I've just sent an email to my mailing list based on Stuart Goldsmith's 'Seven Secrets of The Millionaires.' I don't know how they felt after reading the message it contained but it impressed me so much that I felt I must immediately write an article about it.
Stuart Goldsmith is a British multi-millionaire who moved from being in debt to becoming one of the rich people through his direct mail business. He also wrote a brilliant news letter. Some of his ideas may not be new but they are expressed in a powerful way and deserve to be read again and again. The key idea in this article is one of them
In Chapter One of his classic book, Stuart demolishes the idea that millionaires are lucky; instead they have become rich by making thousands of small decisions in which they chose to get the job done rather than not to get it done. They chose action rather than inaction:
"Most people believe that wealth is a lottery, that cards were shuffled and then randomly dealt and some received an Ace, whilst others received a Two or a Three and some get the Joker. They further believe that this is just luck - like the lottery, and so those lucky people with Aces should be willing to hand over a portion of their wealth to those unlucky people with lower cards.
Closer examination reveals a different truth, and one which is unpalatable to the general public. It is not a truth they wish to hear. The truth is that with a few exceptions, the wealth creators were not dealt Aces randomly by fate. They worked at their success by making correct choices on a minute by minute, day by day basis. Let me explain.
Everything you are and have today is the exact summation of countless thousands of little choices and decisions you made from the day you were first consciously able to make such choices. And stating it simply, those choices were mainly between action and inaction. Or putting it another way, between action and laziness. I'm not talking big, life-changing decisions here. I'm talking about tens of thousands of day by day, minute by minute choices like "shall I get up or lie in bed for another half hour?" "Should I read another chapter of that textbook or go for a beer instead?" "Should I try a little harder to get this job right, or just turn it out in a sloppy fashion?"
Thousands upon thousands of little things going right back to school days when you decided between completing a homework assignment or watching TV instead.
As Jim Rohn says, "Everything matters." It is the small choices which matter. The little day by day disciplines which build into an inexorable force propelling you towards success and wealth. After a lifetime of always choosing the easy option, the lazy way out, the least amount of work, the mediocre will have the temerity to call you 'lucky.' They will then demand 'their' share of your wealth - the wealth you built by numerous small daily disciplines, each one requiring you to forgo immediate gratification of your desires.
If anyone ever accuses you of being 'lucky' just reply: "You're right. And you know what? The harder I worked, the luckier I got." Whilst your friends are watching soap operas or down the pub, you will be working late nights, forgoing instant pleasure, striving to create new values, new products, new ideas which will move mankind forward."
I was going to add several comments to Stuart's words but I think he has said it so well that I will only add one or two comments. Nor am I infringing his copyright since I was an attendee in 2002 at one of his 'retirement' seminars when he generously handed over licences to his info products to the attendees.
In the passage above, he has provided a very effective guide or measuring tool to help us choose the best decisions minute by minute. Choosing action over inaction may seem stunningly obvious but the results of not choosing action only show up gradually and so it helps to have some one like Stuart point out the power of the thousands of chances we get to choose to get the job done rather than not get it done. We all need to do our 'homework' on a regular basis.
Not getting it done may seem to have no effect on our lives at the time but later on we'll suffer the consequences. I have chosen to read emails rather than mow the lawn for weeks. The back garden has suffered and will take a long time to mow.
This is no big deal but other choices could mean the difference between riches and poverty. A choice to take action and check out your investments more carefully could save you losing thousands if you have invested in another Enron. On the other hand daily choices to save money could keep you out of debt.
On reflection, we can be grateful that we are able to make these daily, minute by minute choices. Our lives, in all their glorious or inglorious details, are in our own hands. We can act or not act. Luck has nothing to do with it! The next time you are hesitating about making that phone call or leaving it till tomorrow, just pick up the phone and make the call. Choose action over inaction. Choose action over laziness.
About the author
John Watson is an award winning teacher and fifth degree black belt martial arts instructor. He has recently written several books about achieving your goals and dreams.
They can be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a motivational message and books by other authors
Ezine editors / Site owners
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site but please include the resource box above.
If we eat too much at home, the public eventually... Read More
Success begins with a personal dream that is bigger than... Read More
There are so many internet marketing schemes out there so... Read More
Many UK citizens want to settle or retire in Spain... Read More
There is no substitute for direct personal application. Information or... Read More
In my audio program Book Yourself Solid, The 7 Keys... Read More
(1) Climb up from under the limitations of circum?stances and... Read More
A person who is illiterate can look at a word... Read More
"What a week!" you say at the end of a... Read More
I've been thinking a lot about what I believe to... Read More
OK, so here we are. We've switched the calendars out... Read More
Our thought are magnetic ! Like a magnet we attract... Read More
I bet you want to be wealthy, but somehow the... Read More
Do you feel like your stuck?No matter what you do,... Read More
I see it happen all too often on the internet... Read More
The difference between success and failure is based on behavior.... Read More
Finding balance is deciding to notice what goes on in... Read More
Self-change is a personal phenomenon. In order to accomplish it,... Read More
Looking for a way to make this year your best... Read More
Step 1 ? Learn a powerful key to increase financial... Read More
Well, it's that time of the year again. No, I... Read More
The story that is being used to illustrate the concepts... Read More
I am unashamed to copy the peak performance techniques of... Read More
A farmer in Pennsylvania decided to sell his farm, but... Read More
I'll be the first to admit that everyone has his... Read More
As a golfer and coach, I've been thrilled to watch... Read More
If failure is the roadway, then Perseverance is the vehicle... Read More
I've been thinking a lot about what I believe to... Read More
Our thought are magnetic ! Like a magnet we attract... Read More
Most of us fear change, because - as we've all... Read More
Everyone talks about how to be successful through hard work... Read More
If you've been walking this earth for any length of... Read More
Not so long ago, I impressed the daylights out of... Read More
I have written much about how, in order to have... Read More
Successful people set ambitious goals. But the high standards and... Read More
These days success is a hotly debated subject. Nevertheless, people... Read More
Most people want to be successful in life. But success... Read More
Your Head, think about what you want and move towards... Read More
You teach others how to treat you by how you... Read More
What are your fears? Fear of failure? Fear of success?What... Read More
I have often been asked the question, "What is true... Read More
I see it happen all too often on the internet... Read More
In a recent article (What is The Ultimate Lifestyle), I... Read More
I always say to my children, as long as you... Read More
As very few people achieve enlightenment in one lifetime, as... Read More
Everything we do in life involves risk. There's no growth... Read More
Here are seven essential keys to success. Use these ideas... Read More
Have you ever wondered why you're not where you want... Read More
Something's missing! As a Hispanic in this great country, I... Read More
Do you want to achieve your most important goals in... Read More
Success |