work for nobody

8/14/2019 Work for Nobody

1/91


2/91

Work for Nobody

Start working on yourself, So you can start working for yourself.


3/91

Copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved. Tiemen E. Staalwww.WorkForNobody.com

3

Edited by Erin Martineau, PhD

ISBN 978-0-578-02572-8

First Edition Copyright 2009 by Tiemen StaalAll rights reserved, published by Tiemen Staal

Printed in the U.S.A.


4/91


4

What others had to say

"Work for Nobody , provides a psychological blueprint that includes tried and true principles and tools critical for successful transformation of our talents into life-sustaining, long-term success. He presents foundational

keys to surviving the new economic landscape, which is requiring usto become increasingly self-supporting. Many thanks to Tiemen for

awakening the entrepreneurial spirit in all of us and for lighting a torch,that we might go forward, self-sufficient, on our own two feet."

-- Chad Buckland, Author and Mastery University Counselor for Anthony Robbins Companies

"Tiemen is a rare type of entrepreneur in that he understands that success inbusiness has less to do with the daily operations of the business, and more to

do with the daily maturation, education and growth of the mind. Tiemen'strack record of building successful online businesses, demonstrates that

there is nothing lucky about what he's been able to accomplish as many tryand fail. His new book, 'Work for Nobody' gives you all the tools required tobuild a solid mental, financial and business foundation for success. In less

than 100 pages, 'Work for Nobody' will provide you with everything anaspiring entrepreneur needs to free themselves from the system of

indentured servitude known as employment."

Fernando Ceballos, Co-founder of Attraction Marketing Formula

"Tiemen's insight into the mind of success is phenomenal. In such a short book he tackles all the struggles, the troubles, and the conversion we must

go through to finally believe we CAN achieve something great. It's soexcellent to find a book that combines vision with the practical. I

highly recommend this book to anyone who is up for the challenge of

changing their minds before growing a 21st century business!"

Scott VanHoogstraat, Financial Advisor & Social Connector


5/91


5

"Tiemen's book, Work for Nobody, simplifies how to reach ones full potential and arrive at the destiny that most people only dream of. Hisbook dispels the myths that are perpetuated by many of the "old school" financial educators. Here you will find valuable information on how to

succeed as an entrepreneur, but also includes exercises designed tomaximize the reader's learning experience. Tiemen captures the essenceof manifesting success and creating the Rich Life. If you're looking for a

clear plan to attain success in business and life, look no further, this book was written for you.

-- Jovan Will, Global Rich Dad Trainer


6/91


6

Work for Nobody By Tiemen Staal

Table of Contents Page #

Foreword 7Chapters

1. Begin with the end in mind 17a. My story

b. The big picturec. Where are you today?d. More than moneye. Take stock of your values

2. Setting your destiny in motion 32a. Just do it

b. Engineering the futurec. Train your braind. Conscious/subconsciouse. Learn from examplef. Abundance vs. perception

3. How we undermine our success 52a. Pain and pleasure

b.

Limiting beliefsc. Labelingd. Associative conditioning

4. Becoming financially literate 62a. Dispel the myths

b. Start a corporationc. Cashflow 101d. The power of leverage

5. A world of business owners 73a. Demise of the middle class

b. Business options for the average Joec. Our expensive lessond. Finding your nichee. Massive Action

Final Thoughts 86


7/91


7

Foreword

Admittedly star-struck, I sat at the Rich Dad Company boardroom tabledirectly across from author, speaker, investor, and entrepreneurial guruRobert Kiyosaki one memorable September morning. Robert has gone toe-to-toe with giants like Donald Trump. People from around the world have

paid thousands of dollars just to hear him speak. I must have felt a bit likeRobert did the first time he sat down with his rich dad mentor, his bestfriends father; except that on that occasion, Robert was only nine years old.

Robert turned out to be very much like I imagined him before meeting him:serious and stern, but fair and charismatic. He has an intense gaze, and Icant imagine what it would be like to have to engage in any kind of high

stakes bargaining with him.

Despite my initial unease, I felt very privileged to be in that boardroom. Iwas acutely aware of what I stood to learn from Robert. Even now,whenever I take a seat in this room, I watch and learn. Rich Dad is a nexusin the global entrepreneurial revolution.

Having escaped the Rat Race in 2006, I now work from home and run myown businesses largely from behind my computer for about two to threehours a day. Not a bad deal, as most Americans work 50 hours a week for considerably less income.

So shouldnt I teach other people how to do the same? Of course I should!Its almost my civic duty, given the way politicians and corporate executiveshave squandered our trust and undermined our economy and financialwellbeing.

Thats where this book comes in.

So, welcome, fellow or future entrepreneur! Im excited that this little coursefound its way into your hands. It sprang from a long-winded article that Iwrote with the aim of shaking people from their false sense of security. Thisarticle quickly became a small book and, upon the recommendation of myfriend and marketing guru Ferny Ceballos, grew into something resemblinga quick crash course for the aspiring or struggling entrepreneur.


8/91


8

The truth is that you need to rely on yourself these days, and the way toachieve self-reliance is through education. Im not talking about going back to school, however. Our school system churns out workers and soldiers. Itisnt built to produce business owners and investors. In order to becomefinancially free you have to study outside of the traditional school system.

There is no college with a real entrepreneurial program to speak of. Its aschool of hard knocks, and youll have to learn from people like me whohave been at it for a while, which means spending some time reading these

pages. For that reason, I have tried to keep it brief enough to hold your attention. If youre anything like me, youll never finish a 400-page book.Yet, I trust this little booklet is also comprehensive enough to offer somereal value even for those who have been around the entrepreneurial block afew times (whether successfully or not.)

So, what made you think about going into business for yourself or at leastentertain the idea? Are you tired of working and, therefore, living onsomeone elses terms? Is your income not meeting your desires or maybenot even meeting your needs? Are you tired of letting someone else tell youwhen you can have a break or when youre allowed to go on vacation andfor how long? Perhaps you found out that you like spending time with your friends and/or family better than spending time at a job. I know I do.

Maybe you finally figured out that profits are something you can control,and wages are not. Or you decided you deserve to be paid before the IRSdoes, since youre doing all of the work. Perhaps you decided you arentready to give up on your hopes and dreams and discovered that job securityin the 21 st century is a fallacy. Whatever the reason, youve taken a chanceon this book, which just might mean were kindred spirits.

I have discovered that many people out there just like you are desperatelyseeking a way out of an unfulfilling job, an insufficient paycheck, or a career that takes too much time away from loved ones and the things they love

doing.

I know a lawyer who resents his work even though he makes a six figureincome. Ive run into an executive who traded his career to drive a deliverytruck in order to escape the office stress. On the other hand, Ive known waytoo many people who love their job but are perpetually broke!


9/91


9

It seems so hard to strike the right balance, doesnt it?

Today, many people find that they no longer want their job, and it almostseems like the job no longer wants them either. Employers are alwayssystematically looking for ways to get along without you because you aretheir biggest expense, whether youre a line employee or an executive.

So, lets face it. The honeymoon is over.

Unless youve been living under a rock the past few years, you will havenoticed that our economy and our society are undergoing a significanttransformation. As metaphysicist Dr. Joe Vitale recently mentioned, Thecurrent crisis is the death of an old world and the birth of a new one. Anoptimistic view, Id say. Change is always good if youre among those who

are aware of it and take advantage of new opportunities.

And change is here in a big way. Oh yes, the current state of the world is justone of those major growing pains. You can choose to benefit from it or let it

bring you down in flames.

The Information Age is all but done with turning our world upside-down.The advent of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) has allowed CorporateAmerica to move many of its back-office operations to Asia, where it canhire five people with college degrees for the cost of one average Americanworker.

For me personally, the effect of this simple math really hit home more thanonce. I was downsized twice before the age of 25. It really stinks to have toadmit that.

