Secrets of the Richest People

Would you like to realize your goals? Maybe you'd like to run your own business, expand your material possessions, or succeed in the arts. There is no one path to the pot of gold, but many people of all backgrounds have successfully found it.

Whether you want to follow the ways of the great financiers, the famous politicians, or the

dynamic movie stars, there are common modes of behavior each of them followed. And in many cases, they have shared their secrets so YOU CAN FOLLOW THEIR FOOTSTEPS.

"If you wish to know the road up the mountain, ask the person who goes back and forth on it," said the ancient sage, Zenrin. What better way is there to know the secrets than to ask those who made it?

What goals do you want to achieve? And what amount of effort can you commit? You may want money for the extra things in life, money to build a corporate empire, or money to support yourself while you pursue the fine arts.

Perhaps you'd like to take the risk to start something new in your life. You may want to open your own business, devote your energies to an artistic career such as acting, or reap the benefits of your yearly endeavors with fabulous vacations several times a year.

What will bring you happiness? The satisfaction of success takes many forms. Not only are people seeking financial fortunes, but also the ancient goal of peace of mind.

Do you worry? You might be concerned about your health or your family's well-being. You may be anxious about the added expenses of education, medical bills, or the steady increase of cost of living. There are ways out of the endless cycles of worry, stress and anxiety. Right now, you can rise above the whirl of survival to achieve the accomplishments you dream of. When you're ready to put your whole effort into realizing your goals, YOU WILL SUCCEED.

WHAT ARE RICHES?

"Had I but plenty of money, money enough to spare," wrote Robert Browning. And money is the greatest attribute of riches. A universal desire, money is the materialization of riches, the stuff that makes the rest possible.

Are you looking for financial security? For retirement, for education or leisure? Riches are the overflowing abundance of material possessions - houses, cars, boats, furnishings - everything you ever wanted.

Centuries ago, Horace wrote, "By right means, if you can, but by any means, make money." For many people it is a path towards happiness, a cure-all for worry and peace of mind.

For, riches come in the form of satisfaction and personal independence. Satisfaction comes from accomplishment in employment or attaining goals. It is that feeling of contentment and confidence from a good task well done. Riches are closely linked with success. And with that comes fame and acknowledgment of position. Success might be the feeling of well-being from the rewards of good effort. Or the enthusiasm and vitality triggered by recognition.

"Success is how well I enjoy the minutes," said producer Norman Lear.

Throughout history, the people who lived with riches often achieved them by hard work, diligence and a belief in themselves. For some people, it took courage, genius and stamina.

But for many others, it took nothing special but the desire to turn dreams into reality. Whether you want millions of dollars, recognition as an artist, or personal freedom, you have the ability to make your life as rich as you want.

Think about what you most desire. It may not be hard cash, but what it can buy. Or it may be those feelings of inner satisfaction, from creating something beautiful or strong.

You may want personal independence from the work week, or freedom to live anywhere you want. You may be looking for something meaningful and significant in life - something other than things money can buy. Whatever your goals, and however difficult they seem to be to accomplish, you have the ability to become who you want. Take a look - can you see yourself surrounded by riches?

Picture the world open and in front of you, ready to become the form of your dreams, ready to stage your desires. "Why then, the world's mine oyster," wrote Shakespeare, "which I with sword will open."

WHO IS SUCCESSFUL?

Many people who achieve fortune in the world are not born rich. But they accomplish their desires through hard work and a plan of action.

Every type of person on earth can become successful. There are saints and scoundrels; philanthropists and thieves; poets and politicians; young and old. There are no limitations or physical boundaries for success.

Success comes to those who think about success and strive for it. Although many rich financiers at the turn of the century had no formal education, they overcame that and went on to great fame.

Some people strive towards a single goal from early in life, and often attain that goal while still young. Others are willing to risk new adventures later and still attain success.

"It's never too late to learn," wrote Malcolm Forbes, the money magnate. "I learned to ride a motorcycle at 50 and fly balloons at 52."

Whatever your task, whatever your obstacles, you can be as successful as anyone else. Study the people who accomplished recognition in the areas of your pursuit. How did they achieve their goals?

And don't be afraid you don't have what it takes. As Daniel Webster wrote, "There is always room at the top."

FORMING CONVICTION

The single attribute that every successful person has is the one-pointed devotion to attain a goal. "There in the sunshine are my highest aspirations," wrote Louisa May Alcott, "I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."

What are your desires? How can you form them into definite goals that you can attain? Lawrence Peter wrote, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else."

