Many people who achieve fortune in the world are not born rich. Every type of person on earth can become successful. There are saints and scoundrels; philanthropists and thieves; poets and politicians; young and old. There are no limitations or physical boundaries for success. Success comes to those who think about success and strive for it. Although many rich financiers at the turn of the century had no formal education, they overcame that and went on to great fame. Some people strive towards a single goal from early in life, and often attain that goal while still young. Others are willing to risk new adventures later and still attain success.
“It’s never too late to learn,” wrote Malcolm Forbes, the money magnate. “I learned to ride a motorcycle at 50 and fly balloons at 52.” Whatever your task, whatever your obstacles, you can be as successful as anyone else. Study the people who accomplished recognition in the areas of your pursuit. How did they achieve their goals? And don’t be afraid you don’t have what it takes. As Daniel Webster wrote, “There is always room at the top.”
FORMING CONVICTION
The single attribute that every successful person has is the one-pointed devotion to attain a goal. “There in the sunshine are my highest aspirations,” wrote Louisa May Alcott, “I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.” What are your desires? How can you form them into definite goals that you can attain? Lawrence Peter wrote, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.” “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much!” ( Jim Rohn ). Maybe you’re studying a craft or skill. Perhaps you’re caught in a rung of the corporate ladder. Or, you might feel constricted by your family and the environment around you. Which star are you reaching for? “Ours is a world where people don’t know what they want and are willing to go through anything to get it,” wrote Don Marquis. Take the time to think about your own aspirations. Look inside to find what feels right. Almost everyone entertains the notions of fame and fortune, but put on the costume that fits you. Conviction requires certain qualities of action. You must be sincere and be willing to assume responsibility. And you need the self-discipline necessary to work towards your goals.
Are you prepared to achieve your dreams? Can you form their reality in your mind? Will you devote your entire being to attaining what you want?
ON YOUR OWN
Most millionaires are non-conformists. So are the most famous actors and actresses; and the most prominent artists. Writers are known for their individual traits and eccentricities. Your convictions and goals are your own business, even when you find help along the path. Mentors often take people under their wings to nourish and teach. Or spiritual guides will show you the path to attainment. But you’re on your own to achieve. Cultivate a sense of justice and an ability to make decisions. Cooperate with everybody and develop your own self-respect. And follow good criticism and advice after you’ve judged carefully. J. Paul Getty said, “I advise young millionaires to be skeptical of advice. They should advise themselves; they should form their own opinions.” Lord Byron wrote, “There is rapture on the lonely shore.” And if you attain your goals with poise and sincerity, you’ll find warmth and love at the top – not the cold loneliness pictured by the jealous. Put on blinders to negative comments and criticism meant to hurt you. About the people who criticize, Voltaire wrote, “Never having been able to succeed in the world, they took revenge by speaking ill of it.”
SEIZE THE DAY
People are judged by what they think and what they say. But the true measure of their character is what they do. Anyone who has achieved success and fortune in the world has done it by action. William Jennings Bryan wrote, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” The choice of the path you follow is often put before you as opportunity. “Few people recognize opportunity,” said Cary Grant, “because it comes disguised as hard work.” Don’t let opportunities slip past while you’re still considering them, and create new ones as you see them. “Wise people make more opportunities than they find,” said Francis Bacon. What opportunities can you act upon? Woolworth saw a need for small inexpensive items and opened the chain of stores that grossed billions. Wrigley started giving gum away as a bonus from a supplies wagon he sold from, and saw the opportunity to make money from the gum that became in high demand. All successful people the world over have found the opportunities for their own special talents and acted upon those ways to achieve. Why wait for the time to pass? There’s never a better time than now. “Sometimes,” wrote Lewis Carroll “I believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Take your own impossible dreams and make them become reality.
HOW THEY THINK
Thousands of potential millionaires are born every year. And making a million dollars is coming closer to everyone’s pocket. What advice did the money-makers follow? Aristotle Onassis worked eighteen hours a day to maintain his fortune. He started as a welder and aimed for the top. “You have to think money day and night,” he said, “you should even dream about it in your sleep.” John D. Rockefeller, Jr., said, “I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes every person an opportunity to make a living.” And J. Paul Getty acknowledged his hard work: “I have no complex about wealth. I have worked hard for my money, producing things people need.” Even Proverbs advises: “In all labor there is profit.” Richard Bach, the author of the best selling “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” wrote, “You are never given a wish without also being given the
power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.” The Empress of the British Empire, Queen Victoria, admonished, “We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat.”
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
There are qualities of endeavor and achievement that are common to many people who make it to the top. The following questions are a guideline to self-enterprise and attaining your goals.
