Success Secrets GOLD

SUCCESS SECRETS:
How To Be More Successful
Kevin Sinclair
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Success Secrets: How To Be More Successful

Kevin Sinclair
Copyright 1990 Kevin G Sinclair. All rights reserved. This e-book may
not be altered in any way without the written permission of the copyright
owner.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................4
WHAT'S IN THIS BOOK, HOW TO USE IT, WHY I WROTE IT .................................................................4
WHAT YOU'LL FIND IN THIS BOOK ......................................................................................................5
HOW TO GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH FROM THIS RESOURCE ............................................................5
A FEW WORDS ABOUT WHO I AM AND MY ROLE IN YOUR LIFE .........................................................6
A FEW FINAL WORDS ...........................................................................................................................6
SECTION 1: YOU WILL BE MORE SUCCESSFUL WHEN YOU EMULATE THESE
CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE .........................................................................7
HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL BY UNDERSTANDING WHAT SUCCESS IS .....................................................7
PERSIST AND YOU WILL SUCCEED!......................................................................................................9
YOU CAN IF YOU THINK YOU CAN!...................................................................................................10
GAIN COURAGE THROUGH FACING YOUR FEARS...............................................................................10
RISE UP AND WIN BY LEARNING FROM DEFEAT ................................................................................11
FIND OPPORTUNITIES AS YOU DEVELOP A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE .........................................12
YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS GROW FROM YOUR INVESTMENT IN SACRIFICES ...........................................13
TURN FAILURE INTO SUCCESS THROUGH CONCENTRATION...............................................................14
GAIN SATISFACTION THROUGH THINKING BIG ..................................................................................14
YOU CANNOT FAIL WHEN YOU GIVE MORE THAN 100 PERCENT......................................................16
ATTRACT FRIENDS, MONEY AND POWER BY DEVELOPING ENTHUSIASM AND HUMOUR ...................17
PEOPLE WILL CO-OPERATE WITH YOU WHEN YOU APPEAL TO THEIR SELF-INTEREST ....................18
INCREASE YOUR ENERGY AS YOU MAINTAIN YOUR HEALTH ...........................................................19
SECTION 2: YOU CAN HAVE WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE - HOW TO DECIDE WHAT
YOU WANT AND HOW TO ACHIEVE IT......................................................................................21
WHERE ARE YOU NOW? - THE PHYSICAL YOU .................................................................................21
WHERE ARE YOU NOW? - THE INNER YOU .......................................................................................22
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR LIFE? .........................................................................................25
HOW TO GET WHAT YOU WANT BY SETTING YOUR GOALS .............................................................25
HAVE ON-GOING MOTIVATION THROUGH HAVING A STRONG DESIRE ..............................................28
RELAX AND YOU WILL SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS ..............................................................................29
YOUR SUCCESS REQUIRES YOU TO TAKE CALCULATED RISKS .........................................................30
PROGRAM YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS WITH SELF-INSTRUCTIONS AND VISUALISATION ......................31
BE FREE FROM INDECISIVENESS WHEN YOU WEIGH UP ALTERNATIVES BEFORE MAKING DECISIONS
...........................................................................................................................................................32
SECTION 3: YOU CAN BE WEALTHY BY FOLLOWING THIS SIMPLE FORMULA ........34
HOW TO PROFIT FROM SELF-DISCIPLINE ...........................................................................................34
ATTAIN RICHES BY BUDGETING YOUR TIME AND MONEY ................................................................34
FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE WHEN YOU FOLLOW THIS FORMULA .....................................................35
YOU CAN PROSPER WHEN YOU KNOW HOW TO GET OUT OF DEBT .................................................36
CONTROL YOUR DESTINY BY KNOWING WHEN TO BORROW MONEY ...............................................41
CONCLUSION .....................................................................................................................................44
APPENDIX: WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE - YOUR READY TO COMPLETE GOAL SHEETS
................................................................................................................................................................45
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INTRODUCTION
What's In This Book, How To Use It, Why I Wrote It
This book was written with one objective in mind: to provide you with
the information you need to be more successful in business and in your
personal life. Being more successful can often mean a larger home, a
bigger income, your own successful business, getting a job, achieving a
promotion in your job, being closer to your children, or enjoying greater
respect from your family and friends.
People have the habit of looking around at other people and wondering
why they are more successful. Then we knock and put down those who
seem to have the uncanny ability to be successful at whatever they do.
Meanwhile, we sit here and wonder why we too can't be as successful.
Today, there is a whole group of people who expect everything for
nothing. They are not prepared to give a bit extra so they can improve
their situations themselves. But that is not you. You crave for
achievement, riches, independence, respect, happiness and peace of mind.
I know of many people who are in jobs they don't enjoy. They can't see
how to get what they want. Most things they try end in failure because
they do not know how to be successful. Often, their credit cards are spent
to the limit. There is never enough money to do the things they want to
do. They work to pay the interest on their debts!
They study "get rich quick" schemes hoping to discover an immediate
way to riches. They gamble to win that elusive big prize. They think luck
is something you are born with. "If you're lucky then you will succeed" is
the way they think.
However, whatever you want from life can be yours! This sounds
incredible, doesn't it? Beyond your reach? But that is not so! I believe that
nearly anything is possible (even probable) if you develop the goals, the
guts, and an achievement plan.
There is a system for improving your life and getting all that your heart
desires. This life transforming system is now available to you in this
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practical, effective, easy to use booklet. When you use the secrets
contained in this booklet, your life will change for the better. You simply
cannot fail when you use the secret success formulae of the wealthy.
What You'll Find In This Book
This booklet is in three sections and briefly I'd like to introduce them to
you.
In Section 1, you will find the characteristics of successful people that
you can emulate so that you too can be more successful. I will explain
just what success is. Also, you will learn the biggest mistake you can
make when trying to be more successful and how to avoid it.
This prepares you for Section 2 where you will learn how to decide what
you want from life and how to go about achieving it. You will be given
all that you need know so that you can program yourself to succeed at
whatever you want to do. You will also be given specific guidelines to
show you how to solve any problem that you face.
Section 3 shows you how you can become wealthy by following a simple
formula. You will also receive specific steps to follow so you can get out
of debt and prosper; manage your money for riches; and how to
accumulate wealth.
I have found that when I write down what I want to achieve, then I have a
greater chance of getting it. So in the Appendix I have included a set of
goal sheets so you can record what you want to get out of your life, and
the steps you need to take so you can become more successful.
How To Get Your Money's Worth From This Resource
SUCCESS SECRETS: How To Be More Successful is not a booklet to be
read once and put to one side. You should refer to it regularly to get the
most benefit from it. If you are like me, the second time I read something
I often gain a new perspective that I missed the first time through.
Therefore, to get the most benefit from this booklet, I suggest you read it
through once. Then read it through again and mark all the sections that
are important to you. Once you have done this, follow the instructions
and create a better life for yourself. Refer to this booklet often as it will
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give you inspiration and motivation to do what you need to so you can be
more successful.
SUCCESS SECRETS: How To Be More Successful tells you what you
have to do....but it is up to you to do it. To read this booklet and do
nothing else will not guarantee you greater success. If you are one of
those people who talks a great deal about becoming more successful, but
never seems to get it together enough to do anything about it, then you
will not find this booklet to your taste.
My job in writing this booklet is to show you what you need to do. Your
job is to go out there and do it so you can be more successful! Any other
approach to this subject just does not make sense.
Finally, this booklet is an extended conversation between you and me.
My objective is to help you, whoever you are. There is so much of value
at your fingertips, so let's go through it together.
A Few Words About Who I Am and My Role In Your Life
As you will see as you work your way through this resource, I have only
one idea: How to help you be more successful. I will be assisting you to
discover what you want out of life and how to go about achieving it.
A Few Final Words
When you've finished this booklet, if you've followed the directions I
have given, you will be on your way to being more successful. I
guarantee it!
After you've had the opportunity to study this booklet and follow the
directions, I'd like to hear how you are doing. And if you're making
improvements to these methods, I'd love to hear about them. After all, I
have much to learn, too. And there is no one I'd rather learn from than
you, my new friend and fellow success seeker.
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SECTION 1: YOU WILL BE MORE SUCCESSFUL

