Make Your Own Decisions Fast & Be Persistent!

think-and-grow-richYou… Ya You…

“You have a brain and mind of your own. Use it and reach your own decisions. If you need facts or information from other people to enable you to reach decisions, as you probably will in many instances, acquire these facts or secure the information you need quietly, without disclosing your purpose.”[note]Page 159[/note]

This Ah-Ha Moment is more of a slap in the face. We’re living in an age right now where there are a lot of sheep just following along. Nobody really speaking up for themselves or being original. I’ve been there, you’ve been there and it’s okay. The faster you can snap out of it and be your own decision maker, the faster you can take back control or power in these situations.

When I first started writing, I’d reach out to a few select people to see what they thought and if I should change anything. They’d give me their feedback and encouragement. After a few times of doing this, I realized that I need to be the one deciding the outcome of my writing and that I shouldn’t rely on other people as much. I’m NOT saying don’t ask for  help… but after a while, it’s time to put your big boy pants on and do it yourself.

Reaching these decisions is difficult because it’s uncharted territory for myself. Over the past year or so, I’ve gotten comfortable with being uncomfortable!

“Those who reach decisions promptly and definitely know what they want, and generally get it. The leaders in every walk of life decide quickly and firmly. That is the major reason why they are leaders. The world has the habit of making room for people whose words and actions show they know where they are going.”[note]Page 170[/note]

Think about that for a second. Look at anybody that’s made it big in their respected field and analyze why. I can guarantee that they weren’t afraid to make a decision. They were willing to take action and have a burning desire behind it. DISCLAIMER: If you’re happy going through life at a normal pace and living for the weekend, that’d absolutely fine! There is nothing wrong with that… My first job out of college, I was happy with that.

If you’re striving to do more, be better, achieve greater and not stop, these Ah-Ha Moments are for you. There is no stopping and you MUST have that burning desire!

“THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR PERSISTENCE! It cannot be supplanted by any other quality! Remember this in the beginning and it will hearten you when the going may seem difficult and slow. Those who have cultivated the habit of persistence seem to enjoy insurance against failure. No matter how many times they are defeated, they finally arrive up near the top of the ladder.”[note]Page 179[/note]

People that aren’t willing to give up always do better than people that are willing to settle. Napoleon Hill uses incredible examples through out the book to paint a clear picture. Look at Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Arnold Schwarzenegger… the list goes on. Persistence is everything. Without it, you don’t have the foundation to carry through.

When I ‘forget’ to read and write, I often scold myself because I’ve gotten lazy. This ‘thing’ I’m doing is for such a bigger picture and if I slack in this area, it will take longer to reach my goal. Staying persistence towards my goal helps remind me why I need to keep writing content!

Anybody can wish for riches, and most people do, but only a few know that a definite plan plus a burning desire for wealth are the only dependable means of accumulation it.”[note]Page 202[/note]

“Think & Grow Rich” is all about the concept of obtaining wealth. I think this last Ah-Ha Moment can have a dual meaning because some people don’t actually strive to make more money. They want to help others and feel good about their work and that’s all they want. Obviously they want to live comfortably, but I don’t think there are a lot of people out there thinking, ‘I’ve got to make over $500k this year and I’ll do anything to get there.’ At some point, you sacrifice things in life… family, friends, etc.

However, it is true… most people wish for stuff. If they get it, great, if they don’t, they never thought they’d get it in the first place, so no big deal. Unfortunately, I see this often. People give up too easily. If you’re read this far, I challenge you to define a goal, design a plan and make it happen. Make sure you’ve got that desire; Lord knows you need it. 😉

 

There’s more from me to come about: Think & Grow Rich

A QUITTER NEVER WINS – AND A WINNER NEVER QUITS

think-and-grow-richThe fourth step to riches in ‘Think and Grow Rich’ really got me thinking… and this is great. The book is challenging my opinion and my thought process. Bare with me as I go off on a tangent. I promise, it’ll make you think! There are two types of knowledge; general and specialized. Knowledge doesn’t actually get you anything…

