Summary:
Do you have the desire to get ahead? What are you prepared to do in order to get there? What is driving your desire for change in your life? We all want to be rich and retire early, but what is truly driving you to succeed? You may have a vision of the life you want, but what is motivating you to achieve this?
Simply reacting to outward needs will likely not be enough. Most people are content to settle for whatever life they have dealt to them, as long as they have a roof over their head and food on the table. That may be okay for some, but for a select few this is simply not enough.
It takes a great deal of determination and focus to set your goals and achieve great things. The strength of your inner desire for this change, and your level of passion and commitment to achieve your goals, will ultimately determine your success.
No one else can have this desire for you; it must come from within. If you’re going to get ahead you must start making some choices and take action. There are no shortcuts, and great effort will be required.
If you truly have a burning passion and desire for change within you, with the right training, focus and determination, the sky is the limit.
Transcript:
I met these two people, Matt and Karen, within just a few days of each other a while back, and after talking with them for a bit I found that they talked about wanting some of the same things. They both wanted a nice car, a great home, a fulfilling relationship and to travel the world. I call that lifestyle. They also wanted to be able to “retire” early and rich. (I won’t get into what rich means in this article, which is a topic for another day)
Matt was really down on his luck. He was out of a job, hadn’t worked in a while, didn’t have a great deal of money and spoke of his yearning for the lifestyle and future we were talking about. Karen wasn’t down and out, but she was working in a going-nowhere job and she talked about wanting this lifestyle as well. They had similar dreams.
Interestingly, as I began to work with these two people and got to know them better, I found there was a significant difference between them. First, Matt really needed to drastically change where he was in life. He needed a job, money and to get back on his feet. He wasn’t completely desperate, but this need for change in his life was pressing and weighing on him. Fortunately Matt was single and didn’t have a family to feed.
Karen’s need wasn’t as strong. She was also single and was doing OK, even though she wasn’t really headed anywhere career wise. Yet, there seemed to be a spark in her eye and in her attitude that I just didn’t see in Matt.
What Drives You
Before I go further, let me ask you something. Are you a person who has a need to win and a need to succeed? Or, are you a person that has the desire to win and succeed? This isn’t a trick question. Both need and desire can be powerful motivators in some cases. However, outward need often leads people to make choices they sometimes would not otherwise make. If you are struggling, down and out or desperate, your judgment and ability to get ahead may be impaired. This wasn’t the situation in Matt’s case. I only mention this because I have seen it several times.
Some people are just comfortable in their current “place in life” and that’s OK. Being content is OK; in fact contentment is the place most people live most of the time. However, contentment is not what will get you ahead and drive you to achieve your dreams and goals.
The Spark from Within
Have you ever noticed how some people seem to have success after success in their lives while other people are stuck in the same unfulfilling rut or dead end situation? Have you ever stopped to consider why that is? Mere contentment may be fine for some people but not enough for others. Having more than just concern for outward needs, some people possess an inner need, or more aptly put, an inner desire, to continually grow as a person and experience life to the fullest. In Karen’s case, I saw this spark; I could hear it in her voice.
She was doing OK as I said, but it wasn’t good enough, not by a long shot. One of the big differences between Karen and Matt was that, as I spoke with Karen, I could really see her picturing what we were talking about and creating her future in her mind’s eye as we spoke. Matt just spoke the words; there was no passion or fire behind what he was saying. During our time working together Matt got a job. It was a decent job and one that allowed him to be content. He still spoke of wanting that lifestyle with the great car and house etc., but he didn’t have the push or desire from within himself that he needed to make it happen.
After we spoke more, Karen and I worked on a path for her to attain what she was after. She made a conscious decision to increase the detail of her vision and focus on what it was she really wanted. Her accomplishments came one at a time at first, and then, as she really got going, they started to snowball and she gained momentum and success like never before. She was able to quit her job and start her own business. She felt happy and she was growing as a person; so was her bank account!
Karen had set her mind to define and accomplish her goals, not because she needed to but because she had the inner desire to do so. Actually though, I believe that when people really do decide to get ahead, there is an inner need to be better and accomplish more with their life. So in some ways need and desire are inseparable for those that are really striving. However, the need is internal, as opposed to being an external need.