WHEN YOU EMULATE THESE CHARACTERISTICS OF
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE
How To Be Successful By Understanding What Success Is
What is success? Basically, it is the favourable outcome of something
attempted. To be successful is to have succeeded in your endeavour.
Therefore, success can mean different things to different people. Success
to me can mean something completely different to you.
For example, my idea of success could be to own ten houses. Until I own
ten houses, I won't feel as though I have been successful in my
endeavour. However, for you, success may mean putting your children
through private schools and until you do this, you won't feel successful.
When we have both accomplished what we set out to achieve, we both
feel successful. However, an outsider looking at the two of us could well
perceive that one of us was more successful than the other. But that
would only be in his or her eyes and it would be based on his or her own
personal measure of success.
Let's go back to our definition of success - "the favourable outcome of
something attempted". What is an outcome? An outcome is something
that follows from an action. In other words, it is a result or a
consequence. An action occurs whenever we do, or don't do, something.
For example, an action would be to mow the lawn. The outcome (or
result) is a nice tidy yard we feel good about. We are happy to have our
friends over and see that we have a tidy garden. The yard looks appealing
to be in. Whereas, not to take action would be not to mow the lawn. The
outcome (or consequence) is weeds growing up to our knees. It certainly
would not inspire us to go out in the back yard and play cricket with the
children.
By a favourable outcome, we mean a result that is encouraging or
promising. In other words, the result does not have to be one hundred
percent on the first attempt. All it has to be is an indication that we are on
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the right track. The more times we do it, the more encouraging and
promising it should become.
Suppose we decided to spend two hours a day cleaning up our yard. After
the first day, we have cleaned up a quarter of the yard. Certainly, this
result is encouraging because we can see the benefits that will come when
we have completed the job. However, if on the next day we decided to do
nothing, then we would have an unfavourable outcome because no
progress had been made.
At the end of a week, we have completely cleaned up our yard. We have
been successful because we have succeeded in our endeavour. The job is
done and we can clearly see the results. Now we are all ready to invite
our friends over for a bar-b-que. How good we feel because we made the
effort. This is the feeling of success.
Using these examples, I think I have also illustrated the meaning of
"something attempted" in our definition of success. However, to make it
crystal clear, to attempt something is to make an effort to do something or
to achieve something. In other words, we need to try. Usually success
cannot be attained without action. There is an old saying that goes - "to
do nothing is to be nothing". Another one is "nothing ventured, nothing
gained".
Another aspect of our definition of success is that it is not permanent. By
this I mean that the good feeling of success does not last unless we
continue to do things that give us favourable outcomes. Going back to our
yard example, we feel good because we have completed the job.
However, if we don't continue to maintain our yard in a tidy state, it
becomes untidy again. Due to inaction, whenever we look at our yard we
see the weeds and mess. We do not feel good about it until we clean it up
again. It is the same with success. Remember, it is not a destination, it is a
continuing journey!
And it is the same with life. If you look around you, you will see people
who were at one time successful. Why are they not successful now?
Simply because they stopped doing the things that made them successful
in the first place. The consequence of inaction is failure.
Therefore, success is how you define it for yourself. What do you want to
achieve with your life? Where do you want to go with your career? What
sort of a house do you want to live in? The answers to these questions are
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part of your standard against which you measure your progress towards
your personal success. If you are progressing towards achieving all that
you want, then you are being a success. Continue to achieve to maintain
the momentum and you will be very successful.
The biggest mistake people make when they are looking for success is to
compare themselves to others. Do not let this stop you. What is right for
one person is not necessarily right for you. You are the one that has to
live your life and be happy in it. Therefore make it your own. Success is a
personal thing - achieve your own success on your own terms. Measure
your success using your own yard sticks, not someone elses'. To your
own self be true.
Okay, so you feel that you have not been successful so far. What can you
do to obtain success? Firstly, I will show the characteristics of successful
people. Then I will set out a blueprint or plan so that you too can be on
your way towards being more successful. Remember, the result is up to
you. It depends on you making the effort so that you can obtain the
favourable outcomes. No one else can do it for you. You make your own
luck.
Persist and You Will Succeed!
One of the major factors behind any persons' success is persistence. This
is the ability to keep on trying with the knowledge that eventually, you
have to succeed. How often have you seen someone give up on
something and someone else has come along and shown that success was
just around the corner? If they had tried just one or two more times they
would have succeeded!
Persistent people do not allow set backs to stop them in their tracks. They
are confident in the knowledge that if they keep on trying, they have to
get to where they want to be. They continued with the expectation of
success. Those that quit usually expect to fail - that is why they do not
persist. Remember that success may be just up around the next corner.
You would kick yourself if you discovered that you quit just short of your
goal. Yet this is what many people do.
Thomas Edison often tried something a thousand times before he
discovered how to make something work. He was not discouraged by
failure. He persisted until he achieved what he was aiming for. Each time
he looked to see why he had failed and used the knowledge gained to
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improve his next attempt until he hit the jackpot. However, most of us
would have quit after the second or third attempt with no real knowledge
of why it did not work.
Remember, persist until you succeed. Winners do not quit and quitters
never win!
You Can If You Think You Can!
How often have you held yourself back because you thought you could
not do something? What many of us do not realise is that most of the
limitations we have are self-imposed. These self-imposed limitations are
due to our way of thinking. We say to ourselves that we cannot rather
than we can. James Allen said "As a man thinketh, so he is".
We are what we think we are. If you see yourself successfully achieving
your goal, then you are already half way there. However, if you cannot
visualise yourself achieving your goal, then you will not achieve it.
Another name for this sort of thinking is self-expectations. What we
expect for ourselves, we get.
If you expect a life of poverty, you get a life of poverty. If you expect a
life of love and joy, you get a life of love and joy. If you expect a life of
riches, you get a life of riches. This is often called a self-fulfilling
prophecy. Our brains are goal seeking devices and they have the
incredible habit of seeking the goal that we most often think about.
Therefore the message is that our thoughts are our most important brain
food on our road to success. Think positive, goal achievement thoughts
and it follows that you will achieve what you set out to achieve. Think
thoughts of doubt and negativity, and the battle is lost before it is even
begun.
Gain Courage Through Facing Your Fears
Many of us hold ourselves back because we are afraid to do something.
Fear is a healthy emotion and is very good for us. It stops us from
walking across the road in front of a truck. It stops us from doing things
that can cause us harm. But when it stops us from doing the things we
need to do to achieve our goals, then it is unhealthy.
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If we do not want to go and meet someone because we are afraid of what

