A Shocking Study

Psychologists put four monkeys into a cage. In the cage, they erected a pole with a platform on top of it. They put a huge bunch of tantalizing, ripe, yellow bananas on the platform. Soon the monkeys smelt the bananas and eagerly started to climb nimbly up the pole to get at them. Immediately, the psychologists started squirting the monkeys with strong jets of icy cold water from fire hoses. They did this every time the monkeys tried to get to the bananas, and, naturally, soon the monkeys gave up trying. They sat around getting hungry.

Then the psychologists removed one of the monkeys and replaced him with a new monkey who had never experienced the wrath of the fire hoses. Soon the enticing aroma of bananas assailed nostrils and he started climbing up the pole towards them.

What do you think the other furry fellows did?

That’s right, they grabbed the newcomer and pulled him down from the pole, preventing him from getting at the bananas. At this point no fire hoses were used.

Well, they removed another the monkey and brought in a new one. Now, even the monkey who had never been squirted by the fire hoses, joined in to stop the latest addition from climbing up the pole!

One by one they removed the monkeys and replaced them with new monkeys, each of which was stopped from climbing the pole by the other monkeys, all of which, eventually, had never even been squirted with water!

That’s how belief systems and rumors work.

We start to believe the myths and urban legends. We become the victims of the limiting beliefs of others and accept those lies as our own, and then we, in turn, impose them on others, believing that we are helping them!

Why are We Doing This Again?

You’ve heard the story of the woman who regularly cut off the ends of a ham before putting it into the oven, haven’t you?

Well, eventually the husband asked why she cut the ends off and she said she was taught to do so by her mother, who was a great cook. The husband asked his mother in law why she taught her daughter to cut the ends off hams. She didn’t know - HER mother had taught her to do so.

Eventually, the husband found out that the grandmother’s oven was too small – that why the ends had to be cut off. And even though his wife’s oven was quite spacious enough to accommodate three hams, she continued to cut the ends off.

Perception is reality.

We tend to make the reality of others, our own. We say we want to learn from their mistakes, but we often learn to limit ourselves with their false restrictions. We allow fear instead of faith to guide us.

Duck vs. Eagles

Ducks fly in flocks and stay close to the ground. Eagles fly alone and high. Eagles don’t fly around with ducks, or they might start quacking before too long. When the mob runs south, Eagles stroll northwards.

What’s Holding You Back?

Small elephants are tied up with a strong chain until they realize they can’t escape. When they’re grown, a thin rope that they could snap very easily will enslave them to the extent that they have staved to death and burnt to death because they believed a meager rope was a powerful chain. What is your rope? What beliefs do we have that are preventing us from happiness, health and hilarity?

Are we monkeys or monarchs? Minions or miracle workers? Let’s dare to dream. Easy is not an option. Quitting is also not an option. Let’s have goals that are bigger than our fears.

Do you want to know whether or not you will achieve your goals? Just look at your life, and you’ll know! What you consistently do in your life is a very clear prediction of where you will be in two years’ time. Your level of self discipline is a crystal ball – there is a definite link between discipline, self esteem and accomplishment. Look how many hours you spend dedicated to the accomplishment of your goals, and your future will reveal itself to you.

“We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”

- John F. Kennedy

Successful people are “Outcome Driven”.

• They know exactly what they want.
• They focus on the reward, not the process.
• They highly respect, protect and prize their time.
• They do things in the order of their importance.
• Their time is prioritized.

Frank Lloyd Wright said, “I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”

Mike Litman says, “You don’t have to get it right; you just have to get it going. Take action NOW. In life, you’re either consistent or you’re non-existent.”

Which are You?

• Do you prepare your day with a Do List of the six things you absolutely have to accomplish the next day? Is your vision so clear, so compelling, so exciting, that you can’t go back to sleep again after thinking of it?
• Or do you drift along, side tracked and buffeted by every new quick buck scheme and MLM dream, grabbing here and there and never sticking to anything?

• Are you an unstoppable machine, up early and rearing to go? How worn is the snooze button on your alarm clock? Do you even NEED an alarm clock?

And please check your philosophy. Your entire life and business is a reflection of your philosophy.

“The heights by great men reached and kept

Were not attained by sudden flight,

But they, while their companions slept,

Were toiling upward in the night.”

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Action Steps

How many hours a day do you dedicate to your magnificent obsession? If you see a need for change, CHANGE NOW. Take charge. It’s not too late! Make it happen. Align yourself with Eagles, cut the ducks out of your life and kick any money making scam that isn’t working to the curb. Get a new telephone number and only give it to winners. You can do it.

Rats!

Years ago, a pilot was attempting a world record long distance flight. He was nearing the end of his journey and was two hours away from the next airport and his final target, when he heard a frightening sound. He heard the distinct sound of a rat gnawing at something. The adventurer knew that this could spell disaster; the rat could chew through his control lines or the fuel line, and cause him to crash into the mountains below!