There are examples of it all around us. People come from nowhere, from the poorest parts of town and the most dire situations, and then go on to create amazing things. Like my friend J. Massey, a real estate guru. He was homeless at one time and now owns literally hundreds of properties. He had the need, but he wasn’t content with just having his head above water; he wanted more, a lot more. In my book, The 7 Minute Millionaire, I talk about the amazing struggles of Sylvester Stalone and how he actually sold his dog to buy food. Now, being a total dog lover, I know how difficult that must have been. Stalone then spent most of the money he earned from selling his movie script, Rocky, to get his dog back. (I have more details in the book)
The truth is, though, that most people will just “settle” for what they have or have dealt to them. I haven’t seen Matt in a long time and I expect he is still content and doing fine. Our society is set up to support people, and some people feel that as long as they have a roof over their head, food on the table and a few basic enjoyments all is well, and it is, for them. Is it for you though? I expect not since you are reading this article.
It Has To Come From You
One thing I’ve learned from coaching and training others is that I can’t have the desire for them! On occasion I have made this mistake. I saw so much potential in Matt, but as I said, he was content and happy enough with his life to not make any changes. One of the great aspects of creating your PPMs (Personal Programming Messages) is that they really keep you on task and focused on what you want to accomplish. Once you form the habit of listening to your PPMs and adopt the habits of success, there is no going back, and why would you want to?
Be Prepared To Do What It Takes
Do you have the desire to get ahead? This is a valid question to ask yourself and if the answer is no, then so be it. Just be prepared to live with the answer. If you answer “yes” when you ask yourself that question, then what are you prepared to do to get ahead? Are you prepared to get away from the TV or are you prepared to sacrifice in some other area of your social life? Are you prepared to internalize how you are going to get ahead, create a vision and learn how to focus? If you are not prepared to put yourself out or take a risk and change what has gotten you to where you are today, your success will probably be a long time in coming, if it comes at all.
If you are going to get ahead, you need to make some choices and take action. You may consider improving at your current job, assuming you have the ability to earn enough to make you happy at your work. Perhaps you will choose to learn something new, such as how to invest, or start your own business. Any of these endeavors will require more time and effort spent. However, by investing that time and effort up front, you will be actively creating your future and achieving your goals, which will pay off in dividends of financial freedom down the road and more free time to go with it. Is this what you desire? It is amazing how a busy person working 12 hours per day or more can still fit the time in to learn a new skill or build a new business. This is what Karen did, and the last time I spoke with her she was doing great! She was accomplishing her dreams, starting to travel the world and her business was booming.
Virtually everyone wants to be earning 10 – 20 – or – 50 thousand dollars per month … NOW. Are you prepared to do what it takes to get to that point? It will take effort. The interesting thing about the effort required is that there is no short cut. A person can put the time in now or later, but if they are going to be successful there is no way around it — the effort, personal development, and training time must be put in. I trained, read countless books and went to many seminars for years, and still do. You can decide to work now or work later. However, the sooner you get started, the more time you will have to enjoy it and the more you’ll be able to accomplish. It is totally possible to “retire” early and live rich. I have done it and so can you.
One of the things I learned from Tom Hopkins during my real estate career is to, “always do the most productive thing at any given moment”, which essentially means taking charge of what you need to do right now to move you in the direction of the goals and aspirations you have. Paper work, planning and goal setting are all very important, but should not be done during prime working time. They should be scheduled during the slower times.
Decide and Take Action
If, like Karen, you’ve decided it is time to take charge of your life, then do so. Take action, take a course, read a book and start your personal journey toward the success you are after. Of course, I suggest starting with my book and courses. If you have ever taken any other courses or read any other books, you will find that what I do is synthesize my years of knowledge and experience, bringing it all together so you can capitalize on my own past investment as well. I don’t just teach you, I will actually help program you to achieve.
In conclusion, if you have DESIRE as your number one inspiration, and preferably a red-hot burning desire for freedom and independence, you have a better chance of getting there. Getting some help along the way can dramatically reduce the time involved in getting there.
Below, tell me what sacrifice you are making today to change the direction of your life. Tell me what it is you desire. I love hearing people’s thoughts about where they are going to direct their life. Or just post a note telling me your thoughts on this article.