Maybe you're studying a craft or skill. Perhaps you're caught in a rung of the corporate ladder. Or, you might feel constricted by your family and the environment around you. Which star are you reaching for? "Ours is a world where people don't know what they want and are willing to go through anything to get it," wrote Don Marquis.

Take the time to think about your own aspirations. Look inside to find what feels right. Almost everyone entertains the notions of fame and fortune, but put on the costume that fits you.

Conviction requires certain qualities of action. You must be sincere and be willing to assume responsibility. And you need the self-discipline necessary to work towards your goals. Are you prepared to achieve your dreams? Can you form their reality in your mind? Will you devote your entire being to attaining what you want?

ON YOUR OWN

Most millionaires are non-conformists. So are the most famous actors and actresses; and the most prominent artists. Writers are known for their individual traits and eccentricities.

Your convictions and goals are your own business, even when you find help along the path. Mentors often take people under their wings to nourish and teach. Or spiritual guides will show you the path to attainment. But you're on your own to achieve.

Cultivate a sense of justice and an ability to make decisions. Cooperate with everybody and develop your own self-respect. And follow good criticism and advice after you've judged carefully. J. Paul Getty said, "I advise young millionaires to be skeptical of advice. They should advise themselves; they should form their own opinions."

Lord Byron wrote, "There is rapture on the lonely shore." And if you attain your goals with poise and sincerity, you'll find warmth and love at the top - not the cold loneliness pictured by the jealous.

Put on blinders to negative comments and criticism meant to hurt you. About the people who criticize, Voltaire wrote, "Never having been able to succeed in the world, they took revenge by speaking ill of it."

SEIZE THE DAY

People are judged by what they think and what they say. But the true measure of their character is what they do. Anyone who has achieved success and fortune in the world has done it by action.

William Jennings Bryan wrote, "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

The choice of the path you follow is often put before you as opportunity. "Few people recognize opportunity," said Cary Grant, "because it comes disguised as hard work." Don't let opportunities slip past while you're still considering them, and create new ones as you see them. "Wise people make more opportunities than they find," said Francis Bacon.

What opportunities can you act upon? Woolworth saw a need for small inexpensive items and opened the chain of stores that grossed billions. Wrigley started giving gum away as a bonus from a supplies wagon he sold from, and saw the opportunity to make money from the gum that became in high demand. All successful people the world over have found the opportunities for their own special talents and acted upon those ways to achieve. Why wait for the time to pass? There's never a better time than now.

"Sometimes," wrote Lewis Carroll believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Take your own impossible dreams and make them become reality.

HOW THEY THINK

Thousands of potential millionaires are born every year. And making a million dollars is coming closer to everyone's pocket. What advice did the money-makers follow?

Aristotle Onassis worked eighteen hours a day to maintain his fortune. He started as a welder and aimed for the top. "You have to think money day and night," he said, "you should even dream about it in your sleep."

John D. Rockefeller, Jr., said, "I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes every person an opportunity to make a living." And J. Paul Getty acknowledged his hard work: "I have no complex about wealth. I have worked hard for my money, producing things people need."

Even Proverbs advises: "In all labor there is profit."

Richard Bach, the author of the best selling "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" wrote, "You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however."

The Empress of the British Empire, Queen Victoria, admonished, "We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat."

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

There are qualities of endeavor and achievement that are common to many people who make it to the top. The following questions are a guideline to self-enterprise and attaining your goals.

1. Do you prefer to work for yourself than for others?

2. Are you well-informed on current business and political affairs?

3. Are you a leader?

4. Do you take advantage of opportunities?

5. Do you pay attention to what other people say?

6. Can you finish a job even when it is difficult or unpleasant?

7. Are you challenged by problems?

8. Do you have a goal you want to achieve?

9. Do you consider other people?

10. Do you strive to attain?

11. Can you obey commands?

12. Can you bounce back after defeat?

13. Do you believe in yourself?

14. Can you stand by your actions in spite of criticism?

15. Can you follow instructions?

16. Can you respond to the needs of others?

17. Will you give credit to other

18. Can you make your own decisions?

19. Are you determined?

20. Are you ready for success?

ESTABLISH A GOAL

What do you want? Are you looking for financial security, professional acknowledgment, spiritual attainment? Do you want to fit better socially, or become more expressive creatively? Establish the goal that's right for you. Then turn that goal from a dream into a desire. You want to realize that goal, not just wish for it. Aesop said, "Beware that you do not lose the substance by grabbing at the shadow." Know exactly what you want, then go for it.

Don't be tricked by your own procrastination - especially if you want to achieve something artistic. The writer Thomas Wolfe wrote, "I had been sustained by that delightful illusion of success which we all have when we dream about the books we are going to write instead of actually doing them. Now I was face to face with it, and suddenly I realized that I had committed my life and my integrity so irrevocably to this struggle that I must conquer now or be destroyed."