Knowledge will not attract money unless it is organized and intelligently directed through practical plans of action to the definite end of accumulation of money. Lack of understanding of this fact has been the source of confusion to millions of people who falsely believe that ‘knowledge is power.’ It is nothing of the sort! Knowledge is potential power. It becomes power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of action and directed to a definite end.”[note] Page 79/80[/note]

This really got me thinking because there is a huge difference between knowing something and action upon it & knowing something and not doing anything about it. For some reason, I like using the word potential… maybe because there is so much uncertainty and hope associated with the word. I used to use it whenever I talked about up and coming football players on the team or country. ‘They’ve got potential’ I’d say. I know deep down inside what it takes for them to execute on their potential but unless they’re willing to do that, their potential will go to waste.

Knowledge is the same thing. Gary Vaynerchuk touches on this a little, but he also hits on the bigger picture of putting action plans into place. Don’t waste the knowledge or ‘inside information’ you have. Someone out there is dying to read, see or listen to what you have to say… so start sharing! You never know… One Piece Of Content Could Change Your Life. Try and look at your network or group of friends and look for the potential. Don’t look for the future potential, but look at the lost potential they once had. Now, look at the future potential.. Can you help them achieve it?

If you’ve been following my journey for the past 10 months, you’ve seen posts about sales books, motivation, networking, connecting, management, and business. I’m always looking for ways to do my job better and in less time. If I can work less than 40 hours a week, help twice as many companies and make more money, I’m going to do it! I hope you would too. This Ah-Ha Moment is a refresher but also a ‘yes, I haven’t positioned myself like that in a while’ type of moment. 😛

“Generally speaking, an idea is an impulse of thought that impels action by an appeal to the imagination. All master sales reps know that ideas can be sold where merchandise cannot. Ordinary sales reps do not know this – that is why they are ‘ordinary.'”[note]Page 109[/note]

Given the current market place and landscape I’m competing in, this is going to be a huge strength moving forward. I’ve harped on the ‘imagine this’ with prospects and clients before, but not as much as I could! Look at the title of this book… Do you think anybody would buy this book if it didn’t say “Think and Grow Rich”. There’s roughly 280 pages in the book; they could have called it, 280 pages and you’ll be rich.

Napoleon Hill is selling you based on the imagination you can come up with while you think… and then BOOM, you’re rich. It’s not quite that easy, but once you start trying things out of the book, you quickly realize that it isn’t all that hard either.

“A QUITTER NEVER WINS – AND A WINNER NEVER QUITS”[note]Page 118[/note]

Man, this is just another GREAT reminder. Look at all of the successful people in your life and try and look for a reoccurring common denominator. I always like to say ‘can’t stop won’t stop’. Get in the mindset that you’re never going to give up. I’ve see the results of people quitting… guess what… they quit on everything else. They get so accustom to quitting that they even stop trying.

It’s really sad how fast that can spiral out of control. Like a few weeks ago when I lost two deals in a row. I didn’t freaking quit! I’m finding new business left and right and I’m even more motivated than before. I’m going to prove those companies wrong! I’m going to provide value and call them every month until I earn their business. Their provider WILL do something wrong and I’ll be there to be the knight in shining armor! DON’T QUIT!!

There’s a section in the book labeled: The 30 Major Causes Of Failure.

“9. LACK OF PERSISTENCE. Most of us are good ‘starters’ but poor ‘finishers’ of everything we begin. Moreover, people are prone to give up at the first signs of defeat. There is no substitute for persistence. The persistence person discovers that ‘Old Man Failure’ finally becomes tired and goes away. Failure cannot cope with persistence.”[note]Page 139[/note]

Don’t let this be one of the reason you fail; if you fail. Nobody ever got anywhere without being persistent. Sales people are constantly being ‘pleasantly persistent’. Always following up, coming up with a reason to check in, offering a solution, updating them on something new and cool, seeing their company be successful… Constantly staying in their ‘life feed’ so that when they need you, you’re there.

Finish what you’ve started and don’t let anything get in your way! Nobody likes a quitter.

