People often search for get rich quick schemes or magic investments that will catapult them into success. In preparing for this book I examined my success as well as the success of many people I know. I found success had less to do with the "What" and more to do with the "Who". Let me explain. People often search for what will cause them to be successful. If you look at successful people you will find there is no magic investment. I know millionaires who became successful through real estate; others who became successful through the web; others through starting their own business. The list can go on forever and ever. I did not see a common element in "What" they did but I did see a common element in "Who" they were. I realized success had more to do with the qualities they possessed and exhibited than what they did to become successful. This discovery is what motivated me to write this book.
Wealthy Secrets
Secrets Every Individual Must KnowBy John GibsonAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2010 Dr. John Gibson
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4490-8274-1Contents
Prelude!!..........................................................vii1. Success Defined: A Deeper Look Into Success.....................12. Passion: In Love With Success...................................113. Procrastination: Your Biggest Enemy.............................194. CAN'T: I Certainly Am Not Trying................................275. Networking: Who You Know........................................356. Knowledge DO YOU HAVE IT?.......................................437. Determination: Bull Dog Mindset.................................518. Obstacles: How to Overcome......................................599. Failure: A Key to Success.......................................6910. The Negotiator: Listen & Communicate...........................7711. Millionaire Mentality: Keeping the Wealth......................85
Chapter One
Success Defined: A Deeper Look Into Success
Deep down in every individual is a desire to be successful and achieve greatness. This desire is part of human nature. It has been rooted in man since the beginning of time. Since the beginning of time people have been steadily trying to conquer all they can. We have conquered air, sea, animals and even man. This desire to accomplish more is engraved in our very being.
Wikipedia defines success as "the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like." This engraved desire for success is what builds neighborhoods, communities and even nations. The United States of America has become the great nation it is today because we as Americans take pride in striving for success and in being the best. There is nothing wrong with possessing this type of mindset. In fact those who do possess this type of mindset tend to go farther in life then those who do not. If you are going to be successful in life you will have to desire to be successful. Throughout this book you will hear me say this many times. I believe to desire something means to persistently pursue it in the midst of adversity or obstacles.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to be the best. Some of the biggest corporations in the world found themselves at the top by wanting and striving to be there. Many times people feel that it is wrong to want to be the best and want to be on top but until you have this mindset you will not go far. Living in the nicest neighborhoods, driving the nicest cars, and wearing the most expensive clothes should be a motivator for you. I have a saying that I repeat often and it is "I'm only here for a little while so why not enjoy it". This is how I look at life. We are only on this planet for a little while. Whether or not you believe in life after death; the fact still remains that we are placed on this earth for a specific reason and for a specific time.
When you understand that tomorrow is not promised to you it opens up your mind to understand that you should be living every moment as if it were your last. I believe what separates billionaires from millionaires is their mindset. The only thing that separates millionaires from ordinary individuals who are working 9-5 jobs is their mindset. Millionaires have a millionaire mindset and I have devoted an entire chapter to just that subject. Millionaires understand the need to constantly seize the moment.
I want you to perform an exercise for me. Think hard on some of the opportunities that have come your way. Now ask yourself have you seized every opportunity that has come your way??? If you are honest with yourself you will find that most of us have not seized every available opportunity. I cannot stress to you how important it is for you to learn to seize the moment. Seizing the moment may simply be to talk about it, or to work on plans to make it come to pass, or to make it happen now. Making the effort to seize the moment will be your defining moment.
There was a movie entitled "The Last Holiday". In this movie Queen Latifah was told she had a life threatening illness and had three weeks to live. She then went and sold all her savings bonds and lived her life like there was no tomorrow. She charted a helicopter, stayed in the most expensive hotel, and was pampered every day. I'm not suggesting that you go and do the same thing she did but I would like you to understand the principle of seizing the moment. If you can learn to seize every moment and opportunity that comes your way one day you will be able to live the glamorous lifestyle that she was able to live.
Balance has to be brought to this subject because I don't want you to think that I am telling you to jump into every opportunity that comes your way. Every opportunity may not be right for you; however each one that comes your way is worth looking into further and that is how you seize the moment. You may come across 20 different opportunities and after failure you may start to get discouraged. When another comes along you think it is going to be just like all the others. Let me warn you. The moment you think this way is when you will miss out.
I knew a couple who were happily married but as it is in many marriages the husband always had some crazy scheme he wanted to try next. Unfortunately, in marriages, one person can enter into something but they both suffer if it is a failure. After many attempts and failures that negatively affected the family; the wife told him not to get involved in anything else. As time went by they both continued to work their 9 to 5 jobs but he always believed there was a better way for them. One day he was introduced to a home-based business selling nutritional supplements through a company called Mannatech.
