My youngest daughter, who normally lives in New Orleans, has been visiting with us for a little while, which makes me happy. Anyway, she has a Bernedoodle (Bernese Mountain dog/Standard Poodle), named Beaux. He’s a very friendly, loving dog, who loves running around our back yard.

Around 7am, I’ll take Beaux outside, into our back yard, so that he can do his business and run around.

One of the things I started to notice, is that about 25% of the time, when Beaux is taking a leak, he’ll piss right on one of his legs. He’s completely unaware that he’s pissing on himself.

Other times, he’ll piss properly and then proceed to step right on the grass where he just pissed. Once again, completely oblivious and unaware what he’s doing.

Beaux clearly lacks awareness. I guess for a dog, that’s not such a big deal.

But a lack of awareness for human beings is a big deal, and it made me think – How many people are completely unaware that the things they’re doing are interfering with their success?

In Beaux-speak – how many people are unaware that they are pissing on themselves?

Most people, other than those diligently pursuing success, are completely unaware of their habits, and therefore, the effects their habits are having on their lives. If you have bad habits, your life circumstances will mirror those habits. If you have good habits, ditto.

My job, as I see it, is to bring awareness to the importance of habits, in an effort to help people improve the circumstances of their lives.

I diligently try to do this everyday by sharing my Rich Habits research by highlighting the habits that lead to wealth, health and happiness (what to do) and the habits that lead to poverty, chronic illness and unhappiness (what not to do).

Only through habit awareness can you make the necessary changes to improve your life.

So, I guess you could say, I’m just here to get people to stop pissing on themselves.

Sorry for the foul language.

My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!

In my Rich Habits Study, one of the data points I found interesting was about gossiping. Ninety-four percent of the wealthy, successful individuals in my study avoided it vs. 79% of the poor who engaged in it regularly.

I never thought much about gossiping until my research. Since then I’ve learned quite a bit about it from numerous studies. Here are some facts about gossiping:

• 90% of workplace conversations are gossip.
• 15% of workplace email content is gossip.
• 60-70% of gossip is negative/toxic – Gossip is 2.7 times more likely to be negative/toxic.
• Gossip irreparably damages relationships.
• Gossip causes chronic stress.
• Engaging in gossip, either by communicating it or listening to it, flips your mindset from positive to negative.
• 60% of gossip is judgmental.
• Gossip often destroys reputations in the workplace.

Spontaneous Trait Transference, also known as the Boomerang Effect, is a phenomenon where people are perceived as possessing a trait that they, themselves, describe in others (Hovland, Janis and Kelly, prominent psychologists, first recorded and named the boomerang effect in 1953). Thus, telling fellow co-workers that another peer is lazy will cause that co-worker to infer that you are lazy, due to the Boomerang Effect caused by gossip.

Those who engage in regular gossip, most of which is negative and toxic, are inadvertently creating negative/toxic perceptions, of themselves, in the minds of others.

Gossip is one of those Toxic Poor Habits I often write and speak about. It acts like an anchor, dragging you down and undermining your success in life.

No good can come from gossiping. It not only damages the reputations of those you gossip about, it also damages your own reputation.

Like many bad behaviors, it’s a Poor Habit that must be broken if you hope to succeed in life.

Awareness is the key to changing any habit. When you find yourself engaging in gossip, stop. Do not become an active participant.

Or conversely, only engage in positive gossip, which is a Rich Habit. Good gossip, saying something positive about someone when they are not around, will turn the Boomerang Effect into a an ally, making others like or admire you. They will unconsciously assume that you possess such traits or, that you will say nice things about them to others, which helps those who are trying to build Power Relationships.

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According to a recent survey conducted by OnePoll, on behalf of LG Electronics, the average person in the UK watches 1,248 hours of TV a year.

If you do the math, that means the average individual living in the UK watches approximately 60,000 hours of TV from the age of 23 through age 70, what most would consider your productive years.

A typical college education takes about 3,000 hours to complete and a PhD takes slightly more than 3,000 hours. So, you could graduate college and get a PhD by devoting just 10% of that 60,000 hours of TV-watching to formal study.

In my Rich Habits Study, 67% of the wealthy watched less than an hour of TV a day, or about 365 hours of TV a year. That’s 883 fewer TV-watching hours than the average person.