Can you see what you want? If you want the abundance of material wealth that money provides, what goal will give you that money? Do you want the prestige of owning your own business? What business do you want to begin? Where are the opportunities for you? Talk to everyone in the business you want to join. Make friends in the literary or art societies in your area. Read books and articles about your field of endeavor. How can you attain your goal?

"If you don't want to work, you have to work to earn enough money so that you don't have to work," wrote Ogden Nash. And isn't that the way" Money makes money; success breeds success. But not always. How can you break through those thoughts to help yourself to the rewards?

Henry David Thoreau wrote, "I have learned this at least by my experiment: that if you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams, and endeavor to live the life which you imagine, you will meet with success."

Think big and visualize success. Do you see yourself in a big house? Maybe you picture your artwork hanging in a gallery. Can you feel your book in print and in your hands? How does it feel to be a person of success? Believe that you are; believe that it is in your grasp. That's what the others did, and that's how people make it to the top.

Then get down to basics. Be precise. Exactly how much money do you want, and by what date? And exactly what are you going to do to earn that money? Be realistic, but give yourself short-term goals. Write it down. In six months or one year, you will have how much money. And repeat it until it feels good. Then repeat it twice a day until it swirls in your subconscious, until it becomes your one-pointed goal.

"The goal stands up, the keeper stands up to keep the goal," wrote A.E. Housman.

KEYS TO SUCCESS

Make people feel at ease. They will respond to your needs as you respond to theirs.

Share the spotlight. Give credit to those who deserve it - and to those who strive. Don't grab praise away from other people. Have confidence in your own value. Don't do anything that won't credit your own self-respect. Follow up your actions as they reflect your own self-worth. Listen well to others' comments. Then weigh your own actions. Cultivate relationships with people who have good and important things to say. Participate in life. Be active in business meetings and endeavors; volunteer to be part of organizations and groups. Social interaction will boost your sense of well-being .

Feel worthy of your own goal. Know that you can attain it and that it is right for you. Grasp your own challenge. Don't give yourself impossible goals, but always reach higher. Relax and be yourself. Each person is different and just as wonderful as the next. Don't be plagued by what you think others think of you. Don't bathe in success - use it. Once you achieve your first goal, go on to others. Use the money you earn for the rewards you look for. Then go on to the next endeavor.

Be slow to criticize others' achievements. Find out how they did it and learn from them. Never use subterfuge. Don't go behind someone's back. Speak your mind and earn respect. Banish negative thoughts and traits. Restructure your life to exclude bad habits.

Believe in yourself and what you are to accomplish. All the power in the world is within you to achieve.

WORK TOWARDS YOUR GOAL

"To get profit without risk, experience without danger, and reward without work, is as impossible as it is to live without being born," wrote A.P. Gouthey. Every person who has attained something worthwhile has worked for that goal.

Cary Grant said, "I do believe that people can do practically anything they set out to do if they apply themselves diligently and learn."

Which path is the right way towards your goal? Do you need more education? Do you need a few years experience in your field of business? Maybe you need a teacher or guide to help you practice.

"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached, as by the obstacles which are overcome while trying to succeed," wrote Booker T. Washington.

What obstacles are in your way? Consider them as easy to pass through as hurdles are to a champion runner. Take each obstacle as a special challenge placed especially for you. Approach it with intelligence and courage, then learn what it has to teach.

"Success is a journey," said Ben Sweetland, "not a destination." For some, the process of attainment is the attainment itself. They move on, keep growing and expanding. There is no still water at the top.

"The message from the moon is that no problem need any longer be considered insoluble," wrote Norman Cousins. And you can attain anything that seems impossible.

If you have a problem that needs to be solved, sit calmly and consider it with a clear mind. Observe all the consequences of the actions - both good and bad. Ponder the paths and actions and contemplate the core of the problem. The solution will appear. "Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you for everyone who asketh, receiveth. He that seeketh, findeth and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."

Tap the inner self and encourage positive actions. With each outgoing breath, release the impossible; at each incoming breath, inhale the attainable. Demand the best of yourself, but don't despair from an overused sense of perfection.

What can you learn? And who can teach you? Can you attend classes and seminars from universities near home? Check out books from the libraries and absorb the material. Find a master and become an apprentice.

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty," said Henry Ford. "Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."

Never stop learning; never stop growing and expanding as a person and in your personal endeavor.