1. Do you prefer to work for yourself than for others?
2. Are you well-informed on current business and political affairs?
3. Are you a leader?
4. Do you take advantage of opportunities?
5. Do you pay attention to what other people say?
6. Can you finish a job even when it is difficult or unpleasant?
7. Are you challenged by problems?
8. Do you have a goal you want to achieve?
9. Do you consider other people?
10. Do you strive to attain?
11. Can you obey commands?
12. Can you bounce back after defeat?
13. Do you believe in yourself?
14. Can you stand by your actions in spite of criticism?
15. Can you follow instructions?
16. Can you respond to the needs of others?
17. Will you give credit to others?
18. Can you make your own decisions?
19. Are you determined?
20. Are you ready for success?
How To Unlock The Power Of Success From Within (part1/4)
WHY S0 MANY MARRIED WOMEN DETERIORATE
One of the most discouraging elements in our civilization is the suppressed wife who is struggling with arrested development after marriage. I have known of beautiful young wives who went to their husbands with the same assurance of confidence and trust as to their hopes and ambitions with which a child would approach its mother, only to meet with a brutal rebuff for even venturing to have an ambition which did not directly enhance the husband’s comfort or convenience in his home. It is a strange fact that most men think that when a woman marries she goes to her new home with as rigid vows as the monks take on entering the monastery, or the nuns the convent, and they regard the suggestion of a career for her, which does not directly bear upon the home, as domestic treason. There are some women, especially sensitive ones, who would never again tell their husbands of their hopes and aspirations after they had been laughed at and ridiculed a few times, but would be forever silent, even when the canker of bitter disappointment was consuming them.
Suppose a girl has the brains and the ability of a George Eliot and she marries a young business man who thinks that writing articles or books or devoting a large part of her time to music is all nonsense; that her place is at home, taking care of it and bringing up her children, and denies her the right to exercise her talent. How would he like to have the conditions reversed? It is true that woman is peculiarly fitted for the home, and every normal woman should have a home of her own, but her career should not be confined or limited to it any more than a man’s. I do not see why she should not be allowed to live the life normal to her; why she should be denied the right of self-expression, any more than the man. And I regard that man as a tyrant who tries to cramp her in the natural expression of her ambition or sneers at, nags, and criticizes her for seeking to bring out, to unfold, the sacred thing which the Creator has given her. This is one of her inalienable rights which no man should dare interfere with. If he does, he deserves the unhappiness which is likely to come to his home.
A wife should neither be a drudge nor a dressed-up doll; she should develop herself by self-effort, just as her husband develops himself. She should not put herself in a position where her inventiveness, resourcefulness, and individuality will be paralyzed by lack of motive. We hear a great deal about the disinclination of college girls to marry. If this is a fact, it is largely due to the unfairness of men. The more education girls get, the more they will hesitate to enter a condition of slavery, even under the beautiful guise of home. Is it any wonder that so many girls refuse to marry, refuse to take chances of suppressing the best thing in them? Is it any wonder that they protest against putting themselves in a position where they will not be able to deliver to the world the sacred message which the Creator has given them? I believe in marriage, but I do not believe in that marriage which paralyzes self development, strangles ambition, discourages evolution and self-growth, and which takes away the life purpose.
To be continually haunted by the ghosts of strangled talents and smothered faculties prevents real contentment and happiness. Many a home has been made miserable, not because the husband was not kind and affectionate, not because there was not enough to eat and to wear, but because the wife was haunted with unrealized hopes and disappointed ambitions and expectations. Is there anything more pitiful than such a stifled life with its crushed hopes? Is there anything sadder than to go through life conscious of talents and powers which we can not possibly develop; to feel that the best thing in us must be strangled for the want of opportunity, for the lack of appreciation even by those who love us best; to know that we can never by any possibility reach our highest expression, but must live a sordid life when under different conditions a higher would be possible?
A large part of the marital infelicity about which we hear so much comes from the husband’s attempt to cramp his wife’s ambition and to suppress her normal expression. A perversion of native instinct, a constant stifling of ambition, and the longing to express oneself naturally, gradually undermine the character and lead to discontentment and unhappiness. A mother who is cramped and repressed transmits the seeds of discontent and one-sided tendencies to her children. The happiest marriages are those in which the right of husband and wife to develop broadly and naturally along individual lines has been recognized by each. The noblest and most helpful wives and mothers are those who develop their powers to their fullest capacity. Woman is made to admire power, and she likes to put herself under the domination of a masterful man and rest in his protection.
Develop The Habit Of Being A Pleasant & Positive Person.