they will think of us, then we are suffering from an exaggerated sense of
fear. If we are afraid to do something that we have never done before, we
are showing signs of being afraid of the unknown. This is a reasonably
normal reaction. However, for the fear to stop us from meeting someone
is unhealthy.
The only way to confront fear is to face it. We need to do the things we
fear. This does not mean walking out on the road in front of a truck as
this is sure to lead to death. What it does mean is that we need to do the
things we fear to show ourselves that there was really nothing to fear. For
example, you have never cooked a cake and you are afraid that it would
not turn out to the standard you want. You should bake the cake and see
how you go. The results could surprise you.
Now if the cake did not turn out, you could say to yourself, I knew it
would not work, and never try again. However, a successful person would
wonder what went wrong and have another go while trying to remedy the
reason for the failure. Never be afraid to fail. Failure is part of the
learning process that leads us to achieving our goals. If you have never
failed, there is a high probability that you have never done anything. It is
human to fail. However, the failures are those who do not try again.
Gain courage through facing your fears. The more you do this the easier it
becomes. Confidence is developed through doing, not wishing. You need
to condition your mind for success and take the necessary actions
otherwise your efforts are wasted. Action is the magic that can take your
dreams and make them reality.
Rise Up and Win By Learning From Defeat
To try again until you succeed. How often have you heard that saying?
What does it really mean? Most successful people have suffered
numerous setbacks before experiencing the success they were aiming for.
There are two reasons why they ended up achieving their goals.
Firstly, they kept on going and never gave up. There may have been times
when they felt like quitting. However, they remembered that winners do
not quit. They just kept on going in the belief that one day they would
win. You can never be a winner if you do quit.
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Secondly, they tried to learn something from every set back or defeat.
They did this so that they would not repeat the same mistake again. How
often do you read about millionaires who went bankrupt a couple of times
before they eventually reached their goal. Each time they analysed why
they failed, resolved not to make the same mistake again, got back up and
continued on to their success. Dick Smith is a classic example of this. If
you get the opportunity to read his story, do so.
Do not let defeat break your resolve to achieve your goals, whatever they
may be. Always ask yourself what you can learn from this temporary set
back or defeat. Then proceed to use what you have learnt so that you do
not repeat the same mistake again. Failures are those who are unable or
unwilling to learn from their mistakes.
Life is a learning experience. When we were babies first learning to walk,
we fell over often. Just imagine where we would be if we never tried to
get back up again when we fell over. We would still be crawling around
on our hands and knees. Were we afraid then to try again? Watch a baby
and the determination it shows when it tries to walk. How much can you
learn from them? Absolutely heaps. To try again until you succeed!
Remember, we all have had experience in learning from defeat. We have
all had experience in getting back up and trying again. Just because we
are no longer babies, does not mean we have to give up trying. Now is the
time to try even harder still because we all have the ability to do more
with our lives than we are currently doing. Do not let anything hold you
back!
Find Opportunities As You Develop A Positive Mental Attitude
Most people who achieve their goals have one thing in common. They
visualise themselves as already having achieved their goals. They do not
have the attitude of wishing that they could achieve their goals because
they know that they are going to achieve them. They think "I can" or "I
will" instead of "I may".
They carry their goals around with them and read them each day. This
reminds them why they are doing what they are doing as they work
towards achieving their goals. This is the reason your goals should be
specific. In the next section, I will be showing you how to determine what
your goals need to be and how to make them specific. If you cannot
clearly see what it is you want to achieve, then your destination is just a
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hazy image. Whereas when you have the picture clearly fixed in your
mind, you know precisely where it is you want to go.
Whenever you begin to doubt your abilities to achieve your goals,
remember what James Allen said in his book "As A Man Thinketh", "A
man is what he thinks about all day". What this means is that if you spend
your time thinking that you will fail, then you will surely fail. However,
spend your time thinking you will succeed and you will succeed. This is a
fact of life. Some people call this the law of self-fulfilling prophecies.
If you look around you, you will find that there are people who say they
can never get out of their current poor circumstances. No matter what
they try, nothing seems to work. Why is this so? Very simply, because
they believe that their circumstances cannot be changed. If they were able
to believe (without doubt) that their circumstances could be improved,
then their circumstances would improve over time. Remember - as a man
thinks, so he is!
You will need to make strong efforts to push self defeating thoughts out
of your mind. Replace them with positive statements reinforcing your
worth and your ability to achieve. Some people repeat over and over to
themselves that they are winners whenever they begin to have negative
thoughts. You will need to do something similar whenever you find
yourself in this situation.
Your Achievements Grow From Your Investment In Sacrifices
How do you regard making sacrifices? Do you avoid them whenever you
can? Do you prefer to sit and watch television instead of doing something
that will help you achieve your goal? Often we have to give up something
we enjoy when we are pursuing something we hope to gain in the future.
One way to look at sacrifices is that they are investments. All we are
really doing is forgoing an enjoyment today for the greater enjoyment we
will receive in the future when we achieve our goal. When I was twenty
three I decided to make a career change. To do so I had to do six years
part-time study to obtain a qualification. The sacrifices I made were
giving up many social activities such as parties and going to movies on
weekends. Instead, my weekends were filled with writing assignments
and studying for examinations. However, after the six years, I was
qualified in my chosen field and able to earn a lot more than if I had
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stayed in the career I was in. Also, I enjoyed the work in my new career
far more than my old career.
The sacrifices I made during my six years of study were a great
investment that has paid for itself many times over. Modify your thinking
to regard sacrifices as investments in your own future. The more we put
into something, the greater the rewards will be.
Turn Failure Into Success Through Concentration
Have you ever been in the situation where you have really concentrated
hard on something and been surprised by the results you obtained? I
know that I have. Recently, Marie (my wife) was using a staple remover
that fell apart in her hands. I picked it up and tried to put it back together
without success. I was nearly on the verge of giving up, thinking that I
could not do it. Then I had the thought that I was not going to let this beat
me. I applied myself to it with determination and single-minded
concentration and within minutes, I had put it back together again.
Whilst this is a very simple example, the principle illustrated has
universal application. Concentrate on one thing at a time and give it your
best shot. To let your mind wander and be thinking of many things is a
waste of precious energy. So much more can be done in less time with
applied concentration.
On a broader scale, concentrate on your goals. Do not become distracted
by anything that will detract you from achieving your goal. A handy little
question to ask yourself at various times through the day is: Am I doing
what needs to be done now? If you are not, then you need to redirect your
energies. Failure to do so will mean that you are not using your time
productively towards achieving your goal.
Gain Satisfaction Through Thinking Big
Do not place limitations on yourself. The only real limitations that we
have are those that we place on ourselves. When you are setting your
goals, let your mind imagine far bigger things than you have previously.
Is it better to shoot for the stars and land on the moon or to shoot for the
moon and land in your neighbour's back yard?
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When I set my goals too low, I always over achieve them but gain very
little satisfaction from doing so. However, whenever I set my goals high
and come close to them, I feel overjoyed. There is always a greater sense
of achievement when I have stretched even if I did not fully achieve it.
Also, it gives me the confidence and knowledge that I can do even better
next time. Remember, being the best is not important - doing your best is!
We are not condemned to be mediocre people. We have the power within
us to live our lives to the fullest. Never to try to excel with the talents and
the abilities that each of us has, is to waste the gifts we have been given.
If you set big goals and go out to achieve them, you will automatically set
yourself apart from the masses. Remember that all things are possible to
he who believes.
Another common problem that many people suffer from is short term
thinking. Not enough thought is given to the longer term. We see this in a
lot of younger people especially. Something is desired and it must be had
today. With finance being so readily available these days, people buy
what they want now and worry about how they are going to pay for it
later.
I am constantly amazed that so many people have no real idea of how
much extra things cost when they are purchased this way. When I was
younger, I used to run my credit cards right up to their limits and repay
the minimum amount each month. This was purely because I was so
impatient I could not wait to buy something after having saved for a
while. I had to have it now. I did not always consider whether I needed
the product either. However, one day I decided to calculate how much I
was paying in interest for this privilege of having things sooner. I got a
real shock. Since then I have reduced my credit card debts back to almost
nothing and now take a more calculated view. Do I really need the item or
not?
Another classic example is buying the cheapest because I had to have one
and that was all I could afford. This often turned out to be a complete
waste of money because I did not satisfactorily research the product. As it
would turn out, the cheap product could not do what I wanted it to do.
Therefore I would have been better waiting until I could afford the more
expensive version after ensuring that it would do what I wanted.
Whilst I have used a purchasing example above, the principle holds true
in many other situations too. How many people spend all their money
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now with the view that they will worry about their retirement when it
comes, or someone will look after them then so why worry? Decide on
what you want in the long term and make a step today on your journey to
achieve it. Research your goal to ensure it is what you want. Be sure that
you are prepared to pay the price it will cost (not just dollars, but time,
effort, sacrifices, etc.).
You Cannot Fail When You Give More Than 100 Percent
In whatever endeavour you are doing, always give more than one hundred
percent. You will find whenever you do this, your rewards will always be
far greater than the extra effort you expended. Some people refer to this
success concept as going the extra mile. What it means is that you need to
give people more than they expect.
If you are working in a job and want promotion, the surest way to get it is
by giving more. Employers look favourably on employees who are
innovative and give more than what is expected of them. An example of
this sort of behaviour is when you have mastered a job, look for new
tasks to do. Also, look for better and more efficient ways to do things.
Make the effort to develop additional skills in your own time to ready
yourself for promotion such as studying about leadership or how to
motivate people. However, always be keen to do what needs to be done
within the deadlines imposed.
For those working directly with customers, always give them more than
they expect and you will generate more sales. Sometimes just giving a
big, warm smile and courteous attention to the customers' requirements
are all that is required. Spend the time to determine the customers need
and then you will be in a position to satisfy it. I stress to you be sure to
concentrate on satisfying the customers need. Have you ever been into a
store and everyone is glum and does not want to serve you? Do you feel
inclined to buy from them? No. But go into a store where they seem glad
to see you and willing to help you and you feel far more like buying their
products.
In your family life, give more than what is expected. Your relationships
will bloom and grow stronger. Remember, the more you give without
expecting return, the more you will gain.
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Attract Friends, Money and Power By Developing Enthusiasm

and Humour
Enthusiasm is having an ardent and lively interest or eagerness in
something. It is also having a keen interest or passion for something.
Some people say enthusiasm is having a zest for living. You can tell
when someone is enthusiastic about something very easily. It shows in
the tone of their voice and their facial expressions when they are talking
about their interest. When someone is enthusiastic about their subject, we
are more inclined to listen to what they have to say.
Enthusiastic people seem to accomplish what they set out to achieve.
Their energy is so much greater and directed. They get to their destination
seemingly without too much effort. It is almost as if they have the ability
to leap over tall buildings with a single bound. When someone without
enthusiasm tries to do the same thing, they stumble and fall on their face.
Sometimes it can seem that we have no enthusiasm for anything. All we
want to do is watch television and be a nobody. Have you ever found
yourself thinking that nothing interests you? Have you ever wondered
how you can be enthusiastic too?
One way to increase your level of enthusiasm is to gain knowledge about
something. You will find the more you discover, the more you will want
to discover. As you begin to gain knowledge, your desire to gain even
more knowledge will increase. As you begin to experience small
successes, your desire to achieve larger successes will grow too. This is
how enthusiasm is developed.
Let's say your goal is to own your home without any debt within the next
five years because you are currently renting a home you do not like. The
more you learn about how you can achieve this goal, the more you will
desire it and become enthusiastic about it. You will start by asking
yourself what sort of house it is you want. You will look at similar houses
and begin to see yourself living in it. You will know what colour it will
be, what suburb it will be in, what the garden will look like, how you will
finance it, and so on. Soon, whenever you talk about it, your voice and
mannerisms will be lively and enthusiastic. Believe me, it works.
The surest way to kill apathy is enthusiasm. Humour is another great tool
for developing enthusiasm. We need to be able to laugh at our mistakes.
We cannot take ourselves too seriously. If we do, we will be prone to
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self-defeating thoughts and you know the power of self-fulfilling

