Mar 10

We’ve been taught that if we just persevere and persist, we will ultimately win.

Like the man who is told there is a million dollars behind a thick brick wall, and he is given a small chisel to get to it. His hands bleed and he persists day and night, breaking a way through the wall.

He seldom sleeps, never quits, works as hard as he can, denies himself rest and entertainment. He persists until finally, after months of backbreaking work, he gets through the wall, only to find that he was lied to – there is no money there.

Persistence Works When

Before you start on a mammoth task, make sure there is money behind the wall. Do your due diligence.

But when you are convinced that you’re on the right track, that your goal is legitimate, and that it’s up to you to achieve it, persistence is the way to get there.

It’s not about intelligence or who you know or some silly college degree – the hallmark of champions is persistence. The only time it doesn’t work is when the goal is wrong or you quit.

Persistence separates the men from the boys, the talkers from the champions.

Motivation and Support From Family

Cordell Parvin writes in his blog, “Last year I had the chance to see Terry Fator, who was performing at a resort in Hilton Head. He had just won the America’s Got Talent television show. Fator, a ventriloquist, had labored for many years here in Dallas.

According to one report, in May 2007, before appearing on America’s Got Talent, Fator was performing at a fair near Houston, Texas and only one 12 year-old boy was in the audience.

Discouraged, Fator contemplated pursuing another career, but his family encouraged him to hang in there.

Fator says that he never dreamed he would actually win. After winning, opportunities arose. As you may be aware from the news, this year Terry Fator signed a five year $100 million deal to perform nightly at The Mirage Casino and Resort in Las Vegas.”

Your Greatest Asset is Persistence When?

When you’re using the right information and you’re aligned with the right people, and when your goal is legitimate and real, your greatest asset is persistence.

When you persist, you will experience resistance and attacks for the losers of the world. The tall trees catch the wind. Ask Fox News. Ask Microsoft and Wal-Mart. Ask Churchill and Patton.

Losers hate winners. Envy, resentment, jealousy, and fear of being exposed will cause others to try to undermine you, but as long as you persist, you will win.

“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” – remember that.

And Then There Are Warriors

In 23 years of business, I have consistently found that the big talkers with the big egos seldom achieve anything. They substitute hot air for results, and one by one people see through their bluster and posing, until they settle for mediocrity and servitude, along with the other weak people who never amount to anything.

Warriors:

  1. Don’t always talk a lot, but they take massive, persistent, audacious, fearless action.
  2. Answer to themselves.
  3. Take full responsibility for their commitments.
  4. Never even consider the option of quitting.

When you’re on the right track, persistence and consistency will guarantee your success.

A Proven Success Recipe

Having said that, let me ask you this: If you knew, without a doubt, that if you were to work hard consistently and persist for just one year, following a proven success recipe, you would be able to retire with more residual / passive monthly income than you needed to live on comfortably, would you go for it? That’s exactly what we offer at DollarMakers.

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Feb 19

I am often shocked when people smirk and hiss at the length of the speech by John Galt in “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand, but then I realize that those who hate that speech have realized that it is, in fact, the very essence of a philosophy that exposes their own impotence and thievery.

Parasites don’t like to be called parasites, any more than losers like to admit that they are incompetent and impotent mediocrities.

When a looter looks in a mirror and sees himself for what he really is, he breaks the mirror.

A Speech For Winners and Producers

Winners and producers, on the other hand, love the speech, “This is John Galt Speaking”, and wish it were longer.

It:

  • feeds us,
  • sustains us,
  • encourages,
  • empowers,
  • motivates us,
  • is our bible,
  • is our motto,
  • is a reminder that we are on track to greatness.

We listen to that speech on CD’s and read it when we wonder if we’re the only people who see what is happening in a world that is falling fast into a deep fissure of socialism, mysticism, collectivism, and government control.

There is no public ownership of the mind. That is all we have, and it is all we need.

A Tool for Knowledge

If you want to know who people really are and what their philosophy is, get them to read this book, and this speech in particular.

Better to read the entire book, since it sets the correct context for the speech. Losers don’t even read, and if they do, they read junk, so they’re excused right at the outset.

Then, simply watch the reaction of the readers.The champions will love this book, re-read it, and embrace and promote the philosophy and Galt’s speech.

Are You A Winner?