What makes this relevant to building wealth is what the self-made millionaires in my study did with those 883 hours each year:

• 183 Hours Per Year – Reading to Improve/Learn or Deliberate/Analytical Practice to Perfect/Improve Your Skills
• 104 Hours Per Year – Exercising
• 60 Hours Per Year – Helping to Run a Local Non-Profit
• 92 Hours Per Year – Building Power Relationships
• 364 Hours Per Year – Pursuing Dreams/Goals/Formal Schooling
• 80 Hours Per Year – Other (Hobbies, Sports, Coaching, Speaking, Writing, Work)

I like survey’s like this because they validate my Rich Habits research.

As I’ve written about often, there are four paths to wealth:

1. Saver/Investor Path
2. Big Company Climber Path
3. Virtuoso Path and
4. Dreamer/Entrepreneur Path

If you pursue the Saver/Investor Path, the only requirement is that you live off of 80% of your net income, diligently save the remaining 20% and prudently invest that 20% savings, year after year. When you pursue this Effort-Less Path towards wealth, you can watch as much TV as you want and still build wealth.

If you are pursuing any of the other paths towards wealth, watching too much TV is a time-wasting habit that wealthy, successful Climbers, Virtuosos and Dreamers don’t engage in. They are too busy focusing on growing and improving.

My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!

Your best friend just put in a beautiful granite kitchen countertop. They have a little get together with you and other friends to show it off. As you drive home, you can’t shake the desire building inside of you of having one too. That want, that desire, when left unchecked, becomes a seed and that seed will eventually germinate.

The next thing you know, come hell or high water, you find yourself putting in a new countertop.

According to Wisonart, a home goods manufacturer, 34% of all home improvement/renovation projects are initiated in an effort to keep up with a friend, family member or neighbor.

Human beings are hardwired to want what others have. It’s literally built into our genome, our DNA.

The Want Gene is one of the reasons why so many individuals fail to live within their means, fail to save and accumulate so much debt.

This Want Gene resides deep inside the limbic system, a part of the primitive brain that directs your emotions and impulses. It’s a very powerful gene.

But, the good new is you also were bestowed something called the prefrontal cortex, a more sophisticated and newer region of the brain that has the ability to overpower the Want Gene. In fact, the prefrontal cortex is the master or, CEO, of your brain.

The prefrontal cortex’s greatest weapon over the primitive brain’s hardwired emotions/impulses is the Awareness Gene. This Awareness Gene, when turned on, overcomes the Want Gene, turning it off whenever it rears its ugly head.

But the Awareness Gene is a switch that must remained turned on. When it is used repeatedly, it stays turned on and remains vigilant in suppressing the Want Gene – it becomes the master over the Want Gene.

Unfortunately, most individuals give into the instinctual, hard-wired emotions/impulses of the primitive brain – allowing their Want Gene to run their lives. That is why most people live beyond their means, are unable to save, accumulate debt  and struggle financially.

How do you keep the Awareness Gene turned on and the Want Gene turned off?

By having a life plan.

The prefrontal cortex loves to plan. By creating a life plan, that plan becomes your GPS, guiding you in all of your decisions. Your life plan turns on the Awareness Gene and forces you to evaluate every potential spending decision, in order to ensure it is consistent with your life plan.

Without a life plan, you allow your Want Gene to take control of your spending decisions, which always has disastrous consequences.

My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!

When you perform any task, brain scans show activity in two areas: the Prefontal Cortex and the Hippocampus.

When you continue to repeat a task, brain scans show a shift in brain activity to two other brain regions in the Limbic System: the Putamen and the Basal Ganglia. This shift happens when the brain decides to transform a repetitive activity into a habit.

The Limbic System is the second oldest part of the brain and it is this older region which has been designated the command and control center for habits.

Why does the brain create habits?

The more primitive areas, such as the Limbic System, use less brain fuel. Also, by creating habits, the Limbic System removes operational control of a repetitive task from the Prefrontal Cortex, the brain’s CEO and the most sophisticated brain region.

This brain shifting, habit creation process not only helps to conserve brain fuel, it also frees up the Prefrontal Cortex, so that it can do more complex things, like planning, creating and decision-making.

We can thank habits for the creation of the the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Airplane, Nasa’s Moon Missions, the Silicon Chip, the Internet, Cell Phones and many other amazing things.

Thanks to habits, the Prefrontal Cortex was freed up to do the planning, creating and thinking needed in order for humans to create and achieve.

Simply put, habits helped put a man on the moon.

My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!

Hardly anyone thinks about their legacy – the impact of the life they leave behind. We really only give it some thought when we read an obituary of someone we know.

In May of 2000, I read an obituary about a friend’s father that left me in awe of the man. There were numerous non-profit organizations he devoted time and money to.