prophecies!
Another way to acquire the skills of enthusiasm and humour is to act "as
if". What I mean by this is if we act as though we are enthusiastic, then
we will become enthusiastic. This is a technique for directing our brain to
seek out the goal of being enthusiastic and it works very well. Give it a
try. The next time you feel down and out, act "as if" you are enthusiastic.
You will be surprised by the change this will bring about in your
circumstances.
People Will Co-operate With You When You Appeal To Their
Self-Interest
Successful people know they need the support of others so they can
achieve their goals. No one can be hugely successful without the help of
others. What I mean by this is other people play a role in our success. If
we are involved in sales, then we need people to buy what we are selling.
If we are managers or supervisors, then we need other people so the job
can be completed.
We need to have people on our side. We want them to buy from us - not
just once but repeatedly. We want loyal staff who will respond when we
need an urgent job done on time. We want to have our family on side and
supporting us in our projects and ventures.
How can we influence people so that they will do what we want? What is
the secret of winning people over to our way of thinking? It is achieved
simply by appealing to their self-interest. When you are selling, you need
to stress the benefits that they will receive through buying your product or
service. Therefore you need to take the time to find out what your
customer wants to receive as benefits from your product. Once you have
this information, you can then explain how your product or service will
be of benefit to them. When you concentrate on other peoples interests,
you are more likely to get the sale.
The same holds true in all other aspects of life. People like talking about
themselves and their own interests. Take the time to listen and encourage
them to talk about themselves. You will find that they hold you in higher
regard for doing this and will be more eager to do what you need them to
do.
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In the work environment, take an interest in your staff. Take the time to
talk to them about their own interests. They will respond so much better
when you do.
Increase Your Energy As You Maintain Your Health
An important ingredient in all success is health. Most people think that
health means being fit and free from illness. However this is only part of
the story. It is also important to have a healthy mind.
A healthy body is important because you will need to be able to do things
to achieve your goals. For example, if you are constantly sick then you
will most probably be incapable of taking some of the actions necessary
to get to where you want to be in your life. Physical fitness is only part of
a healthy body but still it should not be overlooked.
You will need to ensure that your diet is balanced and adequate to sustain
you through your activities. Missing meals can deprive you of the energy
required to accomplish tasks. Eating too much can leave you looking
overweight and may well not fit in with the appearance you need to
convey to achieve your success.
Therefore, you need to set up your own program to achieve physical
health. It should include a fitness program and a balanced diet.
A healthy mind is a positive, enquiring mind. To achieve this state
requires a healthy diet also. One way to give your mind this sort of diet is
through reading. Ensure that you feed your mind positive books. Keep
your mind open to new ideas and realise that other peoples failures could
well be your successes.
Always think of yourself in a positive light. Constantly reinforce yourself
with positive self-statements. Never, ever say to yourself that you are no
good or a failure. Think of yourself as already being a success. The mind
is a very powerful goal seeker. If you constantly tell it you are a failure, it
will find many novel new ways to make you a failure. However, feed it
positive thoughts and it will find ways to achieve the success you desire.
If you do not currently have a good healthy body, do not despair. With a
positive mental attitude, you can achieve far more than you may be now.
Perhaps some examples can illustrate this.
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My parents in law wanted some small trees trimmed. They rang a man
who advertised that he provided this service. When he arrived to do the
job, my parents in law discovered he was blind. This did not stop him
from doing the job. He trimmed the trees by doing the work by feel
instead of by sight! He could have stayed home and lamented his lot in
life. But he did not. He went out and made a useful life for himself.
History also shows us many examples of people who were handicapped
but still went on to make a success of their life. President Roosevelt had
polio as a child and was confined to a wheel chair. But this did not stop
him and he went on to be President of the United States of America. His
legs may have been useless, but his brain was not and he used it to great
advantage.
Do not let any sort of handicap be an excuse for you not achieving
success.
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SECTION 2: YOU CAN HAVE WHAT YOU WANT IN

LIFE - HOW TO DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT AND HOW
TO ACHIEVE IT.
Before you start on a journey, you first need to know where you are. Then
you need to know where you want to go to. Therefore it is wise at this
point for you to get a pen and some pieces of paper. Most plans are
written out and so should yours be. It has been proven by research that
those who write down their plans achieve them far more frequently than
those who do not.
In this next part, we are going to concentrate on where you are now. This
may seem like a funny thing to do because you think you know where
you are. However, many people do not look at their current circumstances
closely enough before embarking on their journey to success. This often
leads to failure because they have not taken the time to do a personal
stocktake. You need to know what strengths and weaknesses you have to
help you plan accordingly. I don't know of anyone who had all that was
needed when they started on their journey. Usually, we have to acquire
knowledge and skills along the way so we can achieve the success that we
want.
Where Are You Now? - The Physical You
Okay, let's start with the physical you. Most people think of themselves as
being different to what they actually are. Older people sometimes
visualise themselves as being younger. Therefore, how do you visualise
yourself? To help you discover this, I have devised a little exercise for
you.
Imagine that you have received a letter from a person that you have never
met. This person has offered to pay you $1,000,000 with no strings
attached for you to use in any way that you wish. However, it is
conditional upon you meeting this person at a major hotel in your city one
evening. You have been requested to write back providing a short,
concise but detailed description of yourself so this person will recognise
you. Spend a few minutes now writing out a description of yourself so
this stranger will recognise you. If need be, consult with your mirror to
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ensure your description is accurate as you do not want the stranger to give
the money to someone other than you.
Now that you have written out your description, it is time to review how
you feel about your physical appearance.
Are you happy with your general appearance?

Do you want to improve it?
Are you happy with your clothes?
Do they reflect the person you are and the person you want
to be?
Is your hair neat?
Does it need a tidy up?
How is your posture?
Do you stand and walk like a confident, successful person?
How is your height to weight ratio?
Do you need to gain or lose a few kilo?
Do you smile or scowl?
Answer the above questions as well as any other questions that come to
mind regarding your physical appearance. This will give you valuable
pointers on where you need to improve your appearance. It will also be
used later to see if your appearance is in accord with where you want to
go on your journey. Before proceeding any further, take the time now to
write down the aspects of your appearance you think need improvement.
Where Are You Now? - The Inner You
Let's now leave the physical you to one side and concentrate on the inner
you. In this section, we look at your values and beliefs, your attitudes and
feelings. It is perhaps the most important part of the exercise.
Most people very rarely take the time to get to know themselves better
and to decide where they want to go. As you are about to do this, you are
already many steps ahead of the majority of the population. If you do this
exercise properly, you will be well on the way to success and finding
your rightful place in the world. Have courage and know that the future
will be so much better than the past.
One of the major mistakes people make is thinking that they cannot
change the direction of their lives. This can be due to thinking that they
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are too old, invested too much in their existing career, or just plain
negative thinking! Remember that the only restrictions we have in our
lives are placed there by us. Age is not a barrier. Ray Kroc was fifty five
years old when he started McDonalds. There are many other examples,
when we look for them, of people who have changed the direction of their
lives at many different ages and have been successful at what they set out
to achieve. Do not let any flimsy excuses hold you back. When you have
nothing to lose and everything to gain, do it and do not look back. You
will be surprised at the results.
When things are not going right with our lives, we tend to blame other
people or circumstances. However, the simple fact is we can overcome
any problem placed in our path if we really want to. You are captain of
your own ship and master of your own fate. Remember, success is the
favourable outcome of something attempted. If the outcome is
unfavourable, keep on trying until you gain a favourable outcome.
When you begin to take stock of yourself, there are several areas that you
will need to look at. The first one is your willingness to take risks. Are
you a risk taker or do you play safe or are you somewhere inbetween?
Look at your actions in the past. What do they indicate? Risk is important
for success - those who always play it safe seldom achieve great goals.
However, risk taking should always be coupled with good judgement.
The higher the risk of an action, the more precautions you should take
such as seeking expert advice. If you take moderate risks, you most
probably make sound decisions based on all the evidence available to you
at the time.
Most people hold themselves back. If you feel that you have not had
much success in your life so far, then there is a high probability that you
hold yourself back. If so, then you will need to look at ways you can take
some small risks to gain confidence in stretching yourself. When you start
to do this, you will be surprised at the favourable results. Richard
Armstrong, in his book "You Can Still Change The World", advises that
you should not underestimate yourself - instead you should go in the
opposite direction and overestimate yourself.
The next area you should look at is whether you like being a boss or an
employee. This is important because it helps you to know in which
direction to head and what skills, if any, that you need to develop. If you
like being, or aspiring to being, a boss or manager or in a position of
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control then there most probably are skills you will need to develop. Also,
your goals and path to success will most likely include development of
your career or business. However, if your preference is to be an
employee, then your success is more likely to be achieved through family
life and social activities.
For many people, success is owning and managing their own successful
business. There are three types of people - the doers, the watchers and
those that are uninterested. The doers are those that make things happen.
The uninterested do not have a clue what is happening. You will need to
decide in which category you belong. To assist you deciding on this, the
following questions may help.
Do you have a compelling need for personal achievement?
Do you have strong self confidence?
Do you have a tendency to be conservative in games of
chance but daring in games of skill?
Do you thrive on the pressure of competition?
Do you feel that accomplishments are more important than
power?
Do you have the ability to work long and hard?
Do you have a strong sense of responsibility?
Do you adjust easily to an irregular income?
Do you have a strong desire to control your own destiny?
Do you have the emotional ability to handle worries?
If you have answered yes to most of the above questions, you have many
of the characteristics necessary to run your own business.
However, the greatest thing required to succeed at anything is desire. If
you do not strongly desire to succeed in the thing you are attempting, it is
likely you will not succeed. A strong desire will help overcome a number
of other limitations in your quest. Some people would call this strong
desire determination.
You should also review your abilities to set priorities. This is an
important skill. If you have it, you can ensure you get things done in the
order they need to be done saving much worry, stress and time.
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What Do You Want From Your Life?

