Denis Waitley took the liberty of re-writing Edgar A. Guest's poem, "Sermons We See", to apply to setting an example as a real winner. Here is what Denis Waitley had to say…
‘I'd rather watch a winner, than hear one any day. I'd rather have one walk with me, than merely show the way. The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear. Fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear. The best of all the coaches are the ones who live their deeds, for to see the truth in action is what everybody needs. I can soon learn how to do it, if you'll let me see it done. I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run. The lectures you deliver may be very wise and true, but I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do. I may misunderstand you, and the high advice you give, but there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live. I'd rather watch a winner, than hear one any day!’
Monday, February 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Efficiency, Effectiveness, and the Top Ten Percent
Efficiency is doing a good job at what you are working on. It is finding the fastest, most economical, and most efficient way to do the task at hand.
Effectiveness is prioritizing. It is knowing what to work on. It is figuring out what task or tasks are the most important, that need to be done right away, and knowing what tasks don’t really need to be done at all.
Efficiency is being the best bricklayer you can possibly be. Effectiveness is knowing that you are building a frame house, and a bricklayer isn’t needed.
When you combine efficiency and effectiveness, you are on your way to becoming the best in your field. Why care about being the best in your field? As Brian Tracy says, “All the rewards go to the top ten percent.” You see, average people get average results. This is true in any field. Average people are replaceable. The average worker can quit their job today, and be replaced tomorrow, and the company won’t be hurt in the least. Average is most people (hence the term average). But the top ten percent are irreplaceable. The top ten percent require no supervision, because they always give their best. They demand more of themselves than any boss could ever demand of them. These people are voracious learners, have a great attitude, seek out improvement, and consistently perform above expectations. The company can not run without these key people, so these people get to name their price. They are invaluable. If their company doesn’t want to pay them enough, it is only a matter of time until the competition will. These people stand out wherever they go.
The average American worker complains that they work too hard and don’t get paid enough. I say the average American worker complains too much and doesn’t work hard enough – if they worked too hard there is a high likelihood they wouldn’t still be average. Further, they get paid about what they are worth. You see, wages tend to be set at the least a company can pay to fill a position with a competent worker, and the average worker tends to do the least they can do to fill the demands of their job. While the average worker complains about their pay, if they truly felt they were worth more than what they made, they would demand and receive higher pay, or quit and go find a job that paid them more in line with what they thought they were worth. The problem is the average American worker is looking too closely at themselves and their wants and needs, and not closely enough at the formula. If you get paid about what you are worth, what does it take to improve your results?
Just this one thing - make yourself more valuable! Be more efficient. Be more effective. Work harder and smarter. Have a great attitude. Make yourself invaluable, and the cream will rise to the top. It is impossible for it to happen any other way. When you become the top ten percent, you get noticed, and you get promoted. If not with your company, the competition lures you away. Maybe you leave to start your own business. If you are in the top ten percent, but don’t advance in your field, some other opportunity finds you. The top ten percent get recognized for their superior effort and attitude and work, by co-workers, bosses, competitors, customers, etc. The top ten percent stand out, and it is just a matter of time until the right opportunity finds them. Rest assured, if you get to be in the top ten percent at what you do, the accolades and the rewards will come. If you feel you have been in the top ten percent for a long time, and yet you haven’t received the accolades and rewards, perhaps you should evaluate more closely whether or not you are really in the top ten percent. Ask your boss if you are top ten percent material or not, and, if not, what it will take to get you there? Ask your customers the same thing. Figure out the missing ingredient, and then do something about it.
When I was an 8-5 employee, I was good at what I did. I received a few promotions, and eventually landed in a spot where I was very comfortable. I had a good attitude, worked hard, was efficient and effective, and, if asked, I probably would have said I was in the top ten percent. Early on, maybe I even was.
However, I did real estate on the side. In my real estate, I put in whatever time was needed to get the job done. I patched a tenant’s leaking roof in the middle of a rainstorm. I crawled under mobile homes in mud and gunk to do repairs because I couldn’t find someone who would do it for me. I routinely did paperwork in the wee hours of the night. I was gracious and courteous and kept a level head with tenants that would have drove most normal people irate. For several years, I spent six and seven days a week getting up at 5am, and not going to bed until 11pm, midnight, 1am, or later, because that is what it took for me to manage my full time job, have time for my family, and still make the progress I wanted to make with my real estate investing. No amount of real estate was too much, because I loved doing it, and I especially loved seeing the progress I was making. In my 8-5, I was average and thought I was top ten percent. In my real estate, I was top ten percent. The difference was the passion to be efficient, effective, and get the job done right, on time, every time, no matter what. In my 8-5, I got complacent. I didn’t strive to get better and better – I just did what had to be done. Eventually, recognizing that the passion was no longer there in my 8-5 is why I finally did quit. If the passion dies out in real estate investing, I may eventually have to quit that, too. However, for right now, I still strive to be the best real estate investor I can be. I am still a voracious learner, and I am still improving, and I don’t intend to quit; at least not until I can go out on top!
If you are already in the top ten percent in your field, congratulations! If you are still on the way up, you have it in you! Keep your head up, be efficient, be effective, have a great attitude, and don’t you dare give up – the rewards will be well worth it! Best wishes!
Effectiveness is prioritizing. It is knowing what to work on. It is figuring out what task or tasks are the most important, that need to be done right away, and knowing what tasks don’t really need to be done at all.
Efficiency is being the best bricklayer you can possibly be. Effectiveness is knowing that you are building a frame house, and a bricklayer isn’t needed.
When you combine efficiency and effectiveness, you are on your way to becoming the best in your field. Why care about being the best in your field? As Brian Tracy says, “All the rewards go to the top ten percent.” You see, average people get average results. This is true in any field. Average people are replaceable. The average worker can quit their job today, and be replaced tomorrow, and the company won’t be hurt in the least. Average is most people (hence the term average). But the top ten percent are irreplaceable. The top ten percent require no supervision, because they always give their best. They demand more of themselves than any boss could ever demand of them. These people are voracious learners, have a great attitude, seek out improvement, and consistently perform above expectations. The company can not run without these key people, so these people get to name their price. They are invaluable. If their company doesn’t want to pay them enough, it is only a matter of time until the competition will. These people stand out wherever they go.
The average American worker complains that they work too hard and don’t get paid enough. I say the average American worker complains too much and doesn’t work hard enough – if they worked too hard there is a high likelihood they wouldn’t still be average. Further, they get paid about what they are worth. You see, wages tend to be set at the least a company can pay to fill a position with a competent worker, and the average worker tends to do the least they can do to fill the demands of their job. While the average worker complains about their pay, if they truly felt they were worth more than what they made, they would demand and receive higher pay, or quit and go find a job that paid them more in line with what they thought they were worth. The problem is the average American worker is looking too closely at themselves and their wants and needs, and not closely enough at the formula. If you get paid about what you are worth, what does it take to improve your results?
Just this one thing - make yourself more valuable! Be more efficient. Be more effective. Work harder and smarter. Have a great attitude. Make yourself invaluable, and the cream will rise to the top. It is impossible for it to happen any other way. When you become the top ten percent, you get noticed, and you get promoted. If not with your company, the competition lures you away. Maybe you leave to start your own business. If you are in the top ten percent, but don’t advance in your field, some other opportunity finds you. The top ten percent get recognized for their superior effort and attitude and work, by co-workers, bosses, competitors, customers, etc. The top ten percent stand out, and it is just a matter of time until the right opportunity finds them. Rest assured, if you get to be in the top ten percent at what you do, the accolades and the rewards will come. If you feel you have been in the top ten percent for a long time, and yet you haven’t received the accolades and rewards, perhaps you should evaluate more closely whether or not you are really in the top ten percent. Ask your boss if you are top ten percent material or not, and, if not, what it will take to get you there? Ask your customers the same thing. Figure out the missing ingredient, and then do something about it.