At first he started panicking, but then he started thinking about a solution. At last it came to him: rats can’t handle high altitudes! Don’t ask me how he knew that, but his knowledge solved his problem. He started climbing higher and higher, until the gnawing sound ceased. The rat had died from the high altitude. When he landed his plane, he found the dead rat.

Three lessons:

1. You can panic or you can think. There is a solution for every problem.
2. Knowledge without action is useless. Had the pilot not flown higher, knowing about the solution wouldn’t have helped one iota.
3. Bad things don’t last in the high altitude of high ideals, lofty goals and soaring aspirations. Rat ideas die where eagles soar.

What’s Rubbing Off on You?

Evidently a Jerry Seinfeld TV comedy show recently featured a scenario where the valet who parked Jerry’s car had very bad body odor. When Jerry and his friend got into the car, the BO stuck to their clothes and resulted in her boyfriend rejecting her because she smelt bad! When we mix with negative, pessimistic people, their attitudes tend to stick to us like BO and sabotage our success. But when we mix with positive, enthusiastic people, that motivation rubs off on us as well and we achieve our goals even faster.

Your thoughts determine your attitude, your actions and the result you experience. Manage your thoughts and your input and soar with the Eagles!

I heard a story on the radio recently about two interesting men. One was the king and was extremely obese. He ate continually and was so fat that he couldn’t even get through a door. He was deposed by the second man, who had a room built around the former king, with normal windows and a door that wasn’t locked. He told the large man that he could leave anytime he wished, but at the same time he supplied him with four huge meals every day. Of course, the fatty couldn’t resist the food, so he never escaped his own prison.

Is Your Captivation Enriching or Depleting You?

In our world today of “Sugar and Spice and Everything Thrice”, self-discipline and frugality are seldom found. We complicate our lives, create prisons of debt and illness and miss out on the finer things of life. My wife Rika, and I were walking along the beach at Indian Arm on a lovely summer day when we saw some kids lying on a huge blanket, playing with their hand-held Game Boy computer games. They could have been talking, swimming, boating, fishing, playing ball or just enjoying nature’s incredible beauty. The Game Boys captivated them.

Set Yourself Free

My prison guard could be television, food, drugs… but it is my own choice to be in jail.

• Simplify, cut back and get back to basics, lean and mean, sober and clean. Anything that you think you NEED, controls you and imprisons you.
• Set yourself free.
• Use your resources to create a happy, healthy and contributing lifestyle.
• Take stock of your choices and project the consequences. Enough small choices lead to great consequences. Enough spider webs can be as strong as steel cables.
• We always have a choice, and it’s never too late to change.

Try This:

Set a goal to get up 20 minutes earlier every day and exercise, read a self development book, pray, meditate, or just take a brisk walk. In a few weeks you will see a difference. Create success habits.

Norman Lear said,

“Life is made up of small pleasures. Happiness is made up of those tiny successes. The big ones come too infrequently. And if you don’t collect all these tiny successes, the big ones don’t really mean anything.”

Years ago, I was a Hotel School trainee hotel manager in a high end resort hotel in South Africa. I was working as a chef in the kitchen when the owners imported a chef from Germany. Klaus became a good friend, and we worked at many hotels together. Later, when I was a Food and Beverage Manager with Holiday Inns, I hired him as an Executive Chef. Klaus immigrated to Australia years ago.

He was all about quality.

One day Klaus found out that I played squash, so he asked me to teach him. We popped down to the local sports store in the town fifteen miles away, and I will always remember the way Klaus purchased his equipment. “What equipment do I need?” he asked the store clerk.

“Give me the best and most expensive of every item, the best shoes, socks, racket, balls… only the best. If you don’t have it order it, Get it. Get is soon.”

I was surprised, and asked him how he justified this large purchase, given that he was a new player and might not even enjoy the game, or be any good at it. I’ll never forget his response.

Words of a Winner

“Robin, I am the best chef, and I will be the best squash player. I use only the best equipment in the kitchen, I use the best ingredients, as you very well know, I produce the finest quality, and I got the best training. I am the best. In everything I do, I go for the gold – the best. Why would I buy anything less than the best? I go all the way. I go big. I don’t compromise. Ich bin nicht ein Affe (I’m not a monkey.) Let’s be the best squash players!” Klaus always went all the way, he never compromised, and he insisted on the best. He reminded me of the hero in The Fountainhead. I learned a lot from Klaus, and I will visit him in Australia. If you’re reading this, Klaus, “Yeah, Mazamba!”

Don’t tentatively test the water with your toe - throw yourself into the deep end. Believe in yourself. Go for the gold. Push the envelope. Be the best. Go big. Set and maintain your own high standards, fly in the face of convention, and you will have little competition.

Remember that “Financial Planner” who calculated that a loaf of bread would cost $1,000 by the time you retired, and that you would need at least two million dollars in the bank to be able to stop working?  And how you could invest in the stock market to achieve that weighty goal, which meant a hefty commission for this financial genius who had less money than you had?  Remember how scary that felt, and how daunting the monthly payments would be?