Take the time now to list on a piece of paper all the things you would like
to be able to do over the next five years. Do not analyse or evaluate these
things - just write them down. After you have written them down, go
back over them and rank them as high priority, moderate high priority,
moderate low priority, low priority.
After you have ranked your priorities, you should have an idea of the
most important things in your life and in your career. Now is the time to
review your high priority items to ensure that they are in harmony. For
example, if you want to study accountancy part-time at night and you
want to see four movies a week, you may well have a problem achieving
both. You cannot watch movies and study at the same time. Therefore,
you will need to determine which one of the two is more important to
you. This process is what is meant by ensuring that your priorities are in
harmony. Rearranging your priorities into harmony often means doing
without something you would like to have, even doing something you do
not like rather than something you enjoy, simply to further your plan.
By now, you should have your priorities in harmony and a better
understanding of yourself and what you want out of life. From this you
can define what success means to you. Simply put, success is achieving
your priorities. But how is this done? In the next section, I will explain to
you how to set goals and achieve them.
How To Get What You Want By Setting Your Goals
Now you know where you are and have an idea of where you want to go.
To get to your destination, you need to have goals. Denis Waitley, in his
cassette series "The Psychology Of Winning", observes that all winners
set goals. Corporations and institutions have clearly defined plans, but
only top achievers in life seem to have adopted the same kind of game
plan in their own personal lives.
Goals are critical to success. All the experts say that you should write
down your goals. However, just because something is written down does
not mean that it is set in stone forever more. Goals need periodic revision
and review. As circumstances change, as you change, goals may need to
be rewritten. Some goals will be abandoned and replaced with new goals.
However, those people who write them down experience more success in
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their lives. When you write them down, you are making a commitment to
yourself to achieve them.
If setting goals bothers you, try to think of them as planning out an
activity. All you are really doing is planning out the actions you need to
take so that you can be successful.
Let us look at an example. You are thinking of driving from Sydney to
Townsville for your holidays. You have never been to Townsville before
so you need to plan out your journey. Your destination is Townsville but
there are a number of things that need to occur first before you get there.
You will need to ensure that you can take annual leave from work. You
will need to check that you have enough money to do it. You will need to
get your car serviced to ensure that it will get you there safely. You will
buy a road map and look at what roads you will take to get there and what
towns you will pass through. You will also look at where you will have
overnight stops. You may need to book ahead to reserve accommodation
at your various stops and when you get there. These things need to be
done in the right order to ensure that you have a great holiday. And so it
is with setting goals for your own personal success.
Do not leave your life to chance. Make your own luck. Make your own
success. You can make it happen by setting goals and then going out and
achieving them. So take your pen and paper and get ready to write. You
will need five sheets of paper. At the top of the first sheet, write the word
"Career". On the next sheet write "Financial". On the next sheet write
"Physical". On the next sheet write "Mental" and on the last sheet write
"Family and Social".
You will then need to put the following headings on each page. Allow
enough space between each heading so that you can write your goals. Do
not write your goals yet - just prepare the sheets.
The headings are:
My long range goal is (five years from now):
I will express my purpose in life in this way:
My plan for achieving is:
My short range goal is (one year from now):
What I will do each day to achieve this goal:
Now put your sheets of paper to one side because we will return to them
later. (Examples of these sheets are given in the Appendix of this book.)
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Your career goals will relate to what you want to do with your job or
business. Financial goals are how much you want to earn, the level of
assets you want to own, when you want to retire and how much money
you will have then, etc.
Physical goals are those areas you want to improve you physical
appearance or condition.
Mental goals covers the gaining of knowledge, changing attitudes, selfimprovement and cultural.
Family and Social goals may include education of the family, your role in
the family or relationships with others, expansion of your circle of
friends, etc.
Your long range goals need to express your ambitions, dreams, hopes and
desires. Let your mind soar and do not place any limitations in your path.
The next section of your goal sheets sets out how achieving this long
range goal fits in with your purpose in life, that is, the destination you are
aiming for to achieve your success. When I say your purpose in life, what
I mean is the goal you set for your life. Why are you in this world? What
are you here to achieve? Your answers to these questions describe your
purpose in life or your life goals.
Next, you state how you intend to achieve your long range goal. This is
where you have to give a lot of thought to the steps you need to take to
achieve your goal. It is easy to say "I want to be a millionaire" is my long
range goal. But without a plan on how you will achieve it, it is nothing
more than a wish. Once you outline the steps you need to take, it then
becomes achievable.
Your short range goal sets out where you will be in twelve months time.
Returning back to our example above of driving from Sydney to
Townsville, this is like saying that on the first day of your holiday you
will drive to Brisbane and stay the night in a motel.
The last part of your goal sheet is what you plan to do each day to achieve
your goal. This must be a specific action. You are committing yourself to
work towards your goal each and every day. If you fail to do this, you
will not achieve your goal. Today is the day we lay our foundations on
which we will build our success. If we do not lay the foundation, our
building will fall over. When we do not do what needs to be done to
Page 27
achieve our goal, we deny ourselves the opportunity to be successful. We

all have the right to be successful. All we need to do is exercise that right
by working towards our goals on a daily basis.
When you set your goals, be as specific as possible. Earl Nightingale
recommends, "Do not generalise.....If your goal is to own a beautiful
house, get a picture of the exact house, even if you have to pay an
architect to draw the plans for it. You might as well, because you will
achieve it."
Furthermore, written goals have two parts - the goal and a deadline. Put
another way: goal + deadline = success. Your goals can be written in
either the present or the future tense. Some experts say one way while
others say they should be written the other way. Write them the way that
works best for you.
By now you should have a good idea of what you want to accomplish in
your life and how you are going to get there. The destination has been
decided and you have a plan for getting to it. Take the time now to write
out your goals on your sheets of paper.
If need be, make time over the next week to review and refine your goals
to ensure they state exactly what you want to achieve. Also, to ensure that
you are totally committed to them. The more you see yourself achieving
them, the greater your desire will be to do what needs to be done each day
on your journey to success.
Have On-going Motivation Through Having A Strong Desire

Along with persistence, having a strong desire to achieve your goals is
another major factor that will determine your success. If you really want
something, then you will do what is necessary to achieve it. If you do not
really want to achieve something, do not set it as a goal because you will
never achieve it. So why disappoint yourself?
Through doing the planning exercise I have just described, you should
have developed a list of things that you really want to achieve. You will
have put them into priority order and know which ones you want to
achieve first. If you are having doubts about whether you can achieve
them or whether you really want them, then stop for a while and
determine the cause. Is it because you don't desire them strongly enough?
Page 28
If so, then you should be more honest and do the exercise again. If your
doubts are purely due to negative thinking or a lack of confidence, start
taking the steps required to achieve them now.
Furthermore, ensure that your goals are in enough detail so that every
time you think of them, your desire to achieve them burns bright. If need
be, go and actually look and touch the thing it is you desire. For example,
we will assume that your goal is to own a BMW car within the next two
years. You have set out your plan of how you are going to achieve this.
You have also identified the model and colour that you want. Go to a
BMW dealer and ask for a test drive. This will definitely help you to
build up your desire to achieve this goal.
It is interesting to look at the history of successful people. You will find
that each one of them had a burning desire to achieve the
accomplishments that they attained. Without a strong desire, all the good
intentions in the world will be useless.
Relax And You Will Solve Your Problems
Have you ever got yourself uptight over a problem, and the more you
have thought about it, the further away the solution seemed? Have you
really wanted something, and the more you thought about it the more
negative you became because you could not see how you could achieve
it? Do not worry, this is quite normal. It is very difficult for our brains to
come up with creative solutions when we are nervous, uptight or having
negative thoughts. However, when we relax, solutions can seem to unfold
miraculously.
Therefore, you need to set aside time each day to relax. You will reap
great benefits from doing this. But how do I relax you ask? There are
several relaxation techniques around. The one that I find best involves the
following steps:
First, clear your mind of all thoughts
Then relax your feet, then your legs
Relax your arms and then your stomach and chest
Relax your shoulders and neck, then your face and head
Now you are fully relaxed
Now you spend some time visualising yourself in some of
your past successes.
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After say five minutes, proceed to get on with whatever it

