Habits are amazing things. Once formed, they become automatic, subconscious behaviors that require zero willpower. You don’t need to motivate yourself or pump yourself up to engage in a habit. All it takes is a trigger.

For Abraham Lincoln that trigger was committing something to memory. When Lincoln was studying to take the bar exam, he developed a habit that stayed with him forever.

Lincoln found it difficult to remember all of the legal concepts he needed to know in order to pass the bar exam. So, he decided to write the concepts down a minimum of there times.

After passing the bar, he incorporated this “Rule of 3” into his legal profession. Prior to presenting his case to the judge and jury, Lincoln would write down his arguments three times right before his court appearance. He became so well-respected as a lawyer that he was added to the list of lawyers who could practice before the Supreme Court of Illinois.

Lincoln took his “Rule of 3” with him into politics, eventually becoming the 16th President of the United States in March of 1861. He would write most of his own speeches using his “Rule of 3”. Because of his hectic schedule he would often have to write his speeches on the way to the speech. The Gettysburg Address, one of his most famous speeches, was written on his way to Cemetery Hill, the site of his Gettysburg Address.

When we try to memorize anything, we are using two parts of the brain: the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. The “Rule of 3” is a more effective way to memorize facts because it activates three parts of the brain: prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum. Lincoln, unknowingly, was using 1/3 more of his brain with his “Rule of 3”, which made it easier for him to commit facts to memory.

If you struggle committing facts to memory, take a page out of Lincoln’s playbook and try his “Rule of 3”. It works. I’ve been using it since 1988 and it has helped me to pass the CPA exam, obtain my Masters degree in Taxation, pass the CFP exam, the Series 7 exam, and has helped me obtain several other licenses. It’s now a habit for me. I’ve incorporated the “Rule of 3” in my Rich Habits business to help me with my speaking engagements and presentations.

Who do you want to be? Have you ever given it any thought?

Sure, we have ideas about what we want to do with our lives. This usually focuses on careers or starting a family so we can become a mom or dad.

At some point, usually around age 45, we begin to wonder if this is all we are in life – our career and a mom or dad. Up to this point we’ve been running like hamsters on a wheel. Working hard at our jobs and raising a family.

But as that family grows up, that wheel starts to slow down, and we suddenly have more time to think about our lives. This “mid-life crisis” event forces us to stop and think about the meaning behind it all. And the inevitable question arises – is this all I am?

Most take a non-productive path and bury themselves in things that occupy their time – new hobbies (golf, boating, crafts, fantasy football, etc.) and/or new addictions (drugs/alcohol/women).

These time-consuming hobbies and the addictions make us feel better while we’re engaged in the activities because they throw a blanket over the real issue and divert our attention. But they only serve to temporarily mask the pain we feel when we are alone with our thoughts.

A few, however, during this mid-life crisis, take the constructive path and begin to formulate a plan to become something more than a job-holder and parent. They pursue dreams and goals that will help them become something more significant in life. They strive for greatness.

We all have the capacity for greatness. But we need a plan to achieve that greatness. I call that plan Dreamsetting.

Dreamsetting will give you the answer to the question who do I want to be. Dreamsetting puts you on the right path in life. It will open your eyes and help you become the person you were intended to be.

I created a short eBook on Dreamsetting. If you’d like a copy, shoot me an email.

There’s a misconception about goals that you’ve no doubt accepted as true. This misconception is that goals represent some future outcome.

Future outcomes are affected by time, changing facts, changing circumstances and unexpected variables that pop up. Future outcomes are actually dreams in disguise, not goals. And this is precisely why so many fail to achieve their goals. They have been defining their goals all wrong.

In my research (Rich Habits Study) I learned that a goal is only a goal if it has two things:

1. 100% Certainty and
2. Physical Activity

This is the formula I discovered in five-year study of self-made millionaires. In fact, 99% of these millionaires stated that dreams and goals were not the same thing.

Future outcomes do not meet the definition because future outcomes are not 100% certain. You can’t control a future outcome. Too many things could go wrong. Only actions, or behaviors, that you can control are goals.

When you define your goals properly, they act like an elevator, pulling you closer towards the realization of each individual dream.

As an example, let’s say that want to become a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). That’s a dream, not a goal, because it represents some future outcome.

To determine the actual goal, you need to ask yourself two questions:

1. Do I have the abilities needed to study for the CPA exam? There are certain skills and knowledge that you must obtain in order to even sit for the CPA exam, such as 150 hours of specific college credits and a degree in accounting. Do you meet those requirements? If the answer is yes, then you can move on to question #2.
2. Can I perform the action required? Do I have the time to study for the exam? You learn from others who have taken the CPA exam that there is a huge time commitment. It requires, on average, two hours of study every day for six months and a very long exam – 14 hours of exams, broken down into four parts that you must complete over an 18 month period. Do you have 2 hours to study every day for the next six months and can you get it done in 18 months? If the answer is yes, then you have your goal:

Study 2 hours every day for the next six months and take the exam

The key to achieving goals, and thus realizing each one of your dreams, is to get clear on exactly what your goals are. Goals are not some future outcome. Goals are actions that require specific skills and knowledge. You must first determine if you have the prerequisite specific skills and knowledge before you define your goal. If you don’t, then you must redefine your CPA goal:

Obtain the skills and knowledge that I need in order to sit for the CPA exam

Once you understand the true definition of a goal, all goals then become 100% achievable. Each dream, such as becoming a CPA, requires that you achieve specific goals. Some dreams require that you achieve multiple goals. Once you achieve those goals, your dream is realized. Then you define your next dream and create goals around that dream.