Painfully, I came to the realization that the job market isnt safe anymore; itno longer offers the kind of security it once promised. My parents were pre-

baby boomers. They were born in 1940s Nazi occupied Holland and recalled

German troops marching down the streets where they grew up. Mygrandparents dealt with scarcity and worry; in the decades after the war

people idealized the image of the loyal company man and his benevolentemployer. But that industrial-age ideal of sticking to a large and stableemployer doesnt seem to hold true in todays environment.


10/91


11/91


11

Redefining yourself

Having a job can trap you mentally, so perhaps its hard for you to seeyourself as an entrepreneur just yet. Once you have been stuck for a while, it

becomes increasingly difficult to see the life you really want but stoppeddreaming about.

Break that pattern, and get your focus back where it belongs!

Im going to point out some things that you might not want to hear or look athonestly, but Im here to hold up the mirror because thats where youll findmost of your answers.

I might get in your face and say it bluntly, and perhaps Ill even offend a few

people. But thats okay. We cant see eye-to-eye on everything. Just promiseto step out of the box sometimes and open your mind to new perspectives.

Ultimately, you need to look inward, and see what you find. Too many people are on autopilot and live by knee-jerk reactions on a daily basis. I willdare to say that these people are almost semi-comatose. Dont find yourself among those who dont take responsibility for their actions, as well as their inactions.

And remember that it doesnt matter where you start in terms of opportunity.In western society, opportunity and available time are equal for all willingindividuals. If you dare, you can do something remarkable when you refuseto be held back by your fears and preconceived notions.

Its okay to have fears as long as youre able to act in spite of them. Its alsookay to have preconceptions, as long as youre able to recognize them for what they are and do not allow them to hinder you.

Its also fine to not know exactly what to do. You can always find people

who know how to. Keep your focus on why you want to. Its fine if youre unable to see every step down the road to success, as long as younever lose sight of why you set out in that direction in the first place.

If you want to drive from LA to New York, you cant see all the way fromVenice Beach to Time Square, can you? But youre pretty sure you can getthere by following the right directions. Enough said.


12/91


12

Start asking questions

What brought you to where you are today, and where will you end up if youkeep moving in the same direction?

Are you purposefully moving toward your lifes objectives?

What do you want out of life and where do you want to spend it?

Are you satisfied with everything and everyone in your life?

What would you like to bring into your life?

Who is responsible for the life you lead today? (If your answer doesnt

include yourself, you have a long road to travel!)

Have you given any of the above questions much thought recently?

These are tough questions, but you will need to answer them. Your answers,if honest, will greatly impact how and if you will succeed as an entrepreneur.

The successful entrepreneur is an individual who dares to ask the toughquestions and is not afraid to stare down adversity. This is not a life for cowards seeking the assurance of great benefits and keeping a job theydont really love out of fear of the unknown.

I also want to impress upon you that the way to financial and personalfreedom is not a sprint its a marathon. Those who are willing to invest thetime and money in quality training and coaching will succeed in the longrun. You will need to experience personal growth before financial growth is

possible.

Its a race of endurance, but the payoff can be incredible.

If you expected to receive a get-rich-quick guide, sorry that isnt what Imoffering here. There are plenty of scam artists out there who offer suchthings to the foolish and lazy.


13/91


13

Im also here to tell you that your chances of becoming a millionaire withina couple of months are slim. However, your chances of doing so with a jobare nearly non-existent .

Youll be lucky to scrape enough together for a mediocre retirement with theaverage career. Maybe with a professional career as a doctor or lawyer youmay have a shot at doing above-average. But since when do we aspire toachieve above-average? Are you playing to win or just playing not to lose?

No, Im offering a glimpse of a new version of you more empowered,more confident, and better equipped to make the transformation to asuccessful entrepreneur.

Many people think they are entrepreneurs by virtue of doing something on

the side , but they have never really pushed the limits. Im not going to talk about hobbies; this path is only for the committed few.

The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the sizeof your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.

-Robert Kiyosaki

Content vs. context

You can buy the best marketing books and courses, follow the greatestexperts and gurus, sign up for the best opportunity, and throw thousands of dollars into it, but ultimately, it all comes back to your mindset and context.

Im going to discuss some important topics that most Internet marketingwizards neglect to teach you. Their books, courses, or systems may be thelatest and greatest, but all of this content is rather irrelevant if your context isnt ready to handle all of the new information.

Lets assume for a minute that the content (the information available) isrepresented by a one-gallon drum of water, and your context (your ability tointerrelate incoming and previously stored data) is an eight-ounce glass.You can probably see where this is going. The glass wont be able to hold of the content.


14/91


14

Your mind faces the same dilemma. It simply cannot contain or process theincoming data effectively, let alone make sense of it.

So before you invest a great deal of time and money into various webinars, books, and training, take this opportunity to find out if your context matchesthat of an entrepreneur.

For example, in the context of the average employee, leaving a career for a business opportunity is considered risky. In contrast, within theentrepreneurs context, few things are riskier than basing your financialfuture on something as fleeting as a job.

Youll find that this book is more about developing your mindset than onyour business skills. There are already plenty of books on marketing,management, and so forth, but they will be completely irrelevant if your context is not ready.

This book contains critical information that isnt covered in those books, ina course in school, or at your corporate job.

First of all, Im not going to cover many how tos.

This course is about why should you? Or better yet, why havent you?

Ask me about how tos after you have finished this book. If you want tolearn how to sell, read Blair Singer, Mark Joyner or Dan Kennedy. If youwant to learn to invest in real estate, look at Carlton Sheets or Russ Whitney.


15/91


15

Do you need leadership skills? Many captains of industry have their entirelives available in print.

In all of the hype and hoopla, aspiring new entrepreneurs dont understandor are not able to effectively apply these teachings because of the limits of their context. Regrettably, they are likely to give up on their dreams after they fail to earn any money, and these books and courses will end upcollecting dust on the shelf.

Your context is the foundation; dont try to build your knowledge on topwithout reinforcing this foundation!

Your context holds information together in a way that makes sense to you,and its different for all of us because its shaped by our individual life

experience.

With this in mind, I have deliberately written this material in aconversational style so that its most easily accessible. This is not a Harvardthesis, and it might not excite those among you who crave spotless MLA or APA formatting. But it will help you quickly make sense of and assimilatethis information and add to your context so that you can get off the groundrunning right away.

Every chapter ends with a few quick assignments to get you engaged in the process. You will see that by the time we finish up, reading is just part of thelearning experience and shouldnt be the sole means of absorbing theknowledge you to which you expose yourself.

Whether or not you complete the assignments is up to you, but note thatyoure more likely to internalize and retain more of the material if youactually perform the activities. If you really are committed you will followthrough.

Becoming an entrepreneur requires so much more than any school or collegecan offer you. If I had known years ago what I know today about educationin and outside of the classrooms, I cannot honestly say that I would haveinvested the time and money that went into my college degree.

I set out to write this book because I identified a missing link. I have seentoo many people try to carve out a life as an entrepreneur who bought into


16/91


16

all the leadership talk and think they need to educate all of the poor souls outthere who need saving from their terrible jobs or dead-end opportunities.

They read a few books, bought a few internet marketing courses and think they are qualified to call themselves marketing consultants and (my personalfavorite) lifestyle coaches. What a fitting homage to Corporate America tocarry on this need for a job title.

Seriously folks, these people skipped some important steps in self-development and went out into the world of entrepreneurs with an employeementality. They sought out a leader in the field and took a job . Now they areworking for a multilevel marketing (MLM) organization or for a self-

proclaimed guru, and they are once more dependent .

Then something changes, and again theyre lost. Like a true follower, theygo looking for answers elsewhere. When they find something that claims tohave the solution for their predicament, they cling to it until the next bumpin the road.

That is not leadership. Once you finish this book, commit yourself toheading down a path of growth and continued reinvestment in yourself.

If you think your education ends here, youre sadly mistaken. This is alifelong journey, and you have only just begun.

Lets get started.

