There’s a very common understanding floating around among the successful people of this world. It’s the fact that most of the decisions they have made and will continue to make are not the same decisions that the majority of people would make. They tend to stand out in a crowd because they are walking the opposite direction. While everyone else merely chooses to go with the flow, they choose to resist and make their own path.

Here’s some statistics that may shock you a bit. Less than 5% of the people of this world will live their dreams out. Less than 5% will accomplish their goals. So what are the other 95% of people doing? They are probably doing what everyone else is doing, or what everyone else says they should be doing. It just makes sense.

Here’s a question for you: When you hear of a success story, why is it always taking place in the middle of opposition or adversity? Any clue?

This analogy might paint a better picture for you.

Have you ever flown a kite? Please say yes, because if you said no, you missed out on an important part of childhood. What do you have to do to get the kite up in the air? First off, some wind is required. You can still kind of make a kite fly without it if you are sprinting while holding the string, but that’s no fun. The wind is the key to all flight. It’s called resistance. Kites fly their best going against the wind, not with it. It’s the resistance that makes them fly. A kite flying with the wind will just fizzle out and fall to the ground to be tossed to and fro. Against the wind, you can feel the power behind the string and it soars.

The same applies to you and I. If it is success you desire, first understand that if you could obtain it by making the same decisions as everyone around you, then everyone around you would be wildly successful. You must go against the flow. You must think differently. Resistance is a good thing on the climb to success. It builds you and gives you the wind necessary to fly. So if you announce to your friends and family that you intend on starting a business and they all tell you not to do it, know you are thinking and making decisions differently. You are on the path.

Don’t try to avoid resistance. It’s all part of the process and necessary for growth. Try this one on for size. We all know how successful Wal Mart is right? Well, they get sued a ridiculous amount. Is it because they are a horrible store? No! They are just wildly successful and everyone else who is not, can’t stand that fact. So they resist!

In my opinion, if you get something negative written about you on an internet forum from someone you have never met, get told that you will never succeed, placed an ad that didn’t work, wasted money with an idea, have been told you are crazy for starting that business or anything similar, you are doing something right!

If you ever find yourself in the majority, and your goal is to become wildly successful, you are doing something wrong. Making decisions, that are just like everyone elses decisions, lands you right where everyone else is. Choose to go against the flow a bit and see what happens!

Think back on your life to a period of time when you decided to wait for something. It may have been a business or a diet you were thinking about starting or maybe even a person you were thinking about asking out on a date. Whatever it might have been, why did you choose to wait? What was the main reason?

There are obviously different reasons for people wanting to wait ranging from fear of an unwanted result to self doubt. Basically, it all leads back to the one word which is an enemy to success, “Fear!” Fear of change, fear of success (It does exist) and fear of failure are the three major fears. Most people won’t even realize they have a fear of success or a fear of change. The big one is fear of failure.

Lesson: What do successful people do when faced with a BIG decision to make? They always choose to act. What do unsuccessful people do when faced with a BIG decision? They think about it, they decide halfheartedly, they make an excuse, they wait! Where does waiting get you in the overall picture of success? Allow me to show you….

The 7 Effects of Waiting

1. You may never stop waiting. If we measure success as if it were a journey, which it is, then someone who is waiting would still be considered “behind” the starting line. That would be the person who isn’t even on the journey to success. Now, I always thought that in order to win the race, you actually have to be on the track. Am I confused?
2. Your Confidence will fade. I learned a new word today, “Obnubilate”, which means to cloud or obscure. The longer you wait, the more clouded your vision gets. If it is a business you are waiting to start, due to indecision, your passion for wanting to start a business will begin to fade almost immediately.
3. Fear will increase. You’ve probably heard of the term, “Cold Feet!” Well, the longer you wait, the colder your feet will get. Why do you think salesman are so persistent? Those who are left to sit on a decision will probably remain sitting on that decision. If they’re sitting on it, obviously it’s not in front of their face and not a priority.
4. Expecting something for nothing will land you right where you are at. A wise man once said, “A bird waiting with mouth open wide for a worm to fall out of the sky might be waiting for a very long time!” Waiting only produces waiting, nothing more. If you expect your dream lifestyle to drop into your lap by waiting to make a decision to create your dream lifestyle, pull up your recliner, get out your TV remote and enjoy those soap operas as you are currently living the lifestyle of your choice, not your dreams. Your friend Wait has chosen this lifestyle for you.
5. If neglected and ignored, goals will fade and go away. If you have children or have ever been a child, you can relate to this example. What will your child think of you and of their importance in your life if when they ask you a question about something important to them and you keep telling them to “wait” because you are glued to American Idol or your computer game. If it is just once and for a brief moment, they will understand. But what happens if that “wait just a second honey” turns into an hour, or maybe happens all the time? What happens to your children? They will fade away, they won’t ask you very many questions anymore and may not even enjoy being around you because you have put them off! Why are your goals and aspirations any different than children? The more you wait, goals will disappear and become a fuzz of a memory because doing whatever you are doing and waiting is obviously more important. They will fade away!
6. The Opportunity may pass you by! I am looking for action takers. I look for people who can make decisions right out of the gate to get started. I don’t sit around waiting for someone that contacted me 6 months to maybe finally make a decision. I move on as does opportunity.
7. Waiting can become a habit. If someone takes 6 months to make a decision to get started in a business, how long will they wait before they choose to place their first ad or make their first call. It’s a ripple effect!

