Archives for January 2018

When things don’t go as planned, most people quit the struggle and move on to greener (meaning – easier) pastures.

And the world is filled with quitters.

Without pursuing success, life is a struggle. Even for the vast majority who are content with just coasting along, life is still filled with problems. Most people want to minimize their problems. They don’t want to add more problems to their lives.

That’s why self-made millionaires are so rare.

According to my Rich Habits research, only 3% who pursue a dream, stick with it until they succeed. At some point, 97% quit.

Here’s why. The pursuit of a dream, big goal or major initiative means – more problems. More obstacles to overcome. More pitfalls to crawl out of. More conflict. More stress. More emotional heartache, especially when things don’t go as planned. And when you’re pursuing a dream, big goal or major initiative, nothing ever goes as planned.

The pursuit of success is all about facing problems. And realizing success is all about solving those problems you face along the journey.

Not surprisingly, most avoid pursuing their dreams. They look at the mountain they must climb and say to themselves – “too many problems”.

For the courageous few who throw caution to the wind and take action on their dreams, their life becomes a seemingly never ending battle to overcome problems.

There’s just no sugar coating it – the pursuit of success is an uphill climb that requires many years of problem solving.

But, for the 3% who refuse to quit on their dreams, success is inevitable. Those 3% learn an enormous amount during their journey as a result of solving problems.

Plus, when you persist, eventually you get lucky. Luck favors the persistent. That unexpected luck, like a ski-lift, carries you effortlessly up the rest of the mountain.

The key, therefore, is to persist until luck finds you.

When you get to the top of your mountain, the first thing you will notice is that there are not that many people. That’s because all of the people are at the bottom of the mountain looking up at you.

Everyone want to be on top of the mountain. It’s just, not that many people are willing to climb it.

Everyone wants to be successful, but few know how or where to begin.

Success is a process. Just like failure is a process.

The struggle to become successful, I learned from my Rich Habits study, is figuring out that process.

Most pursue success the hard way – Trial and Error.

After years of taking action on their dreams, they learn what to do and what not to do. They learn from their mistakes and failures.

According to my Rich Habits research, this Dream path takes about 12 years. Twelve years of trial and error.

Unfortunately, this long time horizon causes most to quit long before they ever realize their dreams.

But there is a better, easier way.

Consistency, I discovered is the key to success.

The self-made millionaires in my Rich Habit study pursued success every day by forging good daily habits that automated success.

Forging good daily habits, or Rich Habits, is the way you gain that consistency.

Good habits put you on autopilot for success because they automatically imbue you with consistency.

When you have good habits, you don’t need passion. You don’t need motivation. You don’t need willpower. You don’t need confidence.

Success doesn’t require any of those things.

In fact, most of the self-made millionaires in my study succeeded because they did not rely on passion, motivation, willpower or confidence. Instead, they relied on habits.

When you forge good daily habits, your path to success is virtually guaranteed because, every day, you are consistently doing what it takes to succeed. Consistency is the path to success and good daily habits are the key that opens the door to that path.

Passion, motivation, willpower and confidence, come and go. Good habits, however, are there to stay. Once forged, they never come and go. They just go. Every day.

Good daily habits overpower everything that stops success in its tracks: loss of passion, loss of motivation, loss of willpower, uncertainty and doubt.

Focus on forging good daily habits and the pursuit of success becomes a consistent daily habit.

I’m not a big fan of affirmations but there is one affirmation I use every day and it’s this:

Never Criticize, Condemn or Complain

Each one of these Poor Habits drags you down, creating a negative mindset.

You want to avoid them like the plague.

They have the opposite effect of a magnet – pushing people away from you.

You want to be a magnet for people, not a deflector beam that pushes people away from you.

Those who constantly criticize, condemn and complain are negative, toxic people who must be avoided at all costs. They will drag you down with their negativity.

Plus, because they are constantly offending others, if you are associated with these toxic people, you too will be labeled as toxic and that will negatively affect your ability to build relationships with others.

Toxic people spread their negativity like a virus throughout their social network. And they are very easy to identify because they – Criticize, Condemn and Complain.