- Tiemen


17/91


17

Chapter 1

Begin with the end in mind - My story

Not too long ago, I found myself in a stereotypical corporate job at JPMorgan Chase & Co. I had been laid off twice prior and thought I hadfinally found that stable job that my parents told me about. I was making adecent living, and we were able to afford a nice house, two nice cars, andtake the kids on occasional trips. But there was never any money left toinvest, and we couldnt splurge on something we were passionate about.

As time passed and prices rose faster than my income did, I felt I was inreverse while I should have been moving forward.

Although I had my suspicions, I didnt fully realize the potential of owningmy own business until my wife began an eBay store in 2004. She had starteda year earlier at a hobby level reselling our two boys used clothing. Whenwe decided to deliberately acquire products for resale, however, thingsstarted to gain momentum.

Soon, my wifes hobby was bringing in more money than my corporate paycheck. I thought to myself, Am I putting my hours where they count?

I should have been minding my own business instead of someone elses! So,after initially reducing my office hours, my job eventually became obsolete.

Within a matter of months, we became a recognized retailer of luxurychildrens apparel on eBay and Silver Powersellers (eBay terminology look it up, bookworm!) in a community of a few hundred million usersworldwide and growing. In 2006 we incorporated, began producing some of our own products, and the business took on a life of its own.

Once our eBay business became a successfully working retail machine, I

began exploring other business opportunities. Its always smart to diversifyyour business activities and investments to a certain degree, so I didnt wantto leave all of our eggs in one basket. I became even more interested in

broadening my horizon as eBays desire to please buyers at the sellersexpense began to escalate. I began to feel like an employee again in someways. I wanted to less vulnerable to the whims of their board of executives.


18/91


18

After several years of continued online success, a good friend introduced usto a new nutritional product in 2007. After months of consuming this fancy

juice, we found out that it was offered solely through a multilevel marketing(MLM) organization. At the time, I didnt even know what that meant.

I was a tad skeptical, but I figured it would be easy to promote a product weused and loved. Besides, I already worked from home, so what could

possibly be the harm in taking on something else from home? Lookingforward to another income stream, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.However, I soon found out that this kind of business isnt as easily built asthe rah rah MLM events make it appear.

I quickly learned that my success with the MLM business model would rely

on my ability to recruit and lead other people interested in starting their own business with our product. Selling expensive juice alone was not going to beworth the substantial effort. It takes an unusual salesman to convincesomeone to keep buying $45 bottles of juice in a slow economy. No, itwould be a matter of duplication recruit other distributors, teach them whatyou do so that they can recruit and teach others, and so on.

Finding people able and willing to do so was not as easy as I anticipated.Another factor I underestimated was the simple fact that not everyone is fitto be a business owner. I learned this the hard way and wasted a great deal of time with hobbyists and employee-minded cowards.

A $37 investment in a book called Magnetic Sponsoring changed mythinking a great deal. Author Mike Dillard emphasized the importance of studying and self-development. He made it clear that people join people, notopportunities, and people only join those they perceive as having value tothem. People instinctively seek out leaders; its an inescapable reality.

It made sense to me.

It struck me long after reading it, that Magnetic Sponsoring was also acontextual work. Mike doesnt tell you what to do. Rather, he shows youwhat you have to become so you can figure out what to do for yourself. One

business model might work today, but what are you going to do when itstops working?


19/91


19

As I learned about leadership, marketing, and copywriting, I was stillsteadily spending thousands of dollars on products and marketing but not

bringing in nearly as much. I found out that I wasnt alone. An estimated97% of MLM-ers still spend more than they make.

My venture into MLM definitely brings some grave concerns to light for anyone still pondering to pursue success in this arena. I came in with toptalent to support me, plenty of capital, and a determination to win. And still,I got spanked! Thank heavens our eBay business allowed us to absorb thefinancial blow.

Sadly, my stint in the world of MLM caused me to do something I hadvowed not to do: I threw in the towel. More on this experience later.

So, what happened next?

Well, I ditched the juice business. I began to focus on what I enjoy doing,which is helping others. More specifically, I focused on helping others create

businesses from scratch and educate themselves financially. In my humbleopinion, a solid financial education is the only road to financial freedom.Sure, you can make some money even a lot of money but if you dontunderstand money, you will never have it working for you.

You will always be working for it . As a banker I had seen this all too often.

While working for JP Morgan, I served many clients who no longer neededto work for a living. As a banker, I always wondered what my clients didthat separated them from the rest of society. How did they think? How didthey handle setbacks? What got them excited, and most importantly, whatdid they invest their time and money in?

It probably comes as little surprise that Robert Kiyosaki has been one of the principal influences on my financial re-education. I first met Robert about

six months after first reading his book Rich Dad Poor Dad .

Call it a sign of the times or whatever you like, but I joined with Rich Dad on its mission to provide the masses with the financial education that theydid not and will not receive in the traditional classroom or anywhere else.


20/91


20

In order to achieve this I aligned myself with Mike Dillard and his team of marketing pros and a couple of entrepreneurs from Robert Kiyosakis inner circle (its amazing to see how things fall into place once you set them inmotion.) Together we market a product called the Business-in-a-Box (BiB),created by Canadian entrepreneur and former Midas employee JayKubassek. Jays product shows the total novice how to start a businessonline from scratch. It also carries great appeal to the disillusioned network marketer thats grown tired of silly MLM gimmicks, dead downlines,

prospecting nightmares, and awkward living room parties.

We employ a highly automated all-online marketing system calledCarbonCopyPro to promote our line of financial education products created

by Wealth Masters International (WMI). Learning how to earn one milliondollars in network marketing is one thing, but learning how to keep and

invest it and turn it into two million dollars or more is quite another.

Personally, Im in the best place imaginable. I found a way to fuse my passion for financial education with my skills and interests in Internetmarketing. In a broad sense, I am putting into practice Rich Dads lessons:get your financial IQ up, build businesses, and learn to invest. I have foundmy niche, and theres nothing Id love more than to help you find yours!

The big picture

You already know that the number of lower income households ismultiplying. I used to know several network engineers who had to settle for entry level jobs after a colleague took over their position in a new office inMumbai, India.

But there is a bright spot in all of this as I will explain in Chapter 5 therich are also growing fast in numbers. As rapidly as corporations areoffshoring their offices and domestic manufacturers are closing their plants,

enterprising individuals are starting their own businesses at home.

They will replace the collapsing middle class, which is leaving a great divide between rich and poor. The middle class is what made the Americaneconomy great, and the great financial minds of our time agree that financialeducation and self-reliance will be crucial in this transformational era.


21/91


21

This book is written around these two patterns of thought:

1. Societal changes are forcing us to become more self-reliant. Just look at the ways the government is maneuvering around some of thefinancial pillars of our society. They are pushing from pension plansto 401K plans, shifting the burden from employer to employee.Consumer-driven health insurance plans (like HSAs) are beginning toreplace the increasingly unaffordable HMO and PPO plans, placingyet another burden on the individual. As our government is rather

powerless in a free market to halt the flow of jobs overseas, we will beleft to figure out what to do for a living. Prices are rising, jobs are

becoming scarce, and annual pay increases are stagnant at best at the jobs that are left. Since the housing market suffered a significantimplosion that eliminated many billions in equity, it might be some

time before we can rely on our real property again to fall back on. Wehave also discovered we cannot fall back on our jobs. So, what are weleft to do? Get a second job so that we dont ever see our family?Hold out our hands for a bailout? No way! If you cannot count on anemployer to provide for you or a government to look out for you, thealternative is simply to learn how to provide for yourself 100%! Thiswill require enhancing your financial IQ and freeing yourself fromindustrial-age ideas that do not belong in the Information Age.