Here’s a sample, to illustrate my point – watch your own reaction, and perhaps you will make a discovery of your own philosophy:

“The parasites who asserted that my brain and my life were their property…
The professor who, unable to think, takes pleasure in crippling the minds of his students…
The businessman who, to protect his stagnation, takes pleasure in chaining the ability of competitors…
The incompetent who takes pleasure in defeating achievement…
The mediocrity who takes pleasure in demolishing greatness…
The extortion of loafing relatives…”

Your philosophy will determine what you love and achieve in life. Be sure to choose a good one.

Feb 01

Few people have guts to tell it the way it is. Robert Kiyosaki, in this incredible video, says things like,

“Four things make 90% of the people poor: taxes, inflation, debt, retirement plans.”

And then he provides solutions. He says,

“America will become a third world nation – rich and poor. That’s it. Tell me something money does not affect. Most guys are just wimps. Pussies. Cowards. They don’t have it. so they should get a job. It takes discipline. Most people would like to have a great body like Charles Atlas, but they’re at Burger King wolfing down a Whopper with fries. I don’t know how you can expect to get anything you want without some degree of long-term commitment. Quitting is the easiest thing to do. That’s why most people don’t make it. Everybody has doubts and fear of failing. But look at Tiger Woods or any great athlete: when the going gets tough, that’s when they turn into geniuses and most people turn into wimps. Get off your butt. If you want to be a mechanic, you go hang out with mechanics. If you want to get rich, hang out with rich people.”

3 Things You Need to Succeess

When it comes down to it, you need three things to succeed in business:

  1. The RIGHT financial education.
  2. Connections with the right people.
  3. GUTS. The guts never to quit, make excuses, or run away.

Let’s talk about these three.

1. Financial education.

Kiyosaki points out in his four quadrants that you can be:

  • an employee (quadrant 1),
  • or a self-employed salesman / solopreneur (quadrant 2),

… and never get rich,

or you can be in quadrants three and four.

  • Quadrant three is big business (500 employees or more),
  • and quadrant four is having your money work for you.

Most people who don’t have money think it’s impossible to play in quadrants three and four, whereas DollarMakers shows you how to participate in big business through Joint Ventures and to make money from the investments of other people – anyone can do that. We don’t have money problems; we have thinking problems.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Why? Because the rich keep doing the things that made them rich, and the poor keep doing the things that made them poor.

2. Connections with the right people.

DollarMakers has hundreds of Members, many of whom have a great understanding of Joint Ventures, in 19 countries – all looking to do a deal with you. And we FIRE dishonest people who don’t abide by our Code of Business Ethics. We are constantly weeding the moochers and posers out.

Winners will link you with winners, and losers will introduce you to their loser friends. We provide various platforms and options for connecting with the right people. We’re not a networking group full of broke wanna-be’s.

3. GUTS.

If you are a weak, politically correct, passive-aggressive, excuse-making wimp, don’t join DollarMakers. Our Members have to take full responsibility for their own success – we’re not socialists or quitters, and we don’t carry passengers or pamper parasites. We’re excited, determined, motivated, and disciplined. Our goal is to MAKE MONEY. That’s why we’re called DollarMakers.

If you’re serious about success and you’re tired of watching your wealth go down the drain, join DollarMakers. Right now.

Jan 29

Too many people have jumped aboard the Mediocrity Train and caught the viral Excusiologist Flu that came sweeping in with the recession.

Everything gets blamed on the recession, from halitosis and hiccups to oversleeping and body odor. People make excuses for lethargy, low sales, their dogs’ fleas, and failing to stop at traffic lights.

ENOUGH!

Contrary to what the media is feeding you, not everyone is suffering during this recession. And YOU don’t have to, either.

Moving Towards Success

How does one move from the apathetic, comatose, paralyzed, unconscious state of suspended animation so common to the sheeple, to one of frenzied, happy success?

How do we become like those bold and audacious, excited, and unstoppable winners?

What will it take to shift from being baffled and bewildered to fierce and fiery, irresistible and irrepressible? Is it even possible to become a manic money missile?

Taking Action

People make changes when the pain of staying where we are exceeds the pain of change.

We take action when we truly believe that we can achieve our exciting goals, and that peak is, indeed, attainable. And the more action we take, the easier it gets!