The obituary also listed all of his impressive achievements, as well.

I remember thinking to myself, how could one person do so much in one life?

Then, I tried writing my own obituary, that May of 2000. I did not like how it read. Not much of a legacy, I thought. I was even somewhat embarrassed.

So, I decided to write a fictitious obituary about my ideal life. I still have that obituary, to this day.

In that bogus obituary, I listed all of my fictitious achievements:

• Self-made millionaire
• Famous author
• The numerous charitable organizations I was involved with during my life
• How I helped add value to the lives of many people in my business endeavors
• Amazing husband and father…

My fictitious obituary, written in May of 2000, went on for a full page, front and back.

What’s strange about my fake obituary is that, for some reason, I had listed “famous author” as one of my many achievements.

I liked to write, but I had never before published a book; had never really seriously thought about publishing a book. I had no industry knowledge about what it took to publish a book.

So, why did I write down “famous author” on my make believe obituary? I’m still scratching my head on that one to this day.

Nonetheless, that obituary planted a seed in my mind that, years later, led to my becoming an author.

My first book, Rich Habits, was released in March 2010 and went on to become a legitimate bestseller on Amazon and is now translated into many languages around the world. I’ve since written four other books and will probably be writing books until the day I die.

I also helped organize and grow three non-profits since May 2000 and that makes me proud.

That obituary literally changed my life and it’s still changing my life, as my author business has given birth to a growing speaker business. And I just started developing plans for various Rich Habits training events – another future line of business.

Despite our impressive advances in technology, medicine and science, we still do not yet fully comprehend the mysterious powers of the human mind. My May of 2000 make-believe obituary activated some very powerful, dormant forces within my brain which unconsciously directed me onto the path I now find myself on, so many years later.

If you are struggling in life, as I was back in May of 2000, I suggest you write two obituaries.

The first obituary should depict your current life – what your obituary would say if you died tomorrow.

How will it read? Does it make you proud or does it bring you down?

Let your real-life obituary swim in your mind for a few days. Then, write a second, fictitious obituary. This time paint a picture with words of a life so incredible that it leaves you in awe of yourself.

Somewhere in your make-believe obituary, a seed will be planted. That seed will grow inside your mind. In time, through intuition, you will find yourself being nudged onto certain paths. Paths, you feel compelled to walk but really don’t know why.

Your made believe obituary will act like a GPS, directing your behavior, in an effort to create a legacy that will make you proud.

My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!

Our names are one of the most important things to us. They are even more important than our birthdays.

When someone remembers your name, it feeds your ego. You feel important and valued.

Most people, however, make no effort to remember names.

It’s particularly embarrassing when someone remembers your name and you can’t recall their name. It’s more than just embarrassing, however. It impairs your ability to become successful in life.

If you want to be successful, you must forge a habit of remembering the names of those who matter to you or your business.

One of the main culprits behind forgetting someone’s name has to do with the frequency of contact. The less frequent the contact, the more likely you will forget someone’s name.

What can you do?

One trick I found very effective is the Grouping Strategy. With the Grouping Strategy you categorize each one of your relationships into a specific group.

For example, if you play tennis, you may meet many individuals from various tennis leagues. You may not see these people regularly and because of this you forget their names. So you group these infrequent tennis contacts into your Tennis Group category. Almost every contact management system allows you to categorize each of your contacts and some even allow you to link the database to your cell phone. Even better is attaching a picture to the name of the contact.

Prior to getting together with your Tennis Group group, you simply whip out your cell phone and review all those listed under the Tennis Group Category.

Here are the steps for creating your own specific groups:

Step #1: Write down the name of a new introduction immediately after the introduction. I keep a small pad and pen with me at all times just for this purpose.
Step #2: Associate their face with someone you know or some outstanding facial or bodily feature and write this association down in your pad. For example, “looks like Chris Rock”.
Step #3: Create group categories for all of your contacts and then assign each contact to a group category. Keep it simple. Not too many groups.
Step #4: Refer to your grouping category just prior to a function for one of your “Groups”.

This memory trick works great. People are amazed by my memory and I often receive compliments. I usually respond saying I always remember the names of people I like.

Their chest swells and their egos are satiated.

More importantly, they never forget my name ever again.

My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!

The rich do not build relationships with just anybody. They focus like a laser on building something called Power Relationships.

