| 1. Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life ? | | | | common is how seriously they take their |
| In a society where people blame everything | | | | profession. They strive to be the best at |
| from their parents to the government for | | | | what they do, and do almost anything to |
| failure, those who don't buy into this | | | | improve. If someone followed you around all |
| mentality or succumb to the ?victim? thinking | | | | day with a video camera at your business, |
| succeed. To blame something or somebody | | | | would it be a tape you'd be proud of or |
| outside yourself is saying they have control | | | | embarrassed about? Make the decision today |
| of your life and not you. Someone else's | | | | to work at being the best in your field. |
| opinion of you doesn't have to become your | | | | How? By finding out what the ?best? in your |
| reality. | | | | field are doing, and do what they do. |
| | | | |
| 2. Live Your Life On Purpose - What | | | | 6. Write Out a Plan for Achieving Your Goals |
| separates motivational thinkers from the | | | | - Write out an action plan/map for how |
| unsuccessful is that they believe they're | | | | you're going to achieve your goals. Trying |
| doing what they were put her to do. The | | | | to reach your goals without a plan is like |
| difference between this and just living, is | | | | trying to drive from Los Angeles to Chicago |
| that the latter is just getting through the | | | | without a map. A goal that isn't written |
| week with the least problems. But when you | | | | down is merely a wish or fantasy. |
| live your life on purpose, your main concern | | | | |
| is doing the job right. For the entrepreneur | | | | 7. Never Give Up - Never, never, never give |
| this means finding a cause you believe in and | | | | up. When you're fully committed to achieving |
| building your business around it. | | | | your goal, giving up is not an option. You |
| | | | must be willing do whatever it takes to make |
| 3. Be Willing to Pay the Price - Be willing | | | | it happen. The power of perseverance is an |
| to pay the price for your dreams. Wanting a | | | | awesome force. As someone once said, ?inch |
| big house, a luxury car, and a million | | | | by inch it's a cinch?. Think of the lowly |
| dollars in the bank is all very nice, and | | | | inchworm ? if it pondered the length of the |
| everyone wants these things ? but are you | | | | trip from start to finish before it started, |
| willing to pay the price to get them? This | | | | it probably would never move. To a worm's |
| is one of the major differences between the | | | | point-of-view, the garden path must look |
| successful and unsuccessful. | | | | like a trip to Mars. Never give up! Keep on |
| | | | going like the Eveready battery bunny, and |
| 4. Stay Focused ? Every day we're bombarded | | | | pretty soon you're there. |
| with hundreds of tasks, phone calls, | | | | |
| messages, and everyone competing for our | | | | 8. Don't Delay - Nobody knows how much time |
| time. Focusing requires giving up something | | | | they have left to accomplish their dreams, |
| in the present because you are investing your | | | | and we must remember that we don't have |
| time in something that will pay off big-time | | | | forever. The clock is ticking, and sooner or |
| down the road. Jack Canfield and Mark Hanson | | | | later your number comes up and you're gone. |
| were turned by 30 publishers when they | | | | Successful achievers know this too, but they |
| submitted the first ?Chicken Soup for the | | | | don't view it as a ?negative?. Achievers use |
| Soul? book. Instead of giving up, they | | | | it to ?spur them on?. They go after what |
| stayed focused on their goal and did four or | | | | they want as energetically and as |
| five interviews per day for radio, TV, and | | | | passionately as possible, for as long as they |
| newspapers, for five days a week for a whole | | | | have. |
| year. Eventually, a small publisher decided | | | | |
| to take a chance, and of course now it's a | | | | I had a friend who used to say, ?Today is a |
| best-seller that spawned an entire series | | | | check ? cash it! Yesterday is an I.O.U. ? |
| that have sold more than 10 million copies. | | | | forget it! Tomorrow is a promissory note, |
| | | | don't bank on it!? I think that's a pretty |
| 5. Become An Expert in Your Field One | | | | good summation of life, so go out there and |
| striking factor all successful people have in | | | | cash in on that ?today? check. |