Please note: This is not a Network Marketing / MLM pitch.

Remember how North Americans lost up to 40% of their savings in the last stock market crash?

And we continue to get pitched by schemers and scammers, because they know that:

• We don’t want to work until we drop.
• We want to retire with enough money to maintain our dignity and freedom in our most vulnerable years.
• We want to be able to enjoy our autumn years with security and peace of mind.

So they continually try to sell us dreams that turn into nightmares.

You DON’T Need Millions to Retire Comfortably

The GOOD NEWS is that you DON’T need millions of dollars in the bank.  What you do need is a regular, passive income that exceeds your needs.  Then you can retire.  And it doesn’t have to take years to accomplish.  And it’s not rocket science.  If you need $5,000 per month and your passive, residual income (ideally from different sources - not all your eggs in one basket) is $6,000, you’ve got it made in the shade!

How To Do It Easier Than You Think

How to do that?  Joint Ventures.  I have been doing Joint Ventures for nineteen years.  You don’t need a business, a product or a service to do Joint Ventures.  All you need is to understand them.  For more information, check out www.jvwisdom.com.  There is much more free information, e-books and articles.  And if you have a business, check out the section about the DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum.  This could be one of the most articles you’ve ever read, no matter how old you are or what your circumstances are.  Financial freedom is within your reach.

Kobus and I were drafted into the army at the age of seventeen. We became good friends during our basic training (boot camp) and then attended the Operations Intelligence training program together before being placed at an air force base. We had a lot of fun which included getting drunk, jabbing a hole into the door of an airplane with the blades of a forklift, overturning a battery-operated luggage cart and smashing the back of a staff sergeant’s car with the same forklift. I loved the army.

After the army we went our separate ways, but remained friends. We boated, camped and stayed in touch. I worked in a government department and then got a bursary for Hotel School and Kobus trained and then worked as psychiatric nurse. He got married and caught his new wife in bed with another woman three nights later. He remarried and became a medical rep. While working as a salesman, the man who tended his garden told Kobus that he could make personalized resin pen holders that Kobus could sell to the doctors he was calling on. This became a lucrative sideline until the gardener told him that he could also teach him how to make resin baths, basins and commodes. Kobus put him to work in his garage and soon had his own factory. Two years later, he was a millionaire.

It’s Not About Education…

I tell you this story because it’s not about education. There are many educated people around who have no money, no success, no vision. The universities and colleges make their money by promising people they’ll succeed because of education. And it’s not about ideas – many of us have great ideas that we keep in a box on a shelf somewhere.   It’s all about TAKING ACTION. That is what defines the winner and the conqueror.

Action is what separates the men from the boys. Talk is cheap. Kobus had the guts to take action. And to bounce back when things went wrong. Goethe said,

“The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.   All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.   A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.”

Taking action means moving, getting off the coach and out of bed, doing the difficult things and taking risks.  In business, even the things that don’t work, work.  That’s because we learn from success as well as from failure.  If you’re not failing often, you’re not taking enough action!  The more failures, the closer you get to success.

Stop talking and start walking.  DO something.  Pick up that phone, write that letter, go to that meeting. Woody Allen said that 90% of success is showing up.  You never know whom you’ll meet! You don’t stumble across opportunities watching television.  You don’t meet many winners in a bar or a casino.  Alfred Adler said,

“Trust only movement.  Life happens at the level of events, not of words.  Trust movement.”

Finally, we build trust by what we DO, not by what we SAY. Take action. Benjamin Disraeli said,

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”

We all get approached with multiple offers almost every day. It takes time to do adequate due diligence, but a quick way to save a lot of time is by looking carefully at the values and ethics of the messenger.

• Is the messenger honest, and does she keep her word, or radically change her mind within two days?
• Is the message from a liar a lie?

The Messenger’s Integrity Reveals the Truth

The integrity and truth of the message should be measured by observing the messenger. Is a great message sometimes delivered in a damaged and faulty vehicle? Certainly, but it’s uncommon. Generally, I save time and energy by judging the viability of the message by the life of the person delivering that message.

When I get a message composed and delivered by “science fictiontologist Ron L. Koresh”, I don’t rush out to check my Kool-Aid supply. When the messenger arrives in a filthy car with overflowing ashtrays, I don’t spend any time reading his message.

Judge it by its source, and look for congruency: is the messenger living the message? Can obese people tell me how to lose weight, or poor people tell me how to get rich? When a teacher lacks integrity in one area of his life, you know all the other areas have been poisoned. There’s no smoke without fire.

Spotting the Genuine Article

We look for people who practice what they preach, notice how they behave under pressure, and judge them by their consistent choices as well as choices that reveal who they really are. I don’t believe the message when the messenger lacks credibility, even though some messages are wonderful, although they are delivered by losers.

My point is…

If you want your message to be accepted, you had better be “a product of the product”.

Look the part and LIVE the part. Be the message. Be a living message, a real life example, a testimony to the message you deliver.