When I was an 8-5 employee, I was good at what I did. I received a few promotions, and eventually landed in a spot where I was very comfortable. I had a good attitude, worked hard, was efficient and effective, and, if asked, I probably would have said I was in the top ten percent. Early on, maybe I even was.
However, I did real estate on the side. In my real estate, I put in whatever time was needed to get the job done. I patched a tenant’s leaking roof in the middle of a rainstorm. I crawled under mobile homes in mud and gunk to do repairs because I couldn’t find someone who would do it for me. I routinely did paperwork in the wee hours of the night. I was gracious and courteous and kept a level head with tenants that would have drove most normal people irate. For several years, I spent six and seven days a week getting up at 5am, and not going to bed until 11pm, midnight, 1am, or later, because that is what it took for me to manage my full time job, have time for my family, and still make the progress I wanted to make with my real estate investing. No amount of real estate was too much, because I loved doing it, and I especially loved seeing the progress I was making. In my 8-5, I was average and thought I was top ten percent. In my real estate, I was top ten percent. The difference was the passion to be efficient, effective, and get the job done right, on time, every time, no matter what. In my 8-5, I got complacent. I didn’t strive to get better and better – I just did what had to be done. Eventually, recognizing that the passion was no longer there in my 8-5 is why I finally did quit. If the passion dies out in real estate investing, I may eventually have to quit that, too. However, for right now, I still strive to be the best real estate investor I can be. I am still a voracious learner, and I am still improving, and I don’t intend to quit; at least not until I can go out on top!
If you are already in the top ten percent in your field, congratulations! If you are still on the way up, you have it in you! Keep your head up, be efficient, be effective, have a great attitude, and don’t you dare give up – the rewards will be well worth it! Best wishes!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Financial Freedom: How to Keep Score in the Money Game, and Why It Matters!
[Article adapted in part from The Maui Millionaires by David Finkel & Diane Kennedy]
Far too many people will never be financially free simply because they unwittingly fool themselves as to the real status and direction of their financial lives. Most millionaires agree that in order to win the money game they must consistently update a meaningful measure of financial score, and they have to keep track of the trend (which way am I headed, how much progress or lack of progress am I making, and how fast is it happening). When you have this information, in a reliable, consistent, and simplified format, you are able to make accurate financial decisions and accelerate your progress towards financial freedom.
The main wealth trap for most people is fooling themselves as to the real score of the game. People fool themselves for three primary reasons…
First, far too many people simply take the path of least resistance, and do nothing. They put their long-term financial future into the hands of others because it is easy and expected (sadly, it is the norm). “Social Security or my kids will take care of me.” “Hopefully I will have a pension fund.” “I’ll find a way to get by somehow – I always have.” This is an almost certain path to financial failure! Yes, it takes energy and effort to put your financial house in order. But it takes 100 times more energy and effort in the long run to live your life paycheck to paycheck, to struggle to get by, and to work your whole life and eventually depend on someone else to support you when you are able to work no longer. The old adage is true: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Second, people fool themselves about their current financial status because of ignorance. They never learned financial skills, they don’t understand the how or why of figuring it out, that was good enough for their parents so it is good enough for them, etc. Let me (Finkel, Kennedy, and Lund - haha) just say, YOU are totally, 100% responsible for your financial success, and ignorance is no excuse; it is a cop out and an acceptance of financial failure.
Third, people fool themselves about the real condition of their finances because of fear and shame. Millions of people are afraid to look at their financial status because it is too scary for them, or it is filled with painful feelings of shame. They may have lived beyond their means for years, and are ashamed of the big negative number that represents their net worth. Maybe the idea of anyone finding out their true financial status threatens them immensely. These people might rationalize, fantasize, ignore, distract, or flat out deny the truth. Right up to the point where their financial house of cards comes crashing down around them. If this is you, at some point your financial status is going to come out, one way or another, so you might as well bring it out into the open yourself, and start making it all that it can be.
So, what is the solution? First, understand that the foundation for wealth and financial freedom is changing yourself on the inside. It is knowledge, followed by a little discipline. When you upgrade what is on the inside, you empower yourself to get richer on the outside. And YOU BETTER KEEP SCORE! You can not win this game if you do not keep score!
If you haven't already, begin today to spend a little time getting acquainted with finances, net worth, cashflow, passive income, etc. It doesn’t have to be hard or complex. Start setting a percentage of your income aside for saving and investing. Set up a plan to get rid of credit card debt if necessary. If you start slow and simple, and you continue to spend a little time learning along the way, eventually bigger numbers will happen with more and more ease. “It’s not the amount, it’s the Hobbitt!” Seem familiar? You might remember from previous e-mails, my son Justin repeated that at age two (when he couldn’t pronounce habit). You probably recognize patterns and repeats in everything I say and do… That is because the rules of this game are short and simple. People are scared of it because they think it is more complex than it really is. It is the discipline of doing it consistently that is the tough part. For every minute of time I spend on financial knowledge, I spend an hour on trying to motivate myself and others. The knowledge is easy. Doing it is actually easy. Getting yourself to do it over and over again over a long period of time is a little tougher. Consistent persistency and persistent consistency is how Richard Flint might put it (though he never talks specifically about money or finances in any of his material). But it is oh so worth it!!! Get started, learn some things, make some progress now, and later you can focus on wealth accelerators like clarity/focus and leverage!
Let me briefly discuss my own personal scorecard, to give you an idea what it takes. It took me a couple hours to set it up, tops. I have a one page net worth statement. It lists my assets, liabilities, and net worth (which is merely the difference between the two). Every month it takes me about ten minutes to update it (occasionally more if multiple houses are bought and/or sold in a particular month). I watch it over time to monitor my progress, to see what is working and what is not, and with this clear financial picture, I am able to learn from the past and make wise choices for the future. I am also able to notice if I slack off for too long, and give myself a kick in the pants. Because I own a lot of real estate, I also have a one page Real Estate Owned sheet, which breaks down my real estate (and mortgages paid to me), what they are worth, and what I owe on them. This doubles as a partial cash flow statement because it also shows the flow of money in and out of my real estate and mortgages. With a minimal amount of upkeep (again, about ten minutes a month), these two pages (and if you don’t have a lot of real estate or own your own business, you would only need one page) allow me to keep my finger on the pulse of my race for financial freedom. This also gives me everything I need, quickly and all in one place, when I apply for a mortgage or loan or make other financial decisions. To simplify even further, you might remember that when I first started on the road to wealth, my scorecard was merely a chart that tracked how much money was in my savings account. That was it. Can you make yourself start keeping score today, simple as possible, so you will know if you are doing what it takes to get on the road to financial freedom? Are you worth it?
Ever hear anyone say “Money isn’t everything”, or something akin to that? Did you ever ask them how their finances were, or did you not really need to? Money isn’t everything, and it certainly isn’t the only thing. With just a few seconds (literally) thinking about my priorities, there is no way I would ever put money above fourth on my list, and maybe not even that high. However, having money allows me to take better care of my higher priorities. I can give more appropriately to God. I can take better care of my family. It is easier for me to act with integrity in everything I do (even someone of the highest integrity might resort to stealing if they had to in order to feed their family). Winning the money game, and achieving financial freedom, is awesome, and it doesn’t require sacrificing who you are or how you live - having money doesn’t make the man; it just reveals the man (or woman)! It requires a little bit of knowledge, some long term thinking, a little bit of discipline, and a little bit of… Keeping Score. You have to play the money game no matter what, so you might as well play to win! And finally, one last time, YOU CAN NOT WIN THE MONEY GAME IF YOU AREN’T KEEPING SCORE!
-Best wishes
Far too many people will never be financially free simply because they unwittingly fool themselves as to the real status and direction of their financial lives. Most millionaires agree that in order to win the money game they must consistently update a meaningful measure of financial score, and they have to keep track of the trend (which way am I headed, how much progress or lack of progress am I making, and how fast is it happening). When you have this information, in a reliable, consistent, and simplified format, you are able to make accurate financial decisions and accelerate your progress towards financial freedom.