2. The changes necessary to become a self-reliant entrepreneur arelargely a shift in mindset . You can pick the finest business opportunitythat suits you and invest in the best equipment, marketing materials,consultants, etc., but without aligning yourself mentally, you will goabsolutely nowhere. Unless you have read into subjects likeassociative conditioning, paradigm shifts, and autosuggestion, youneed to learn about human behavior and motivation. An understandingof these basic principles will largely determine your success in any field of endeavor, especially if you own your own business. You dontcontrol much in a job, but you sure can control your mindset when

you learn how to change it. And you can only change from the insideout, whether the change is physical, emotional, or mental.


22/91


22

Where are you today?

So, speaking of mindset, what do you really want in life? Many of us canoutline in general terms what we desire, and it usually amounts to a wellrehearsed line-up of health, happiness, and world peace. Some are daringenough to throw wealth in there as well. But for many of us, the desire for financial abundance is stifled at an early age when were introduced to thefallacy that money doesnt make you happy.

This and similar notions were concocted by those who were too scared, lazy,or disheartened to succeed financially. Numerous studies that comparedepression to demographics and income find that people with higher incomeand net worth are generally happier. I wont waste space quoting thesestudies (you have Google for that purpose.)

The point is that we tend to forget that its not the moneys fault, so changethe way you feel about it. Money can improve your life as well as the livesof others around you. Ever larger amounts of money at your disposal canimprove the lives of ever larger numbers of people.

You might call a man who makes $100 million a year and donates onemillion dollars during the same period to charity, stingy. But lets face it; he

probably donated almost $1 million more than you did. Who made a bigger difference in the world? Learn to appreciate money for what it is: the meansto create the kind of life you want for yourself and those around you.

I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer methe position. - Mark Twain

Whatever your financial state, live within your means its the smart thingto do. But if your means dont cover your needs and wants, you must simplyseek ways to increase your means. Its a matter of Cashflow.

I personally discourage the use of budgets for your personal life becausethey create mental constraints. Budgets create a framework of limitingthoughts and make it hard to think outside of the box . Of course, noteveryone can handle that freedom, so do what works best for you.

But whatever you decide, adopt this very day a mindset of abundanceinstead of budgeting through life from a perspective of scarcity.


23/91


23

Dont confuse materialism with abundance mentality, however. Theyre notthe same, just as wealth isnt always defined in monetary terms. Some findwealth in the freedom of time or having the financial means to help others,while some define wealth as simply living life on their own terms. The stateof abundance is a feeling of gratitude for everything that youre blessed withand all that you are still to receive and experience.

So, reach back to your inner child, and get specific about your dreams. Startasking yourself new questions about what makes you feel good. Get excited.Liken the experience to that of a child writing a wish list for the holidays or a birthday.

Decide where you want to live, the car you want to drive, the places youwant to visit, the people and charities you want to help, the level of business

success you wish to achieve, the net worth you want to attain at a certain point in time, and so on. You have to be really specific, so make your goalsas detailed as possible. Nobody else cares about your goals as much as youdo, so take ownership of them!

If you cant articulate your goals, you cant achieve them.- Pari Livermore

Ever since the release of Rhonda Byrnes The Secret, it has finally becomemore acceptable (dare I say fashionable?) to openly discuss the

phenomenon of manifestation, also called, the law of attraction. The Secret calls the driving force that regulates the law of attraction, The Universe.Some will substitute Universe for God or infinite intelligence. Whatever youdecide to call it, the core philosophy remains the same.

I realize that The Secret has stirred up some controversy, and not everyoneagrees with every point made in the book and the film. Relax! Im not hereto endorse it or claim that its the one road to happiness and fulfillment. Butthe topic has actually been widely discussed for centuries; it has just tended

to remain confined to certain circles.

The Secret is aptly titled because the phenomenon of manifestation has not been previously discussed in a manner easily digested by the general public.For instance, Charles Haanels ground-breaking 1917 Master Key System was not everyones cup of tea.


24/91


24

The central theme of The Secret is that your life is a direct manifestation of your mental focus. Its basically Napoleon Hills Achievement Philosophy repackaged for the 21 st century audience. Despite what the critics havewritten about The Secret , its main arguments correlate awfully close withHills findings.

Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) was an American author who was commissioned by industrialist Andrew Carnegie to interview 500 of the most successful people on Earth. They included Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell,George Eastman, Henry Ford, Elmer Gates, John D. Rockefeller, Charles M.Schwab, F.W. Woolworth, William Wrigley Jr., John Wanamaker, WilliamJennings Bryan, Joseph Stalin, Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft,Woodrow Wilson, Charles Allen Ward and Jennings Randolph.

Carnegie, one of the wealthiest and most influential business tycoons of thattime, believed strongly that successful people lived in accordance with acertain code and that this personal strategy could be implemented by anyone .

Hills project lasted 20 years and resulted in a course called The Law of Success (sound familiar?) published in 1928. Anyone who argues that thecombined experience and knowledge of the people researched andinterviewed by Hill is unlikely to lead to an extraordinary success formula isa complete and utter fool . This is why The Secret in my humble opinion has a lot of merit, but you need to judge for yourself, of course.

Though the over-produced Hollywood blockbuster style opening scenemight cause you to think twice about sitting through the whole film, you will

be glad you watched The Secret . Ill admit right now that I was quiteskeptical, but you cant judge a book by its cover. So, I watched it with anopen mind.


25/91


25

Though dispelled by some staunch realists (often pessimists in disguise) ashappy-thought nonsense, few can argue the films usefulness as a reminder of the sheer power of positive thinking.

The only criticism that I find valid is the films appeal to materialism.Perhaps the filmmakers used these seemingly superficial examples toillustrate the mechanics of thought vs. reality, but you be the judge. Irecognized the deeper meaning behind the events in question, but maybe itwas lost on some viewers.

Just take from it what appeals to you, and leave the rest, as long as you seethe value in learning how to shape your own destiny on a daily basis.

Im not saying, of course, that you can affect the universe metaphysically.

You cant levitate boulders with your mental powers and other Superman-like maneuvers, but your focus will make you aware of certain opportunities.And without this awareness, you may miss them. Acting on thoseopportunities can lead to physical manifestations.

One fateful introduction or opportunity will lead to another, and soon, thesnowball effect will take hold. From that point on, youll see how one thingresulted in another, and youll come to understand that after directing your focus, things started to fall into place .

Conversely, if you focus on everything you dont want , like clockwork, theUniverse will deliver more of it. Additionally, you will only be aware of more things you dont want just because thats where your focus is.Remember, nothing positive can ever come from negative energy.

Now, you may be saying, Wait a minute! I didnt focus on these bad thingsthat happened to me. And youre right. Bad things still happen to good

people. It rains on the righteous and the unrighteous just the same. Farmerswho pray for rain and ones who dont share the same fate, dont they?

What may surprise you is that many unfortunate events can still serve auseful purpose depending on the meaning we attribute to them.This doesnt always become clear until much later sometimes years or even decades later.


26/91


26

Tough times shape people based on the meanings they attribute to their setbacks. Some will recognize an opportunity for growth and take action nomatter the odds. Others will ask themselves repeatedly, Why has thishappened to me? But thats a question that will never be answered for them. Life is a culmination of circumstances and how you decide to think and feel about those circumstances.

Those feelings will influence your actions despite the good intentions of your common sense and will deliver a new set of circumstances for you toconsider. It is the principle of cause and effect in its raw beauty, and unlessyou recognize this cycle, its hard for you to control your future.

Decide what meaning you can associate with the unfortunate events in your life and how they may empower you to advance to a better place than you

were before. Simply said: Learn to look at things on the bright side.

Of course, its hard to feel good about money when youre in a lot of debt or mortgaged to the hilt. But there are tricks you can play with yourself tomanipulate your thinking and bring yourself into a better frame of mind.

Rhonda Byrne explains how she took bills and added a zero to the amount,telling herself that it was a check instead of a bill. She would say, Thank

you, feel grateful, and get on with her day. This may sound crazy, and perhaps it wont work for you or me. But the point here is that you caninfluence your thinking by playing games to alter your mindset and shiftyour focus.

Using debt as an example, you can also place yourself on an automaticrepayment plan so that youre not confronted with those negative thoughtsrepeatedly. This would allow you to focus on constructive thinking instead.