The more you peel the onion of success, the more confusing it becomes.

One book tells you – Success Requires Grit.

Another tells you – Success Requires Passion.

Yet another tells you – Success Requires Daily Self-Improvement.

It can be so overwhelming, you just want to quit on success.

But, here’s a little secret:

Good habits automatically come with success traits built in.

Good daily habits are like a freight train engine. Behind that engine are all of these railroad cars that each good daily habit pulls along with it:

• Persistence
• Focus
• Grit
• Self-Improvement
• Work Ethic
• Passion
• Patience

Because habits are automatic, so too are all of the benefits that are attached to them.

For example, when you have the Rich Habit of Daily Deliberate Practice, maintaining and improving your skill or craft, this one daily habit automatically imbues you with: Persistence, Focus, Grit, Self-Improvement, Work Ethic and Patience.

Another Rich Habit, such as Dream-Setting, comes with all the same benefits plus another success trait –  Passion.

By focusing on forging good habits, you don’t need to worry about having acquiring success traits, because everything you need to succeed is already attached to each Rich Habit. All of the success traits required for success are automatically integrated into every good habit.

So, all you need to succeed are good habits. You don’t need anything else. That’s because good habits come with benefits.

Believe it or not, there are not that many things which separate the rich from the poor.

According to my Rich Habits research, the differences between those who grab life’s brass ring and everyone else, often comes down to just one or two daily habits.

For Ben Carson, famed neurosurgeon and former Presidential candidate, there was only one habit that separated him from the rest of his peers in the ghetto – his daily Rich Habit of reading for self-improvement.

For Benjamin Franklin, one of our most famous founding fathers, there were three habit differences:

#1 Curiosity – His curiosity habit led him to the invention of bifocals, the lightening rod, the Franklin Stove, the public library, the first post office and the urinary catheter.

#2 Desire to Improve – Franklin identified 13 virtues he wanted to have. He created a worksheet, listing each virtue, which he tried to transform into daily habits.

#3 Read to Learn – Franklin was a voracious daily reader. His homes were jammed, floor to ceiling, with books had read.

For Arnold Schwarzenegger, his one big habit difference was Dream-Setting. Arnold made a habit of pursuing his dreams.

• His first dream was to become the world’s #1 bodybuilder.
• His second dream was to become a successful real estate investor. Long before he became a Hollywood star, Arnold was already a multi-millionaire real estate investor. This allowed him to pick and choose his acting gigs.
• His third dream was to become a famous Hollywood actor. He succeeded in becoming one of the highest paid actors in the world.
• His fourth dream was to become the Governor of California.

Arnold forged the daily habit of pursuing each dream at a time and would not quit until he succeeded.

The lesson here is to focus on only one Rich Habit and then devote yourself to it for many years. As my research shows, there are often only one or two habits rich people have and the poor don’t have. And one habit can completely change your financial circumstances.

Believe it or not, sleep is still little understood.

But that’s changing. In the last ten years there have been many studies on the purpose of sleep. Here’s some of their findings:

