT'S SIMPLE. LOOK AROUND AND ASK".. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS MY SAME EXCUSE WHO IS SUCCESSFUL ANYWAY"?

                 WHEN YOU ASK THIS QUESTION, IF YOU ARE HONEST, YOU WILL HAVE TO ADMIT THAT THERE ARE THOUSANDS AND EVEN MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD IT FAR WORSE THAN YOU HAVE WHO HAVE GONED ON TO DO WONDERFUL THINGS WITH THEIR LIVES. AND WHAT THOUSANDS AND MILLIONS OF OTHERS HAND DONE, YOU CAN DO AS WELL - IF YOU TRY.

                IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT IF PEOPLE PUT AS MUCH ENERGY INTO ACHIEVING THEIR GOALS AS THEY SPEND MAKING SPEND EXCUSES FOR FAILURE, THEY WOULD ACTUALLY SURPRISE THEMSELVES. BUT FIRST, YOU HAVE TO VOTE YOURSELF OFF THE ISLAND.

                                             HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

                      VERY FEW PEOPLE START OFF WITH MANY ADVANTAGES. PERSONALLY, I DID NOT GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL. I WORKED AT LABORING JOBS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. I HAD LIMITED EDUCATION, LIMITED SKILLS, AND A LIMITED FUTURE. AND THEN I BEGAN ASKING THAT QUESTION. WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAT OTHERS? THIS QUESTION CHANGED MY LIFE. 

                OVER THE YEARS,  I HAVE READ THOUSANDS OF BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON THE SUBJECTS OF SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT. IT SEEMS THAT THE REASONS FOR THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED AND WRITTEN ABOUT FOR MORE THAN 2,000 YEARS, IN EVERY CONCEIVABLE WAY.

                 ONE QUALITY THAT MOST PHILOSOPHERS, TEACHERS, AND EXPERTS AGREE ON IS THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-DISCIPLINE. DISCIPLINE IS WHAT YOU MUST HAVE TO RESIST THE LURE OF EXCUSES.

                    IT IS SELF-DISCIPLINE THAT ENABLES YOU TO "VOTE YOURSELF OFF THE ISLAND". IT IS THE KEY TO A GREAT LIFE, AND WITHOUT IT, NO LASTING SUCCESS IS POSSIBLE.

                   THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE CHANGED MY LIFE, AND IT WILL CHANGE YOURS AS WELL. BY CONTINUALLY DEMANDING MORE FROM MYSELF, I BECAME SUCCESSFUL IN SALES AND THEN IN MANAGEMENT. I CAUGHT UP ON MY SCHOOLING AND TOOK AN MBA DEGREE IN MY THIRTIES, WHICH REQUIRED THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF DETERMINED STUDY. I IMPORTED SUZUKI VEHICLES INTO CANADA BEFORE ANYONE ELSE, SET UP SIXTY-FIVE DEALERSHIPS, AND SOLD $2.5 MILLION WORTH OF THE VEHICLES, AND THIS IS ALL AFTER I HAD STARTED WITH NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE INDUSTRY. WHAT I HAD, HOWEVER, WAS THE DISCIPLINE AND DETERMINATION TO LEARN WHAT I NEEDED TO KNOW AND THEN APPLY WHAT I NEEDED TO DO.

                     I GOT INTO REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT WITH NO KNOWLEDGE OR EXPERIENCE, APPLIED THE POWER OF DISCIPLINE, WHICH WAS THEN BACKED BY HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF WORK AND STUDY. I THEN WENT ON TO BUILD SHOPPING CENTERS, INDUSTRIAL PARKS, OFFICE BUILDINGS, AND RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISIONS.

                  WITH SELF-DISCIPLINE, I HAVE BUILT SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS IN TRAINING, CONSULTING, SPEAKING, WRITING, RECORDING, AND DISTRIBUTION. MY AUDIO AND VIDEO PROGRAMS, BOOKS, SEMINARS, AND TRAINING PROGRAMS HAVE SOLD THAN $500 MILLION IN THIRTY-SIX-LANGUAGE AND FIFTY-FOUR COUNTRIES, OVER THE YEARS I HAVE CONSULTED FOR MORE THAN 1,000 COMPAINIES AND TRAINED MORE THAN 5 MILLION PEOPLE IN LIVE SEMINARS AND TALKS. IN EVERY CASE, THE PRACTICE OF SELF-DISCIPLINE HAS BEEN ESSENTIAL TO MY SUCCESS.