The main wealth trap for most people is fooling themselves as to the real score of the game. People fool themselves for three primary reasons…
First, far too many people simply take the path of least resistance, and do nothing. They put their long-term financial future into the hands of others because it is easy and expected (sadly, it is the norm). “Social Security or my kids will take care of me.” “Hopefully I will have a pension fund.” “I’ll find a way to get by somehow – I always have.” This is an almost certain path to financial failure! Yes, it takes energy and effort to put your financial house in order. But it takes 100 times more energy and effort in the long run to live your life paycheck to paycheck, to struggle to get by, and to work your whole life and eventually depend on someone else to support you when you are able to work no longer. The old adage is true: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Second, people fool themselves about their current financial status because of ignorance. They never learned financial skills, they don’t understand the how or why of figuring it out, that was good enough for their parents so it is good enough for them, etc. Let me (Finkel, Kennedy, and Lund - haha) just say, YOU are totally, 100% responsible for your financial success, and ignorance is no excuse; it is a cop out and an acceptance of financial failure.
Third, people fool themselves about the real condition of their finances because of fear and shame. Millions of people are afraid to look at their financial status because it is too scary for them, or it is filled with painful feelings of shame. They may have lived beyond their means for years, and are ashamed of the big negative number that represents their net worth. Maybe the idea of anyone finding out their true financial status threatens them immensely. These people might rationalize, fantasize, ignore, distract, or flat out deny the truth. Right up to the point where their financial house of cards comes crashing down around them. If this is you, at some point your financial status is going to come out, one way or another, so you might as well bring it out into the open yourself, and start making it all that it can be.
So, what is the solution? First, understand that the foundation for wealth and financial freedom is changing yourself on the inside. It is knowledge, followed by a little discipline. When you upgrade what is on the inside, you empower yourself to get richer on the outside. And YOU BETTER KEEP SCORE! You can not win this game if you do not keep score!
If you haven't already, begin today to spend a little time getting acquainted with finances, net worth, cashflow, passive income, etc. It doesn’t have to be hard or complex. Start setting a percentage of your income aside for saving and investing. Set up a plan to get rid of credit card debt if necessary. If you start slow and simple, and you continue to spend a little time learning along the way, eventually bigger numbers will happen with more and more ease. “It’s not the amount, it’s the Hobbitt!” Seem familiar? You might remember from previous e-mails, my son Justin repeated that at age two (when he couldn’t pronounce habit). You probably recognize patterns and repeats in everything I say and do… That is because the rules of this game are short and simple. People are scared of it because they think it is more complex than it really is. It is the discipline of doing it consistently that is the tough part. For every minute of time I spend on financial knowledge, I spend an hour on trying to motivate myself and others. The knowledge is easy. Doing it is actually easy. Getting yourself to do it over and over again over a long period of time is a little tougher. Consistent persistency and persistent consistency is how Richard Flint might put it (though he never talks specifically about money or finances in any of his material). But it is oh so worth it!!! Get started, learn some things, make some progress now, and later you can focus on wealth accelerators like clarity/focus and leverage!
Let me briefly discuss my own personal scorecard, to give you an idea what it takes. It took me a couple hours to set it up, tops. I have a one page net worth statement. It lists my assets, liabilities, and net worth (which is merely the difference between the two). Every month it takes me about ten minutes to update it (occasionally more if multiple houses are bought and/or sold in a particular month). I watch it over time to monitor my progress, to see what is working and what is not, and with this clear financial picture, I am able to learn from the past and make wise choices for the future. I am also able to notice if I slack off for too long, and give myself a kick in the pants. Because I own a lot of real estate, I also have a one page Real Estate Owned sheet, which breaks down my real estate (and mortgages paid to me), what they are worth, and what I owe on them. This doubles as a partial cash flow statement because it also shows the flow of money in and out of my real estate and mortgages. With a minimal amount of upkeep (again, about ten minutes a month), these two pages (and if you don’t have a lot of real estate or own your own business, you would only need one page) allow me to keep my finger on the pulse of my race for financial freedom. This also gives me everything I need, quickly and all in one place, when I apply for a mortgage or loan or make other financial decisions. To simplify even further, you might remember that when I first started on the road to wealth, my scorecard was merely a chart that tracked how much money was in my savings account. That was it. Can you make yourself start keeping score today, simple as possible, so you will know if you are doing what it takes to get on the road to financial freedom? Are you worth it?
Ever hear anyone say “Money isn’t everything”, or something akin to that? Did you ever ask them how their finances were, or did you not really need to? Money isn’t everything, and it certainly isn’t the only thing. With just a few seconds (literally) thinking about my priorities, there is no way I would ever put money above fourth on my list, and maybe not even that high. However, having money allows me to take better care of my higher priorities. I can give more appropriately to God. I can take better care of my family. It is easier for me to act with integrity in everything I do (even someone of the highest integrity might resort to stealing if they had to in order to feed their family). Winning the money game, and achieving financial freedom, is awesome, and it doesn’t require sacrificing who you are or how you live - having money doesn’t make the man; it just reveals the man (or woman)! It requires a little bit of knowledge, some long term thinking, a little bit of discipline, and a little bit of… Keeping Score. You have to play the money game no matter what, so you might as well play to win! And finally, one last time, YOU CAN NOT WIN THE MONEY GAME IF YOU AREN’T KEEPING SCORE!
-Best wishes
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Never Fail (At Anything You Really Want In Life)!!!
This might seem a bit “hokey” to some of you, but I offer it only because I have seen it work in my life, and I believe it to be true. I believe that God wants each of us to have more, do more, be more, and to give back in proportion to our blessings. 'To he who hath, more will be given, and to he who hath not, even that little which he hath will be taken away'. I personally think that God wants each one of us to live to our fullest potential; to make the most of our God-given talents. However, the decision is largely up to us.
So, first, I propose that a person needs to figure out what their God-given talents are. A good way to get started is by asking, what do I enjoy doing? What am I really good at, and what have I been successful at in the past? What am I really passionate about? What will make me willing to stay up late every night and get up early every morning? That is where you should start looking, first, and then, when you find your passion, figure out how to make money doing it.
Second, with that figured out, we need to recognize that God is great, and God is all-powerful and all-being. God is in everything, and in everyone. Since God is great, and God is in everyone, we arrive at the conclusion that every one of us on Earth has potential greatness in us. This begs the question, have we tapped into our inner greatness?
Third, I propose that we interact with God in many ways, including prayer and reading the Bible, but our response back from God, in this day and age, is primarily discovered in our hearts and in our minds. Some might think you feel it in your gut, have an intuition, have a premonition, or somehow just know that you are supposed to do or not do something, any of which is probably fine. While I don’t believe we get perfect answers 100% of the time, I do think that if we give careful consideration, analyze information, pray, and come up with an answer, it will usually be right for us in that circumstance at that time, and sometimes even when it seems later it was wrong, it is because God knew we needed that setback first so that his bigger, better plan could play out for us. Napoleon Hill said that in every failure are the seeds of an equal or greater success, and if you believe, it will be true for you. Sometimes what we do wrong turns out to be our biggest blessing.
As an example in my life, most of my tough decisions have turned out great, but I can think of a recent example where I missed the boat, as well. I had this ‘feeling’, for several weeks, that I should contact a lease/option tenant, inquire about how things were going, and see if I could talk them into buying. I knew the price we set on their lease/option was at the peak of the market, and was probably higher than current fair market value, and I thought of lowering the price to entice them. Rather than go to the trouble of making the call, and possibly leaving a little profit on the table in the interest of fairness, I took the route of least resistance. I fully intended to make that call ‘when I got around to it’, but I waited and did nothing. A couple of months later, that tenant/buyer called me, and said they were buying a new house. They said that only a couple weeks earlier, they saw a new subdivision near my house (that they were renting to own), and for kicks decided to just window shop. Turned out they thought it was a great bargain, and they got a contract and eventually bought it. Had I followed the ‘feeling’ God gave me, I feel certain I would have worked something out with them to sell them my house, and they never would have went window shopping. I think in the long run I may have done them a disservice as well as myself, because I think the new house they bought is of inferior quality compared to my house, and while new now, over time my house will outshine their new house. Still, because I didn’t “listen”, and take action on what God was telling me was the right thing to do, I missed the boat. Over the years I can think of dozens of examples like that, but very few examples of when I listened to that inner voice and regretted it.