You dream life is the realization of multiple dreams. It’s like a ladder. Each time you realize a dream, you climb another rung on the ladder. When you realize all of your dreams, you reach the top of that ladder. Your dream life awaits you at the top of that ladder. Achieving goals allows you to climb that ladder. Goals are your transportation system to your dream life.

There are no guarantees of success when you pursue a dream. It’s really hard to turn a dream into a reality.

Ask any entrepreneur who’s tried and failed or tried and succeeded. They’ll tell you straight up that the pursuit of a dream was way harder than they thought it would be. Thank God for rose colored glasses.

But while it’s hard to realize a dream, it is impossible to turn a dream into reality without persistent action. You need to go after your dreams every day by taking action. Persistent action forces luck to happen.

I’ve written often about luck being the key to success. Luck is illusive. It’s like a kid playing hide and seek. When you take action on your dreams every day, however, luck eventually runs out of hiding places.

This is why I emphasize the importance of habits. Habits automate action. When you forge the right habits, the Rich Habits, your actions automatically become persistent. Persistent action forces luck to happen.

The word entrepreneur literally means “bearer of risk”.

But what is risk? Risk is taking action that has two possible outcomes:

1. Good – Some probability of benefiting your life.
2. Bad – Some probability of adversely affecting your life.

When you take risk, you are exposing yourself to either a good or bad outcome.

Most avoid risk because they focus only on the possibility of a bad outcome. Fear grabs them with both arms and prevents them from taking any action at all.

Self-made millionaires, however, are able to overcome that fear. They are like Harry Houdini, able to break free from the grip of fear and take action on their dreams and goals.

Are self-made millionaires simply more courageous than most people?

Not really. They have certain Fearless Habits that enable them to overcome the fear of taking risk:

1. They Prepare Before They Leap – Self-made millionaires study and practice relentlessly and become experts before they take a leap. When they do take risk, it is typically an educated risk – a risk they studied and prepared themselves for over many years. Educated risk means you understand what can go wrong. There is no uncertainty about all possible outcomes.
2. They Expect Failure – Fear loses its grip when you pursue anything expecting mistakes and failure. Because they expect failure, they prepare for the worst. If the worst does happen, they are able to navigate around it because they prepared for it. They have a plan for the worst case scenario.
3. They Know How to Pivot – Self-made millionaires are constantly seeking feedback. Feedback gives you the information you need to allow you to pivot and adjust. Pivoting means you are not locked into a specific way of doing things.
4. They Focus on Their Vision – They have a clear picture of the outcome they desire. This means they are not easily distracted when something goes wrong. Their vision allows them to stay focused and persist.
5. They Surround Themselves With Experts – In any project, initiative or pursuit, things will go wrong. Self-made millionaires anticipate that things will go wrong so they surround themselves with individuals who have done what they are trying to do; who are experts at what they are trying to do. When something does go wrong, they lean on their experts to help them navigate the pitfalls.

Successful people are admired in so many ways. They are seen by many as smarter, harder working and visionaries. They are also credited with unique, almost superhuman traits, such as vigorous energy, greater focus, unrelenting persistence, unbridled optimism, unbreakable confidence and superior decision-making abilities.

I have written many times that ALL of those traits derive from one source – passion. Passion turns on all of the success traits that reside inside each and every one of us. But what triggers passion in the first place? Where does it come from?

Emotional Energy is the source of all passion. Emotional Energy endows one with seemingly superhuman powers.

Willpower Energy is the energy most rely on to change their habits and get things done. Willpower Energy, however, is short-lived. It eventually fades away. This is why so many are unable to stick to their New Year’s resolutions. Their Willpower Energy fades away and the new habit eventually fades away.

Emotional Energy, on the other hand, is far more potent and durable (longer-lasting) than Willpower Energy. It is where passion comes from. 

There are several types of emotions that spawn Emotional Energy:

• Love
• Anger
• Disgust
• Ego
• Vanity (a cousin of Ego)
• Embarrassment
• Enthusiasm
• Envy

Each one of these emotions endows you with Emotional Energy, which liberates your inner passion.

Vision is such a big word these days. People with vision are called visionaries. They’re looked up to and admired. But the real winners in life are visionaries who take action on their vision. Real visionaries relentlessly pursue their vision.

The way you do that is with goals. But there’s a misconception surrounding goals. Many believe goals are something you strive for. “I want to be a CPA”, many will tell you, is a goal. No, it’s not. “I want to be a CPA” is a vision, a dream. The real goal is “I want to study two hours every day for the CPA exam”.

You see, goals are the transportation system for your dreams. They are the action steps you take in order for your vision, you dream, to become a reality.

Real visionaries, the ones who succeed, that is, understand this. They set a broad vision and then build goals around that vision.