Here are a few simple steps that will make it easier for you to break the chains of frustration and limitation and enjoy the abundance that is available to all of us through Joint Ventures:

1.   Belief:

Build your belief with an authentic action plan and surround yourself with winners and achievers. And know WHY you insist on nothing less than success. Paul J. Meyer said,

“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon, must inevitably come to pass.”

2.   Specifics:

Measurable, specific amounts and steps, like road signs along the way, are essential.

Your action plan is your Success GPS.

3.   Time:

By what exact date will you commit to achieving this specific goal?

Commit yourself publicly – put yourself on the line, so that there is a consequence to non-performance.

4.   Leverage on Yourself:

Be aware of the consequences on failing to achieve your goals. Remind yourself of the pain and suffering that comes with failure!

5.   Training and Support:

The more you learn, the more you will earn. DollarMakers provides superb training and support through our Membership, events, training, seminars, conference calls, and online information.

6.   Monitoring:

Monitor your progress daily. Adjust, tweak, and realign yourself like a guided missile. Confront issues, don’t get side-tracked, and only work with winners.

Communicate regularly with your team.

7.   Motivation:

Control your input and self-talk.

Only expose your mind to positive input that is aligned with your goals, values and beliefs.

Kick the losers and parasites out of your life, and design your information flow carefully. The best way to predict the future is to create it – your success won’t happen by accident.

8.   Celebration:

Celebrate small successes along the way. This builds self-esteem and belief and reinforces your commitment and self-confidence.

Jan 15

We were enjoying a BBQ in the back yard of his house outside Johannesburg, when my late friend and army buddy said something that has always stayed with me.

Kobus had been telling me how he got rich. And his statement at the very end of his story is one I will never forget.

After we left the army at the end of our conscription, he didn’t know what to do with himself, so he became a psychiatric nurse. I remembered it well – we use to have drunken parties at his apartment on the very grounds of the mental institution, and anyone who observed our intoxicated, wild antics have assumed we were patients.

Then he married a female nurse who turned out to be gay. Then he became a medical sales representative and did very well.

Getting Rich is Akin to Getting Physically Fit

While Kobus was a sales rep, he started a plastics company in his garage, making desktop penholders to sell to the doctors along with the drugs, then he manufactures basins and bathtubs, and then bought a women’s clothing store, and so on. We remained good friends and played squash and sailed together, and here we were reminiscing.

I asked him, “Koebs, when did you become a millionaire? It must have been a very exciting day for you!”

And here was his answer: “Rob, I didn’t even realize it when I became a millionaire – it sort of creeps up on you – money starts flowing naturally when you’re in the right head space.”

I later experienced the same thing, but the way he described the process of getting rich is akin to getting physically fit. Like the day when you suddenly realize you have just pedaled three kilometers without even realizing it, because you were so busy thinking about other things.

In the beginning, every turn of the pedal is a concerted effort, tiring, and even exhausting. But if you persevere, one day you realize that you’re finally fit.

Are You A Quitter?

Ninety-seven percent of people quit so easily that it would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad. There is such a dearth of self-respect, self-discipline, and self-esteem out there that it is frightening.

People seem to have got to a point where they have even less shame than manners. I would be mortified if I had to cancel a meeting at the last minute or show up late for an appointment, but most people hardly blink.

Winners are tough on themselves, and they will endure pain, blisters, rejection, and difficulty without complaining or making excuses, UNTIL they succeed.

Not As Scary as it Seems

One night, Kobus and I were camping in the bush after leaving the army. I had my dad’s .38 special snub-nosed revolver, and he was armed with a hunting knife. In the middle of the night, we heard someone approaching our tent.

I cocked the revolver, Kobus unsheathed his knife, and we sprang out of the tent to confront our attacker, who turned out to be a large frog that was hopping around and bumping our cooking utensils.

Often, the threats we perceive in business are not close to as scary and dangerous as we think they might be. There are scarier things out there.

The Measure of A Great Man

Kobus died a few years back, but I have wonderful memories of him as a man of character and substance – a real man, whether we were fighting for our lives in Angola in the army, doing business, or having fun. He was a man of his word who had my back, and men like him are few and far between.

Jan 06

We talk a lot about integrity, in the context of adherence to moral and ethical principles, soundness of moral character, and honesty. But really, when your life is congruent, integrity is taken care of.

