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Road To Success: Learn From Your Mistakes

The road to success is never straight. The textbook definition of “straight” is something that has no bends, angles or curves. Can we apply that same definition to life? Absolutely not. There really isn’t such thing as “straight” in the universe. At the core of everything, including us, is energy. Energy doesn’t travel straight, it travels in waves. Imagine throwing a pebble into a lake, watching the ripples gliding across the surface.

Right after you throw your pebble, someone else also tosses a pebble in the same lake, and now the ripples from that pebble collide with the ripples from yours. That’s how everything in this universe works.

Take Control: Create Your Road To Success

People and events are constantly colliding. This creates new pathways, situations, and actions. The chaos of life makes it almost impossible for anyone to always go “straight” to where they planned. Some people thrive on chaos and change, but most people don’t. They get frustrated, down, and ready to throw in the towel because they usually have expectations, and these expectations are usually almost impossible to meet.

We might as well just accept it: the road to success comes with twists, turns, ups, downs, stops and reverses. Once we really understand and accept this, we’re less likely to be deluded into having unrealistic expectations that there’s a straight line to the top. So when we come across bumps, flat tires, and raised bridges along the way, we won’t be so quick to get upset or give up. Getting off track is normal and therefore “perfect”.

The Ideal of Success and Perfectionism

You have to expect to spend a great deal of time making mistakes, or if it sounds better “making corrections”, on your road to success. There’s a reason why perfectionists have a hard time being highly successful. Perfectionism is a form of fear, based on fear of failure or the fear of disapproval.

If perfectionists don’t get it exactly right, then they don’t have to finish, follow through, and move on. They get to stay stuck “until it’s right”, but of course it’ll never be right. Perfectionists will never have to face the possibility of rejection or disappointment.

We need to consider mistakes as “feedback” rather than something to be avoided at all costs. Mistakes are our perfectly natural learning curve. They are the feedback we need to get ourselves back on track.

Take Action

We can do the same thing we already know we need to do in order to keep moving forward: Take action!

Those actions will produce results, and sometimes more mistakes. Then we just get that feedback, use it to correct our course again, and take more action. This is the non-linear cycle toward success. As long as you use this cycle , and persevere, it’s virtually impossible to fail.

Remember, we’re all ripples in the lake of the universe. You never know how a comment, observation, or shared experience can change the course of your life or another person’s life!

Exercise: Your Road to Success

  1. What are your stories about the ‘bumpy’ road to success? What unexpected events – totally beyond your control – have happened to you?
  2. How did you react? Did it set you back or help you move forward with new and better actions?
  3. How did you deal with the setbacks or successes?

Share your experience with us in the comments!

For Your Freedom,

For most people, the inevitable setbacks on the road to success can result in a lack of confidence and low self esteem, but it doesn’t have to be this way. So to help prevent this from happening to you, I created a free e-book called MindFrick, “Master The Inner World To Succeed In The Outer World”, that I’d like to give to you for free. Click here to download it now.

Finding Balance In Your Work and Personal Life

In normal conversations when we use the word “balance,” we tend to think of balance being an even distribution. And in many cases, this is correct. But when it comes to your life or your business or career, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Finding balance in your work life and personal life takes effort.

How To Find Balance In Your Life

I want you to say this phrase out loud: “Balance means equal attention given to both or to all…” Then I want you to say it again and remove the word “equal” because having equal attention in all things cannot and does not work in anyone’s life, including yours.

So if balance doesn’t work in equal proportions, then how does it work? We’ve talked a lot about the 80/20 rule or the Pareto principle. It says 20% of your activities will create 80% of your results. This means that 80% of what you do is wasted as far as the results you want are concerned.

So what do you do to find balance in your life?

  • Prioritize
  • Be productive
  • Separate different areas of your life

1. Prioritize

The first thing you must do is prioritize. You have to say, “What do I do that is productive, makes money and gives me joy?” The reality is most of our time is spent on frivolous, crappy stuff that doesn’t create real results.

Sometimes if I’m not careful, I can be on my email for four hours because I’m curious and think, “What does this financial letter say? What does this other guy say? What’s all of that about? What does he want over here?” I then catch myself and notice how many hours have gone by when I could have finished the emails I needed to do in 20 minutes.

2. Be Productive

That’s life. You have to discipline yourself to be productive.