So, free yourself of doubt and worry, and have faith in yourself and your ability to shape your future. The way is not always immediately clear, but it

will always reveal itself in time if you allow it.

Remind yourself frequently of your long-term goals, and remember why youset them. Dont be overly concerned with the how part of the equation. Just

be concerned with taking it day by day and with continued improvement.Looking too far ahead on your to-do list can derail you or even discourageyou from starting anything at all.


27/91


27

All the adversity Ive had in my life, all my troubles and obstacleshave strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but akick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. - Walt Disney

More than money

Now that you have started to think about your aspirations, its time tointroduce the next step before we actually explore how youll achieve your goals. There are numerous individuals out there who have a fair idea abouthow to win in the game of life, but a staggering percentage of them donteven know the purpose of the game!

Too many set out with the singular notion that they can succeed in lifewithout first deciding what or who theyre doing it for. Theyre missing acrucial step! Whether its a life, a career, or a business, without purpose, itwill never deliver fulfillment. For many, its too late by the time they realizethis.

Your values are the reason why you are taking action to realize your dreams.If its just to have more money in the bank, youll give up before you getthrough the amount of work it takes to become rich. Values are things wenever give up on, like taking care of our children, for example. If you makeit a core value to enhance the quality of life for your family, your inner drivefor financial abundance will quadruple! Your values should be your dailysource of inspiration, as well as the life preserver for your dreams duringthose times when uncertainty rears its ugly head.

So, take as long as necessary to decide why you want what you want.


28/91


28

Take stock of your values

What matters to you? Is it to make a difference in the lives of the lessfortunate? Maybe youre primary purpose is to make sure that your childrenand grandchildren have the opportunity to go to college. Maybe your

purpose is to end up living along the Pacific Coast Highway and draw beautiful sunsets for others to enjoy. Its up to you!

I figured out that my purpose is to show people that there is a way to create alife with more freedom and fulfillment, and I started living this purpose withmy friends and family. Eventually, I want to create an army of enlightenedmillionaires people who enjoy life in every aspect and show others how todo the same.

If you havent yet thought of your own why, start now!

Your values drive your motivation; theyre not to be confused with your goals. Goals change, goals are achieved, and goals are abandoned at timesfor better goals. Your values should remain largely unchanged, althoughevents in your life could cause you to pick up a few additional ones.

Goals only serve as landmarks along your lifes journey, and you shouldhave many of them large and small. Your values, however, give you asense of direction along the way toward your goals. Let them be your compass.

This is why your values should be perpetual, just like the journey, and offer you continued fulfillment. Think of your values as things which are beyondthe immediate or temporary. Think of them as your legacy. Having an Italiansports car in the driveway is not enough by itself. Though it might be a greatreward for your hard work, it should not be a core value!

If you just aspire to become rich for the sake of having more money, you

might actually succeed at being rich for a while. You see, money by itself doesnt bring fulfillment, and youll just spend it until its gone.

You should continuously reinvest in yourself and your community in everyway you are abundant, be it mentally, spiritually, or financially.


29/91


29

Realize that there might be something you were meant to do and be, beyondthe daily drag. Wouldnt it inspire you to know that youre intended to domore than eat, sleep, work, pay bills, sleep again, and so forth? You can bemore than what you are today, so set your goals both for the long and shortterm, while identifying your underlying purpose.

Money ultimately is not a driving motivator, not a driving motivator that lasts. I found that what lasts is your values. - DavidBach (author of Start Smart, Finish Rich )

Look, everybody wants more money, a bigger house, and a nicer car. Thatsall fine, but if wanting by itself were enough, everybody would have them,right? Desire alone, is just that and only that. The missing ingredient toactualization of those desires is action. The vast majority of the populationwill not achieve their desires due to their inaction. Reading, envisioning, andhoping will not get you anywhere. At some point you have to start settingthings in motion.

So why do most get stuck in a state of inaction? Some didnt bother tofurther their knowledge; others didnt have a mission beyond the money. Butgetting rich is mostly a shift in mindset, and those who set out merely to

become rich do so with a poor persons mindset. Until that mindset changes,they will not achieve real wealth.

You need to become emotionally neutral towards money. Money isnt real.

One of the wealthiest men I ever befriended built, bought, and sold eightdifferent businesses in the range of 20 to 170 million dollars. He has spentthe last few years traveling the globe for the sake of having fun and pickingup real estate.

Needless to say, I trust his advice on the subject of money without question.


30/91


31/91


31

Assignment for Chapter 1: Focus on things to come

1. Watch/rent/borrow The Secret . Its available in print, as a DVDmovie, or an audio book. Dont get tripped up by skepticism. Watch itwith an open mind. Afterwards, make an honest assessment of therecent focus of your thinking. If you have focused on things youdislike, try focusing on things that make you feel good.

2. Write down a list of goals. Categories can range from where youwould like to live and how, to what you would like your net worth to

be. Where do you want to be in terms of physical fitness, and whatkind of relationships would you like to have? Like I said, start askingquestions and begin writing down the answers.

3. Create a goal board. Many movers and shakers use these simple toolsto keep them focused. Take your newly created list of goals andsimply clip pictures from magazines; take images or quotes from theInternet. Take anything related to your values and objectives, andstick them all on a piece of cardboard. Then, place it where you willsee it daily. You could also create a digital goal board, either as aPowerPoint presentation or as desktop wallpaper.


32/91


32

Chapter 2

Setting your destiny in motion - Just do it!

Now, Im not trying to infringe on Nikes trademark here. Im just trying toconvey to you how simple the how-to part of all of this is. Every journey

begins with a first step, so just show up at the starting line. More than half of the work of achieving your goals is in expecting that youre going to achievethem. Some of you will scratch your heads, but explore this with me a bit.

I knew a guy named Ron during my banking days. Ron was always friendlyin the hallways and ready to chitchat about the news. But there wassomething going on with Ron. Whenever you asked him how he was doing,hed say, Okay or Same old, same old or Alright.

Ron was in his early forties and seemed already to have lost his lust for life.I began talking more to Ron about his aspirations and ambitions. One day Istarted asking some direct questions. The ugly truth was that Ron resentedhis job and wanted to do something for himself, but he didnt know what todo. So, he just kept going to work every day.

A year went by and I ran into Ron at a company event. By this time, I hadscaled back to 20 hours a week at the bank and was plotting my exitstrategy. I decided to quiz Ron on his progress toward his goals. The replywas a series of excuses like, I havent had the chance.

I lost a lot of respect for Ron that day, and I hope he will pick up this book one day and remember me. Even if he didnt have a clue as to where to start,he could have asked me what I had done, picked up a course, or attended aseminar. My point is this: if you want something, go after it. Figure out howto catch it by the heels while youre on the way, but just get going!

The lesson learned from Ron is that if you have found something to

complain about, you have also discovered an opportunity to make things better. If you dont take action, you forfeit your right to complain about it.

There are countless people out there waiting for the right moment . Guesswhat folks? Any moment is the perfect moment to start when you make thedecision. Do you think I sat around and waited for a sign of some sort?


33/91


33

Were you born with the ability to walk? No, nobody was ever. But we alllearn to walk one day. We dont all master this fine art at the same rate, butnobody ever gives up on learning how.

Do we ever give up on a child learning how to walk? No, we expect them tosucceed, so they do. This is the reason why they dont give up. So, why arewe as adults so afraid to fail?

Maybe we dont want to lose face, or maybe we have convinced ourselvesthat we cant achieve a certain goal. We create stories in our heads that

justify our falling short of our dreams.

Settling for less than our dreams is the biggest thievery in the world, and wecommit that crime against ourselves on a daily basis.

Your success at anything rests in large part with your own decisions. Theorigins of the word decide are actually from the Latin phrase, to cut off from [any other possibility.] As you can see, the original meaning lends adegree of certainty to the word that isnt immediately obvious. It implies thata decision is not something you should take back. Its like a promise.