Power Relationships are individuals who are:

• Centers of Influence
• Decision-Makers
• Upbeat, Optimistic, Positive
• Wealthy
• Successful
• Success-Minded
• Obsessed With Self-Improvement

Here’s some of my research from my Rich Habits Study, related to Power Relationships:

• 88% of the wealthy believed building Power Relationships was a key factor in their wealth. Only 17% of the poor made any effort to build Power Relationships.
• 67% of the rich believed promoting themselves to those who matter, other Power Relationships, was important to building their brand, which lead to success. Only 24% of the poor agree.
• 75% of the rich send thank you cards or notes or email their Power Relationships regularly. Only 13% of the poor have this Rich Habit.
• 72% of the wealthy volunteer five hours or more each month compared to only 12% for the poor. Many of the board members of non-profits happen to be Centers of Influence, decision-makers and successful or success-minded individuals – Power Relationships.

Building Power Relationships is fundamental to success and wealth creation. But building these relationships requires that you follow a process.

So how do you go about finding and building Power Relationships?

1. Become a Speaker – Speaking engagements are probably the most efficient and effective way to build Power Relationships. One speaking engagement can introduce you to numerous Power Relationships at one time. Since most individuals fear public speaking, overcoming that fear sets you apart from the masses. You’ll be viewed as an expert in the eyes of any Power Relationships listening to your talk.
2. Join a Non-Profit Group Board or Committee – You will find many Power Relationships sitting on the boards of local, community-based non-profit groups. Very often, Board members are successful, wealthy individuals who have very strong, powerful relationships. By becoming a member of a non-profit, you gain special access to these Power Relationships. You also are able to showcase your knowledge and skill. Referrals will eventually manifest themselves as your relationships grow stronger. When you join a non-profit, in time you will gain access to the Rolodex of the Power Relationships who reside on the board.
3. Write – Writing sets you apart from your competition. As you develop your content, your content will eventually reach the eyeballs of Power Relationships, because Power Relationships are voracious readers. Your content, if it is good, will create immediate gravitas with these Power Relationships. Writing forces you to really understand the topic you are writing about. As a result, it hones your technical knowledge and helps transform you into a Virtuoso in your field. Also, as a sidebar, every time you write about a subject, you increase your knowledge in that subject and this helps open your eyes to invisible opportunities that were there all along. Writing creates a type of good luck known as Opportunity Luck.
4. Hello Call – Make a habit of calling at least one Power Relationship every day for no other reason other then to say hello. This helps build the relationship and opens the door for opportunities.
5. Happy Birthday Call – Call your Power Relationships on their birthdays. Birthdays are very important to each one of us; second only to our names in terms of importance. When you take time out of your day to make a Happy Birthday Call it says to that person, “you are important to me.” Power Relationships remember those who call them on their birthday. They don’t remember those who wish them a happy birthday on social media sites – that’s just noise to them – you are just one of many and get lost in the crowd. When you make a Happy Birthday Call, you may be the only person who actually does so that day, which sets you apart from everyone else. Birthdays are happy, emotional events. Emotions create the strongest memories. So, when you make a Happy Birthday Call, that creates a strong, powerful favorable memory.
6. Life Event Call – Like Happy Birthday calls, Life Event Calls stir strong emotions for the recipient of that call. So, call your Power Relationships when something important or special happens to them or one of their family members. This could be a birth, death, newspaper mention, award, health issue, etc.
7. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinners/Bars – Periodically reach out to your Power Relationships and ask them to breakfast, lunch, dinner or buy them a few drinks at a bar. This casual get together is the perfect setting to casually grow these relationships in a relaxed environment.

No one succeeds on their own. Success does not happen in a vacuum. The most successful people in the world are part of an expansive and strong network or team of other successful people. Successful people have a large herd of Power Relationships.

Power Relationships don’t simply manifest themselves out of thin air. They are the byproduct of investing time and energy in growing and nurturing them. So, you have to process building these relationships on a daily basis. In other words, you need to make building Power Relationships a Rich Habit.

Not everyone you meet is worthy of your investment. You need to be selective. The wealthiest invest in upbeat, optimistic, enthusiastic individuals who are on or pursuing a path towards success.

Avoid toxic, negative people. If they are part of your inner circle, Power Relationships will pull away from you because Power Relationships avoid negative, toxic people as if they were a plague.

To the wealthy, Power Relationships are like gold. They are the currency of the wealthy.

My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!

Many business owners and entrepreneurs were part of my Rich Habits Study (51%).

The information they shared with me about their daily habits, I consider revolutionary and invaluable. Interestingly, many of the mistakes they made in growing their business were critical to their future success.