5 Words to Creating Unstoppable Confidence
by Jason Michael Gracia

One thing drives me each and every day to keep growing, learning, and striving for my dreams.

It is this single idea, five simple words, that has dramatically improved my life, giving me the positive motivation and confidence necessary to achieve my goals and really enjoy each moment I am alive.

Today, I am going to share this idea with you. Once you recognize the power of this idea, I am convinced that you will possess an endless pool of positive motivation, energy, and total excitement about the future. It will inspire you to reach your own goals and dreams, creating the life you have always wanted.

The idea has surrounded you every since you were born. Right now, at this very moment, there are hundreds of examples of this concept in your home or office. You can't go a day without seeing it in action, trying its best to get your attention. Isn't it always the things that are right under our noses that offer the most truth and wisdom?

What about your dreams?

As you read the words on your screen, I know there are goals and dreams filling your head. We all want more in our lives. More freedom, more wealth, more happiness and more health. It's a universal need within all human beings to grow and advance. But very few actually do anything about it.

Be it fear, a lack of desire, or self-limiting beliefs, there is some reason why you haven't taken action towards your goal. But it has to happen sometime. Something must grip you with enough strength to make you say, 'Today is the day I start making more of my life!'

I now want to give you the five words that will equip you with an amazing boost to your motivation and confidence. No matter what your goal may be, and no matter how old or young you are...

Someone else has done it.

I get so excited about these five words because they offer undeniable proof of your potential for success. They take away the doubt and fear that holds so many people back, and instills a confidence that cannot be stopped.

Why don’t people take action?

The fear of failure and rejection are powerful forces. These fears spell certain doom for thousands of goals every year. Think about it. How many people do you know that are giving up on their goals because they are afraid to fail? The numbers are staggering.

These five words can save you from this trap. The fact that someone else before you has accomplished the goal you are now striving for puts all of the control in your court. It is possible. You have proof. Now it's your turn to make it happen. You have the confidence to move ahead without fear.

Confidence is key for motivation, happiness, and the overall quality of your life. A personal experience will help to drive the concept home.

Several years ago I was in the airport waiting for my return flight back home. I had just visited some family in New York, and was reading the newspaper when I heard two men talking a few seats over.

These men seemed to be in a heated discussion over some important topic, and I couldn't help but take notice of their conversation.

'Why in the world do you think you can do it? Why are you so sure that you can succeed?" the older of the two asked with contempt. 'What makes you so special?'

'I know I can start this business. If someone else has done it, why can't I? Besides, it's not one person who has done it, thousands have succeeded. I'm willing to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to make it happen.'

The older man just shook his head and went back to flipping a coin. The younger man smiled brightly and returned to his book. I noticed the title just before he sat it on his lap - Starting a Home-Based Business. It was already plain to see these two men were headed down very different paths. One towards his dream, and the other to the same old job working for the same old boss.

Conviction and confidence

This younger man was really inspiring. I wish I could recapture the moment for you adequately with words because I know it would move you. You could see it in his eyes. He knew he would not fail in the end because he was certain of his success. If someone else did it, with the same two eyes, ears, and hands, he could do it as well.

I had no doubt in my mind that this young man would succeed. I could see that he would never give up. He would find a way. Knowing that someone else out there made it happen was all he needed. The rest would come with time.

It was a wonderful life-lesson happening right in front of me. It had quite an impact. I thought about what the young man had said, and it really hit home. From that day I had a new energy and enthusiasm about my goals. This young man reminded me that capturing my dreams was possible.

But there's more to the story...

Knowing someone has succeeded is only half of the magic. The other half is strategy. Anyone who has succeeded at achieving a goal or dream followed a specific strategy to make it happen. It was not luck, it was doing the right things, in the right order.

It's just like a recipe. You have to put the ingredients together in a specific order, and in specific amounts, to get the desired result. Your dreams are no different. And our society is such that nearly every strategy for success is detailed in thousands of books, magazines, speakers, newsletters, Web sites, newspapers, movies, and hundreds of other methods. You are surrounded by the secrets to achieving your goal.

Think of a goal that is important to you. Now ask yourself, 'Has someone already done it?' If so, don't reinvent the wheel! Find out exactly what they did and use their strategy to help you succeed in half the time and without the struggle or frustration.

The best time to begin

Today could be the first day you take a positive step towards a better future. It could also be the day that you take another step forward, already having begun the journey. Whatever your situation may be, once you learn the strategy to success you cannot fail.

by Jason Michael Gracia - WANT TO MASTER MOTIVATION? Getting motivated to improve and enjoy your life is easy when you follow this complete, step-by-step guide to personal change and professional success. For more information, visit: www.motivation123.com

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