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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 others, 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 dee hard to implement
as it will bring in lots of ordersires 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 beau§ty, 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 mon§ey 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, wheth§er 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.
ASK YOURSELF
As you consider the success you desire, you need to
affirm its possibilities and develop the self-confidence
necessary to attain the goals. Learn to do things well. "If
you know how to do one thing well, you can do everything,"
wrote the philosopher Gurdjieff.
Are you ready for success?
Is what you are doing now helping you to achieve your
goals?
Do you weigh the consequences before making a decision?
Is this the best use of your time?
Do you cooperate with everyone and help cultivate their
best potentials?Are you warm and sincere?
Do you have the courage to succeed?
Do you have the self-discipline necessary to achieve your
goals?
Do you have a realistic sense of self-worth?
Do you give more than you take?
Do you have the courage to fail, and then pick up and try
again?
Can you assume responsibility without blaming others if
things go wrong?
Are you strong?
Can you be sympathetic to life and its sufferings?
Can you say no?
Will you follow your convictions and plans to achieve?
Do you sincerely want to achieve the goals you have chosen?
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
"The price of greatness is responsibility," wrote
Winston Churchill. Are you willing to take the
responsibility once you attain the success you desire?
"The deepest personal defeat suffered by human beings
is constituted by the difference between what one was
capable of becoming and what one has in fact become," wrote
Ashley Montague. And the greatest tragedy is to become less
than your full potential, using less than the abilities you
have to work with.
Are you waiting for something to happen? Maybe you're
waiting for a job offer, or a promotion. Perhaps you're
waiting until you get good enough at a craft or skill. Or
are you waiting for the inspiration of creativity to strike
your life?
It is up to you to take the actions and be
responsible for their consequences. "Our responsibility:
every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a
duty," wrote John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Inspire yourself. Read books that will spurn you to
action; talk to people who have the vitality you admire.
How would you like to lead your life? And make the changes
necessary to be like that. "There is nothing permanent
except change," wrote Heraclitus. What changes do you want
to make? What are you waiting for?
ACCOMPLISHMENT
What actions will take you closer to your goals?
Decide upon the steps and write them down. Review them
until you feel comfortable with those steps. Then repeat
them at least once a day, crossing them off as you
accomplish them.
"I believe there is no escape from the rule that We
must do many, many little things to accomplish even just
one big thing," said James Dupont. "This gives me patience
when I need it most."
The most rewarding accomplishments are those that
take long to achieve and present difficulties. It is only
through these difficulties that a person can rise above the
rest to be the unusual, the outspoken and the well-
deserved.
As if building a kit, follow your own instructions.
Decide your best courses of action and achieve their
benefits. Whether the steps are small or large, make them
achievable and then do them. Don't commit yourself to
things that you never intend to do.
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run
over if you just sit there," said Will Rogers. Don't be
paralyzed by inaction; rather act upon your own
convictions.
Set yourself up for rewards. Don't give yourself
goals that have no feeling of satisfaction or no monetary
rewards. If you want to be an artist, be the best and learn
from the best. Don't dwell on imperfections or the
awkwardness of unpolished skills.
If you go into business, do it for profit or
reinvestment. "In business, the earning of profit is
something more than an incident of success. It is an
essential condition of success. Because the continued
absence of profit itself spells failure," said Justice
Brandeis.
Marchant wrote, "To be a success in business, be
daring, be first, be different." Think of ways to achieve
the best; formulas to increase productivity or decrease
overhead. Profit is your drive.
"Profitability is the sovereign criterion of the
enterprise," wrote Peter Drucker. And, profitability is the
core of any achievement - whether financial or artistic.
Once you achieve your goals, think of ways to benefit
others. "Money-getters are the benefactors of our race,"
said P.T. Barnum. "To them we are indebted for our
institutions of learning, and of art, our academies,
colleges and churches." How can you benefit humankind and
still keep enough to fulfill your own desires?
THE HIDDEN ASSET
Not all success can be counted in dollars; not all
richness is measured by money. "The great secret of success
is to go through life as a person who never gets used up,"
said Albert Schweitzer. "Retire upon yourself and look for
the ultimate cause of things inside you."
Look within yourself for the ultimate inspiration,
and follow the true feelings you discover. "One of my
favorite methods is to whisper," said Alfred Hitchcock.
"I've discovered the best work is done with sweet reason."
Act upon your own conscience -that guides; that
judges your actions and signals your behavior. "Conscience
is the inner voice that warns us that someone may be
looking," wrote H.L. Mencken.
Accomplish what you desire; fulfill your inner
yearnings. But don't compromise your deepest feelings.
"We do our best that we know how at the moment, and
if it doesn't turn out, we modify it," said F.D. Roosevelt.
Follow the paths that life offers you and live the
fullest existence you can.
TAKE A LOOK
Look at yourself and look at those who have succeeded
throughout history. Do you have what it takes? Even if you
have only a few of the qualities of the other great people,
you can achieve your heart's desire.
Reach for the highest, then reach higher. Accomplish
your steps one by one on a daily basis, always moving
forward, always making progress. Encourage yourself. Insist
that you can succeed and affirm these thoughts daily.
Keep a sense of proportion and judge for yourself.
Then keep busy at the tasks you've set out to accomplish.
What's keeping you? "Genius is one percent inspiration and
ninety-nine percent perspiration," said Albert Einstein.
Find inspiration wherever you can. Talk to people;
read about people; learn your business or craft. Believe
that you can do it and you will. The only way to dispel the
doubt that you can do something is to finish it.
Always be the best you can be. Never fall short from
fatigue or lethargy. Don't attempt to do anything that you
can't give your all to.
There is no way to inner satisfaction without
appealing to the higher consciousness. Search within and
without to find the paths that are meant for you and follow
them with conviction and a steady heart. And, you will
succeed to become as rich and full as you ever desired.
Harold Ickes wanted the "freedom to live one's life
with the window of the soul open to new thoughts, new ideas
and new aspirations."
And Woody Allen looked for a clear path. "If only God
would give me some clear sign" he said. "Like making a
large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank."
Finally, Sophie Tucker sums up everyone's worldly
outlook: "I've been rich and I've been poor," she said.
"Rich is better."
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