The time to act has and will always be NOW! It has never, ever been later, tomorrow, next week, or next month. How does waiting ever serve you? The only thing waiting ever does, is destroy your confidence. It is the tool of the unsuccessful and the excuse maker. Allow others to wait, but not you. Be a person of action. When faced with a decision to act or to wait, always choose to act.

We all have the opportunity to choose between two things in life….to become less or to become more! We can choose to learn less, be less happy, become less at work or less at home. We can choose to become less of a father or mother, less caring or less of a leader. We can choose to do less in our business…..and where would that land us?

We can also choose to become more. As I was teaching a lesson the other day in Sunday School, I had a comment from a young man who was struggling with getting his life on track. He was very open with this struggle. To him, it seemed extremely difficult to make a significant difference in his life. In reply, I told him that change doesn’t happen all at once. It won’t happen at the wave of a magic wand. By doing small, daily, consistent actions which move you toward your goal, change will occur. Your life will improve.

Sometimes being more can seem like a pretty taxing task. I think as human beings we tend to look at this task in fast forward. We tend to just look at the end and all that it will take to get there instead of  just looking at the very first step, putting one foot in front of the other. Instead of becoming more all at once, just try one day at a time. Become more today than you were yesterday or more tomorrow than you are being today. It becomes easier.

We’ve all heard of the saying, “God accepts you as you are, but loves you too much to leave you that way.” Who we all are is beautiful, but we can become more. We have more potential than we can even comprehend. To stay the same would be a waste of life. To grow, expound, progress, learn, create, win, and succeed is to fulfill the true measure of our creation. To see every day as a new opportunity instead of just “another day” is choosing to become more.

View your life as a work in progress instead of a dead end task. Love yourself. Treat yourself in the best possible ways. Reward yourself for successes and constantly build. Be healthy, learn more, think more and dream more. Do these things and you will become more than you could possible imagine.

As a result of becoming more, you will also have more!

“Results are the best measurement of human progress.” -Jim Rohn

What if I told you that if you could learn just one simple principle, you would be able to create success in everything and anything you decided to do? What if, by applying this one principle, you could take an average income and turn it into an exceptional income. With this one principle, or concept, small things become great. This one key principle is a key attribute in developing true leadership. People will follow you because of it.

Now, what if I told you this one principle was something simple, like Persistence? Well, it is. Persistence is the key principle to succeeding at any endeavor. Do it long enough, with passion and you will succeed. In my business opportunity, there are three key ingredients to be persistent at…..

• Placing Ads
• Calling the people who respond to those ads
• Providing details for them to review
• Collecting checks

I know! It sounds like a tough work schedule right?! Now you know why this is a part time business. However, the checks range from $1,000 to $8,000. Part time hours in this business definitely does not mean part time income, but the moment that I stop being persistent and consistent in any four of those areas, my business will start to falter. If I place an ad that results in a poor response, I place another ad. I am persistently working towards my goal. My goal is to maintain my lifestyle of working from home and making the income I deserve. So one failed ad holds little weight in the total outcome because I am persistently moving towards it regardless of the obstacles.

The definition of being persistent is: to go on resolutely or stubbornly in spite of opposition, importunity, or warning!

And believe me, there will be opposition, importunity and warning in every endeavor. Where would the fun be in doing it if there wasn’t?

Persistence

Kids are very good at this. What does a child do when he or she is hungry? They keep asking you, and asking you, and asking you, until what? They ask you until they get what they want, food! So how many ads will I place before I get what I want? The answer……As many as it takes!

But here’s the secret. This whole persistence thing cannot be mixed with indecision! Repeated, persistence cannot be mixed with indecision. Translation, when you start a business, be persistent in that business. Take the mindset of “There is no other option,” cutting off all other possibilities other than the one you are in. Cut yourself off from any other possible outcome other than the one you desire. Be set on one thing, one outcome, and do whatever it takes, as long as it takes to get that one thing. Jumping from one thing to the next, even if your intentions are to be persistent, is actually being resistant. Persistence works the best when focused on one thing. Simply put, STAY PUT!

Learn it! Use it and live the life of your dreams!

Just a little while ago my wife and I were in Flagstaff Arizona and happened to be in the Kohl’s parking lot waiting on a buddy of mine to pick me up. We had planned a trip to LA for a training seminar at the Hubbard College of Administration and were going to travel there together. While waiting there in the parking lot, I couldn’t help but notice an empty parking spot right up front. I thought to myself, how could that spot still be open? There were people coming in and out of the parking lot and it should have been taken by now.