Following all of the first three steps, we now have an idea of our God-given talents, we know we have potential greatness in us, and we are beginning to feel led to something we really want in life, and/or ways to achieve it. Fourth, we need to consistently give thought and energy to our purpose, dream, or goal. We need to visualize the end result as if it was already true, and thank God for the great result as if we already received it. This gets us in harmony with our desired result.
Fifth, we need to take actions consistent with our desired result. If we just sit back, think, visualize, and wait for the great results to come rolling in, it might be a very long wait. God will help us, when we first help ourselves. I once heard a joke about a man in financial distress. The man prayed over and over again, asking God to make him win the lottery. Finally, after many weeks of praying and waiting, he prayed asking God why, when he prayed so fervently, did God not make him win the lottery. This time God responded, saying, “I wanted to help you, but couldn’t you have at least bought a lottery ticket?” We often know what we want, pray for it fervently, but never take the first step towards meeting God part way. We have to do our part!
Sixth, stay positive, and manifest the greatness that is inside of you, not just in this one thing, but in all areas of your life. Begin to be great today, in your home, with your immediate family and friends, in your current job or career, and in all of your interactions with others. Be great in the details of everything you do, no matter how small. Treat others with kindness and fairness. Have integrity in everything that you do. 'How you do anything is how you do everything', and if you start manifesting greatness in small things, it will soon start spreading to bigger and better things. Don’t brag about how great you are or how great you will be. Just do it! People will start to notice how you do business, and how you handle your affairs, and they will want to be a part of what you have going on. I am reminded of a quote, “People will be drawn to you, and when they show up, bill ‘em!”, which I believe to be part joke and part truth. God pays attention to the biggest things, like keeping the planets in their rightful place in the universe, and he pays attention to the smallest details, like numbering the hairs on your head. When you show God greatness in the smallest details, he will allow you to show greatness in bigger and better things. Be great, and have faith!
Let me share two examples of how this plays out in my life through my real estate investing (which is, by the way, my passion!). I make every effort to have the utmost integrity, and to treat others fairly. I make sure I deliver on any promise I make. I have at times been given a lead by someone, simply because they said they couldn’t do anything with it. I worked the lead, figured out a workable deal, and went back to the person and asked what they wanted to make on the deal. They weren’t expecting anything, but I took care of them anyhow. How much more likely are they to contact me with other leads, as opposed to if I had not taken care of them out of kindness and a sense of fairness? The other example comes via my handyman. He has told me on multiple occasions that he charges everyone else more than me (and I know it to be true), because he likes working for someone that is fair, kind to him, and does business the right way. He appreciates that I have him always do the job right, even when I could save money by taking shortcuts that the buyer would never see (like using more insulation inside a wall instead of less or none at all). As a result, I consistently find my houses getting filled before the work is even done, and have buyers/renters tell me, “Your handyman was the clincher. He is a good man, and he says you are fair in your dealings and always do a quality job.” They often tell me about something specific that we repaired/replaced, and how they appreciate that we did it that way. The only way I can put it is to say trust me - doing the little things great every day, now, will bring rewards over time that can’t be comprehended until you get there.
Brian Tracy says that all of the rewards go to the top ten percent. There are no great rewards for mediocrity. Mediocre people are a dime and dozen, here today, gone tomorrow, and easily replaced. Now, I could go into a number of other things, like habits, continuous learning, what you think about comes about, daily declarations, managing your money, etc., but I would quickly get outside the point of this message, so I will save the long version for my book. For now, suffice it to say that if you start with these six steps, you will Never Fail (At Anything You Really Want In Life).
So, first, I propose that a person needs to figure out what their God-given talents are. A good way to get started is by asking, what do I enjoy doing? What am I really good at, and what have I been successful at in the past? What am I really passionate about? What will make me willing to stay up late every night and get up early every morning? That is where you should start looking, first, and then, when you find your passion, figure out how to make money doing it.
Second, with that figured out, we need to recognize that God is great, and God is all-powerful and all-being. God is in everything, and in everyone. Since God is great, and God is in everyone, we arrive at the conclusion that every one of us on Earth has potential greatness in us. This begs the question, have we tapped into our inner greatness?
Third, I propose that we interact with God in many ways, including prayer and reading the Bible, but our response back from God, in this day and age, is primarily discovered in our hearts and in our minds. Some might think you feel it in your gut, have an intuition, have a premonition, or somehow just know that you are supposed to do or not do something, any of which is probably fine. While I don’t believe we get perfect answers 100% of the time, I do think that if we give careful consideration, analyze information, pray, and come up with an answer, it will usually be right for us in that circumstance at that time, and sometimes even when it seems later it was wrong, it is because God knew we needed that setback first so that his bigger, better plan could play out for us. Napoleon Hill said that in every failure are the seeds of an equal or greater success, and if you believe, it will be true for you. Sometimes what we do wrong turns out to be our biggest blessing.
As an example in my life, most of my tough decisions have turned out great, but I can think of a recent example where I missed the boat, as well. I had this ‘feeling’, for several weeks, that I should contact a lease/option tenant, inquire about how things were going, and see if I could talk them into buying. I knew the price we set on their lease/option was at the peak of the market, and was probably higher than current fair market value, and I thought of lowering the price to entice them. Rather than go to the trouble of making the call, and possibly leaving a little profit on the table in the interest of fairness, I took the route of least resistance. I fully intended to make that call ‘when I got around to it’, but I waited and did nothing. A couple of months later, that tenant/buyer called me, and said they were buying a new house. They said that only a couple weeks earlier, they saw a new subdivision near my house (that they were renting to own), and for kicks decided to just window shop. Turned out they thought it was a great bargain, and they got a contract and eventually bought it. Had I followed the ‘feeling’ God gave me, I feel certain I would have worked something out with them to sell them my house, and they never would have went window shopping. I think in the long run I may have done them a disservice as well as myself, because I think the new house they bought is of inferior quality compared to my house, and while new now, over time my house will outshine their new house. Still, because I didn’t “listen”, and take action on what God was telling me was the right thing to do, I missed the boat. Over the years I can think of dozens of examples like that, but very few examples of when I listened to that inner voice and regretted it.
Following all of the first three steps, we now have an idea of our God-given talents, we know we have potential greatness in us, and we are beginning to feel led to something we really want in life, and/or ways to achieve it. Fourth, we need to consistently give thought and energy to our purpose, dream, or goal. We need to visualize the end result as if it was already true, and thank God for the great result as if we already received it. This gets us in harmony with our desired result.
Fifth, we need to take actions consistent with our desired result. If we just sit back, think, visualize, and wait for the great results to come rolling in, it might be a very long wait. God will help us, when we first help ourselves. I once heard a joke about a man in financial distress. The man prayed over and over again, asking God to make him win the lottery. Finally, after many weeks of praying and waiting, he prayed asking God why, when he prayed so fervently, did God not make him win the lottery. This time God responded, saying, “I wanted to help you, but couldn’t you have at least bought a lottery ticket?” We often know what we want, pray for it fervently, but never take the first step towards meeting God part way. We have to do our part!
Sixth, stay positive, and manifest the greatness that is inside of you, not just in this one thing, but in all areas of your life. Begin to be great today, in your home, with your immediate family and friends, in your current job or career, and in all of your interactions with others. Be great in the details of everything you do, no matter how small. Treat others with kindness and fairness. Have integrity in everything that you do. 'How you do anything is how you do everything', and if you start manifesting greatness in small things, it will soon start spreading to bigger and better things. Don’t brag about how great you are or how great you will be. Just do it! People will start to notice how you do business, and how you handle your affairs, and they will want to be a part of what you have going on. I am reminded of a quote, “People will be drawn to you, and when they show up, bill ‘em!”, which I believe to be part joke and part truth. God pays attention to the biggest things, like keeping the planets in their rightful place in the universe, and he pays attention to the smallest details, like numbering the hairs on your head. When you show God greatness in the smallest details, he will allow you to show greatness in bigger and better things. Be great, and have faith!