• Sleep Repairs Cell Damage – When we sleep, our cells repair themselves. Old, end of life cells, are replaced by new cells. Damaged cells are repaired. The Glymphatic System is called into action, sending lympatic fluid where it is needed in order to remove dead cells.
• Sleep Creates Memories – During the REM stage of sleep, new information we acquire during the day is looped back and forth, thousands of times, between the hippocampus and the neocortex.  Once stored it becomes part of our long-term memory. Long-term memory is also known as Long-Term Potentiation.
• Sleep Clears Out Waste Material Within Each Cell – Glucose or Ketones are the primary fuel source for every cell within our body. This fuel enters every cell. It is then converted to ATP, which the mitochondria (power plants within each cell) use to power the cell. During this conversion process, Free Radicals (free electrons) result. Free Radicals represent dangerous waste material. Unchecked, they will bounce around inside every cell and can damage the Nucleus (where our DNA and genes reside – causing cell mutations) or they can damage the inner lining of the cell wall. In order to prevent them from mutating or damaging the cell, these Free Radials must be removed. During sleep, oxygen is deployed to soak up these Free Radicals, carry them outside the cell wall and into our blood. Our blood then carries them to the lungs, converts the Free Radical-soaked oxygen into carbon dioxide, which is then exhaled into the environment. Goodbye waste.
• Sleep Helps Grow & Repair Muscles – During sleep, the pituitary gland releases a growth hormone, which stimulates muscle growth and repair. 
• Sleep Erases Memory – During sleep, the brain will do a self-diagnosis with respect to stored information. Information (memories) it deems irrelevant, are erased – forever.
• Sleep Grows & Distributes New Brain Cells – During sleep, new brain cells are created and dispersed to various parts of the brain, where they are most needed.
• Sleep Oxygenates the Eyes – The purpose of Rapid Eye Movement (one of the 5 sleep stages) is to oxygenate our eyes. This is the only way our eyes receive the oxygen they need to survive.
• Sleep Restores Willpower – When willpower is depleted, we become unable to focus and think clearly, causing us to be distracted and to make poor decisions. Sleep helps to restore our depleted reserves of willpower.
• Sleep Reduces Inflammation and Helps You Think Clearer – Sleep slows down your Sypathetic Nervous System, reducing stress. This not only helps you think clearer but also helps to reduce inflammation throughout the body. Chronic inflammation is associated with all sorts of diseases, including cancer and heart disease. Individuals who do not get enough sleep make poor decisions, suffer from chronic inflammation and are susceptible to disease.
• Sleep Cleans Brain Cells – Amaloid is a protein that builds up on the neural receptors of every brain cell. The uncontrolled build up of Amaloid is believed to result in Alzheimers. Sleep flushes away these Amaloids.

How much sleep do you need?

The average adult requires between four to six sleep cycles a night. Each sleep cycle is composed of five separate levels of sleep: alpha, theta, delta, rapid eye movement (REM) and then back to theta. The first three sleep levels last approximately 65 minutes. REM lasts 20 minutes and the final level of sleep, theta, lasts 5 minutes. So, each sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes. Four sleep cycles is about six hours of sleep. Five sleep cycles is 7.5 hours of sleep and six sleep cycles is approximately nine hours of sleep.

The number of hours you sleep is less important than the number of complete sleep cycles your brain requires every night. Five sleep cycles a night, or 7.5 hours, is considered optimal.

This is why some individuals require more or less sleep than others. It all depends on how many sleep cycles your brain requires each night.

Prominent Psychologist, William Marsten, surveyed 3,000 people and found that 94% had no purpose in life.

In another study, called the 2015 UK Optimism Audit, 69% of the 2,000 study subjects said they were unhappy with their lives. The main reason?

Unfulfilled work.

When you do not have a main purpose in life, life becomes drudgery. The result is unhappiness.

According to my Rich Habits research, having a main purpose in life is critical to success, building wealth and happiness.

82% of the self-made millionaires in my study had pursued some big dream. This spurred them on to achieve great things in life.

Dreams give you a purpose in life. When you pursue a dream, it toggles on a number of success traits:

• Self-Motivation
• Intense Desire
• Hard Work Ethic
• Enthusiasm
• Positive Mental Outlook
• Self-Education – Desire to Learn
• Focus
• Emotional Control
• Patience
• Persistence
• Meaningful Goal-Setting
• Forging Success Relationships (Birds of a Feather)
• Financial Literacy
• Greater Risk Tolerance
• Increased Confidence
• Adopting Good Habits – Habits That Help You Achieve Your Dreams/Goals
• Self-Awareness
• Delayed Gratification
• Open Mind
• Team Building
• Efficient Time Management
• Expectations Management
• Leveraging Resources
• Fearlessness
• Seeking Feedback
• Asking for What You Need or Want
• Eliminate time Wasters
• Asking the Right Questions

All of these success traits reside inside each person. They are only revealed when you pursue a dream or some main purpose in life.

Put your ladder on your wall.

Don’t waste your life pursuing someone else’s dream or main purpose in life. It’s your life. Pursue your dreams. Find your main purpose.