Too many people just float along without ever really deciding what theywant. Even when they do finally decide what they want, some still fail to doanything to achieve those desires. Thinking of excuses not to do something

becomes almost second nature to them. These people will go through liferarely doing anything of significance.

So, when you decide to create a life of meaning and fulfillment, you need tohave unwavering faith that it will become fact because you have cut off fromall other possibilities . In your experience, it is a certainty, no matter whereyou are today!

Dont underestimate this power of certainty.

Were too afraid to commit to things for fear they wont work out; and sadly,we miss out on the experience that could have been gained from trying.

Many people start out trying to achieve a goal but quit before they get there.Havent we all tried something, and in the absence of immediate success, wegive up?


34/91


34

If we go back to the example of the child learning to walk, at what point dowe give up on a child? We never do, right? The child will keep trying untilultimate success is achieved.

Success is reserved for those who continue to get back on their feet.

For many, this determination is lost on the road to adulthood; the emotionalresponse to give up is a learned behavior! Your drive (purpose, instinct,whatever you wish to label it) should cause you to keep changing your approach until success is achieved.

Understand me correctly here: dont keep trying the same thing if it doesntwork. Thats the definition of insanity! Just change your approach until youget the result you want. Successful entrepreneurs arent always

extraordinarily smart or exceptionally lucky. They have faith in what theyredoing and never relent in trying to reach their goals.

Lets say you liken failure in business to a schoolyard brawl. After beingknocked down, very few people get back up and seek out the bully, invitinghim or her for another round. Who has the courage and stamina to do that?Lets say the bully is your ability to run your own business? So, what if you get knocked down? Learn, get back on your feet, and start again a littlewiser.

Regrettably, most people do the opposite and give up, going back to whattheyre used to. They feel they were punished for going outside of their comfort zone and are even more afraid to try again. A setback doesnt equalfailure, but giving up does .

Success is a poor teacher. Embrace setbacks as learning opportunities.

Every time you hit a roadblock, youre better off than you were before because you now know what doesnt work. We tend to underestimate the

importance of acquiring knowledge in this way and assimilating it. And whyshouldnt we? Our antiquated public school system punishes mistakes!

You would be amazed by the number of self-made billionaires and tycoonswho have been through failures and bankruptcies before getting it right. Youmight be even more shocked to learn that many of them never finishedschool. Can you guess why?


35/91


35

Ill tell you why: they were frustrated by the rigid school system that placedlimits on the creative process. Therefore they left school before allowing itto break their entrepreneurial spirit. The only difference between you and the

people you admire is their willingness to keep seeking out that schoolyard bully (usually several times!)

So face your fear of failure, and act in spite of it.

Avoid taking advice or joining in business with people who believe thatthere are limits to what one can achieve. Sometimes, these people are your

parents or best friends, so be mindful of this!

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Educationwill not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. - Calvin Coolidge

Engineering the future

Have you created that goal board yet? If not, get to work! It really keepsyour focus on the direction you want to go, so dont disregard your future.

Are you 100% satisfied where you are today physically, emotionally,financially, socially, and spiritually? Not yet? Good! Dissatisfaction isactually a very useful emotion. It tells you things need to change if theydont measure up to your values and standards.

It doesnt really matter where you are today in any of those categories.Manifestation guru Matthew Ferry teaches his students to disassociatethemselves from the past.

Sure, the past has gotten you where you are today, but it certainly doesnthave to determine where youre going tomorrow.

Take lessons from the past, but keep moving forward because thats whereyoure going like it or not. You might as well make it a place where youdlike to be, right?


36/91


37/91


37

The past does not equal the future, unless you live there. - Anthony Robbins

Train your brain

Now that we have some ideas to work on, lets get into your head for amoment. Staying on track toward your goals requires a little bit of mentalconditioning. Your mind is a biochemical supercomputer thats continuouslyworking to solve problems. Just like its digital counterpart, it is only as goodas its programmer, even though its many times more powerful. And guesswhat? YOU are the programmer!

Most people never come to this realization, and this is why people dontsucceed at the same level. Most people live in a state of reaction rather thanaction. Instead of taking control, they spend their time fighting and/or avoiding things coming at them.

People in this state of awareness identify themselves as victims or, at thevery least, behave like victims. They always look outward for answersinstead of inward. Quintessential pessimists fall into this category. Just ask them how theyre doing, and youll hear something like, as well as can beexpected. If that sounds like you, I hope Im kicking your ant hill today,

and I hope youre taking a long, hard, and honest look at yourself and thethings you tend to complain about.

Pssst If youre still thinking of all of the people and situations that areholding you back, you still arent getting it!


38/91


38

Lets put things in perspective: unless you have reason to believe you mightsuccumb to disease or hunger tomorrow, there are many millions of peopleworldwide who are in far worse situations than you.

Now that we have that out of the way, lets turn our attention to using your head to get things done. Back to the computer analogy, a PCs central

processing unit (CPU) is nothing more than a paperweight unless you feed itwith instructions in the form of code. This code is written by a programmer and is basically a long mathematical problem that the CPU will solve inorder to perform the various instructions that are derived from the code.

Your brain works in a very similar fashion.

If you focus on a goal (the code) that you wish to realize, your brain (the

CPU) will identify it as a problem that requires solving, and awareness willallow you to identify opportunities that will facilitate the process. This is thereason why the how part of the equation will reveal itself as time goes by.

You will find out how as long as you stay aware of what you want toachieve . If your life is lived in reaction mode, the daily junk that you fendoff is the code you feed your brain, and youll never get around to presentingit with the good stuff: your objectives.

This is why its so important that you gain awareness of where your focus is,and schedule time to realign your thinking. Sounds kind of like taking timeto fix an appliance or something, doesnt it? Well, thats exactly what Imgetting at. This is required maintenance for the most important thing youllever own: your brain. It is amazing that most of us spend more time, money,and energy on maintaining secondary things like homes and cars.

Conscious/subconscious

As you know, you have a conscious and subconscious state of mind, butonly the conscious mind ever goes to sleep. The subconscious is always atwork, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is the part of the mind whereyour habits rest. It enables you to drive a car and do others things (withinreason) without veering off the road because driving becomes habitual;youre programmed with the basics.


39/91


39

So, your mind operates on two levels of consciousness, and if you dont get both of them on the same page, it will be quite difficult to achieve your goals because your conscious mind will be continuously interrupted with life andits many issues. Get it?

While your conscious mind is handling your immediate affairs (everydaystuff), how do you get your subconscious to keep you on track with its 24/7work schedule?

Your conscious mind responds mostly to your senses, so its easier to program in the moment. But your subconscious is primarily influenced by physical and emotional energy. Simply put, it responds in large part to howyou feel. Did you ever have a bad dream after watching a scary movie late atnight? Well, presto!

Your emotions, in large part, control your subconscious and its powerfulinfluence on your life. The Secret (have you ordered it yet?) lays down this

process in understandable terms. Just thinking positive thoughts or merelythinking about what you desire isnt enough. You have to feel, or better yet,experience it. When you combine this emotional experience with theaforementioned gratitude reinforcement, you come up with something very

powerful that gives you clarity and removes your fears.

Unless you have already read into the science behind this, you have yet tounderstand the power of this skill. In fact, many of you might still believethat feelings are caused by exterior factors rather than by an internal decisionin the conscious or subconscious mind.

The point is that you make a conscious decision about how you want to feel.If you dont make it consciously, your subconscious does it for you based onhow it has been conditioned by experience. Thats why so many people areon autopilot and live life in reaction mode. They feel helpless and alwaysexperience uphill battles. They surrendered control and ceased taking action

because they have always been in reaction .

So whats the answer? Train your brain!

Someone who has presented us with a great way of programming thesubconscious mind is world-renowned success coach Anthony Robbins. Oneof his core techniques revolves around incantations.