Definition of Congruency

In the context of one’s life, congruency means that:

  • your beliefs, values, and actions are all in
    • agreement,
    • harmony,
    • conformity,
    • and correspondence.
  • all parts and areas of your life are moving in the same direction.
  • you walk your talk.

For example, someone who smokes and yet makes a point of eating healthy and getting regular exercise is not making congruent choices. Someone who has one area of his life sabotaging, weakening, or undermining another area of his life does not have a congruent lifestyle.

The reason most people are unconsciously breaking down their own success and limiting themselves is because of three things:

  1. First, they don’t have clearly defined, measurable goals for their lives.
  2. Second, they fail to measure and notice what they’re doing and what the ripple effects of their choices are,
  3. and thirdly, because they’re lazy, addicted, apathetic, or just plain stupid.

But for those of us who are committed to happiness, success, and reaching our full potential, focusing on congruency can skyrocket you to unprecedented heights of success.

Every choice in every area of your life affects every other area – everything in your life is interconnected.

No Involvement, No Commitment.

Stephen Covey said that when we live according to our values, we will be happy. He also said,

“Without involvement, there’s no commitment. Mark it down, circle it, underline it. No involvement, no commitment.”

That makes sense, since you can’t deal with life at arm’s length. Whatever you focus on will grow, and you only have 24 hours a day to attain your success and happiness. Having the intestinal fortitude to define your values, beliefs, and philosophy, and then to arrange your goals in each area of your life so that they all fit and support each other, is indeed a smart thing to do, and very rare.

Perhaps one percent of people do this. You can, too.

It’s a simple choice.

Defining Our Own Philosophy

Defining our own philosophy and world view, and then deciding what we want our lives to look like, taking into account every area of life:

  • social,
  • mental,
  • physical,
  • financial,
  • family,
  • work,
  • etc.,is the first step to greatness.

Then, look at your present lifestyle and choices through this lens, and decide what and who needs to be:

  • adjusted,
  • removed,
  • fixed,
  • added,
  • and tweaked.

That‘s the scary and exciting part, because it will tell you exactly how much you are committed to what you say you believe and want.

Your philosophy of life is like your GPS, or compass. It will guide you to it’s ultimate purpose, be it self-sacrifice and resentment, or greatness and fulfillment.

Align All the Areas of Your Life

Then, it’s time to take action, to align all the areas of your life with your goals and values. This means removin

  • certain people,
  • groups,
  • activities,
  • choices,
  • and input,
  • and adding new stuff.

It’s like

  • pulling the thorn out of your foot,
  • wiping the dog poo off the bottom of your shoe,
  • filling your gas tank,
  • joining a health club,
  • buying a bicycle,
  • and canceling your membership to a club of losers.

It’s a wonderful way to spring clean your life, repaint it, and spruce it up.

It’s weeding the garden and planting new, beautiful flowers.

Having the guts to commit to being real and honest, no matter what the cost, is a wonderful investment in your happiness and self-esteem.

The Midas Touch

People who live congruent lives feel that whatever they touch turns to gold – success starts to “flow” for them. Things start going their way.

  1. They breathe easier.
  2. They sleep well.
  3. They confront issues with courage and confidence.
  4. They seem to attract successful people and circumstances.
  5. They start liking and respecting themselves more, so others start treating them better, too.
  6. They come out of the closet, so to say, into the bright sunlight of energy, purpose, and freedom.

This is scary for losers, who live on excuses, but exciting for winners, who love creating their own dream lives:

“Every thought, word, action, cent, decision, commitment, second, minute, hour, and mouthful of food COUNTS.”

Evaluate Your Life

I encourage you to evaluate your life and decide if it’s congruent or not. Since 97% of our problems, including our most valuable resource – our time, can be solved or significantly alleviated with money, as I have found being a Joint Venture Broker to be the most valuable tool available for facilitating a life of congruency, freedom, and happiness.

Jan 04

As entrepreneurs, we all know that a large database, especially if it is a real database which involves regular communication, value, and respect, is a goldmine. That is true. No doubt about it.

But we have also been taught that a large network is important when you need support in hard times.

That is only true of the good people in your network – the quality people.

Working With the Right People

I know business owners who spend a whole lot of time keeping contact with and fostering relationships with the wrong people. Those people will not help you in hard times – they will run for the hills. That will not produce or improve anything.

