Archives for July 2014

Wealthy, successful people are persistent. They simply never give up – even if it means they will fail. 27% of the wealthy in my study failed at least once in business. And then they went on to try again. They persisted. Why? Because they were obsessed with pursuing a big goal, major purpose or lifelong dream. They found their passion in life because they found their purpose in life. When you find your purpose in life it will fuel you with a passion that makes it impossible to quit. Persistence is the major factor in success. It is more important than any other success trait.

Winston Churchill had persistence and it infected all of Britain. The Battle of Britain was the longest aerial battle in the history of mankind. Great Britain, at the time, was the only force on earth courageous enough to stand up the all-powerful Nazi army. The Royal Air Force of Britain was commanded by another individual infected with persistence, Sir Hugh Dowding. His close collaboration with Churchill in this great battle, and the citizens of Britain’s commitment to persist against the Nazis, never wavered. The Battle of Britain forced Hitler to concede, which ultimately changed the course of the war. Unable to break Britain, Hitler withdrew his plans for an invasion of Britain and decided to marshal his army to invade Russia instead, which he believed would be easier to defeat than Britain. What’s truly amazing about this is the fact that Britain was very near its breaking point. It was running out of pilots. But their unrelenting persistence broke Hitler’s resolve and the rest, as they say, is history. The persistence of Churchill, Dowding and the people of Britain overcame the most powerful army the modern world had ever known at that time.

Persistence in the face of incredible odds always wins out. Follow your dreams, and never, ever quit.

Wealthy, successful people track the things that are important in moving them forward in life. When we monitor certain behavior, choices and daily activities, we are able to measure our progress. Tracking what we do in life forces awareness. We become aware of those things that are moving us forward and holding us back.

How many calories do you eat every day? How many are junk food calories? How much do you exercise every day? How much do you set aside in savings every pay period? How many things do you accomplish every day? How much do you read for self-improvement every day? What have you done today to move you forward towards achieving a big goal, major purpose or lifelong dream? How much did you spend today, last week, last month? How many people did you call on their birthday last year? How many new business contacts did you establish last month? How many new customers or clients or patients did you have last month?

Wealthy, successful people know the answer to these questions. Take one small step forward by tracking just on aspect of your life you’d like to improve on this month. Next month add another. Keep doing this for six months and your eyes will begin to open. Starting today make a habit of monitoring every important thing you do in life.

Chocolate is derived from the cacao bean. Consuming chocolate can affect the brain as its ingredients include certain neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that are beneficial to the health of neurons (brain cells).  Two neurotransmitters released by chocolate are phenylethylamine and anandamide.

Phenylethylamine causes changes in blood pressure and blood-sugar levels leading to feelings of excitement and alertness. It works like amphetamines to increase mood and decrease depression.

Phenylethylamine is also called the “love drug” because it causes your pulse rate to quicken, resulting in a similar feeling to when someone is in love.

Anandamide activates neuron receptors which causes the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter which leads to feelings of well being.  Anandamide, found naturally in the brain, typically breaks down very rapidly in the brain. Chocolate, besides adding to the levels of anandamide in the brain, also contains two other chemicals which work to slow the breakdown of the anandamide, thus extending the feelings of well-being.

The higher the percentage of cacao the better. Semisweet or bittersweet chocolate contains 35 percent or more cacao. A higher percentage cacao means less added sugar. Unsweetened baking chocolate is 100 percent cacao with no added sugar.

Wealthy, successful people make a habit of being upbeat, positive and optimistic. They practice gratitude and optimism every day. They make happiness a habit. If they disagree with you they do so in a way that does not offend or upset. They avoid engaging negative people like they were a plague on society. They don’t do business with negative people.

One of the Rich Habits I uncovered in my study on the habits of the rich and poor was Rich Communication. Wealthy, successful people make a habit of effective communication with their relationships. Looking people in the eyes, asking questions about their lives, following the 5:1 Rule (listen for 5 minutes, talk for 1 minute) and calling them on their birthdays, to say hello or when some important event in their lives occurs. Rich Communication grows the roots to your relationship trees deeper.

Successful people have a clear vision of who they want to be in five years, ten years, twenty years etc. They create that vision and focus on it each day. They do certain little things that move them just a little bit closer to their vision of themselves in the future. Do you know who you want to be in the future? Do you have a clear vision of the ideal, perfect you? If you don’t, create your vision today. Write down who you want to be in the future. This person is not you today. It represents the future you. Be specific as to the details of your future life. When you script your future life answer the following questions:

• What do you do for a living?
• How much money do you make?
• Where do you live?
• What does your home look like?
• How do you spend your day?
• How much money do you have?
• Where and how often do you vacation?
• Who are the people you associate with?
• What new skills do you have?
• What goals have you accomplished?

Don’t hold back. This is your opportunity to script perfect the life you were intended to live.

Fear, whether conscious or subconscious, holds most back in life. It’s very much like a boat’s mooring lines, tethering you to the dock, preventing you from venturing too far in life. The key to overcoming fear is to lean in just a little, to loosen those mooring lines a little every day, permitting you to venture a little bit further. Leaning in allows you to face your fear incrementally, day by day, bit by bit, until your confidence grows to the point when you are able to cut those lines and free yourself from your fear. Make a list of your top five biggest fears. Each day take on just one of those fears by doing something small that forces you to face that fear. Any fear can be overcome in time if you just lean in a little every day. It helps you form the habit of overcoming fear and as your confidence grows, your fear will lessen. Lean in, just a little today.

40% of happiness is within our control. Making happiness a habit requires that we engage in activities that create a state of happiness. One helpful activity is to make a list of all of the things we are happy and grateful for. Being aware of things that make us happy helps to shift our mindset from negative to positive. Start your list today. Add to it during the week. Then review it at the end of the week. You must choose to be happy by making happiness a daily habit.

Wealthy people pursue big wow-type goals despite the fact that pursuing those goals requires them to take on risk which can be significant. Most people would cower in the face of such risk and consider the pursuit of any such goal irresponsible. They do not see the possibilities, they only see the pitfalls, failure and the negativity. Their vision is fogged by their fears and negativity. They play it safe. They take the safe path in life. They pursue careers that avoid risk at all costs. This is most people. This is 95% of the population. Those who succeed in life in becoming successful and wealthy simply do not let fear and negativity get in the way. They live in a world of possibilities, where optimism and positivity rules their behavior. Playing it safe is anathema to them. Their daily habit of being positive allows them to see the big picture. This habit of being positive every day clears away the fog of fear and negativity.