40/91


40

You recite to yourself aloud how you wish to feel and what you wish toattain or experience. Actually saying it out loud activates your physiologyand sends more powerful signals to your subconscious mind, keeping youfocused and more likely to remain aware of your intentions .

The purpose of this exercise is to create new feelings and program habits. If you practice this regularly, the process itself becomes habitual. It is inhabitual behavior that the rich find lasting success in life, not a singular actor decision. It is continuous and requires lifelong commitment.

The process of programming your subconscious by way of incantations isknown as autosuggestion or self-suggestion and has been used by the mostsuccessful people in history for centuries.

Experiment: randomly ask someone what he or she is thinking. I will bet youanything the answer will be either nothing or some inconsequential thoughtabout their to-do list. My suggestion to you: think with specific intentions.

Author Napoleon Hill extensively chronicles the use of these techniques bythe worlds elite in his book Think and Grow Rich . As I mentioned inChapter 1, Hill was commissioned by industrialist Andrew Carnegie todocument the philosophies and methodology of some of the most successful

people in the world. Hill noted that many of these tycoons and world leadersused autosuggestion to retain control of their thoughts 24/7.

Considering the company youd be keeping, its certainly worth a shot,wouldnt you say?

The practical application for autosuggestion is to program the subconsciousso that it continues to work in the background on solving the stated problem,a.k.a. the attainment of your goal. (Your brain is a problem-solvingcomputer, remember? So, give it something important to solve instead of everyday stuff that has no bearing on your lifes objectives!)

The subconscious mind works at its own pace, and the more complicated the problem, the more time it will take to work on it. Sometimes, it will takedays, weeks, or even months for it to come up with the answer. Dont worryabout it too much. Your awareness will find the necessary clues.


41/91


41

Have you ever had one of those moments when the light just came on? Thosemoments come when the subconscious announces a solution for a previouslysubmitted problem!

Its not that Im so smart; its just that I stay with problems longer. - Albert Einstein

How we perceive things depends on how we interpret them based on our mental conditioning. How we subsequently feel about them depends on themeaning we decide to attribute to them. This power of choice and reasongives us control. Its our evolutionary edge over every other life form onEarth. Take the power given to you, and use it to your advantage.

Do you want to know if you made the evolution from corporate stooge or home-based amateur to bonafide entrepreneur yet?

There is a quick way to tell when people hit a road block or setback.

Take these two people with fledgling home-businesses for example:

Mac: This is not working. I am going to look for something else.

Madie: This is not working. How can I make it work?

Can you tell which one is the entrepreneur?

Its easy.

Mac responded to his situation with a finite answer, immediately shuttingdown the creative process in his subconscious. The result? His brain stopsworking on answers for his problem and hell likely end up taking that job.


42/91


43/91


43

Beware of the pitfall of thinking that you have ever finished learning,however. You can never stop benefiting from acquiring new information,and if you neglect to do your homework, you will obviously never even getoff the ground.

If you do achieve lift-off but neglect to continue learning, you will falter atsome point or hit a ceiling. The more income you generate, the more youshould proportionately increase your spending on training and coaching.

For example, my spending on training and coaching so far for 2008 (itsJune as of this writing) has been more than $8,000. I would say investingabout 5% of your income in continuing education is a fair guideline.

Some seminars that cost several thousand dollars may seem expensive to

you now, but if they enable you to work your way to a life of freedom andfulfillment, wouldnt you agree that they worth every penny? It seemsreasonable to me to stretch my budget to invest in something that generateslifelong returns beyond what I once thought to be impossible. Once again,its all about choice. Some people consume and spend their money onrenting a lifestyle while others invest in themselves and become trulywealthy.

Why is it that we gladly plunk down $30.000 for a Sport Utility Vehicle thatwill depreciate 25% the moment we drive it home, but we cringe at spendinga few thousand (or even less) on seminars that teach us how to becomefinancially free? Because the car makes us feel good, and the seminar justsounds like work. The decision to buy is an emotional one. Understand thisand you will become a marketing master. However, the fact remains that one

purchase enhances our wealth and the more popular one diminishes it.

We have become a society of instant gratification because mass marketingappeals to the impatient child in all of us. We have become resistant to longterm investments like financial education and we need to reverse course if

we ever hope to become wealthy. Yes, wealthy , not just rich. You can makeanyone rich by handing them a million dollars or more, but I promise youthat this money will not even last a year without proper financial education.

My finance instructor in college was a former wealth management professional at Smith Barney. Several of his clients were major lotterywinners and he had some sobering insights to share about their experience.


44/91


44

Instead of investing in income-generating assets these people often purchased luxuries such as large homes, great vacations, and expensive cars because they think thats what the wealthy do. The temptations of statussymbols are too much and their lack of financial IQ sends them down to theMaserati dealership.

After about two years they are usually worse off then they were prior towinning their fortunes. Why? The millions are gone and their Cashflow cannot sustain their newly acquired liabilities because they dont have theresidual income to pay for them. Before too long, they are back in the RatRace. More on this in chapter 4: Becoming financially literate.

Abundance vs. perception

This may be one of the trickiest steps along your journey. In order to attractmore of the things that you want, you need to feel grateful for what youhave. Im sure that sounds like grandmas bulletproof advice that youllgladly hand down to your kids. But Im going to take it one step further. Youneed to feel grateful about the things that you have yet to do, have yet toown, and have yet to experience. Thats right stuff in the future. Stay withme on this one.

The goal is to tie a sensation of gratitude into your visualization exercises.The effect is that you expect these things to happen because your

subconscious is already experiencing them! Remember how your subconscious fits into the picture? Its that handy section of your brain thatsconstantly working on bringing those things into your life that you have

been focusing on.

This concept might be hard for you to wrap your head around at the moment.If you need to delve into the actual biology of this phenomenon, check outCharles Haanels 1917 course called The Master Key System . One of the

many fascinating aspects of Haanels course is that he actually identifies the parts of the human body that facilitate the connection with the immaterial(the Universe, God, infinite intelligence, or whatever you want to call it.)The fact that his course is over 90 years old underscores again how thisscience isnt new.


45/91


45

Regrettably, the masses are still largely ignorant about many aspects of this branch of science, even though it has such far-reaching effects on their lives.If youre going to pass on Haanels course, let me try to convey one of hismain points. Lets say your brain is a transmitter, and your senses are thereceivers. Its key to become mindful of how you interpret incoming signals(perception) and how your interpretation shapes the actions you take inresponse.

Voluntarily or involuntarily, we constantly receive all sorts of signals fromthe world around us. Your actions are based on the emotions you haveallowed yourself to feel in response to those signals.

This entire process can take place in an instant, so it might not seem likesomething you can control at first glance. Well sometimes regret our

actions later but justify them by saying, Thats just the way I am. Wrong!

When you view the world from a perspective of need , you will always perceive scarcity. You will never achieve wealth in the areas of your lifewhere you see scarcity. For the vast majority of us, this is true when it comesto money. We never seem to have enough of it!

Shall I share a secret with you?

Abundance comes when you experience it; its an all-encompassing mindset.You have enough once you feel that you do, regardless of exactly how muchyou have in your wallet or in the bank at the moment.

When you feel terrible about your money situation, for example, you attractmore of what makes you feel that way because this is where youre focusing.

You have to feel rich before you can actually become rich, no matter if youre worth $25 million or $25 and some change. By feeling rich, I dontmean pretending to be rich. This is a pitfall that has landed millions of

consumers in crushing debt positions. By feeling wealthy I mean feelingabundant and grateful now and that anything is within your grasp.

When you mentally tune into abundance, the financial abundance willfollow. This is not just about money, of course. There are many people outthere with plenty of money who are unhappy, unhealthy, or both. Life ismeant to be abundant in all aspects not just your bank account!


46/91


47/91


47

Perrys point is that you should never stifle the growth of the wise minorityfor fear of loud reprisal by the ignorant majority. With that said, here is avery basic, very simple message on the surface that will contain deeper meaning for those who get it...