Let me share two examples of how this plays out in my life through my real estate investing (which is, by the way, my passion!). I make every effort to have the utmost integrity, and to treat others fairly. I make sure I deliver on any promise I make. I have at times been given a lead by someone, simply because they said they couldn’t do anything with it. I worked the lead, figured out a workable deal, and went back to the person and asked what they wanted to make on the deal. They weren’t expecting anything, but I took care of them anyhow. How much more likely are they to contact me with other leads, as opposed to if I had not taken care of them out of kindness and a sense of fairness? The other example comes via my handyman. He has told me on multiple occasions that he charges everyone else more than me (and I know it to be true), because he likes working for someone that is fair, kind to him, and does business the right way. He appreciates that I have him always do the job right, even when I could save money by taking shortcuts that the buyer would never see (like using more insulation inside a wall instead of less or none at all). As a result, I consistently find my houses getting filled before the work is even done, and have buyers/renters tell me, “Your handyman was the clincher. He is a good man, and he says you are fair in your dealings and always do a quality job.” They often tell me about something specific that we repaired/replaced, and how they appreciate that we did it that way. The only way I can put it is to say trust me - doing the little things great every day, now, will bring rewards over time that can’t be comprehended until you get there.
Brian Tracy says that all of the rewards go to the top ten percent. There are no great rewards for mediocrity. Mediocre people are a dime and dozen, here today, gone tomorrow, and easily replaced. Now, I could go into a number of other things, like habits, continuous learning, what you think about comes about, daily declarations, managing your money, etc., but I would quickly get outside the point of this message, so I will save the long version for my book. For now, suffice it to say that if you start with these six steps, you will Never Fail (At Anything You Really Want In Life).
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Financial Success Is Merely A Decision
In a period of barely more than nine years, from August 1998 through December 2007, I went from a paycheck to paycheck existence to being financially free. At age 38, I quit my full time JOB and semi-retired, with plans to manage my investments, to make sure I didn’t miss my two boys growing up, and to pursue my passions in life. My average JOB income during that span was probably about $25,000 annually. Occasionally, someone asks me how I became financially successful in that relatively short period of time, while many others struggle for a lifetime and never achieve financial success. The simplest answer is that I made a decision to do it, and then did it. Many others made the decision not to.
I decided to set goals that could change my finances. Many others decided not to set goals. I decided to read books that could improve my thinking, my planning, and my skills. Many others decided not to read those books. I decided to attend classes and seminars and join groups that promised to teach me how to have a better financial future. Many others decided not to attend. I decided that if I only lived on this earth once, I wanted to give it everything I had to give, and I wanted to dare to dream and I wanted to dare to pursue those dreams. Many others decided those things were not possible, or were not worth the trouble, or were not “safe” enough.
Nine years later, I am 38 and semi-retired, pursuing my passions and being there to see my children grow up, and many others are blaming the economy, the government, the country, the JOB, the boss, the lack of hours in a day, the way they were raised, and anything else that they can think of as an excuse for why they still struggle financially. I learned somewhere in that nine years when I was working on financial freedom, that “you can have your excuses, or you can have your dreams, but you can’t have both”! I decided to go for my dreams. Many others decided not to. I learned that for every excuse I offered up before I “decided to”, there were thousands of people that overcame bigger obstacles to go on to amazing successes, financially and otherwise, and that meant my excuses were no longer valid.
Today, I think the biggest reason most people are not doing as well financially as they are capable of, can be summed up by saying that they decided not to….
It is not the lack of money – America and the world contains insane amounts of money, and it will flow freely to anyone that adds enough value to other people’s lives. T. Harv Eker taught me two of the declarations that I say out loud every morning – “I get rich doing what I love. I deserve to be rich because I add value to other people’s lives.” It is not the lack of opportunity – America and the world offers more opportunities for financial success today than at any time in history. There are more millionaires today than at any time in history, and more self-made millionaires are being created faster than at any time in history. It is not lack of access to “The Secret” or a recipe that works – financially successful people offering to teach how they did it are everywhere you turn today, and if you can’t afford the gurus, the libraries are full of free access to their books. Most of the books I started with came from the public library. Today, I am beginning to have my own small library of success, motivation, and real estate books, CD’s, etc. Today, I believe that the more you learn, discern, and implement, the more you earn. I forget who to give credit to, but somebody I studied said, “The learners inherit the Earth, while the learned are beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists”.
Jim Rohn says “economic disaster begins with a philosophy of doing less and wanting more”. I agree. Finding a formula for financial success that works is easy. I can go to any bookstore and find a few dozen of them in less than an hour. Deciding that you are willing to pay the price is what stops most people. T. Harv Eker puts it this way… “It is one thing to know what to do, but a whole ‘nother thing to do what you know.”
I believe that “Deciding not to” erodes people a little on the inside. When we “decide not to”, we know we are capable of more, and we feel like less of a person because of our decision. Our self confidence erodes a little, which causes our dreams to be smaller, which causes us to take less action. Less action means less results, which leads to a decline in our attitude, and our self confidence erodes even further. This creates a vicious downward spiral.
The upside is we can “Decide to” at any time, and if we “Decide to”, we can create an upward spiral in the same way. “Deciding to” builds us up a little on the inside. We feel like more of a person, and our self-confidence grows, which causes us to dream bigger, which leads to more action. More action leads to better results, which improves our attitude, and our self-confidence grows even more and we take even more action….
I believe this upward or downward spiral all stems from one decision… and I ask you, are you “deciding to” in your life today? I hope so, because your success story might be just what you need, and it might be just what your family needs, and it might be just what the world needs. Please, don’t neglect to write your success story! Also, if you haven't already started, when would now be the right time to start?
I decided to set goals that could change my finances. Many others decided not to set goals. I decided to read books that could improve my thinking, my planning, and my skills. Many others decided not to read those books. I decided to attend classes and seminars and join groups that promised to teach me how to have a better financial future. Many others decided not to attend. I decided that if I only lived on this earth once, I wanted to give it everything I had to give, and I wanted to dare to dream and I wanted to dare to pursue those dreams. Many others decided those things were not possible, or were not worth the trouble, or were not “safe” enough.
Nine years later, I am 38 and semi-retired, pursuing my passions and being there to see my children grow up, and many others are blaming the economy, the government, the country, the JOB, the boss, the lack of hours in a day, the way they were raised, and anything else that they can think of as an excuse for why they still struggle financially. I learned somewhere in that nine years when I was working on financial freedom, that “you can have your excuses, or you can have your dreams, but you can’t have both”! I decided to go for my dreams. Many others decided not to. I learned that for every excuse I offered up before I “decided to”, there were thousands of people that overcame bigger obstacles to go on to amazing successes, financially and otherwise, and that meant my excuses were no longer valid.
Today, I think the biggest reason most people are not doing as well financially as they are capable of, can be summed up by saying that they decided not to….
It is not the lack of money – America and the world contains insane amounts of money, and it will flow freely to anyone that adds enough value to other people’s lives. T. Harv Eker taught me two of the declarations that I say out loud every morning – “I get rich doing what I love. I deserve to be rich because I add value to other people’s lives.” It is not the lack of opportunity – America and the world offers more opportunities for financial success today than at any time in history. There are more millionaires today than at any time in history, and more self-made millionaires are being created faster than at any time in history. It is not lack of access to “The Secret” or a recipe that works – financially successful people offering to teach how they did it are everywhere you turn today, and if you can’t afford the gurus, the libraries are full of free access to their books. Most of the books I started with came from the public library. Today, I am beginning to have my own small library of success, motivation, and real estate books, CD’s, etc. Today, I believe that the more you learn, discern, and implement, the more you earn. I forget who to give credit to, but somebody I studied said, “The learners inherit the Earth, while the learned are beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists”.
