But all you can do is enough! The version of the book I have read is a rerelease, and it says 'an all-American success story'. This book contains many old stories of how the first employees managed to move up the ranks, resulting in a hefty pay rise. You will notice that it is an older book, but it contains information that is still relevant today.
Power principle
The first thing you've got to understand is the power of believing you're special, the power of believing you're different, and the power of believing in your own abilities.
Life will give you whatever you'll accept. Life will turn out the way you see it turning out.
Power principle:
- You've got to demand for yourself happiness and success.
- You've got to learn to dream again.
- You've got to compete.
- You can change.
Belief in yourself = power
The secret to winning is desire + a specific goal and a plan. Believe in yourself. 2/3 of the battle is in your mind. Henry Ford said: "Whether you think you can or think you can't -> you're right". Use these six steps from the book 'Think and Grow Rich' (more info about this book here):
- You must have a specific goal.
- You must have a specific time frame in which to achieve your goal.
- You must write down your goal.
- You must develop a plan to achieve your goal.
- You must decide the price you are willing to pay.
- You must think about reaching your goal every day.
Four principles of desire:
- Desire gains strength when it has a concrete form.
- Desire becomes obsession.
- Desire becomes a commitment.
- Desire becomes endurance.
In the first eighteen months of business, everything turns into a mess. Where there's a will, there's a way.
Inch by inch, it's a cinch
Thomas Edison said: "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work". There's no "free lunch". You have to work your ass off. The six fundamentals to winning are:
- Become a dreamer again.
- Have a crusade.
- Dream big, but keep it simple.
- Be always positive.
- Treat people well.
- Never give up.
"Magic" formula for winning:
50% Work hard.
40% Honesty, integrity and standing for something.
10% "A dogfight in the free enterprise system".
If you don't have a big dream, you're dead
Dreams are one of the most powerful success tools you have. Whatever you dream about, you can achieve it. Dreaming is the secret of desire. Dreams are the fuel that ignites desire.
As great as you think your dream will be when you reach it, it will always be one thousand times better. The best dreams are the ones built by two people. Find an environment that encourages you to dream. Whatever you dream about, you can become it.
Crusade
Financial free and a happy, satisfied life? Put something that's bigger than you are, like a kind crusade. It's "a cause" with an impact that reaches beyond your personal wants and needs. Crusaders commit to something bigger than their business.
Short, shorter, shortest
Have a simple business game plan. The shorter your message, the greater the effect.
Be positive
I believe you can do 99% of the things right but not possess a positive winning attitude, and you will fall. I believe that if you possess a winning attitude and learn to make it work for you in your business and your life, you'll win. I believe a positive, winning attitude is the difference between being good and being great. Before things can change, you must change.
Fundamentals of a winning attitude:
- Be always excited. More than 90% of winning is being excited, especially when you don't feel like being excited. Nobody will motivate you. You have to motivate yourself.
- Stop making excuses. Life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it.
- Be always "up". Don't let the complainers, criticizers and moaners change you and make you negative. Surround yourself with positive, excited and happy people who love what they're doing. Feel negative? Talk to someone at your own level or higher. Feel positive? Share it with someone at your own level or lower.
- Make a total commitment. It gives you the extra ounce of courage that it takes to win. Total commitment helps you maintain a positive attitude. It's amazing how you're able to turn problems into possibilities when you eliminate the option of giving up. Attitude is everything. Always be positive.
Treat others as you want them to treat you
You must believe in the goodness of people. Nobody needs a boss, everybody needs a leader. People respond better to praise than to punishment. Genuine praise is one of the strongest forms of motivation. People will turn out the way you expect them to turn out.
Don't hide your praise under a basket, praise in public. A great leader always gives his people credit for his success. Praise must be spontaneous. You can't change people's basic qualities. Withdrawing praise is ten times more effective than criticizing. Don't criticize. People make positions special. As a leader, you must earn respect, loyalty, trust and love from your people.
Don't be afraid to build personal relationships:
- Others don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
- Live with your people through good times and bad times.
- Don't be afraid to show emotion.
- Make an "unconditional" commitment.
Winners are made, not born
Don't compare yourself to others. Don't get discouraged.
What to do when you want to quit:
- Use the magic of thirty days.
- Devise a system of reward and punishment.
- Give your efforts time to compound.
The though truth about success:
- You never get used to rejection.
- Just because you love what you're doing doesn't mean that everybody's going to love it too.
- Things are never as good as they seem or as bad as they seem.
- Before you can be good, you've got to be bad.
Do it, do it, just do it! Do it? YES!
Start doing it. Everyone has another "it". Nobody can help you, but you. Competition is the best thing that can happen to you. It helps you to work harder. Learn to deal with fear. Do's for "doing it":
- Give 110%.
- Choose one thing.
- Be flexible, accept change.
- Find a "hero", let that person be your inspiration.
- Have a number of possibilities.
All you can do is enough
Don't compromise your integrity.
Handle your money wisely.
You can't be selfish or self-centered.
Have the right priorities >> Healthy body + 1e God, 2e family and 3e business.
The first decision you've got to make is the decision to change. That's the toughest one of all. Life doesn't give what you would love to have or what you want. Life gives you what you will accept.
Don't worry about things you can't change. Focus on making your part of the world better, because when they click your lights out for the last time, you can't have any regrets.