I hate shopping at Wal-Mart. It makes me sick to my stomach, but theimportant part is why... (If youre going to read this, you need to read theentire page.) For as long as I can remember, Ive had a burning desire toachieve above average financial prosperity... To have the million dollar home on the lake, the cars, and the ability to do anything, or buy anything Iwant. 100% pure freedom.

But its not just about material goods. Money gives you the freedom,options, and power to have a large and positive impact on society through

charity, education, and reform.

Because I have such strong feelings and emotions attached to the desire toachieve wealth and success, I have equally strong feelings of repulsion for

poverty and weakness. Most wealthy and successful people share thisrepulsion. Why?

Because they are consciously aware (unlike the majority of society), thatthoughts, ideas, and attitudes are real things, and that they are contagious.You will adopt the ideas, beliefs, and mindset of the people you spend themost time with (including the people found on TV, in books, or on tape),which will lead you to make similar decisions, which will lead you toassume a similar life and lifestyle.

Rich people know this, and they know that a persons mindset is fluid. Itsalways changing with the ideas and interactions it comes into contact withon a daily basis. This is why rich people protect themselves from everythingassociated with struggle and poverty.

Ever wonder why they live together in walled communities closed off fromthe rest of society with massive gates? Ever wonder why they shop atexpensive boutiques, fly first-class, stay at $500/night hotels? Ever wonder why most of them belong to members only country clubs?

Is it because they want to enjoy the finer things in life? Well sure. Butthats not the only reason. They want to protect their minds from the


48/91


48

thoughts of poverty and struggle that are held by the rest of common society because they know that all thoughts are contagious, and they have a burningdesire to live un-common lives.

The rich get richer because they only invite and interact with other prosperous people. The common man sees this behavior as stuck-up andsnobby. The rich simply see it as an unfortunate necessity, as I do. Thatswhy I never shop at Wal-Mart. Have I? Yes. But just walking into that storemakes me physically uncomfortable. My stomach turns.

I feel that way because I associate that store and the people who shop therewith struggle and poverty. The entire company is designed around theconcept of saving money and pinching pennies.

Its a physical monument dedicated to thoughts like...

I only have this much money, so I need to save as much as Ican.

The economy is crashing, so I need to guard what little I have.

I cant afford it...

Were on a limited budget.

That kind of mindset is a disease voluntarily held by people who gothrough life as victims. They are subservient to their boss, to economictimes, to prices, and to money itself. Money has the power, and they arelucky to acquire and save any that comes their way.

The rich think differently. They believe and accept that they have the power to change and shape their lives as they wish. Money doesnt own their lives;they own the money. They have the power.

The difference between these two mindsets can be summed up like this...

- Someone with a poverty mentality says, I cant afford it.

- Someone with an abundance mentality says, How can Iafford it?


49/91


49

The more you start to think like the rich, the more apparent this mindsetwill become to you. One day, youll walk into Wal-Mart, and youll literallyFEEL what Im talking about. Youll feel like youre out of place... Likeyouve walked into a club or restaurant where youre the one person whodoesnt belong.

Now I know that there are a lot of people out there reading this who DOshop at Wal-Mart and are saying, Thats easy for you to say, Mike. Youdont have a family of four to support, and youre not struggling to get thishome business thing off the ground anymore.

Well, I have shopped at Wal-Mart, and I have been as low as anyone. Whenyoure pawning your DVD collection to eat as I have, youve basically hit

the bottom. But the difference is that even during those times, I have NEVER been comfortable shopping there because in my mind, I wasdifferent. I didnt belong in that store. I didnt share the same mindset thatthe rest of the people in there did.

I have nothing against saving money when youre struggling. I was there.But I do, and will always, wage war against a poverty mentality. Whetheror not you shop at Wal-Mart is not important. Everyone starts from thebottom and does whatever they have to do. Whether or not you arecomfortable and happy shopping at Wal-Mart is where your personal truth isfound.

If you dont have the feelings, desires, and aspirations to separate yourself from the crowd of Middle America discount shoppers, then I dont knowwhy youre even on this list.

To take this attitude of abundance vs. prosperity to another level, Ive alsoadopted the following habits: I never use coupons, and I never accept coinchange from a purchase. If my bottle of water costs $1.75, the cashier gets

$2.00 and keeps the 25 cents.

Why?

Because I NEVER focus on pinching pennies. I focus on MAKINGMORE.


50/91


50

I constantly hold an abundance mindset, and these two habits are a physicalexpression of that mentality that I have held even when I was making$1,500/mo as a waiter. Its a message to my subconscious mind to alwayssee life through a lens of prosperity.

So, were you entertained, or are you shaking your head in disagreement?

If you disagree with Mikes point of view, lets at least agree on this: youwill only perceive and receive what you focus on, and if its saving money,cutting coupons, and pinching pennies, life will present you only withopportunities to do exactly that. That isnt my idea of an extraordinary lifeand not a position from which you aid those in need.

Ill be perfectly honest: I shop in that awful store for certain things when Iabsolutely have to, but I hate the lifestyle concept that the business is basedon. Living with a budget is like living in a financial cage. If you lack thefunds, simply find ways (legally) to increase your fortune. All it takes is adecision and a strong enough desire to take the necessary steps to get there.Everyone else can remain firmly seated on their hands and complain their lives away, for all I care.

As Mike attempted to make clear in his infamous email, everyone startssomewhere, and most of us started from the bottom just as he did. Almost adecade ago I had my whole life contained in two suitcases yes, really! Butthat doesnt mean that the bottom is where you have to remain. Your futurewill mostly be what you envision it to become .

Life is less a result of your circumstances than it is of your choices: choiceof thought and choice of actions. Focus on what youre grateful for now andin the future. Dont hope for it to happen, expect it.


51/91


51

Assignments for Chapter 2: Becoming Aware

1. Take your list of goals and create a list of all the actions you havetaken to achieve them. This should give you an indication of the levelof control you have in your life. If it doesnt measure up, step up your efforts to take action no matter how seemingly insignificant!

2. Think of a handful of people you admire for their achievements, andresearch them. Take your top three, and find out what they have done to get where they are? Consider what you could do, too. Very few

people are handed a life of freedom and wealth, and those who haveattained it faced many setbacks on the way. Any self-made millionairehad to search for answers, study, experiment, fail, and do all of it over again until success was finally achieved. If youre not willing to deal

with that, you wont earn the privilege of becoming financially free.

3. List several obstacles that are currently preventing you from pursuingyour goals. Can they be overcome? (The answer is yes, by the way.)How can it be done? Do you have a network to tap into? Are theyreally obstacles or just fears? Ill leave you with this quote:


52/91


52

Chapter 3

How we undermine our success Pain and pleasure

So far, weve merely explored the predicament of the ignorant. Amazingly,there are people who know exactly what they want and how to obtain it butchoose not to do anything about it. In my opinion, these people are evenfarther removed from success. Unfortunately, you will find that most peopleare too lazy or fearful to take action, or theyre consumed with satisfyingshort-term pleasure and avoiding pain. This is where you will find addicts of all sorts.

All human motivation is fueled by merely two needs: the need to attain pleasure and the need to avoid pain.

The caveat here is that the long-term is often overlooked in favor of theshort-term, and the need to avoid pain is stronger than the need to attain

pleasure.

Lets take a 1500-calorie coconut cream-pie shake as an example. Youllgladly spend ten minutes enjoying this audacious desert. At the same time,youre all too willing to ignore two simple but profound facts: first, the

pleasure of the shake will last only ten minutes; second, at the cost of self-discipline, a healthy body can be enjoyed 24/7.

Another example: there are people who will not invest $2000 in a course or business opportunity that could change their lives because they dont havethe money. Those same people live in a shoddy trailer with a $2000 HDTVsystem and a new Mercedes parked outside. At the same time they canhardly afford to pay the rent on the trailer, let alone health insurance.

Deep down they wanted that course or opportunity, just not badly enough. If people have a strong desire for

work for nobody

Documents