Jim Rohn says “economic disaster begins with a philosophy of doing less and wanting more”. I agree. Finding a formula for financial success that works is easy. I can go to any bookstore and find a few dozen of them in less than an hour. Deciding that you are willing to pay the price is what stops most people. T. Harv Eker puts it this way… “It is one thing to know what to do, but a whole ‘nother thing to do what you know.”
I believe that “Deciding not to” erodes people a little on the inside. When we “decide not to”, we know we are capable of more, and we feel like less of a person because of our decision. Our self confidence erodes a little, which causes our dreams to be smaller, which causes us to take less action. Less action means less results, which leads to a decline in our attitude, and our self confidence erodes even further. This creates a vicious downward spiral.
The upside is we can “Decide to” at any time, and if we “Decide to”, we can create an upward spiral in the same way. “Deciding to” builds us up a little on the inside. We feel like more of a person, and our self-confidence grows, which causes us to dream bigger, which leads to more action. More action leads to better results, which improves our attitude, and our self-confidence grows even more and we take even more action….
I believe this upward or downward spiral all stems from one decision… and I ask you, are you “deciding to” in your life today? I hope so, because your success story might be just what you need, and it might be just what your family needs, and it might be just what the world needs. Please, don’t neglect to write your success story! Also, if you haven't already started, when would now be the right time to start?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Visualizing All Your Dreams Come True
The first paragraph is adapted from The Success Principles, by Jack Canfield…
Fred Couples and Jim Nantz were two kids who loved golf and had very large dreams. Fred's goal was to someday win the Master's Tournament, and Jim's was to someday work for CBS Sports as an announcer. Fred and Jim were suitemates at the University of Houston in the late 1970's, and they would playact the scene where the winner of the Masters was escorted into Butler Cabin to receive his green jacket, and be interviewed by the CBS announcer. Fourteen years later, the scene they had rehearsed many times in Taub Hall at the University of Houston played out in reality as the whole world looked on. Fred Couples won the Masters, and was taken by tournament officials into Butler Cabin, where he was interviewed by... CBS sports announcer Jim Nantz, of course. After the cameras stopped rolling, the two embraced each other with tears in their eyes. They always knew it would happen that way, because they had already done it all those years earlier.
There is amazing power in acting as if something has already happened. In visualizing your dreams... especially when you bring all of your senses into play, and make it as real as possible. I think it was Dennis Waitley that said they did a study of high level athletes, runners, I believe. They tested the runners before, during, and after running, checking how their bodies acted at various points. This is where it gets interesting. Next they had the athletes visualize themselves doing the same run. The athletes saw the entire run in their minds, seeing it as real as possible, and their bodies tested exactly the same when they visualized as when they had actually done the running. Same harder breathing, elevated heart rate, all of it! You see, if you really become a part of what you are visualizing, your body can't tell that it isn't real! What this means is, if we really make our dreams real, in our mind, daily, over and over again, our mind and body think it is real.
Then, your mind starts telling itself, "I need to figure out how to make this dream happen. I need to put together all of the pieces of the puzzle somehow." You start looking for and seeing things that you wouldn't have noticed before. Do you know that, as you go through life, every minute of every day, you don't notice 95% of what is going on around you? Stop right now, and check out every detail of everything around you. Blades of grass moving, a clock ticking, objects around the room, cars passing, everything. Look at every little detail. Up until you started looking for it, you didn't notice 95% of what was there. You couldn't. Your mind can not process that much information at one time. So it focuses on what it thinks it needs to know and pay attention to the most. How does it decide that? One way is habits. Your mind pays attention to what you are in the habit of paying attention to. Another way is pay attention to the most important things, like the road when you drive. Another way is pay attention to what you have trained it to look for. When you visualize certain dreams over and over again, you start seeing things that can help you accomplish that dream. Sometimes you see little tiny things, in bits and pieces, over time. Sometimes you find one huge answer that makes the whole entire dream come true all at once. You train your mind what to look for, and it follows your commands. Science has taught us that human beings only use approximately 5-10% of our brain functions. This might sound a little hokey to some of you, but I honestly believe that by training our subconscious on what we want it to look for, we tap into the vast unused portions of our brain, and it starts working for us. That subconscious has to do something, and I think it does whatever primary directives you give it. If you tell your brain that you are watching TV and vegging, and you don't want it to do anything, it won't do anything. If you tell it to block out something painful, it will block it out. If you tell it to pursue your dreams, it will!!! But you have to make it real. The stronger and more real you make your visualization and images, the harder and faster your brain will work to find ways to create what you are visualizing. Keep in mind, you can't just visualize riches and sit on the couch and wait for the riches. You actually have to think, and plan, and turn your thoughts into actions (process of manifestation: thoughts lead to feelings lead to actions lead to results). But, still, this process will help you find the missing pieces that you didn't see before. The most successful people throughout history knew this... If you study successful people, you will find this is a key ingredient with almost all of them. Short version: what you think about comes about! What you focus on expands.
Personally, about 8-10 years ago I was poor. I made about $8-10/hour, and was solidly lower middle class. I had just started to get seriously interested in real estate, started studying success, etc. My wife Tammy and I went with my Mom and my sister to a gentlemen's house that my Mom was sort of dating. He had a very nice, 3/2/2 block house, with an in-ground caged swimming pool, and beautiful poolside commercial bar and grill (if memory serves me). He was a bit of a wine connoseuir, and, while I am not a wine drinker, most of the rest of them enjoyed sampling a few wines. It was a warm summer evening, the pool had a built in light, and the water was great. We had an amazing time, though my Mom may have drank a little too much wine, and tried to return some (sorry Mom)! The home was unlike anything I had experienced before. When I say I was raised without a lot of money in my life, it is not an understatement. This was a different lifestyle than Tammy, myself, my sister, or my Mom were accustomed to. I told my wife, that night, in front of my Mom and sister, that I would get us a home and pool just like that. If memory serves me, they all rolled their eyes, and I am guessing my wife said something like, “yeah, when we are about 80 years old, maybe”. I said I didn't know if it would take a few years, or many, or what, but we would have that again, and it would be all ours. I told my Mom and sister that, if they wanted that house in their future, too, they could learn with me. I think, at the time, it wasn't real enough for them to start pursuing it. Later, in T. Harv Eker's course "The Million Mind Intensive", we did some hypnosis, and I saw the same home again. I have visualized it many times sense then. In October of 2006, my wife and I purchased our new home, in the very same neighborhood as that house. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage, concrete block house. We have done a few things to it, and have plans to do some more some time (I rehab houses!), but it has an in-ground, screened pool, with a light in it. Every time I drive home, I feel a tinge of joy that part of my dreams is coming true again. I experience that high almost every time I start nearing home. On my way home I drive past the street that man’s house is on, and I sometimes look out at the houses and wonder, which of those houses is the one we visited those years ago. Which house helped me visualize my dream home, and helped push me to make it a reality several years later.
Interesting thing... My wife and I looked at pool homes just under $200K off and on for 2-3 years. I always told her we would get our nice, new, pool home before our son started kindergarten, so we would be in a good school district. She sometimes supported me, and other times gave me a "yeah, right". It didn't matter. I already knew I would have it, because I had been there so many times before. When a realtor friend of mine told me about our current house, I told him $249.9K was out of our price range. He said the listing agent said the sellers were very motivated, and we should check it out. I called the listing realtor, chatted with her about the house some, and decided that, even though we probably wouldn't be able to stretch to it, we would look at it, because the pictures were amazing. This house was in a completely different league than anything else we looked at for $200K. We walked in, looked at each other, and both had this smile on our faces like we were home. I knew I was in trouble, and these sellers better be very motivated. Long story short, at that time, I was not thinking the least little bit about my dream. Months later, I was watching "The Secret", and I was reminded that it was my dream house. In "The Secret", John Assaraf shows his son his dreaming board, (I have been gathering pictures so my family can make these soon), and he starts to tear up. He had a picture, from years prior, of the exact same house they were living in, and hadn't even realized it. It was a picture from some glamour homes type of photo shoot or whatever, and it was of the house he later bought as his personal residence. I think it said about 7,000 or 9,000 square feet, with a 3,000 square foot guest house. You know, your ordinary run of the mill stuff.