So I strolled over there and noticed a sign posted there at the head of the parking spot. As I got closer, I noticed that the sign read, “Reserved for Associate of the Month.” I stood there in awe for a moment just thinking about the whole thing. I thought to myself how badly I would not want to have that parking spot and I will tell you why. I know that the associate of the month probably only makes around $25,000 to $35,000 a year, tops. That income may be great for a college student or someone who is looking for a job, but not me. I also know the amount of time that associate has put into that job to reach that status and also know that there had to be a little kissing up to get there. They probably get a plaque or a framed picture on the wall in some hallway or break room as well. There is no monetary reward, maybe a promotion in the future is all. The perks involve a first class parking spot and some sought after recognition.

Associate of the Month

All I have to say is WOW! Congratulations to all of you who have ever received an “Associate of the Month” award. You know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of the movie, “Employee of the Month,” with Dane Cook and Jessica Simpson. Funny movie. You should watch it if you haven’t! It made me appreciate where I am in my life even more.

Now, in my business opportunity we also have an associate of the month. Here you also get a lot of the same perks as you do at a retail store. You get your picture put online, you get a video of you and your success to put on your website, your name is announced on a company wide call and you are given the recognition for your success that you deserve. The differences are in the income. The difference is over 6-figures! At Kohl’s an associate of the month may clear $30,000, with this business opportunity one will probably clear $250,000. And this is the crazy thing, they do it in about 20 hours of work per week. That’s probably less than half of the time an employee puts in whether associate of the month or not! It’s amazing what can happen to your income by simply thinking at a bigger level. The bigger level is Entrepreneurship.

Big difference right!? So as much as I love the front parking spot, I think I will stay right where I’m at. What do you think?

A man was walking down a street. It was a very nice street with all kinds of shops, restaurants and people. It was the most prosperous street in town and this certain man was having a fantastic time. He was headed to a restaurant he had heard about and lunch time was approaching. Well, before eating the best meal he would ever have, he looked at a wall down an alley, and read something someone wrote. It said, “This is the worst street in the world. Don’t eat the food, it’s the worst food you will ever have and it costs way too much!” Well, naturally, the guy decided not to eat at the restaurant, which is also the choice that most people would make. Only very few actually go into the restaurant after reading the writing on the wall. These very few are the people that enjoy the best food and will continue to return to the restaurant regardless of what someone else says, because they know first hand and create their own opinions. It turns out, the guy who wrote that comment on the wall, which is graffiti, lives just below it in a cardboard box.

The Graffiti Restaurant

The internet is a wall full of graffiti from people who have been offended, found fault, found what they thought were greener pastures or just plainly quit. That’s why it is there. They can’t blame themselves for their own failure. That would be crazy right?! So they make their blame public by using the internet.

I mean, someone could walk into paradise and still find something wrong with it if they were looking for it. Right!? Thus is life. As an example, I live near Phoenix Arizona. I’m not saying that Phoenix is paradise okay, but when it rains, it cools off the entire town, and for a brief moment, can be paradisical. It only rains a few times a year there and people were actually complaining about the rain, wishing it would stop. This is proof that people will complain about anything, regardless of what a blessing it is.

Ten times out of ten, the guy to listen to is definitely not the guy who moves from one opportunity to the next, hoping that it will be better than the last. And ten times out of ten, the ones to listen to are not the bums writing graffiti in forums. The ones to listen to are the people who have created success. It just makes sense! You just have to ask yourself the questions, “Who do want to become like?” If you want to be a graffiti bum, take advice from the graffiti bum. If you want to be outrageously successful, take advice from the outrageously successful. Simple!

I eagerly await the day when the majority of the people take the advice of someone successful over the opinion of 30 people who are not. Following the majority has never been the way to create success in life. Otherwise, everyone would be outrageously successful. If you are following the majority, chances are, your results are just like the majority, average! Ask Albert Einstein if he followed the majority, Abraham Lincoln, Michael Jordan. There a leaders and there are followers. A follower, is not a leader.

It turns out, the restaurant owner in the story decides to leave the statement on the wall that deters so many people and is glad it is there. Why? It’s because he now gets the perfect customer. The customer who is loyal and returns often and tells all his other loyal friends about this great restaurant. The statement on the wall keeps out the ones who would have found fault, even in paradise! It keeps the ones out that are “wishy-washy” in their decisions and jump from one thing to the next. It keeps out the ones who are terrified to experience change. It keeps out the followers of the majority. The graffiti bum has actually done the restaurant owner a huge favor!

You, the one reading this, might be the one who bases decisions on what the graffiti says. If it is you, I hope you are enjoying “average!”

Choose to be the one out of 30 who can see past the graffiti and the bum living below it, who was the author of it.