IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE MORE MONEY

Do you ever imagine yourself earning ten times your current annual wage? If you're earning $25,000, imagine for a moment that it's possible for you to earn $250,000, a 1000% increase.

Don't Sell Yourself Short

The first reaction of most people is to smile briefly and then to begin thinking about why it isn't possible. One man said to me, "If you knew how many years it's taken for me to get to what I'm earning today you wouldn't be suggesting that I could earn ten times as much."

Never A Good Excuse

Mark Twain once wrote that there are a thousand excuses for every failure but never a good reason. The tragedy of the average American is that whereas his or her main preoccupation seems to be money, or the lack thereof, the average person has the inherent potential to earn far more than he or she is doing currently.

Is the manager earning $250,000 per year ten times as smart as the manager earning $25,000? 10 times as experienced? Does he or she work 10 times harder? Of course not. None of these are physically or mentally possible, but there are people in every business earning many times more than others with the same average age, experience, and intelligence.

The Results Are In

In fact, a few years ago in New York, a thousand men and women were selected at random and tested for I.Q. Between the one having the highest I.Q. in this sample and the one with the lowest, there was a difference of only 2 1/2 times. But between the person earning the most, who by the way, was not the one with the highest I.Q. and the one earning the least, who was not the one with the lowest I.Q., there was a difference of 100X in income.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to start increasing your earnings.

First, identify the highest earning, most successful people in your field and find out what it is that they are doing differently from others who aren't doing as well. Copy them every day.

Second, set a goal to double your earnings over the next two or three years and then figure out how to accomplish that goal.

DO YOU CHOOSE PLEASURE OR GRATIFICATION?

I recently read Martin Seligman's excellent book,
"Authentic Happiness" and he makes a wonderful and vital
distinction. Would you rather experience pleasure, or
gratification?
It's an interesting question because our culture has
clearly chosen pleasure. Going back to Sigmund Freud's
argument that behavior is guided by our desire to avoid
pain and maximize pleasure, modern society has voted for
pleasure. Interestingly, Seligman argues that this is
ultimately futile, and I would argue that it is ultimately
self-defeating.
First, Seligman's argument, as I understand it.
Almost all pleasures are most intense when experienced in
moderation. He points out that if we eat chocolates one at
a time, our pleasure sky-rockets. But if we eat them one
after another, we soon lose our sense of pleasure, and if
we are forced to continue eating, we quickly tire of them
and may even get sick.
This is true of almost all pleasures. Think of being
stuffed with your favorite food, or having to endure a back
massage that lasted for days and days on end. Even sex is
exhausting after a certain point.
The point is that while pleasure - good food, good wine,
good friends, etc - is a wonderful addition to life, our
society has taken the quest for pleasure beyond the point
of rapidly diminishing returns. We seek more and more toys,
more and more pleasures in a never-ending quest to be
entertained, and ultimately these "pleasures" cannot
sustain us. The data are clear. The evidence is in:
Pleasure for its own sake does not work!
Here's just one specific: When people are measured while
they watch comedies on television, even while they are
laughing, their actual emotional state shows a mild level
of depression! Think about that, and it's implications!
Interestingly, however, when we substitute "gratification"
or "fulfillment" for pleasure, our sense of happiness
dramatically increases, and the increase remains over the
long term!
Seligman defines gratification as the fulfillment of our
values or the completion of long-term goals or purposes,
and he describes research that people who have invested
themselves in the achievement of long-term goals are far
happier than those who have primarily sought pleasure or
fun.
Isn't it interesting when science eventually catches up
with the wisdom of the ages? From the beginning of time,
our religious leaders, poets and seers have advised us to
spend our lives on things that will outlast us and to
invest ourselves in the fulfillment of our dreams, rather
than the pleasures of the moment.
Now, it turns out, science agrees!
If you desire to celebrate life and feel good and know joy,
mix small amounts of pleasure (chocolate, a few roller-
coaster rides) with large blocks of time devoted to
pursuing your dreams. Self-discipline, focus, commitment
and dedication ultimately lead to joy. Chocolate (I love
the stuff!) ultimately leads to satiation and regret, while
dedicated, persistent effort on projects that are worthy of
our highest aspirations, creates "the good life". The
choice is yours. Which would you rather have?
Pursue gratification. It's the ultimate high!