Perhaps the most helpful decision you can make is to develop the habit of being a pleasant, positive person. Refuse to criticize, condemn or complain. Do not engage in gossip or gripe sessions with your coworkers. Imagine that everything that you say at work will be repeated and published on the company bulletin board. Guard your tongue. Instead, look for something good to say about everyone. Always be cheerful and friendly. Be patient and easy going. Be polite and courteous. Be thoughtful and considerate. Be the kind of person that everyone likes to have working for them, or likes to work for or with. In our modern business world, it is always the people who are competent, capable, likable and pleasant who are paid the most and promoted the fastest. Make it a habit to look for the good in every person and situation, and to keep focused on helping other people, and adding value to your company. These habits will help you as much or more than anything else you could possibly do. On the other hand,the Bible says that ” when you are kind and good you nourish your soul,and when you are cruel you destroy your soul. When I look at my life,I only can say this. When I’m kind,nice and good to others-I’m the one who benefits most from it. Let me tel you why; you will feel good and more happier also you’ll be more productive .
Here are some action exercises that will help you to develop habits to become more positive and productive,
1. Always look for ways to say something nice, uplifting to a person that makes him feel good,because remember what I have said before,every time you say something nice to others,you yourself will feel better and happier,that’s how it works.
2. Use self talk,and remind yourself every time,that you want to be a nice,kind and easy going person that everyone wants to be around. And then,look for opportunities to do that. May goodness and kindness be guides of your day.
3. Develop the habit of working well with others; always be looking for ways to contribute, to help others to do their jobs better and faster.
4. Determine what you find easy to learn and easy to do, and what you most enjoy doing at work; find a job doing more of that.
5. Identify your unique talents and abilities, and dedicate yourself to becoming absolutely excellent in those areas.
6. Work all the time you work; when you start earlier, work harder and stay later, you quickly separate yourself from all the others.
7. Get the job done fast! The faster you move, the more energy you have, the more you get done, and the faster you will be paid more and promoted to higher levels of responsibility.
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Never forget the person you want to become.
One Tip On Making Better Decisions
An important habit that you can develop is the habit of thinking before acting. Often, when we are pressured from all sides with decisions that have to be made, we leap to conclusions and make decisions without carefully considering all the possible ramifications of those decisions. Instead, develop the habit of buying time between the pressure to make a decision, and the actual decision itself. There is a rule that says, “If the decision does not have to be made now, it has to not be made now.” Your mind is incredibly powerful, and never more so than when you give it time to reflect upon a decision before you make the decision in the first place. Make it a habit of asking for a day, or a weekend, or even a week or a month, before you make a final decision. Put it off as long as possible. The very act of allowing the various pieces of information to settle in your brain will enable you to make a much better decision later on than you might have made if you decided too quickly.
It is amazing how many people say, “If I had just thought about that for a little while, I would have made a completely different decision.” This is almost always the case. Make it a habit to delay and defer decisions as long as you possibly can. They will invariably be better decisions when you finally come around to making them.
Zero Based Thinking
In zero based thinking, you put every one of your previous decisions on trial for its life on a regular basis. You ask this question, Is there anything that I am doing today that, knowing what I now know, I wouldn’t get into again today, if I had to do it over?
Apply this question to every part of your life, and especially apply it to your job, position, career and current situation. If you were not now doing what you are currently doing, would you get into it again today, knowing what you now know about this area? Asking and answering this question takes a good deal of courage. The fact is that in a world of rapid change, you will always have situations that, with your current knowledge, you wouldn’t get into again today if you had the choice. These situations will almost always be the primary causes of stress or dissatisfaction in your life. They will cause you the most aggravation and frustration. If you stay in a zero based situation long enough, it can even make you physically ill. If the answer to this question, “Is there anything that I’m doing that I wouldn’t get into again today?” is “yes”, then your next question should be, “How do I get out of this situation, and how fast?” Often you can change your entire life by simply having the courage to face up to the fact that your previous decision has not turned out to be as good as you originally thought. There is nothing wrong with this. You are not perfect. Everyone makes decisions that they later regret, based on new information. This will happen throughout your life. The only question is, “How long are you going to stay in a situation that you know is not right for you?” It is not possible for you to be successful and happy in your career or job if, knowing what you now know, you wouldn’t even get into it again today if you had it to do over. I believe that these two questions will help you to understand better your current position in life,and that the answers to the questions will help you to make new decisions that will change your future for the better.
Good Luck and God Bless You!