was you wanted to do.
The purpose of point six is that I feel good when I relive my past
successes and it is always uplifting to come out of a relaxation exercise
feeling successful. If you have no past successes to draw on, which I
doubt, then imagine yourself in vivid detail being successful at achieving
one of your goals.
The subconscious mind is an amazing thing and scientists still do not
know a lot about it. However, when we give it the opportunity to work, it
is an extremely good problem solver. It does require relaxation to work at
its best though. If you have a problem, think very deeply about it and then
put it out of your mind.
Thinking deeply about it will plant it in your subconscious mind. Then
putting it out of your mind means no more worrying about it or even
thinking about it. You have resolved to relax and let your subconscious
mind take over and find a solution. Sometimes it takes a day or more and
it could be when you least expect it, but the solution will just pop into
your mind. It sounds like fairy tale stuff but do not be deceived - this
technique does work. I have used it often to my advantage.
Your Success Requires You To Take Calculated Risks
You will find that successful people are risk takers. When you look at
yourself you may find that you have an aversion for risk. Do not let this
discourage you. Also, do not go out madly taking risks just because you
want to be a success. The reason successful people are so is because the
risks they take are calculated.
What do I mean by this? Basically, they weigh up the possible outcomes
of a set of actions to determine what the likely result will be. If they can
live with the most likely result and it leads them closer to their goal, then
they proceed with the actions.
They never take an action without weighing up the likely outcome.
Taking risks just for the sake of it is a waste as it can leave you seriously
off course in your progress towards your goal. For example, facing your
fears is a risk. However, when you know that you need to face a fear if
you are to achieve your goal, then you take the risk because you know
Page 30
that it is leading you in the direction you want to go. This is what I mean
by a calculated risk.
Sometimes the risks we need to take can seem huge. For example, our
goal may be to own our own successful small business. We start it up part
time so that we still have a normal income coming in from our regular
job. As time goes by, our business gets larger and we are devoting more
and more time to it. Eventually, we have to decide whether to give up the
regular job or not. This can seem like a hugh risk to many people as they
will be losing the guaranteed income. However, if we do not take the risk,
we will not be able to develop our business further.
When we are faced with a huge risk, we should always have a
contingency plan worked out for the remote chance that things may go
wrong. However, we must ensure that our thinking remains positive and
pursue the plan that will lead us to our goal. The contingency plan is
purely a set of actions that will help us during times of possible
temporary setback. The important words I want to stress at the moment
are "temporary setback". A contingency plan is not an alternative set of
goals we will pick up if the going gets too tough. Instead, it is purely a
safety buffer or a first aid kit that we take along with us in case we need
it.
So when you take your calculated risks, ensure you have a contingency
plan. Remember, the more you act like a successful person, the quicker
you will become one.
Program Yourself For Success With Self-Instructions and
Visualisation
Earlier in this book, I mentioned positive self-statements. What I was
referring to is a form of self-instruction. It has been scientifically proven
that the mind of man cannot tell the difference between a vividly
imagined experience and an actual experience.
Also, the more successful experiences we have, the easier it becomes to
achieve our goals. The mind is like a natural goal seeker. In some ways
you could compare it to a heat seeking missile. The missile constantly readjusts its direction as it is homing in on its target. Then it locks in on it's
target just prior to hitting it. So too with the mind. It will constantly readjust its direction until it too is locked in on its target.
Page 31
How can we give our mind the target that it is to seek? Firstly, we need to
strongly desire the goal we want to achieve. We need to think about it
frequently so that it becomes imbedded in the subconscious mind. Some
people have found it helpful to write down their goal statement in the
present tense and read it to themselves at least three times a day. This also
helps to re-enforce the goal.
For example, your goal may be to become a more confident public
speaker. Therefore, you would write on a little card the following: "I am
very confident when I speak in public". When you read this to yourself
each day, also visualise yourself in a public speaking situation being
confident. You will find that the more you give your mind positive
instructions like this, the more you will succeed.
When you visualise yourself being confident, try to ensure that you
imagine yourself doing the public speaking in vivid detail. This will help
your mind to experience it far better. If it is vivid enough, it will be
recorded as a successful experience even though it was only imagined.
Another small pointer when you are using visualisation is do not imagine
yourself from an audience view point. For example, you are in the
audience watching your performance. Instead, imagine yourself up on the
stage and see the audience giving you a warm response. Also, imagine
what you are saying, how you are saying it and what you are doing with
your hands and arms.
While I have used public speaking to illustrate self-instructions and
visualisation, these principles will work to help you achieve any goal that
you desire. When you try any concept, remember that you need to keep
on trying for a period of time before you can say whether it works for
you. To try something once and then give up because it does not work is
foolish. When you are learning a new skill you need to fail a few times
before you ultimately succeed. Remember, those who keep on trying end
up winning.
Be Free From Indecisiveness When You Weigh Up
Alternatives Before Making Decisions
Some people find it very difficult to make decisions. They would rather
avoid a decision than make a mistake. This is either a fear of failure or
fear of the unknown. In both situations, facing your fear will help you
immensely.
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In some circumstances, it is better not to make a decision. For example, it

is best only to make decisions about things or circumstances that you can
control. If something is not in your control, it is usually a waste of time
and effort to make a decision.
How do you make a good, sound decision? Firstly, you need to get all the
facts. Making a decision on incomplete or incorrect information can be a
mistake. Then you need to know what the alternatives are. Weigh up the
alternatives and make your decision. Sounds all very simple, doesn't it,
but does it really work?
Let's look at a couple of examples to illustrate this. Our first example will
be a purchasing decision. Your washing machine has just broken down
and you need to replace it. Which new one will you buy? Before you can
make a decision, you need to know how much you can spend. You also
need to look at different models to find out what features they have and
how much each one costs. You will need to know what features you want
based on your needs. If you have a large family, you will need a large
washing machine. If you live alone, you will need a smaller one. Now
with all the information, you can determine what machine best fits your
needs and your budget. A decision can be made that will be sound.
Okay, that is easy and straight forward. What about if you have just been
sacked from your job and you are faced with the decision of what to do
next. Again you will need to gather information. What sort of work are
you good at and enjoy doing? How much money do you want to earn?
Are there many of these jobs available? Why did you get dismissed from
your last job and how can you avoid this happening again? When you
have the information, you can then reach a decision.
The principle of decision making that I have outlined can work in any
situation. However, decisions without actions are wasted. What I mean by
this is that if you decide to do something and don't do it, why did you
make the decision in the first place? It has been a waste of time and
effort. Successful people gather information, make a decision and then
carry their decision out.
Page 33
SECTION 3: YOU CAN BE WEALTHY BY FOLLOWING