We should work hard on our relationships with the right people, but we shouldn’t waste time with the wrong people. Quality is more important that quantity.

When people have proven to you that they have other agendas and hidden agendas, and that they’re only around to ride your coattails and eat off your plate, you might keep them in your database, but don’t expect anything from them.

Two Kinds of People

A very successful businesswoman, Reeva Forman, once told me long ago that there are only two kinds of people in the world:

  • Givers and Takers.
  • Producers and Consumers.
  • Creators and Parasites.
  • Rainmakers and passengers.
  • Winners and losers.

Don’t fool yourself with quantity. The small percentage of winners will be there for you when you need then, and these are the people to spend your precious time and efforts on. The past is a good indicator of their future choices.

How do you know which ones are the real winners? Test them.

Finding Your Winners

Here’s a simple test to see if you’re trying to build a long-term relationship with a stinker or a star: Ask yourself this:

“What has this person contributed / created / produced without my guidance and help? If I wasn’t around, what would he or she have achieved? Is this someone who is riding on my initiative and reputation, or are they genuinely and consistently improvising, innovating, and initiating? Do I have to initiate communication, motivate, cajole, contact, and threaten, remind or ask them before anything happens? Am I the driver all the time?”

Who Are the High Quality Ones?

It’s better to spend $1,000 on one single relationship than to spend a hundred dollars on each of ten people, hoping one of them turns out to be a winner instead of a weasel.

Most people in your life will come and go, and that’s fine. But you don’t adopt a child just because he washed your car, especially when you paid him to do it.

Watch out for those who need the approval of others, the party animal, hail-fellow-well-met type who is constantly trying to impress others and keep up with the Joneses. There are many posers, but few producers.

Invest in the Producers

You might have a thousand business cards, and that’s great for business. But how many of those people are high quality winners who will be there for you when the chips are down? How many will join you in Galt’s Gulch?

Work on one percent, and you won’t be disappointed.

Don’t cast your pearls before swine. Don’t waste your time and attention on the wrong people. Test them, create filters, and become more selective. You’ll be glad you invested more with the right people.

Dec 28

Most people go to meeting with one of three objectives:

  1. Can I sell this fellow my product or service?
  2. Can I get him to refer me business?
  3. Let’s just meet and exchange business cards so that we know where to find each other in the future.

There is a much higher, more sophisticated, more lucrative path to take.

My Objective for a Meeting

I met with someone this morning – a real winner. My objective is to build a long-term relationship with him and do lots of mutually-beneficial business over time.

What did I sell him? We met in a bookstore, and I sold him a copy of “Atlas Shrugged”. At least, he was headed for the cashier with the book in his hand when I waddled out. That’s possibly the biggest favor I will ever do for him. But my strategy for turning that meeting into a goldmine goes beyond recommending a book that will change his life.

Seek to Add to Your “Eagles List”

Having established his credentials, and my due diligence having shown that the man is a winner of the highest caliber, I simply add his name to my “Eagles List”. These are winners (many who assume they’re on that list are not) with whom I intend to build strong, trusting, lucrative relationships /goldmines. They are few and far between, hard to find, and like gold nuggets in tons of dirt, so one should value such a discovery. These people represent less than 1% of the population.

  1. The people on my Eagles List receive regular communication and value form me.
  2. I regularly introduce them to good people, good deals, and good Joint Ventures, look for overlap with them in my own JVs, and generally seek to add value to their lives.
  3. I monitor these relationships carefully, and when evidence reveals that they’re not who I thought they were, or they make bad choices, they are simply removed from my list (and go spiraling forlornly into outer darkness).

Building a Winners-Only Network

Winners understand reciprocity and they think big. If your network creates your net worth, it’s crucial that you avoid losers and parasites at all costs. By carefully and consistently building value and relationships with the right people, you earn the right to their time and advice.

Jim Rohn said, “Asking is the beginning of receiving. Make sure you don’t go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won’t laugh at you.”

Winners know other winners, and it’s all about who you know.

Business is a Courtship

Think about a successful Joint Venture as the culmination of a courtship. Proving yourself as being professional, reliable, honest, and able, and creating trust and reciprocity, has to happen before smart entrepreneurs will work with you and introduce you to their friends. And they WILL judge you by the company you keep and your track record.

Jim Rohn again: “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”

When you put enough wood on the fire, you can heat your home.

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