                       I DISCOVERED THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE ALMOST ANY GOAL YOU SET FOR YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE THE DISCIPLINE TO PAY THE PRICE, TO DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO, AND TO NEVER GIVE UP.

TAKING RESPONSIBILITIES

 

                                           RESPONSIBILITIES

                       I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYTHING ABOUT ME - EVEN THE THOUGHTS THAT I THINK. I AM IN CONTROL OF THE VAST RESOURCES OF MY OWN MIND.

                      I ALONE AM RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT I DO AND WHAT I TELL MYSELF ABOUT ME. NO ONE CAN SHARE THIS RESPONSIBILITY WITH ME.

                      I ALSO ALLOW OTHERS TO ACCEPT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THEMSELVES AND I DO NOT TRY TO ACCEPT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THEM.

                        I ENJOY BEING RESPONSIBLE. IT PUTS ME IN CHARGE OF BEING ME - AND THAT'S A CHALLENGE I ENJOY.

                        I ALLOW NO ONE ELSE, AT ANY TIME, TO ASSUME CONTROL OR RESPONSIBILITY OVER MY LIFE OR OVER ANYTHING THAT I DO. MY RESPONSIBILITY TO OTHERS IS AN EXTENTION OF MY OWN RESPONSIBILITY TO MYSELF.

                     I CHOOSE TO LEAVE NOTHING ABOUT ME UP TO CHANCE. WHEN IT COMES TO ME - AND ANYTHING IN MY LIFE - I CHOOSE TO CHOOSE.

                  MY CHOICES ARE MINE ALONE TO MAKE FOR MYSELF. I DO NOT, AT ANY TIME, ALLOW ANYONE ELSE TO MAKE MY CHOICES FOR ME. AND I ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERY CHOICE AND DECISION I MAKE.

                  I ALWAYS MEET ALL OF THE OBLIGATIONS THAT I ACCEPT. AND I ACCEPT NO OBLIGATION THAT I WILL NOT MEET.

                 I AM TRUSTWORTHY. I CAN BE COUNNTED ON. I HAVE ACCEPTED WINNING RESPONSIBILITY FOR MYSELF - AND I ALWAYS LIVE UP TO THE RESPONSIBILITIES I ACCEPT.

                 THERE IS NO "THEY" ON WHOM I LAY THE BLAME, OR WITH WHOM I SHARE MY OWN PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES. I HAVE LEARNED THE GREAT SECRET OF MASTERING MY OWN DESTINY. I HAVE LEARNED THAT "THEY' IS "ME".

                 I HAVE NO NEED TO MAKE EXCUSES AND NO ONE NEEDS TO CARRY MY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ME. I GLADLY CARRY MY OWN WEIGHT - AND I CARRY IT WELL.

                  EACH DAY I ACKNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY - NOT ONLY FOR MY OWN ACTIONS BUT ALSO FOR MY EMOTION, MY THOUGHTS , AND MY ATTITUDE.

                   I ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR LIVING MY LIFE IN A WAY THAT CREATES MY STRENGTH, MY HAPPINESS, MY POSSITIVE, HEALTHY BELIEF, AND FOR MY PAST, MY PRESENT AND MY FUTURE.

                        THAT'S  A GOOD ATTITUDE - THE KIND OF ATTITUDE THAT MOST OF US COULD DO WITH A LITTLE MORE OF. IT IS AN ATTITUDE THAT GETS US TO STAND UP FOR OURSELVES AND BE COUNTED. IT IS AN ATTITUDE THAT WE CAN, IF WE CHOOSE, EFFECT IN OUR OWN LIVES ANYTIME WE WANT. BUT IT IS JUST ONE ATTITUDE OF MANY THAT EACH OF US CAN ADDRESS AND PUT INTO MOTION JUST BY RECONVINCING OURSELVES - BY OVERRIDING THE OLD PROGRAMMING THAT TOLD US THAT OTHER PEOPLE, BY SOME STROKE OF FATE, COUNT MORE THAN WE DO.