THIS SIMPLE FORMULA
How To Profit From Self-Discipline
To make changes in our lives requires discipline and effort. Without
either of these two, changes and self-improvement are impossible. Often,
to achieve wealth, riches and success, we have to change old habits and
ways of thinking. If we do not discipline ourselves, then we remain in our
old ways.
If you are prone to negative thoughts, it takes effort to push these
thoughts out of your mind and to replace them with positive thoughts.
However, if you keep on putting positive thoughts into your mind, it will
become natural and you will find that it takes far less effort. It is a further
example of investing in our futures as opposed to sacrificing.
There are times when we do not feel like doing what needs to be done.
We would rather watch our favourite television program or do something
not related to our goals. Self-discipline is required to do the actions
needed to achieve our goal. When you really want something, then it is
easier to discipline yourself.
Attain Riches By Budgeting Your Time and Money
We hear it so many times - have a budget or live within your budget.
Usually we think of budgets as relating to money. We need to ensure we
have enough money to pay our bills as they come due. We have to budget
so we can go on that long awaited holiday to our favourite place.
But how many of us think to budget our time? Time is a precious
resource that should not be wasted. There are only so many hours in a
day. There are only so many minutes in an hour. How much time is
wasted in your life? Are you using your time in the best way so that you
can achieve your goals?
Let us suppose that one of your goals is to know your children better.
Unless you ensure you make time to spend with them, you will not be
Page 34
able to achieve this goal. It may mean you have to give up having a
couple of beers with the boys every night after work. You need to ask
yourself constantly are you using your time right now in the best possible
way to achieve your goal.
If your goal is to be rich, you should ensure that you are spending enough
time on money making activities. Time spent watching television instead
of working could well be wasted. Watch carefully how you are spending
your time. If you are not doing what needs to be done to achieve your
goals, then you are passing up many opportunities. Do not be a time
waster. Use your time to your best advantage. Have a plan (budget) and
follow it.
Also, budget your money. Follow the simple principles set out in the
following parts of this section on how to acquire wealth. You will find
that the more you discipline yourself to budget your money, the easier it
will become and the more money you will have to do the things you want
to do.
Do not let the future pass you by because you were too lazy to take the
time to plan and budget. Use self-discipline and you will be far happier
than you currently are. DO IT NOW and never give up. You can achieve
wealth and success!
Financial Independence When You Follow This Formula
If one of your goals is to be wealthy, do you know how to go about
achieving it? In case you do not, I will now describe a very simple
formula for wealth creation that can be used in virtually any situation. Try
it, you will find that it will work for you.
For most people I know, whenever their income rises, their expenses
immediately rise to meet their new income level. Consequently, there is
no opportunity to save or to create wealth. It just seems like an
unavoidable fact of life. However, do not be fooled by this fallacy!
Remember what I said to you earlier in this book. YOU are master of
your own destiny - YOU are the captain of your ship. You hold your fate
in your own hands. In other words, you can control your expense levels
so that they do not rise up to meet your new income levels.
Page 35
The first general rule of wealth creation is to save at least ten percent of
all income that you earn and invest it. At the same time you should spend
time studying the laws of money and the effects of compound interest.
Once you are in the habit of saving at least ten percent of all that you
earn, you are then ready for the next part of our wealth creation formula.
If you follow these next three steps, you can create further wealth.
Make more money than you are spending now. If necessary, cut back on
some of your expenditure, so that your income is greater than your
expenditure.
Every time you increase your earnings, increase the percentage that you
save. That is the difference between what you make and what you spend.
For example, let's say you earn $500 a week and spend $450 a week. This
means that you are spending ninety percent of your income. Soon you
obtain a pay increase and your weekly income is now $550 per week.
You let your weekly spending increase to $475 per week which is eighty
six percent of what you now earn. You are now saving fourteen percent
of your income instead of the original ten percent. This is what this rule
means.
Invest your savings in equity positions that will give you tax shelters and
take advantage of inflation. Do not just leave your money in a savings
account. The interest you earn will be fully taxable and most likely will
not keep pace with inflation. You will need to seek competent
professional advice from an Accountant or a Financial Planner to
implement this step of the formula. However, the benefits of doing so will
be reflected in the wealth you create in the future.
There you have it - a simple wealth creation formula that you can use and
is guaranteed to create wealth if you follow it faithfully. Its success rests
with you and your commitment to following its basic principles.
You Can Prosper When You Know How To Get Out Of Debt
Does this seem like a familiar scene? You've decided it's time to reassess
your finances and you find yourself up to your eye balls in bills. With
cries of despair you constantly ask yourself how could this financial
turmoil have happened to such a nice, responsible person like you.
Somehow, somewhere, you and your budget parted ways. Or maybe you
Page 36
didn't have a budget at all. Maybe you gave in to the "necessity" of a

brand new car. Doubtless it wasn't just one expenditure, but the
convergence of many, that are giving you this feeling of hanging on to the
edge with a shaky grip hoping you don't fall off.
Perhaps you have been knocked around by the icy fingers of a cruel fate
in the form of unexpected dental expenses or hospital bills (just as you
were about to take out health insurance, too!). Or maybe you've gone on a
wild spending splurge searching for that "somebody loves me feeling".
And what about the ever growing cost of living! You know, it doesn't
take any exceptional intellect these days to discover ways to spend
money, especially with the way things are advertised.
But don't scold yourself over what is past and done. Self-hate will only
make matters worse, not improve them for you. Spend some time to
discover why you have fallen into the habit of living in debt. Are you one
of those people who unconsciously enjoys "sailing too close to the wind"
- perhaps to avoid boredom?
However you cannot focus on your goals if your dominant mental energy
is going into worrying about how to repay the money you owe. Now is
the time for YOU to decide that you are going to become financially
solvent!
Unfortunately, there is only one way to get out of debt and that is to repay
the money you owe. As long as you have some measure of health, there is
always a way to earn money to pay off your creditors and begin anew.
Bear in mind that throughout history many fortunes have been lost and
remade, enormous debts have been repaid, and shattered lives
successfully rebuilt, at any age.
If it's any consolation to you, you are not alone. The vast majority of
Australians are in some form of debt, paying off mortgages, car loans and
credit cards. Our economy turns on the axis of credit. Most of our state
governments cannot boast of a balanced budget! Some of our largest
company's have gone into liquidation because they borrowed too much
money and they couldn't repay it. You just need to look at recent history!
Watch the expression on the average debt-ridden person's face. He looks
harassed. Some money is required to survive in our society. You can't
even buy an aspirin without it! But money games can have serious
repercussions. Your creditors can garnishee your salary, cause you
embarrassment and take your assets. They can repossess your car, your
Page 37
stereo and television, your bedroom furniture. They will annoy the life
out of you in the form of phone calls and/or visits. After a short time of
this, you'll need to brace yourself to open your daily mail to see who is
threatening what! Or perhaps you won't even bother to read your mail.
The Government can bankrupt you as they chase back taxes owed. But
these are simple facts. How you react to them is where we separate the
losers from the emotionally mature winners. It is your attitude that is all
important - not the facts. So don't panic. No matter how gloomy your
picture may be, there is no need to leave the country in a hurry. Author
Harry Golden says, "Whenever I'm in trouble, I ask myself - can they
hang me for this - and if the answer is no - I don't worry". This is
excellent advice as worry is negative. What you need now is something
very positive - your own constructive plan of action.
1. Explain your financial situation to your creditors.
Let your creditors know you have every intention of paying off your bills
as soon as you can. Set up a realistic month-by-month payment plan.
Remember, you are in this situation because someone trusted you. Show
your creditors you are the type of person who will honour your
commitment.
2. Establish new spending habits.
Use cash instead of credit cards for your purchases. Pay cash for
everything if you can. It's critical you avoid impulse buying. Make a
game out of trying to buy for less. It's smart to be thrifty! Do a lot of
window shopping before you actually buy. Discount houses can save you
money. Visit the thrift shops in your area.
3. Stay away from temptation.
This means leaving your credit cards at home. Keep away from friends
who encourage you (by word or example) into careless spending. Don't
meander aimlessly in the department stores. Know what you are looking
for. Take a shopping list with you and stick to it. Never allow a
salesperson to sell you some bargains you don't need.
4. Have a budget and stick to it.
A U.S. Credit authority, Joe Gore, has some excellent advice for us all.
His view is that one hundred percent of those consumers who are in
Page 38
trouble because of credit card buying have gotten into trouble because
they spent more than 40% of their gross income on these accounts. If you
are one of this unfortunate group, cut back on your credit spending now,
so it conforms to this simple formula. Count your blessings if you are not
in debt and enjoy a good credit rating. It is one of the greatest assets you
possess as an Australian citizen in a free country. If you protect your
credit rating at all times, it will stand by you in time of real need.
5. Can you get a second job?
The whole problem comes down to a simple equation of income versus
outgoings. If you can't cut expenses, which is often the case, can you get
a second job? How about finding weekend work until this financial crisis
is past? Perhaps even a Multi-Level Marketing opportunity could provide
you with extra income based on a few hours work each week.
6. Can you make more money at your present job or get a better paying
position?
Go to your present employer, explain your situation, and tell him that to
earn a raise you are willing to take on extra responsibilities, work extra
hours. If that fails, while working at your present job, write letters of
application to see if you can't find a job that pays better.
7. Become a trader.
Instead of buying things, see if you can't swap what you need with a
neighbour. If you want piano lessons and your neighbour wants his lawn
mowed every week, perhaps a mutually profitable arrangement can be
made without the exchange of any cash. There is always a way to get
what you want, without taking from other people, but by making it
profitable to them.
8. What have you got that you can sell to bring in extra money?
Do you really need two TV sets in the house? How about that stamp or
coin collection that you never look at any more? What about the old
paintings you have stored away? Or all those records you don't listen to
any more? They could be sold to bring in money and never be missed.
Many people now have garage sales so they can get money from their
unwanted household items. Remember, every little bit helps.
Page 39
9. As a last resort, what can you borrow?