3. Separate Your Life Into Sections

So how do you prioritize effectively so you can be productive? I want you to think about dividing a piece of paper into two sides, a left side and a right side. Most of our students are involved in a business, work, a career, or something where money or business is involved. So we’re going to put money and business on the left-hand side of the paper. On the right side, we’re going to put the rest of life. You might be thinking that that’s unbalanced, but it’s not.

Let’s take the money and business side, first. I’m going to share with you a big secret right now that not too many people know. I call it “The Big Kahuna”. The big kahuna means the “big thing”.


Determining Your “Big Kahuna” 

In your money and your business, what is the one big thing you can do that will have the most impactful effect and will create the biggest results for your business or career? It’s the ONE thing — not the ten things, five things, four, three or two things.

For my situation, I’ve been fortunate enough to do enormously well on my book, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. That book brought me a lot of clients and business from all over the world and has sold over 2 million copies in 43 languages. So, “The Big Kahuna” for me that would have the greatest impact would be writing another best-selling book, and that would be huge compared to everything else that I do on a day-to-day basis.

So, how much time should you dedicate to “The Big Kahuna”? 50% percent of all of my business time would go into my Big Kahuna. This may come as a shock to some of you reading this right now. But let me ask you this: Do you want greatness or do you want mediocrity? Do you want wealth or do you want to earn a living? If you want wealth, you have to work on “The Big Kahuna” and make it happen. That’s what will create greatness in your life.

Okay, what’s an example of a big kahuna for someone else who is in business?

I can tell you right now that 99% of every business problem lies in marketing and sales. If you are a great marketer, chances are you’ll make great money. If you’re a lousy marketer, chances are you’ll make lousy money.

I can tell you with absolute certainty that the most essential skill I have is the skill of marketing, and 99% of the time, that’s my big kahuna. In my experience, most people who are underachieving are not spending enough time on marketing. The reason is that they either don’t like it (very common), or they don’t know exactly what to do to make it work.

That is why we created our web class, The 500 Million Dollar Secret, to teach you exactly how to become a master at marketing. You can learn what common mistakes most people make and how you can avoid them. You’ll also get the opportunity to know exactly what I do in my own business to predict success.

Dedicating Time To Your Personal Life

For the right side of the paper (the rest of your life), how long does it take to have dinner with your family? It takes an hour a day. How long does it take to read a book to your kids and spend quality time with them? It can take an hour or less. How long does it take to work out? It takes half of an hour to an hour. You DO have time for everything else, and that’s the bottom line.

Exercise: Finding Balance Between Your “Big Kahuna” and Personal Life

Decide what your big kahuna is. If it isn’t marketing, then what is it? Come up with a plan to divide your time to create success in your personal life and your business or career. Leave a comment below and share your story with us!

For Your Freedom,

T. Harv Eker’s Top 10 Tips For Wealth & Success

harv eker pointing up

When it comes to creating wealth and reaching high levels of success, there are only a few rules and principles that you need to consistently follow to get there. 

However, if you don’t get good guidance from someone who has successfully done it before you, and you end up taking incorrect actions, you’ll find yourself struggling to reach the level of wealth and success that you desire.

Over the course of 30+ years in business and bringing in over 500 million dollars in revenue, T. Harv Eker has definitely achieved a high, high, HIGH level of success AND wealth, so he’s a great person to model, yes or yes?

When it comes to creating wealth and reaching high levels of success, there are only a few rules and principles that you need to consistently follow to get there. Share on X

Watch the video below and keep reading to learn T. Harv Eker’s top 10 tips for wealth and success. 

Want to learn more from Harv? Attend his free web class, The 500 Million Dollar Secret.

1. Take Ownership Of Your Life 


So many of us spend our lives waiting for our “big break.” We think that if we just put our heads down, work hard, and do the right things, eventually someone will hand over the keys to our success.

If you want to create real success in your life, you need to believe that you are the one creating your own life. And on the flip side, that you are the one who creates any mediocrity or financial struggle. It may sound harsh — but if you look at it the right way, it’s actually empowering. Because if you’re the one responsible for your own failure, then you’re also capable of changing your life for the better. 

This is how wealthy people see the world, and it’s one of the reasons for their success. Most middle class and broke people see things very differently. Instead of consciously creating their lives, they see life as something that happens “to” them, instead of “for” them.  

So, before you try to do anything else, it’s time to take control. When you believe that you can create the life that you desire, rather than waiting for good things to happen to you, you’ll be putting yourself on the fast track to wealth and success.