                 THERE ARE MANY SUCH ATTITUDES. SOME OF THEM ARE LESS LOFTY, AND PERHAPS NOT AS DEMANDING. BUT THEY ARE MADE UP OF PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT SELF-TALK OF ALL -THE SELF-TALK OF SELF-BELIEF. THAT IS WHAT ATTITUDES ARE ALL ABOUT.

                   HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF ATTITUDE - CHANGING SELF-TALK THAT ANY OF US COULD USE FROM TIME TO TIME. IF I WERE EVER AGAIN TO TEACH IN A CLASSROOM. I WOULD ADD THE LESSON OF THIS SEFL-TALK TO MAY EVERYDAY CURRICULUM.  IT IS ON OF THE MOST BASIC AND PRIMARY FORMS OF SELF-TALK. BUT THE ATTITUDE IT CAN CREATE IN US TOUCHES EVERY PART OF OUR LIVES. IT IS THE FABRIC FROM WHICH ALL SUCCESS IS WOVEN. IT IS THE GOD, GIVEN BIRTHRIGHT THAT ALL OF US WERE BORN WITH, AND DESERVE TO RETRIEVE, EMBRACE, ENJOY, AND POSSESS FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES . IT RESTORE US AND BUILDS US UP. IT STRUCTURES OUR CHARATER, SUSTAINS OUR STRENGTH, AND FORTIFIES, OUR COURAGE. IT IS THE INTERNAL SUBSTANCESOF SELF-BELIEF - IT IS THE SELF-TALK FOR SELF-ESTEEM.

SOME MOTIVATING THOUGHTS

 

              

                   THE COMPETITIVE OF DAILY LIVING 

               THROUGH A NATURAL LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT, WHEN WE IMPROVE OURSELCES, THE THINGS WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IN OUR LIVES FOLLOW NATURALLY. IMPROVE WHO YOU ARE , AND BY THAT SAME LAW, YOU WILL IMPROVE YOUR LIFE. THE MORE SUCCESSFUL YOU BECOME INSIDE, THE MORE SUCCESSESS YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY CREATE ON THE OUTSIDE. BUT MAKING CHANGES ON THE INSIDE IS SELDOM AS EASILY ACCOMPLISHED AS WE WOULD LIKE IT TO BE.

                 WHEN WE WANT TO IMPROVE OURSELVES IN SOME WAY, WE ARE NOT JUST COMPETING WITH OUR OLD PROGRAMMING, WEARE COMPETITING WITH REQUIREMENTS OF DAILY LIVING. EACH OF US HAS THREE RESOURCES THAT ALLOW US TO GET THROUGH ANY GIVEN DAY. THOSE RESOURCES ARE OUR TIME, OUR ENERGY, AND OUR MIND (WHAT AND HOW WE THINK).

                   OUR DESIRE TO IMPROVE OURSELVES COMPETS WITH THE TIME WE SPEND WORKING, TAKING CARE OF OUR FAMILIES, AND TAKING CARE OF THE REST OF OUR NEEDS. IT COMPETS WITH THE ENERGY WE CONSUME DOING EVERYTHING NECESSARY JUST TO KEEP OUR LIVES IN SOME REASONABLE ORDER. SOMETIMES, MOST DAYS FOR SOME OF US, THERE IS JUST NO ENERGY LEFT. SOMETIMES, MOST DAYS FOR SOME OF US, THERE IS JUST NO ENERGY LEFT. OUR DESIRE TO IMPROVE OURSELVES COMPETS WITH THE DEMANDS THAT WE OR OTHERS HAVE PLACED ON US MENTALLY, AS WELL. WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO FIGURE OUT, PROBLEMS TO SOLVE, THINGS TO CONSIDER, UNDERSTAND, AND DEAL WITH.

                 WE ARE SO BUSY TAKING CARE OF FIRST THINGS FIRST THAT WE HAVE NO TIME, ENERGY, OR THOUGHT LEFT TO TAKE CARE OF THE ONE THING THAT COULD MAKE ALL OF THE OTHER THINGS WORK BETTER. WE ARE TOO BUSY FIXING THE TRAIN TO REALIZE THAT WE ARE ON THE WRONG TRACK.  WE ARE TOO BUSY STAYING ALIVE TO FIGURE OUR HOW TO LIVE.