THE SECRETS OF UNLIMITED ACHIEVEMENT

Each of us has the potential to achieve far more than we
have yet imagined. We know that human beings use only a
tiny percentage of our brain's potential. We waste time, we
get distracted, we "spin our wheels", and we get
frustrated. Yes, we do accomplish things, but only a small
portion of what we are capable of achieving.
At the same time, other people are reaching huge goals and
achieving vastly more than us. I find it humbling that Bill
Gates, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey and Tiger Woods are still
young! Whatever you think of him or his politics, isn't it
astonishing that Barak Obama is a retired president? He's
still a "kid"!
What are the secrets to that level of achievement?
After studying thousands of highly effective people over
the past 20 years, I believe it comes down to only four
critical essentials. Here they are:
1. Self Discipline. Self discipline has a terrible
reputation because most people think of it as pain and
deprivation, but nothing could be further from the truth!
Self discipline is the key to ultimate freedom! It means
taking charge of your life, being an adult and deciding how
you want to live your life. It means you are not dependent
on circumstances or convenience or other people's opinions.
It is choosing your own course, taking responsibility and
going in the direction YOU have chosen. It means doing what
makes sense in the long run, rather than what is popular or
comfortable or easy. Self discipline is the first essential
for massive, extraordinary levels of personal success.
2. Effective Resource Allocation. High achievers don't
waste time or squander relationships, or "wish their lives
away". They use their talents and abilities wisely. They
focus their efforts on their most important next steps.
We have limited resources. There are only 24 hours in a
day, and we have limited stamina and strength. High
achievers concentrate their best efforts on their most
important projects. They are very careful about time,
knowing that when today is over, it's gone forever. They
make careful choices about money, knowing that once spent,
it's gone forever, but invested wisely, it can create
literally millions of dollars over time. High achievers use
resources wisely.
3. Environmental Perfection. We respond to our
surroundings and high achievers create environments that
support them perfectly, all day long, every single day.
They care about their offices, and they take care of their
bodies. They dress well and keep their tools sharp and well-
maintained.
There is a reason extraordinarily successful people have
elegant offices, and live orderly, structured, simple
lives. These are the habits that MADE THEM SUCCESSFUL!
4. Hard Work. Extremely successful people work harder
than the rest of us. Yes, sometimes they simply work more
hours and stay more focused, but sometimes it's the subtle
things. They pay attention and actually listen to the
people they meet. They network effectively. They read and
use what they learn to achieve better outcomes. They get
more done!
Self-made millionaires routinely work 50, 60 or even more
hours per week. Often they are doing work they love so it
doesn't feel like "work" in the traditional sense, but they
show up early, they stay late, and they work all day long.
They take care of the "little things" and it shows up in
the quality of their results, and in their bank accounts at
the end of the year.
Chart your own course. Decide what you want and the life
you prefer, then focus your time, energy and effort to that
end. Use the resources available and create a Personal Eco-
System that supports you perfectly, then simply out-
work, out-perform and out-last the competition. There are
no alternatives. Extraordinary achievement is the result of
those four simple steps.

REASONS WHY THEY AREN'T BUYING FROM YOU

If you are in sales, you might know the difficulty and stress that comes with the end game of selling. But do you know that there are several reasons for why it is?

First and foremost is the fear of failure experienced by the prospect. Because of negative buying experiences in the past, over which you could have no control, prospects are conditioned to be suspicious, skeptical and wary of salespeople and sales approaches. They may like to buy, but they don't like to be sold. They are afraid of making a mistake. They are afraid of paying too much and finding it for sale cheaper somewhere else.

Fear of Criticism

They are afraid of being criticized by others for making the wrong buying decision. They are afraid of buying an inappropriate product and finding out later that they should have purchased something else. This fear of failure, of making a mistake in buying your product, is the major reason why people object, hesitate and procrastinate on the buying decision.

Fear of Rejection

The second major obstacle to selling is the fear of rejection, of criticism and disapproval experienced by the salesperson. You work long and hard to prospect and cultivate a prospective buyer and you are very reluctant to say anything that might cause the prospect to tune you out and turn you off. You have a lot invested in each prospect and if you are not careful, you will find yourself being wishy-washy at the end of the sale, rather than risking incurring the displeasure of the prospect by your asking for a firm decision.