 

There’s more from me to come about: Think & Grow Rich

Possess A Burning Desire & Have Faith

think-and-grow-richThere is literally an Ah-Ha Moment on every few pages. This is the second time that I decided to read this book and it’s for a good reason. I hit a slump… I lost two deals in a row… One of which, I should have won. It sucks! Then, I picked up a book that I couldn’t enjoy reading. I found myself wondering away from my routine and that’s not good! My routine is great and it seems to be ever evolving. But dang… I hit the rough in the road and I was down. I hate dwelling on losses and I’m good at getting over them fast, but one after another and I cracked. Luckily, I turned it around after a long weekend and by closing the previous book.

Now, BABY, I’m back, FULL force ready to keep trucking along! I’m mentally stronger, I learned a lot and now it’s time for me to do some winning. With a mindset like that, you can’t freaking stop me!

“Truly, ‘thoughts are things,’ and powerful things at that, when mixed with purpose, persistence and a burning desire for their translations into riches or other material objects.”[note]Page 1[/note]

The entire basis of this book is built on the process that it all starts with the right mindset. It’s so true. Everything I’ve done up until this point has been because of my mind set. The absolute drive to be better everyday. A lot of this mentality comes from playing sports growing up and always wanting to be the best. Once you’ve developed this type of mindset or one similar, it’s just a matter of you taking a step in the right direction. If you’re looking to acquire more money, then put forth the effort to make that money. Drive for Uber, go to garage sales and buy stuff and sell it on ebay, start an online service, sign up for Fiverr and sell stuff. These silly excuses we give ourselves stop us from actually taking action.

Here’s a good one! How many HOURS do you spend a day watching TV or on social media?! Stop… Stop all of that and use that time to get better. If you’re complacent with life and not happy where you’re at, make the change! This shit doesn’t come easy, and if it did, would you really enjoy it?! Where’s the Desire?

“Behind this demand for new and better things there is one quality one must posses to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”[note]Page 24/25[/note]

How bad do you NEED it?! You’ve got a dream, so what are you doing to take steps to get there. You can see that I’m taking those steps as you read this sentence! I have an ABSOLUTE desire to posses what I seek and I’m not going to let anybody get in my way. Don’t give any thought to the nay sayers! They’re negative and they don’t want to see you succeed anyways. At this point in your life, you should be surrounding yourself with people that prop you up.

Whens the last time you did an audit for your friends? Are they pushing you to be better?! I sure as hell know mine are. The things you’ve read so far and the things you’re about to read aren’t rocket science. Honestly, it’s nothing new. But the beauty of The Ah-Ha Moment is to remind you. Stop, slow down and think! We go through life checking daily tasks off our list and forget to find the drive. Once I read these 70 pages last night, I was so fired up for work the next working! I absolutely crushed my day. I had 5 conversations, created 3 new opportunities and set another meeting. Believe baby! And have faith!

“I believe in the power of desire backed by faith because I have seen this power lift people from lowly beginnings to place of power and wealth; I have seen it rob the grave of its victims; I have seen it serve as the medium by which people staged a comeback after having been defeated in 100 different ways…”[note]Page 42[/note]

It feels good to connect the dots and to really feel it. Nature and our minds have a funny way of making these outcomes possible. The success stories out there all started with a desire and having faith. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. Continuously pushing yourself to do better and to be better backed with faith in yourself… you can move a freaking mountain. Look at Edison, Marx Brothers, Spielberg, and Ford. (Examples used in the books). The outcome of your hard work turns into ‘riches’.

Riches begin in the form of thought. The amount is limited only by the person in whose mind the thought is put into motion. Faith removes limitations.”[note]Page 66[/note]

This just reiterates the previous Ah-Ha Moments! There’s no room for doubt, ever! If you’re looking to accomplish something, gain wealth, get a promotion, get a new job; whatever it is, you need a burning desire and faith! A lot of brainstorming, thinking, plan creation goes into the execution of this, but once you’ve got the desire and faith, you’re set in the right direction.

This stuff doesn’t happen over night either… you’re going to need some patience as well. In the information age where things get done very fast, you need to set expectations. You can’t get 6 months into accomplishing your dream and throw in the towel. It doesn’t work that way Don’t give up!

 

There’s more from me to come about: Think & Grow Rich