                 I REMEMBER THE EXCITEMENT I FIRST FELT WHEN, MANY YEARS AGO, AS A YOUNG FATHER GOING BACK TO SCHOOL, I HAPPENED UPON WHAT I THOUGHT TO BE THE MOST EXCEPTIONAL SELF-IMPROVEMENT IDEA I HAD EVER ENCOUNTERED. IT WAS A SIMPLE IDEA, NEW AT THE TIME, I HAD EVER ENCOUNTERED. IT WAS A SIMPLE IDEA, NEW AT THE TIME, THAT WOULD REQUIRE ONLY THAT I SPEND TWENTY MINUTES  EACH NIGHT WRITING MY GOALS, REVIEWING MY PROGRESS, AND MENTALLY VISUALIZING REACHING EACH GOAL I WAS SETTING. I DIDN'T HAVE TO BE CONVINCED THAT IF I SPEND EVEN THAT SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME EACH DA CONCENTRATING ON MY GOALS, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT JUST BEFORE I WENT TO SLEEP DREAMING ABOUT THEM, THAT I COULD ACHIEVE ANYTHING I WANTED. IT'S STILL A GREAT IDEA, ONE OF THE CLASSICS - AND IT CAN WORK.

                 WHAT I DID NOT KNOW THEN, BUT SOON LEARNED, WAS THAT EVEN TWENTY MINUTES A NIGHT IS SOMETIMES HARD TO COMY BY. WHEN YOU ARE, AS I WAS AT THE TIME, HOLDING DOWN A JOB, RAISING A FAMILY, AND ALSO GOINT TO SCHOOL WITH A FULL-TIME COLLEGE-LEVEL COURSE LOAD, JUST TRYING TO GET FIVE OR SIX HOURS OF SLEEP A NIGHT IS  CHALLENGE. WHEN MY MIND WAS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN STUDYING FOR A PSYCHOLOGY EXAM AND FINISHING A BUSINESS PLAN THAT WAS DUE AT EIGHT O'CLOCK THE NEXT MORNING AT THE OFFICE, THE TWENTY MINUTES I WAS SUPPOSED TO SPEND EACH NIGHT WORKING OUR MY GOAL PLAN AND "IMPROVING MYSELF" SOON MOVED FROM AN EXALTED POSITION OF IMPORTANCE TO AN IMPOSSIBILE CHORE. IT'S HARD TO STUDY YOUR GOALS WHEN YOU CAN'T KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN.

                  THE EXPERIENCE WITH SELF-IMPROVEMENT WAS NOT UNIQUE. THE NIGHTY GOALS IDEA ITSELF MIGHT HAVE BEEN GREAT, BUT , AS I WAS TO LEARN LATER, I WAS NOT MENTALLY READY TO MAKE THE IDEA WORK. I HAD NOT FIRST WIRED MY BRAIN WITH THE RIGHT MENTAL TOOLS TO MAKE THE IDEA WORK.

                                                        THE RIGHT TOOLS

                     TO THIS DAY, COUNTLESS PEOPLE HAVE TRIED THE SAME KINDS OF MARVELOUS IDEAS, WITH THE SAME RESULTS. OF THOSE, TOO FEW OF THEM STUCK IT OUT AND STAYED WITH IT. I APPLAUD THOSE WHO HAVE. BUT I FEEL DEELPLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT, DESPITE THEIR DESIRE TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS. THEY JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT PROGRAM IN PLACE TO GET THE JOB DONE. THEY WANTED TO ACHIEVE, AND IF THEY HAD FIRST REWIRED AND REPLACED SOME OF THEIR PROGRAMS, THEY WOULD HAVE.

                   HOW, THEN, CAN ANY GOOD AND TRUE IDEA THAT CLEARLY COULD IMPROVE OUR LOT IN LIFE HOPE TO SUCCEED WHEN FEW OF US HAVE THE TIME, PHYSICAL ENERGY, OR MENTAL ENERGY LEFT OVER TO EVEN GIVE IT A TRY? THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS VERY IMPORTANT. IT IS THE ANSWER THAT WILL MAKE ONE GOOD IDEA WORK WHEN ANOTHER WILL NOT. FOR ANY PERSONAL GROWTH CONCEPT TO BE SUCCESSFUL, IT HAS TO BE SIMPLE. IT HAS TO BE EASY TO USE. IT HAS TO BE EASY TO PUT INTO PRACTICE. AND IT HAS TO WORK.