I will be making a dreaming board soon (and encouraging my wife and kids to do the same), and will do plenty more visualizing, because I am not done yet. I have more, bigger and better things to come, and I hope all of you reading this do as well. Best wishes, and happy dreaming!
Fred Couples and Jim Nantz were two kids who loved golf and had very large dreams. Fred's goal was to someday win the Master's Tournament, and Jim's was to someday work for CBS Sports as an announcer. Fred and Jim were suitemates at the University of Houston in the late 1970's, and they would playact the scene where the winner of the Masters was escorted into Butler Cabin to receive his green jacket, and be interviewed by the CBS announcer. Fourteen years later, the scene they had rehearsed many times in Taub Hall at the University of Houston played out in reality as the whole world looked on. Fred Couples won the Masters, and was taken by tournament officials into Butler Cabin, where he was interviewed by... CBS sports announcer Jim Nantz, of course. After the cameras stopped rolling, the two embraced each other with tears in their eyes. They always knew it would happen that way, because they had already done it all those years earlier.
There is amazing power in acting as if something has already happened. In visualizing your dreams... especially when you bring all of your senses into play, and make it as real as possible. I think it was Dennis Waitley that said they did a study of high level athletes, runners, I believe. They tested the runners before, during, and after running, checking how their bodies acted at various points. This is where it gets interesting. Next they had the athletes visualize themselves doing the same run. The athletes saw the entire run in their minds, seeing it as real as possible, and their bodies tested exactly the same when they visualized as when they had actually done the running. Same harder breathing, elevated heart rate, all of it! You see, if you really become a part of what you are visualizing, your body can't tell that it isn't real! What this means is, if we really make our dreams real, in our mind, daily, over and over again, our mind and body think it is real.
Then, your mind starts telling itself, "I need to figure out how to make this dream happen. I need to put together all of the pieces of the puzzle somehow." You start looking for and seeing things that you wouldn't have noticed before. Do you know that, as you go through life, every minute of every day, you don't notice 95% of what is going on around you? Stop right now, and check out every detail of everything around you. Blades of grass moving, a clock ticking, objects around the room, cars passing, everything. Look at every little detail. Up until you started looking for it, you didn't notice 95% of what was there. You couldn't. Your mind can not process that much information at one time. So it focuses on what it thinks it needs to know and pay attention to the most. How does it decide that? One way is habits. Your mind pays attention to what you are in the habit of paying attention to. Another way is pay attention to the most important things, like the road when you drive. Another way is pay attention to what you have trained it to look for. When you visualize certain dreams over and over again, you start seeing things that can help you accomplish that dream. Sometimes you see little tiny things, in bits and pieces, over time. Sometimes you find one huge answer that makes the whole entire dream come true all at once. You train your mind what to look for, and it follows your commands. Science has taught us that human beings only use approximately 5-10% of our brain functions. This might sound a little hokey to some of you, but I honestly believe that by training our subconscious on what we want it to look for, we tap into the vast unused portions of our brain, and it starts working for us. That subconscious has to do something, and I think it does whatever primary directives you give it. If you tell your brain that you are watching TV and vegging, and you don't want it to do anything, it won't do anything. If you tell it to block out something painful, it will block it out. If you tell it to pursue your dreams, it will!!! But you have to make it real. The stronger and more real you make your visualization and images, the harder and faster your brain will work to find ways to create what you are visualizing. Keep in mind, you can't just visualize riches and sit on the couch and wait for the riches. You actually have to think, and plan, and turn your thoughts into actions (process of manifestation: thoughts lead to feelings lead to actions lead to results). But, still, this process will help you find the missing pieces that you didn't see before. The most successful people throughout history knew this... If you study successful people, you will find this is a key ingredient with almost all of them. Short version: what you think about comes about! What you focus on expands.
Personally, about 8-10 years ago I was poor. I made about $8-10/hour, and was solidly lower middle class. I had just started to get seriously interested in real estate, started studying success, etc. My wife Tammy and I went with my Mom and my sister to a gentlemen's house that my Mom was sort of dating. He had a very nice, 3/2/2 block house, with an in-ground caged swimming pool, and beautiful poolside commercial bar and grill (if memory serves me). He was a bit of a wine connoseuir, and, while I am not a wine drinker, most of the rest of them enjoyed sampling a few wines. It was a warm summer evening, the pool had a built in light, and the water was great. We had an amazing time, though my Mom may have drank a little too much wine, and tried to return some (sorry Mom)! The home was unlike anything I had experienced before. When I say I was raised without a lot of money in my life, it is not an understatement. This was a different lifestyle than Tammy, myself, my sister, or my Mom were accustomed to. I told my wife, that night, in front of my Mom and sister, that I would get us a home and pool just like that. If memory serves me, they all rolled their eyes, and I am guessing my wife said something like, “yeah, when we are about 80 years old, maybe”. I said I didn't know if it would take a few years, or many, or what, but we would have that again, and it would be all ours. I told my Mom and sister that, if they wanted that house in their future, too, they could learn with me. I think, at the time, it wasn't real enough for them to start pursuing it. Later, in T. Harv Eker's course "The Million Mind Intensive", we did some hypnosis, and I saw the same home again. I have visualized it many times sense then. In October of 2006, my wife and I purchased our new home, in the very same neighborhood as that house. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage, concrete block house. We have done a few things to it, and have plans to do some more some time (I rehab houses!), but it has an in-ground, screened pool, with a light in it. Every time I drive home, I feel a tinge of joy that part of my dreams is coming true again. I experience that high almost every time I start nearing home. On my way home I drive past the street that man’s house is on, and I sometimes look out at the houses and wonder, which of those houses is the one we visited those years ago. Which house helped me visualize my dream home, and helped push me to make it a reality several years later.
Interesting thing... My wife and I looked at pool homes just under $200K off and on for 2-3 years. I always told her we would get our nice, new, pool home before our son started kindergarten, so we would be in a good school district. She sometimes supported me, and other times gave me a "yeah, right". It didn't matter. I already knew I would have it, because I had been there so many times before. When a realtor friend of mine told me about our current house, I told him $249.9K was out of our price range. He said the listing agent said the sellers were very motivated, and we should check it out. I called the listing realtor, chatted with her about the house some, and decided that, even though we probably wouldn't be able to stretch to it, we would look at it, because the pictures were amazing. This house was in a completely different league than anything else we looked at for $200K. We walked in, looked at each other, and both had this smile on our faces like we were home. I knew I was in trouble, and these sellers better be very motivated. Long story short, at that time, I was not thinking the least little bit about my dream. Months later, I was watching "The Secret", and I was reminded that it was my dream house. In "The Secret", John Assaraf shows his son his dreaming board, (I have been gathering pictures so my family can make these soon), and he starts to tear up. He had a picture, from years prior, of the exact same house they were living in, and hadn't even realized it. It was a picture from some glamour homes type of photo shoot or whatever, and it was of the house he later bought as his personal residence. I think it said about 7,000 or 9,000 square feet, with a 3,000 square foot guest house. You know, your ordinary run of the mill stuff.
I will be making a dreaming board soon (and encouraging my wife and kids to do the same), and will do plenty more visualizing, because I am not done yet. I have more, bigger and better things to come, and I hope all of you reading this do as well. Best wishes, and happy dreaming!