The Ideal Job For You
There are more than 100,000 different jobs and job categories in the United States alone. There are an unlimited number of things that you can do to earn a good living and to achieve financial independence. You must therefore develop the habit of thinking about the work that you would most love to do. Instead of accepting whatever job or position comes along, you should be continually thinking about your ideal job, exactly as if you could design it personally in every respect. The highest paid and most successful people in our society do what they love to do, as much of the time as they possibly can. You should continually be standing back, examining yourself objectively, and then practicing the habit of focusing on your special talents and abilities. Each person is born with the ability to do one or more things in an exceptional fashion. Just as you have multiple intelligences, you have multiple abilities as well. You will only really be happy and successful when you find the kind of work that taps into the unique talents you have today, or which you can develop tomorrow.
Dr. Victor Frankl, the founder of Logotherapy, wrote that there are four types of jobs that you can do.
The first of these jobs are hard to learn and hard to do. This type of work would include a task like accounting or bookkeeping for a person who has no natural skill in that area. It would be hard to learn, and no matter how many years you did it, it would be hard to do. Many people find themselves in jobs or careers where they are mismatched in terms of their natural abilities and what the job requires. Their work is always hard and seldom satisfying. Don’t let this happen to you.
The second type of job that Frankl identified was a job that was hard to learn but easy to do. This may be a skill like typing with a keyboard or flying an airplane. It takes tremendous dedication and concentration to learn, but once you have mastered it, it is quite easy to do, hour after hour. Unfortunately, this type of job can become boring and unchallenging over time. It seldom causes you to stretch your capabilities and grow your talents.
The third type of job you might find yourself in is a job that easy to learn but hard to do. Physical labor falls into this category, like digging a ditch. It’s easy to learn to do a physically difficult job, but it is always hard to do, no matter how long you do it. Think about chopping wood!
The fourth job category, and the most important, are those things that you find easy to learn and easy to do. You learned it so easily, and do it so naturally, that you almost forget when and how you learned it in the first place. As you can imagine, the jobs and tasks that are easy to learn and easy to do are the best indicators of your natural talents and abilities. This is where you are the most likely to do the best job, get the best results, and to be paid the very most. Throughout your life and career, you must be continually analyzing your activities to identify the things that you learn and do easily, and from which you get the best results and rewards. This type of work for you is the key to career success.
Develop the Habits of Wealthy People
Millionaires develop a series of habits to assure that they don’t lose money, and that their money grows steadily over time. One of the best habits you can develop is the habit of getting good financial advice before you do anything with your growing account. Ask around and find a financial advisor who is already financially successful by investing his or her personal money in the areas that he or she recommends to you. Your ability to choose excellent financial advisors can be the critical factor in making good investment decisions. Develop the habit of investigating before you invest in anything. The rule is, “Spend as much time investigating the investment as you spend earning the money that you are thinking of investing.” Fast financial decisions are usually poor financial decisions. Develop the habit of taking your time, of moving slowly, of finding out every detail of the business or investment before you ever think of writing a check. Never allow anyone to pressure you into an investment decision. Never allow yourself to feel that a financial investment decision is urgent and must be made immediately. A wealthy man I worked for once told me, “Investments are like buses; there will always be another one coming along.” Sometimes, the best investments are the ones you never make at all. Make a habit of thoroughly understanding the investment before you ever think of parting with your hard earned money. If there is anything that you do not understand, or which seems too complicated for you, do not put your money in that area at all.
Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world as the result of his investing acumen, refused to invest in any of the high-tech or dot com companies during the boom of the 1990’s. Everyone accused him of being out of step and old fashioned. He simply replied that, “I don’t understand these businesses and therefore, I will not put any of my money into them.” He turned out to be right, and all the others turned out to be wrong. An important habit for financial success is the habit of insuring properly against any risk that you cannot write a check to cover. It is amazing how many people have spent years accumulating money and then lost it all because they did not have proper insurance policies in place. Develop the habit of using what I call “worst possible option” . Always ask yourself, “What is the worst possible thing that could happen in this situation?” Whatever it is, make provisions to ensure or guard against it. Never trust to luck. Hope is not a strategy. Wishing is not a strategy. Only careful planning, organizing and insuring constitute a strategy for your financial life. Be sure that you have sufficient life insurance to cover your family and all their financial needs if something should happen to you. Be sure that you have adequate fire and damage insurance for your home. Check and upgrade your policies on a regular basis to make sure that they cover “replacement value.” Insure your automobiles for damage and liability. Be sure to have adequate health insurance that covers you for any emergency, and for long-term care. No one likes to spend money on insurance, but it is one of the smartest things that you can possibly do on your road to financial independence. By insuring properly, you will never be caught off guard by an unexpected accident or emergency. An additional benefit of being fully insured is that it gives you a feeling of calm confidence that allows you to think more clearly and be much more effective in everything else you do.
Develop A Millionaire Mindset