2. If You Want To Change The Fruits, First Change The Roots


This may not make a lot of sense at first, but picture a tree in an orchard. Any kind of fruit will do. This tree you’re imagining represents your life. In life, all of our actions will eventually have some kind of result. In other words, your tree will someday bear fruit. But what kind of fruit? Will it be juicy, crispy, and sweet? Or will the fruits of your labor be disappointing and bitter?

Most of us would like the juicy, sweet fruit – the successful results. So, if you want a tree to produce more and better fruit, what do you do?

You go back to the roots.

You can’t change the fruit that’s already been produced, but you can make tomorrow’s fruit sweeter. You nurture the parts hidden under the ground, knowing that eventually, your efforts will affect the entire system of the plant. Life is the same way. If you aren’t getting the results you want, it’s important to make sure you’re focusing on the real problem, not the end result. Focus on the invisible in order to change the visible.

3. Be Willing To Be Uncomfortable


The truth is, most people have trouble stepping outside their comfort zone. When we hit a roadblock or an obstacle, we assume that we’re doing something wrong. But nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of retreating back to old, familiar territory, try taking a different approach:

If you’re feeling uncomfortable, challenged, or discouraged – that means you’re growing.

Even if it doesn’t feel like you’re making progress, the fact that you’re moving outside your comfort zone means you’re moving forward. Many of us envision success as a straight line, a road from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’. But in reality, the road to success is filled with unexpected twists and turns. Being able to accept and adapt to them is one of the major factors in actually achieving any big goal in life.

So, the next time you feel lost, or confused, or just a little out of your depth, remember: it’s actually a good thing to try things that make you uncomfortable.

4. What You Focus On Expands


Have you ever met the kind of person who can’t seem to stop complaining about everything that’s wrong with their life? You probably have. Did that person seem happy, or did they seem absolutely miserable? 

It’s an unconscious trap we all fall into sometimes, but it’s a habit you must break if you want to reach your goals in life. Here’s why. When you are complaining or negative, what are you focusing on — what’s right in your life or what’s wrong in your life? What’s wrong in your life. So, if what you focus on expands, then what are you going to get more of in your life? What’s wrong in your life. 

Instead of looking for reasons why everything is wrong, commit to looking at what’s right. By really focusing on your goals in a new and more dedicated way, you’ll find new roads opening up that you never would have noticed before.

5. Your Word Must Become Law


It’s time to be honest, and the answer to this question may make you cringe. But how often do you start projects and never finish them? So often, we hear from people who start new programs, who set goals for themselves and then never follow through. Finishing what you start is more important than you might think, and it comes down to one word: integrity. And that doesn’t just mean in terms of being honest with yourself (although that’s important).

It also means being whole and complete as a person. When you don’t keep your word to yourself, it feels bad. When you don’t complete what you set out to do, it can shake your confidence and make you feel like there’s no real path to your goals. It’s easy to get stuck in a loop of bad habits and turn this into a self-reinforcing cycle if you’re not careful. 

On the other hand, when you do whatever it takes to keep your word to yourself, that confidence will spill over into every area of your life. It’s a simple matter of self-discipline. It will take some practice and hard work, but in the end, it’s the only way to reach the goals you set for yourself. This is one of the major ways you can own your life, achieve success, and increase wealth potential.

6. Be A Great Money Manager


Do you have a system for managing your money?

If you aren’t making as much as you’d like yet, it may seem easy to write the idea off. You just tell yourself you’ll think about it later when you have extra money to budget. But if you don’t take control of managing your income now, what will you do when you achieve the success you want?  

If you have a poor habit of managing your money, then there is a good chance you’ll still have a bad habit no matter how rich and successful you become. The answer is to first build the habit no matter how much money you earn because money management is one of the biggest differences between rich people and most middle class and broke people. It could make all the difference in whether or not you achieve success and increase wealth potential. 

7. Model Rich & Successful People


How many of us grew up with millionaires in our lives we could use as role models for success? Not too many, right?

The sad fact is that most of us just haven’t seen what it takes to achieve success and increase wealth potential. We can’t go to mom and dad and ask them for advice on how to become a millionaire because most of our parents aren’t millionaires… so how would they know?

Instead, it’s imperative to find people who are rich and successful – and study them to learn how they got there. 

You don’t have to meet these role models face-to-face to use this strategy. You just need to do your homework. Read their books and watch interviews they’ve done. Find out what you can about their past through biographies and news stories. Learn what their lives were like when they were at the same point in their journey that you are now. And then, do what they did. Model their approach.