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Navy Destroyer Captain
A Navy Destroyer, which is a huge battleship, is traveling on a foggy morning, with horrible visibility, and the lookout sees a beacon light flashing ahead. He reports to the captain, who has the crew hail the source of the beacon on the radio. The captain says, “tell them to change their course 5 degrees starboard”. They radio the message, and they get a response back saying “change your course 5 degrees port”. The captain says to notify them, “change your course 5 degrees starboard immediately or we are going to collide”. The response comes back, “change your course 5 degrees port immediately and there won’t be a collision”. The captain says, “YOU TELL THEM this is the captain of a giant Navy Destroyer Ship speaking, and they better change their course 5 degrees starboard immediately, because they don’t want to collide with a vessel of our size!”. The response comes back, “change your course 5 degrees port immediately, because this is the lighthouse you are talking to”.
Some things that seem impossible can be accomplished by virtue of hard work, creativity, persistence, etc. There is much to be said for the person who insists on finding a way to get something accomplished, no matter how difficult the task. I am a firm believer that you must be a “find a way to get the job done” kind of person to be truly successful in life.
On the other hand, we need to be sure that what we are trying to accomplish is the right task or tasks. The moral of the story with the captain destroyer is, some things are beyond your control, and your efforts can be much better spent working on things that are within your control, rather than fighting against things that are not. If you are spending your time and energy trying to change your spouse or someone close to you, you are probably fighting a losing battle. You can definitely improve your life by working on you, and I am a firm believer that the more personal development you do the better your life will get, but you can’t change someone else – the decision to change is a decision people can only make for themselves. If you spend all of your time and energy complaining about the economy, the government, the country, or the world, you got a tough row to hoe. If, however, you find the flaws, and figure how to best work within these systems, or even come up with ideas that solve problems that are common to many, then you are in business (or at least you should be). One of the secrets to life is figuring out the fights that are worth fighting, so you don’t waste your efforts trying to get a lighthouse to change its course.
MAKING IT PERSONAL
On occasion, when politics comes up, friends or colleagues ask me why I seem sort of ignorant of candidates, causes, etc. This is just my personal leanings, and many very successful people disagree with this completely, but I don’t spend much of my time on political issues. I discovered long ago that, for me personally, I could spend a pound of effort trying to influence political issues, and I would get back only an ounce of return (very little influence on a vote outcome, etc.), but I could spend an ounce of effort figuring out the best way to work within the existing systems, and get back a pound or more of return (for example, I don’t make knowing every candidate’s stance on tax law changes my personal agenda, but I do make sure I know the changes that are happening, how they affect me, and how to make the most of the existing laws and/or future laws as they pertain to my business).
Now, here is something that kind of makes me a little sad. I drive by LRMC (the local hospital) on my way to work most days, and I routinely see people “picketing”. For example, I saw one person there every day, for over a month, carrying a sign complaining that they received a $3K procedure that they didn’t want. They probably gave up 200 hours of their life, or more, to let those driving by know how mad they were at the hospital. Do they think it mattered much to the people driving by? What could they have done that would have helped their cause more? First, did they make sure they had the appropriate insurance coverage to begin with, and, if not, are they getting it to prevent a similar situation in the future? Second, did they take the right approach, and talk to the right people, about trying to resolve the issue in their favor as much as possible (or did they just scream and yell a lot at whoever came on the line whenever they called)? Third, if there is a cause involved that they care about, which I doubt, then is there a better, more productive way to take up for that cause? Fourth, and lastly, did they evaluate what the 200 hours of their time spent carrying a sign was costing them? It would have cost me more than $3K, so I would probably be cutting off my nose to spite my face. Plus, if their time isn’t worth that much, then they should worry more about improving how much their time is worth, and less about being angry at a world that is probably largely just doing what it is supposed to be doing – which may very well be giving someone the best possible care in spite of themselves… Then again, maybe if they persist long enough, they will get that lighthouse to change course 5 degrees starboard!
I spent many an hour trying to back down lighthouses in my life before I discovered personal achievement (complaining about things I had no control over and/or fighting battles I couldn’t win used to be a regular thing for me), but I just couldn’t get most of them to budge… Today, I still hit a bump in the road now and then. Do you have any lighthouses in your life, that you are working fervently to get to change course 5 degrees starboard, and if so, are there other things you could do with the time and energy being spent that would help you to have more success and happiness in your life? If so, I wish you Godspeed in recognizing those issues, and changing your focus, so you can do more, have more, give more, be more! Best wishes from a former Navy Destroyer Captain - LOL!
'And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.'
Best wishes,
Chris Lund
Some things that seem impossible can be accomplished by virtue of hard work, creativity, persistence, etc. There is much to be said for the person who insists on finding a way to get something accomplished, no matter how difficult the task. I am a firm believer that you must be a “find a way to get the job done” kind of person to be truly successful in life.
On the other hand, we need to be sure that what we are trying to accomplish is the right task or tasks. The moral of the story with the captain destroyer is, some things are beyond your control, and your efforts can be much better spent working on things that are within your control, rather than fighting against things that are not. If you are spending your time and energy trying to change your spouse or someone close to you, you are probably fighting a losing battle. You can definitely improve your life by working on you, and I am a firm believer that the more personal development you do the better your life will get, but you can’t change someone else – the decision to change is a decision people can only make for themselves. If you spend all of your time and energy complaining about the economy, the government, the country, or the world, you got a tough row to hoe. If, however, you find the flaws, and figure how to best work within these systems, or even come up with ideas that solve problems that are common to many, then you are in business (or at least you should be). One of the secrets to life is figuring out the fights that are worth fighting, so you don’t waste your efforts trying to get a lighthouse to change its course.
MAKING IT PERSONAL
On occasion, when politics comes up, friends or colleagues ask me why I seem sort of ignorant of candidates, causes, etc. This is just my personal leanings, and many very successful people disagree with this completely, but I don’t spend much of my time on political issues. I discovered long ago that, for me personally, I could spend a pound of effort trying to influence political issues, and I would get back only an ounce of return (very little influence on a vote outcome, etc.), but I could spend an ounce of effort figuring out the best way to work within the existing systems, and get back a pound or more of return (for example, I don’t make knowing every candidate’s stance on tax law changes my personal agenda, but I do make sure I know the changes that are happening, how they affect me, and how to make the most of the existing laws and/or future laws as they pertain to my business).
Now, here is something that kind of makes me a little sad. I drive by LRMC (the local hospital) on my way to work most days, and I routinely see people “picketing”. For example, I saw one person there every day, for over a month, carrying a sign complaining that they received a $3K procedure that they didn’t want. They probably gave up 200 hours of their life, or more, to let those driving by know how mad they were at the hospital. Do they think it mattered much to the people driving by? What could they have done that would have helped their cause more? First, did they make sure they had the appropriate insurance coverage to begin with, and, if not, are they getting it to prevent a similar situation in the future? Second, did they take the right approach, and talk to the right people, about trying to resolve the issue in their favor as much as possible (or did they just scream and yell a lot at whoever came on the line whenever they called)? Third, if there is a cause involved that they care about, which I doubt, then is there a better, more productive way to take up for that cause? Fourth, and lastly, did they evaluate what the 200 hours of their time spent carrying a sign was costing them? It would have cost me more than $3K, so I would probably be cutting off my nose to spite my face. Plus, if their time isn’t worth that much, then they should worry more about improving how much their time is worth, and less about being angry at a world that is probably largely just doing what it is supposed to be doing – which may very well be giving someone the best possible care in spite of themselves… Then again, maybe if they persist long enough, they will get that lighthouse to change course 5 degrees starboard!
I spent many an hour trying to back down lighthouses in my life before I discovered personal achievement (complaining about things I had no control over and/or fighting battles I couldn’t win used to be a regular thing for me), but I just couldn’t get most of them to budge… Today, I still hit a bump in the road now and then. Do you have any lighthouses in your life, that you are working fervently to get to change course 5 degrees starboard, and if so, are there other things you could do with the time and energy being spent that would help you to have more success and happiness in your life? If so, I wish you Godspeed in recognizing those issues, and changing your focus, so you can do more, have more, give more, be more! Best wishes from a former Navy Destroyer Captain - LOL!
'And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.'
Best wishes,
Chris Lund
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