He felt so strongly about the products they sold he seized the opportunity quickly. Week by week he secretly went to meetings and began to invest into this business. Soon his wife began to get suspicious about where some of their money was going. She began to wonder where he was spending so much of his time. One night after dinner he knew he had to set the record straight before she would accuse him of cheating. He told her everything and she began to see the same flare in his eye about this business as she had seen with every other business. The difference, this time, was she admitted it felt right. She decided to give this new business a chance and to this day that was the best decision she ever made.
That decision not only provided financial benefits that allowed both of them to quit their jobs, but it also enabled them to spend all the time they wanted with their children. What if she would have been like most of us and gave up on the opportunity of success? She would have given up the opportunity to live the life she always wanted to live. I tell you this to give you an even deeper sense of urgency towards seizing the moment. Strive to become a success in every area of your life.
Take the next few pages to write about what success means to you and what you want out of life. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
Chapter Two
Passion: In Love With Success
Success is a mindset. It is a perpetual force that drives you to want to become and achieve more. Desiring success should be a part of who you are. You should wake up every morning with success on your mind. When you sleep you should be dreaming about success.
Wikipedia defines passion as "an outburst of strong emotion or feeling". Success must become your number one passion. You will never reach the levels of success you truly desire and are truly capable of obtaining until it is. I like to refer to this relationship as being in love with success. Have you ever met someone who just turned your life upside down? You woke up every morning and went to bed every night with that special person on your mind. In fact you were so infatuated with that person many times you noticed yourself drifting off and daydreaming about how you two were going to spend the rest of your lives together. That special person always had your full attention and your heart. This is how passionate you should be with your success.
It sounds so crazy to think that you should be in love with success, but I am reminded of a scripture in the Bible that states "Where your heart is there shall your treasure be also". Some people define their success by their career. These individuals are typically workaholics. They usually are the first people at work and the last ones to leave. Now I am not here to discuss if these individuals are necessarily right or wrong in their work ethics or habits, but one thing that is clear is that they are so passionate about what they do and always excel to the top. These are the individuals that many companies search for. These are the individuals who make companies successful.
Many people think that managers, supervisors and executives are some of the laziest people that work for a company. I would be one to disagree because most of them got to where they are because they were passionate about their career. They allowed that passion to open up the door for success. I have applied this principle to my life and have seen it work exponentially. It is all about passion and the passion to be successful is a passion that not only benefits you but possesses the opportunity to benefit many others as well. So I encourage you to fall in love with success, fall in love with becoming an individual who is driven by success and watch your entire life change.
Success has to become your life and your passion. This book is not just to show you the necessary keys to become successful in your finances but also in your everyday life. What good is it to have financial success and every other area in your life is unsuccessful?
These principles that I will be sharing with you, throughout this book, can be applied to any area of your life. They will produce the same type of success in your relationships, family, health and any other area of your life. I am reminded of the old folk tale about King Midas. He had the power to turn anything to gold that he touched. This power made him the wealthiest king in the land but it also became a curse to him. He saw success in his finances but every other area of his life fell to pieces because of this very success. No one wants to be like him and have everything you could possibly want financially but lack success in every other area of your life.
Unfortunately, many people are like King Midas. They live day by day over-consumed in their financial success that they forget about the other areas they need to be successful as well. Success is like an automobile. There are many parts and components to the car that allows the car to operate smoothly. An automobile can go a long time without having the oil changed. Eventually the automobile will break down because one of the areas of the automobile was not successful. You do not want your life to be like this car. You want to experience success in everything you do. It is in that very moment that you can truly say you are successful.
Life is too short to not spend it living the way you want to live it. Many times we think that living a successful life is only for movie stars, singers, and people who just have a lot of money. The first step you can take towards being successful is recognizing the idea that you too can live that same type of lifestyle. I am convinced that people who live the life that most people only dream about dared to believe that they could have that lifestyle. There is nothing wrong with wanting to have it all.
Once you start believing in yourself and in your dreams you have just opened up a door that will lead you down a path of success. I want you to use the next few pages to write down every goal, desire and passion that you have regarding any area of your life. You may have a passion for a healthier marriage or a business. Whatever the goal or passion is write it down. I want you to come back to what you write every month and measure if you are getting closer to fulfilling your passions. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
Excerpted from Wealthy Secretsby John Gibson Copyright © 2010 by Dr. John Gibson. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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