8. Don’t Put A Limit On Your Income


If you have a job, you have a limit on your income. You automatically have a ceiling on what you can earn. If you want to get rich, you must get rid of all limits on your income. In most cases that means starting a business. 

However, a big mistake people make is when they start a business, they are the business. They are the ones who are solely responsible for the business succeeding or failing. Most small businesses and professionals are set up in a way that gives the owner such a vital role that without them present, the business is unable to function. That kind of setup is a mistake. And that’s the reason why so many small businesses remain small or unfortunately fail.

To be truly successful, your business needs to be able to run without you having a hand in every little thing. If you can step back and allow the systems you develop to run your business for you, even better! Once you step back and allow your business to run without you, there are no limits to the income you can earn.

Think about it – most jobs are based on an hourly rate, a salary, or a commission. That means you can only earn as much as you’re able to work. But when you step back and let your systems do the work for you, suddenly the number of hours in the day will no longer hold you back.

9. Stop Focusing On The Money, Focus On Solving Problems


A big problem I see with struggling business owners, entrepreneurs, professionals, and people transitioning from a job to owning their own business is that they are fixated only on themselves. Do I know enough? Will it work? Will I make enough money? Will they like me? And it goes on and on. However, this is the wrong approach. Stop focusing on yourself and start focusing on others.

Making money isn’t complicated. People will pay for something that solves a problem for them. It’s that simple. You can’t just start a business and hope it becomes successful, it has to have rhyme and reason. People get rich by building businesses that solve problems for others and earned a lot of money for it.

So, you need to shift your focus to being what Harv calls a “problem solver.” You need to decide what you can do to best help people. Money is a result of helping others and providing value to their life.

Think about your life right now. What are you paying for that is helping you solve problems in your life? To get rich you need to help a lot of people solve a problem. That’s the key to success.

This is also a valuable concept that I explain in more detail in my free web class, The 500 Million Dollar Secret. 

Click here to learn more.

10. Never Stop Learning


Finally, don’t make the mistake of thinking that once you’ve achieved a goal, you know everything there is to know! The most successful people in the world are committed to continuing to learn and grow.

Set aside time in your life (and money in your budget) to invest in programs that will teach you something new each day. You’ve probably heard the saying that “knowledge is power” – take it to heart!

So, now that you’ve read Harv’s top tips for wealth and success, what comes next?

Well, that depends… are you ready to learn some more advanced strategies and principles that will help you create wealth in your life? 

If so, then you’ll love my free web class called,

The 500 Million Dollar Secret

On this class airing, you’ll learn:

  • The 80-80-80-80 rule…when followed you’re virtually guaranteed to succeed.
  • How to get 10X more sales and make 10X more income from one slight change to your business model.
  • The 10-letter word that will practically hypnotize your prospects and customers and make them fall in love with you.
  • How to instantly eliminate all feardoubt, and non-supportive beliefs around the word “selling”
  • And much, much more!

Click here to register for my free class and select a date and time that works best for you.

How have you applied any of these 10 tips to achieve success and increase wealth potential in your life? Share in the comments below.

For Your Freedom,

UP NEXT:


Why Marketing Is Your Key To Business Success

 

 

 

 

 

Who You Are: Purpose And Being Part 1

It’s time to start reflecting on who you are, who you want to become and how that corresponds with what you value. The answers might not be as obvious as you think.

How Who You Are Is Reflected Through Your Values

Of course I know who I am,” a lot of people will respond when asked if they know who they are. Then they’ll rattle off a list that includes their name, where they’re from, their occupation, their ethnicity; the list can go on and on. Yet, we are more than our title, heritage or role, right? So, maybe most of us aren’t answer that question right. Maybe you need to reflect more on who you are.

Most of us already have a pretty good idea about the sum experience of our lives:

  • What we’ve been taught
  • How we’ve come along so far
  • How we generally tend to operate

Maybe a better question than “Who are you” is, “Who do you want to be?”


You are always being who you are—whatever that is at the moment—but at the same time you’re also always becoming. It’s easy to say, “I am (fill in the blank),” and we can think this with complete conviction. However, just because someone says they are—for example—a good friend doesn’t necessarily make it so. But who wouldn’t want to become a better friend?

Current pressures and challenges can affect even those with greater awareness of themselves. Sometimes, how we respond to these challenges can surprise us, like showing great compassion and humanity to others in the face of unspeakable tragedy (think the outpouring of support for the Haiti tragedy), even though those same people might not otherwise appear on our radar at all.