Many believe the pursuit of wealth is wrong and that the wealthy are evil.

I know this because I have received thousands of very angry and abusive emails and comments over the years from individuals in response to one of the many media articles on me or my Rich Habits research. There is no shortage of hatred for rich people.

Many of those angry emails/comments, oftentimes referenced some Bible passage, as if their Bible knowledge somehow invalidated my research.

What my haters didn’t know, however, was that I knew a little bit about the Bible too. At one point, very early in my life, I was on the path to become a priest. So, for many years I had studied the Bible, almost on a daily basis.

The Bible is not black and white on the topic of wealth. In fact, within its pages are many passages that seem to shine a favorable light on wealth, especially the Book of Proverbs.

• Proverbs 13:11 – Whoever gathers money, little by little, makes it grow.
• Matthew 25: 14-30 – Parable of the Talents
• Proverbs 10:4 – Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.
• Proverbs 22:7 – Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.
• Proverbs 21:20 – The wise have wealth and luxury but fools spend whatever they get.
• Luke 6:38 – Give and you shall receive. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.
• Deuteronomy 16:17 – All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God.
• Proverbs 10:15 – A rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
• Proverbs 28:20 – A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
• Proverbs 23:21 – For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty; and slumber will clothe them with rags.
• Proverbs 21:5 – The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Growing up, I was taught by my mother that the pursuit of wealth was a mortal sin. As a result, I was programmed into believing the wealthy were sinners.

And, almost daily, my belief was validated by the media and many politicians, who almost unanimously, vilified the rich.

My belief system came crashing down in 2009, however, after completing my five-year study on the daily habits of the rich and poor. That study opened my eyes for the first time. I discovered that wealthy individuals were not the evil people I had been brainwashed into believing them to be.

According to my data, 72% of the self-made millionaires in my study were involved in some charitable organization. And 61% were on the boards or committees of a charitable organization.

These charities they supported helped feed and shelter the poor, paid medical bills for the poor, built homes for the poor, helped educate the poor, bought wheel chairs for the disabled, and in many ways, helped improve the lives of those otherwise cast aside by society.

I also learned, from my Rich Habits research, that many of the self-made millionaires who ran their own companies were very generous to their employees. They loaned them money so they could purchase a home. They helped pay college costs for their children. They bought them cars. They co-signed loans. They paid for unexpected medical expenses. And they mentored them so they could also one day become successful.

My Mom was wrong. Wealthy people are not evil. In fact, they are among the finest human beings to walk the earth.

All seek happiness. Happiness is the ultimate goal in life.

But for the majority, happiness is elusive.

Why?

Because of unhappiness.

Unhappiness is far more prevalent than happiness and it throws a wrench into living a happy life.

There are certain things in life that create unhappiness:

1. Stress
2. Toxic Relationships
3. Boring, Unsatisfying Work
4. Being Ignored or Taken for Granted
5. Inactivity
6. Negative Beliefs
7. Personal Physical Illness
8. Illness of a Close Family Member
9. Illness of a Close Friend
10. Death of a Close Family Member
11. Death of a Close Friend
12. Anxiety and Worry
13. Sadness
14. Depression
15. Unhappy Family
16. Unhappy Friends
17. Hate
18. Anger
19. Unmet Expectations
20. Debt
21. Inability to Pay Bills
22. Poverty
23. Marital Problems
24. Divorce
25. Mistakes
26. Failure
27. Catastrophes Wrought by Nature (Hurricane’s, Earthquakes, etc.)
28. Economic Recessions or Depressions
29. Job Loss
30. Loss of Income

When you look at this list, how many are completely within your control?

Stress, Toxic Relationships, Boring, Unsatisfying Work, Negative Beliefs, Being Ignored or Taken for Granted, Distractions, Anxiety and Worry, Sadness, Hate, Anger, Debt, Inability to Pay Bills, Poverty, Mistakes and Failure.

If you do the math, that’s 53%.

53% of unhappiness is self-inflicted.

We are our own worst enemies.

Control what you can control and you will eliminate 53% of the unhappiness in your life.

Something to think about.