Business mistakes stand out like missing teeth. They are so obvious, after the fact. You wonder how you could have ever been so dumb. But making mistakes is part of being a successful business. In fact, every successful business has a mouth full of missing teeth.

These mistakes offer a learning experience that can never be reproduced in a classroom. Mistakes are the real-life business MBA.

Because business mistakes cost you time and money, avoiding them means you can spend your time and money on things that help grow your business.

Below are some of the common business mistakes the self-made millionaires in my study made and, hopefully, you won’t:

1. Poor Quality
   High quality products or services are the cornerstone of every successful business. Quality keeps customers/clients coming back. Businesses that produce poor quality are perpetually in search for new customers/clients. New customer/client acquisition is a far more expensive proposition than than keeping the old ones satisfied and coming back. Businesses that produce poor quality are always just getting by. They eek out a living.
2. Lack of Customer/Client Feedback
   The most successful businesses are in a constant search for customer/client feedback. This feedback is crucial as it provides important information on what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. Every business should ask for feedback on the products/services they provide. Ideally, this feedback is most valuable immediately following a product sale or a service provided. Timely customer/client feedback allows your business to make immediate course corrections to prevent loss of revenue.
3. Over-Staffing
   Successful businesses hire reluctantly. They keep employee staffing levels at the bare minimum, even during growth phases. Instead, they rely on a core group of highly competent and proven staff members for 80% of sales and fill the 20% gap with seasonal employees, part-time employees or outside contractors.
4. Procrastination
   Successful businesses adopt a “do it now” mindset. They don’t procrastinate on meeting customer/client needs. Procrastination results in a “put out the fire” response in meeting the needs of customers/clients. This “put out the fire” response results in poor quality, dissatisfied customers/clients, lost customers/clients and potential litigation, costing the business valuable time and money.
5. Lack of Vision
   Successful businesses know exactly where they are going. They have a very clear vision of their destination. The construction crew they use to turn that vision into a reality, are goals. These company-wide goals are in writing. They are regularly monitored and revised to meet an ever changing business environment. Successful businesses understand that goals tied to their vision, help move them forward towards that vision.
6. Failing to Keep Up With Your Competition
   Successful businesses are tuned in to their industry. They consistently read their industry periodicals or blogs for industry trends and opportunities. They adapt their business to industry changes. They are constantly in “self-improvement” mode; always improving/expanding their core products/services to match or exceed their competition. Successful businesses have their fingers on the pulse of their industry.
7. Your Product/Service is a Commodity
   Successful businesses have a unique brand that is the result of providing value-added products or services or that fills some niche. They offer something unique that helps them stand out from the competition. When your product or service becomes a commodity, it shows up in the bottom line.
8. Poor Marketing
   Successful businesses have a unique marketing strategy that helps them build their brand. They do not follow the heard in terms of marketing strategy. They create their own proprietary strategy through trial, error and brainstorming sessions with their staff and business partners.
9. Not Understanding Customer/Client Wants and Needs
   Successful businesses know their customers/clients wants and needs. They then create products or services to meet those wants and needs.
10. Failing to Meet Customer/Client Expectations
    Successful businesses exceed customer/client expectations. They always try to deliver on a promise. Customers/clients walk away satisfied because their expectations are either met or exceeded.

My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!

In my Rich Habits Study, 88% of the wealthy read an average of 30 minutes each day, strictly to gain knowledge.

Their reading topics?

• Career/Industry-Related
• Self-Help
• Educational
• Biographies of Successful Historical Figures
• History
• Current Events Related to Their Career/Industry
• Anything Related to a Dream or Goals
• Hobbies/Interests

While reading is important, retaining what you read is even more important.

One Tool I picked up from one of the self-made millionaires in my Study is something I call the Fact Binder. The Fact Binder helps me retain facts or easily access facts that are critical to helping me grow, improve and make money.

In my big Fact Binder (it’s a 6 inch Binder), I separate important facts into alphabetical Topic Sections that are specific to all of the things I need to know for each of my five businesses. Here’s an example:

• Author Business
• Book Summaries – I summarize every book I read. Some summaries = 1 page, some are as long as 10 pages.
• Brain Science
• Economics
• Financial Planning
• Genetics
• Government
• Habits
• Health
• Rich Habits-Related Studies
• Speaker Business
• Taxes
• Training Business
• Wealth
• Writing

My Fact Binder is my go to resource for everything I learn from all of the reading I do. It helps me to easily access facts that my brain has not committed to long-term memory. I use my Fact Binder every day.

My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!