Do you have any jewellery you can pawn? You can get low cost loans on
stamps, silverware, jewellery and furs. If you have a steady job, chances
are you can get a personal bank loan to pay off many bills in one monthly
payment. If you have a house, can you get a first or second mortgage to
help get those creditors off your back? But when you borrow, and only if
you must, be sure you are aware what interest rates you are being
charged. Remember, it always costs to borrow now and pay later. And
how!
10. Keep an optimistic outlook.
You must discipline your thoughts not to accept defeat or failure as
anything but a temporary condition. It's true that you are going through a
difficult period. However, admire your courage. You have the guts and
determination to see it through without running away or filing bankruptcy
papers. You have the strength of character to honour your obligations
with good grace. You are resolved to bring order out of this financial
chaos. There is hope for the future now that you have figured out how and
why you got in this mess. Things can only get better if you keep your
spirits lifted up. Keep your eyes on what you are trying to accomplish.
One young lady tried to commit suicide because she was in debt. Her
solicitor rescued her, fortunately, before it was too late. When she was
well he helped her get work and straighten out her life. About her
creditors, he told her to think of them as her pet lions and every month to
throw them a bone in the form of as much money as she could pay. Then,
he said, they will never rise up and devour you! This she did and
eventually paid all bills.
"I learned a lot from that very painful experience of being
overwhelmingly in debt," she now says, "because it taught me new ways
of living. And I've come to see that happiness, for me, means living with
some financial reserves. My depressions have become less frequent now
that I'm moving in that direction."
So anyone who is in debt will find that his or her disposition will
automatically brighten, almost magically, when all the bills are paid and
there is a cushion of financial security.
Page 40
The nice thing about having money is that it keeps painful realities away
from you and permits you to get a good night's sleep. Remember, out of
debt, out of danger!
Control Your Destiny By Knowing When To Borrow Money
Are you looking forward to a trip around the world one day? To
retirement in a tropical climate with enough money to satisfy all
reasonable needs? Do you want to get ahead, not only toward a distant
future, but in the future of the next five years? Educate your children?
Drive better cars? Travel where you wish?
The answer for many of us lies in the shrewd use of credit now, not just
"whooping it up" but to brighten our later prospects.
Credit can have an important bearing on how far you proceed in business
or your profession. Credit is like a force applied to a lever. The further
from the fulcrum you apply it, the more likely you are to lift the other end
of your life, your career, your professional standing. But use this force
shrewdly. Going bankrupt doesn't help a bit.
Here are some of the ways in which capital can help you to add to your
later earning power:
To add to or complete your education
You may have the university degree that has become a basic union card
for everyone who wants to rise today. If you haven't one, go to the nearest
university evening college and begin work on it. If you have a Bachelor's
degree, consider whether a Master's (and maybe, later, a Ph.D. or a
M.B.A.) might help to open a few of tomorrow's doors for you to walk
through. Like the basic Bachelor's degree, these can be acquired on a
part-time basis. Today's education oriented world is full of lenders who
will consider this a sound reason for borrowing.
For specialised training
Specialised training of the type not given in colleges can go a long way to
establish you in years to come as the fellow who collects expert's fees.
Page 41
To invest
When investing, make sure it is done wisely. Many an egg for a sizeable
nest was laid on borrowed capital.
If you already own shares, consider whether you shouldn't put them on a
margin basis to expand your share buying capital. When you do this you
buy on borrowed money. The money you have then works harder because
it can buy more.
But be sure you distinguish between true investment and a desire to
speculate in the market. That hot tip from a stock broking friend may be
the costliest thing you ever acted upon.
In the field of real estate, credit leverage works spectacularly because a
big deal can be swung with relatively small capital. If you're
knowledgeable about real estate management and are careful not to buy
anything just because you can borrow on it, you can conceivably
accumulate considerable capital before the day you retire.
To set up or take over a business
Don't borrow just because you want to be a boss. Many self-employed
people eat hamburger while their payrolled friends are dining on steak. In
this area, as in the area of investment, the wise man takes three times as
long to look into things as he does to sign up. Be sure that: (1) it's a
business you can operate efficiently, knowledgeably, and congenially; (2)
the prospects for the industry appear good for a long time to come; (3) the
price is the "right" one (you should be able to pay it back out of profits in
three to five years); (4) it isn't so crowded with competition that no one
can make money at it; and (5) don't buy into "fad" fields that will
probably have only a short life of profitability.
But DON'T borrow early in life - or late for that matter - simply to live it
up on a scale above your means.
Using Your Credit Cards for Profit
Yes, you can make money with your credit cards. This simple method is
based on a seemingly insignificant fact that most credit card holders
overlook.
Page 42
This is the fact: Your billing date - the date that appears on your monthly
credit card statement - is the usually the same every month.
You can use that fact to make money. You get 25 days from your billing
date to pay up before interest charges start to accrue. So, on your billing
date deposit the amount due to the credit card service in your personal
savings account (day of deposit to day of withdrawal). Make sure your
savings account interest is calculated on a daily basis. Twenty-five days
later, withdraw the same amount to pay your bill. For 25 days you'll have
earned money on money you've already spent.
You can even earn more money. Note your billing date. Let's say it's the
15th. Make your credit purchases on the 15th (or a day or so before or
after) and the charges won't show until the 15th of the following month.
And you still have an additional 25 days to pay. Deposit the amount you
charged to your credit cards in your savings account on the day you made
the purchases, and you won't have to withdraw it to pay your bill for a
month and 25 days. You've gained an extra month's interest.
Buy with credit cards but pay the money into your savings account month
after month, and at the end of a year you'll have earned enough money to
make Christmas buying a pleasure.
Page 43
CONCLUSION
Congratulations!
You have arrived at the conclusion of your course in how to be more
successful. Now the exciting part is about to commence as you begin to
use all that you have learned. Your life is about to improve and you will
experience far greater happiness and contentment.
Now you have the tools to be more successful. You know how to:
discover what you want from life and how to set the goals to
achieve it;
emulate the characteristics of successful people;
be wealthy by following a simple formula and using the
magic of compound interest;
find opportunities as you develop a positive mental attitude;
attract friends, money and power by developing enthusiasm
and humour;
gain the co-operation of other people by appealing to their
self-interest;
program yourself for success with self-instructions and
visualisations;
and how to avoid the major mistake that most people make comparing yourself to others.
Yes, you can be ..... will be ..... more successful so long as you follow the
directions in this guide conscientiously.
As you have reached this point in the book, I assume that you have made
some progress to being more successful.
Page 44
APPENDIX: WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE - YOUR READY

TO COMPLETE GOAL SHEETS
You can use the goal sheets that follow to record what you want from
your life and how you are going to achieve it. Alternatively, you can set
up your own sheets. However, if have a more useful format, please let me
know.
GOAL SHEET - CAREER
Your career goals will relate to what you want to achieve with your job or
career.
My plan for achieving this is:
Page 45
GOAL SHEET - FINANCIAL

Financial goals are how much you want to earn, the level of assets you
want to own, when you want to retire and how much money you will
have then.
Page 46
GOAL SHEET - PHYSICAL

Physical goals relates improving your physical appearance or condition.
Page 47
GOAL SHEET - MENTAL

Mental goals cover the gaining of knowledge, changing attitudes, selfimprovement, and cultural.
Page 48
GOAL SHEET - FAMILY AND SOCIAL

Family and social goals may include education of the family, your role in
the family or relationships with others, expansion of your circle of
friends, etc.
Page 49
ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS

To get somewhere, you not only have to know WHERE you want to go,
you also have to know HOW you are going to get there.
An effective goal statement is:
clear cut
written
realistic (if something is possible for someone else, it is
possible for you)
current
has a list of activities on how it will be achieved
MY GOAL IS:
ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE MY GOAL AND DEADLINE:

1.............................................................................................
2.............................................................................................
3.............................................................................................
4.............................................................................................
5.............................................................................................
6.............................................................................................
7.............................................................................................
8.............................................................................................
9.............................................................................................
10.............................................................................................
Page 50
SUCCESS SECRETS:
How To Be More Successful
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Copyright 1990 Kevin G Sinclair. All rights reserved. This e-book may
not be altered in any way without the written permission of the copyright
owner.
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SUCCESS SECRETS:

How To Be More Successful

Success Secrets: How To Be More Successful

Success Secrets: How To Be More Successful

Success Secrets: How To Be More Successful

SECTION 1: YOU WILL BE MORE SUCCESSFUL

If we do not want to go and meet someone because we are afraid of what

Attract Friends, Money and Power By Developing Enthusiasm

self-defeating thoughts and you know the power of self-fulfilling

Success Secrets: How To Be More Successful

SECTION 2: YOU CAN HAVE WHAT YOU WANT IN

Are you happy with your general appearance?

What Do You Want From Your Life?

achieve our goal, we deny ourselves the opportunity to be successful. We

Have On-going Motivation Through Having A Strong Desire

After say five minutes, proceed to get on with whatever it

In some circumstances, it is better not to make a decision. For example, it

Success Secrets: How To Be More Successful

SECTION 3: YOU CAN BE WEALTHY BY FOLLOWING

didn't have a budget at all. Maybe you gave in to the "necessity" of a

9. As a last resort, what can you borrow?

Success Secrets: How To Be More Successful

APPENDIX: WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE - YOUR READY

I will express my purpose in life in this way:

My plan for achieving this is:

My short range goal is (one year from now):

What I will do each day to achieve this goal:

GOAL SHEET - FINANCIAL

I will express my purpose in life in this way:

My plan for achieving this is:

My short range goal is (one year from now):

What I will do each day to achieve this goal:

GOAL SHEET - PHYSICAL

I will express my purpose in life in this way:

My plan for achieving this is:

My short range goal is (one year from now):

What I will do each day to achieve this goal:

GOAL SHEET - MENTAL

I will express my purpose in life in this way:

My plan for achieving this is:

My short range goal is (one year from now):

What I will do each day to achieve this goal:

GOAL SHEET - FAMILY AND SOCIAL

I will express my purpose in life in this way:

My plan for achieving this is:

My short range goal is (one year from now):

What I will do each day to achieve this goal:

ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS

ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE MY GOAL AND DEADLINE:

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