Other times, we might be disappointed because we think of ourselves as open-minded, only to find out that we aren’t what we think we are all the time. Considering life’s uncertainties, there really is no way to be absolutely sure of how we will respond to what life gives us.

When it comes down to it, who you are really is:

  • What you value the most
  • How your value reflects in what you do
  • Where your energy and resources are directed on a regular basis

I’m not talking about the value of material things like cars, houses, or the latest gadgets. I mean what you value as in honesty, self-respect, respect for others, kindness—qualities that have no price because their impact can’t be measured.


So instead of thinking in terms of who you are, perhaps a more practical way of looking at the question is who do you want to become. We probably aren’t going to be exactly who we want to be in every moment of life. Anybody who’s experienced fear or anger can attest to that. Nobody wants to be fearful, but we’d all like to be courageous.

Who you want to be is really what makes you who you are now. When you’re striving for something, you’re acting—you’re doing. And what you do makes you more of who you will become later down the line. There is no distinction between the present and the future. It’s always happening now through your values and your actions, from building your sense of character to building a strong financial foundation.

Exercise: Who You Are and Who You Want To Become

Put yourself in the hot seat and ask the tough questions:

  • What qualities do you really want to enact no matter what the situation, no matter what goal you’re trying to reach? Compassion? Bravery? Simplicity? Faith? Good humor?

Whatever these qualities you admire or cherish the most, these are the principles that make you who you are, if you hold to them consistently. Share the qualities you want to enact most in the comments.

In Being and Purpose Part 2, we’ll look at taking the next step in being by exploring the notion of purpose.

This article has been updated for relevancy and accuracy. Its original publish date was 01/21/10.

What Is Your Purpose in Life: Purpose and Being Part 2

What is your purpose in life? The big questions can be difficult to think about and hard to answer, but they’re essential to discovering our purpose and being.

Addressing The Big Questions: What Is Your Purpose In Life?

In my last blog, we took a look at the idea of being. We also discussed how who you are reflects in what you value the most, and how that influences your actions. If you value courage, everything you do will reflect that, from being honest even though it may be hard, to taking steps toward your financial freedom.

So, now you know what your principles are. They’re those qualities that will inform everything you do, taking you from where you are to wherever you want to be. Now, what’s next?


There’s nobody—and I mean nobody, ever—who hasn’t asked themselves the BIG question: What am I doing here? What’s my purpose?

Some schools of thought say—I believe, correctly—that we’re born into this life with a purpose, a reason for being. But considering that just about everything in nature has a specific purpose for existing, and we are part of nature, it’s not a stretch to accept that every individual has a specific purpose, as well.

A lot of people believe in purpose, but most have a hard time figuring out what that is for them. No doubt there have been a rare few individuals who have received or recognized within themselves a kind of unmistakable calling. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa immediately come to mind.

But that’s usually not how it works for the rest of us. You can wait and wait for a sign that may or may not ever come. What would you rather do if you’re unsure of your purpose: let life pass by or choose your purpose yourself? The upside to these deeper questions is that we are the ones who get to decide how we are best suited to serve ourselves, others and life itself.


However random it may seem, though, finding our individual purpose is actually easier than one might think. We each have unique abilities, inherent talents and strengths. Also, different subjects and activities interest us and make us happy. We all have varying experiences and issues from which we’ve learned, and every one of us has a different way in which we can use these traits to serve and also feel fulfillment. It’s through these factors that we can all choose a purpose.

But that doesn’t mean we’re locked into any one way of how to go about living our purpose. For example, if your purpose is to teach, you may literally teach in a school, or become a writer and speaker. The vehicle isn’t as important as recognizing yourself as a teacher no matter what you do.

Once you have purpose, you will have two essential elements for a truly happy life—money and meaning! You’ll do more of what you’re good at, attracting people who have a need or want for your particular talents. In this way, you will become ‘rich’ in every sense of the word.

Exercise: Discover Your Individual Purpose

 

  1. List your unique abilities, talents, strengths, interests and passions.
  2. Choose an overall purpose for your life. For some people, it may take hours to think it through; for others it may take days or longer.
  3. Once you’ve honestly assessed yourself, clarify your purpose by writing it down.
  4. Choose an initial vehicle with which you can serve people that is in alignment with your purpose.

Begin living your life with meaning today. Share with me in the comments. What is your purpose?

This article has been updated for relevancy and accuracy. It’s original publish date was 01/29/10.