Customers Are Busy

The third reason why the end of the sale is difficult is that customers are busy and preoccupied. It isn't that they are not interested in enjoying the benefits of your product. It's just that they are overwhelmed with work and they find it difficult to make sufficient time available to think through your recommendations and make a buying decision. And the better they are as a prospect, the busier they tend to be. This is why you need to maintain momentum throughout the sales process and gently push it to a conclusion at the appropriate time.

Inertia is Hard to Break

The factor of inertia is the fourth reason that can also cause the sales process to come to a halt without a resolution. Customers are lazy and often quite comfortable doing what they are currently doing. Your product or service may require that they make exceptional efforts to accommodate the change or a new way of doing things. They perhaps recognize that they would be better off with your product, but the trouble and expense of installing it hardly seem to make it worth the effort. They see no pressing need or urgency to stop doing what they are doing and start doing something else with what you are selling.

Everyone Buys at the Same Time

The good news is that everybody you meet has bought and will buy, new products and services from someone, at some time. If they didn't buy from you, they will from someone else. You must find the way to overcome the natural physical and psychological obstacles to buying and then hone your skills so that you are capable of selling to almost any qualified prospect you speak to.

Action Exercises

Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, recognize the normal fear of making a buying mistake experienced by the customer. Give him every reason you can think of to be confident in dealing with you.

Second, accept that everyone you talk to is busy and you are interrupting. Always ask if this is a good time for him to give you his undivided attention. If not, arrange to see him another time.

READING FOR GREATNESS

My father taught me to read. I suppose my first grade
teachers taught me my A-B-C's, but my father taught me the
joys and possibilities of reading, and I've been at it ever
since. Reading is the key to insight, understanding and
ultimately, performance.
A couple of years ago, Michael Angier, wrote an
article titled, "Leaders are Readers" and he talked about
the necessity of reading. Greatness in any field is based
on a willingness to read well, widely, and much. Whether in
business or in parenting, in our hobbies or in romance, we
do not have time to learn every skill by chance! Reading is
NOT a luxury; it is the most efficient path to life's
greatest achievements!
Others have gone before us, and they left a trail. Whether
the challenge is communicating with a rebellious teenager,
writing a screen-play or building a business, we impoverish
ourselves if we refuse to learn the lessons, mistakes and
discoveries of others.
This period I am working my way through Roy Jenkin's
massive biography of Winston Churchill and this week I
found a HUGE key to his greatness, courage, eloquence and
wisdom. As a young man, he certainly did not impress those
around him as holding the potential for genius, so where
did he get it?
He was educated in England's private school system and went
into the Army afterward. Between the ages of 18 and 22, he
was in India, was involved in three military campaigns, and
became an expert polo player. During this time, he decided
that he was not adequately prepared him for the future he
envisioned, and he decided to do something about it.
In his "spare time" he read Gibbon's eight-volume set, "The
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" and Macaulay's twelve-
volume history of England. Later, he had his mother send
him 27 volumes of Parliamentary debates so he could study
them line by line - a massive exercise that helped him
enormously later in his career. At one point he wrote to
his mother that his quota was "Fifty pages of Macaulay and
25 of Gibbon every day."
During that same period he also wrote histories of two
British military campaigns and a novel!
While every one knows about his later accomplishments, I
had not known or appreciated his willingness to PREPARE FOR
GREATNESS. That, I believe, is the critical missing piece.
When Lee Iococca was turning Chrysler Corporation around, I
heard him say he read two books on business every week.
Similarly, when I was in Seminary, the great Presbyterian
preacher, Bruce Thieleman, insisted that we read at least
two books a week if we were serious about meeting the needs
of our congregations.
I admit, I have failed on that count. Like most of us, I
claim that I am "too busy" to read that much. But reading,
perhaps more than any other activity, has enlarged my life,
enriched my purse, and expanded my world.
"Those who do not read are no better off than those who
cannot read", and I would go a step further to argue that
those who refuse to make time for reading are tragically
poor, for they are needlessly holding themselves back.
Brian Tracy argues that reading a few minutes each morning,
on your lunch break or before bed is THE key to success in
any field, and I agree.
Winston Churchill read. While a young man, in the Army, in
the midst of military campaigns, he read an enormous amount
of material, and the investment served him (and the world)
very well indeed. This week, pick a book. Read!