read it and write implent 16
SECRET
Unlock Your
Inborn Creativity
Imagination is more important
than facts.
—ALBERT EINSTEIN
HERE IS SOME more good news. You are a potential genius.
You are smarter than you have ever imagined.
You have more raw brainpower and creative ability than you
have ever used up to now.
Your brain has 10 billion cells, each of which is connected to
as many as 20,000 other cells by a complex network of
neurons and dendrites. This means that the possible
combinations and permutations of cells in your brain are
greater than the number of molecules in the known universe.
Your ability to develop ideas to help you succeed is unlimited.
This means that your ability to succeed is unlimited as well.
54
U n l o ck Yo u r I n b o r n C re a t i v i t y 55
Your creativity is stimulated by three factors: first, intensely
desired goals; second, pressing problems; and third, focused
questions. The more you focus your mind on achieving your
goals, solving your problems, or answering the tough questions
about your business and personal life, the smarter you become
and the better your mind works for you in the future.
Your brain, your creativity, is like a muscle. The more you use
it, the stronger and more resilient it becomes. You can actually
increase your intelligence and your IQ by disciplining yourself to
think creatively all day long. And remember, creativity is just
another word for “improvement.” Every time you come up
with an idea to improve some part of your work, to find
newer, better, faster, cheaper, or easier ways to accomplish a
result, you are functioning at the highest level of creativity.
Just as you develop your muscles by straining them with
physical training, you develop your mental muscles by straining
them as well. Here is an exercise for you to develop your
brainpower and unlock your inner genius.
Take a clean sheet of paper and write your most important
goal or most pressing problem at the top in the form of a
question. For example, you could write,
“How can I double my income over the next 24 to 36
months?”
Now, discipline yourself to write at least 20 different answers to
your question. Select one of your
56
The 2 1 S u cce s s S e c re t s o f S e l f - M a d e M i
l l i o n a i re s answers and take action on it immediately.
You will be amazed at the results.
◆
ACTION EXERCISE
Write down your most pressing prob-
lem or your most intensely desired
goal. Then, imagine that this problem was solved perfectly
or this goal was achieved in an ideal way. What would the
solution or achievement look like?
What could you do immediately to
bring about this result? Remember, action is everything!
◆
SUCCESS
17
SECRET
Get around the
Right People
You will be the same person in
five years except for the people you
meet and the books you read.
—CHARLIE JONES
FULLY 85 PERCENT of your success and happiness in life is
going to be determined by the quality of the relationships that
you develop in your personal and your business activities. The
more people you know and who know you in a positive way,
the more successful you will be and the faster you will move
ahead.
At virtually every turning point in your life, someone is standing
there to either help you or hinder you. Successful people make
a habit of building and maintaining a network of high-quality
relationships throughout their lives, and as a result, they
accomplish 57
58
The 2 1 S u cce s s S e c re t s o f S e l f - M a d e M i
l l i o n a i re s vastly more than the person who goes home
and watches television each night.
Everything involves relationships. Virtually all of your problems
in life will come as the result of your entering into wrong
relationships with the wrong people. Virtually all of your great
successes in life will be accompanied by great relationships with
good people who help you and whom you help in return.
More than 90 percent of your success will be determined by
your “reference group.” Your reference group is defined as the
people with whom you habitu-ally identify and pass the time.
You are like a chameleon in that you take on the attitudes,
behaviors, values, and beliefs of the people with whom you
associate most of the time. If you want to be a successful
person, associate with positive people. Associate with people who
are optimistic and happy and who have goals and who are
moving forward in their lives. At the same time, get away from
negative, critical, complaining people. If you want to fly with the
eagles, you cannot scratch with the turkeys.
Self-made millionaires network continually. They join their
industry and trade associations, attend every meeting, and get
involved in the groups’ activities.
They introduce themselves to people in business and social
settings, hand out their business cards, and tell others what
they do.
G e t a ro u n d t h e R i g h t Pe o p l e 59
And here is one of the best strategies of all. Whenever you
meet new people, ask them to tell you about their businesses
and, especially, to tell you what you would need to know to
send clients or customers to them.
Then, as soon as possible, see if you can send some business
their way. Be a “go-giver” rather than a go-getter. Always look
for ways to put in before you start thinking of ways to take
out. The very best way to network and build your relationships
is to con-stantly look for ways to help other people achieve
their own goals. The more you give of yourself without
expecting something in return, the more rewards will come
back to you from the most unexpected sources.
60
The 2 1 S u cce s s S e c re t s o f S e l f - M a d e M i
l l i o n a i re s
◆
ACTION EXERCISE
Identify the most important people in your life, both present
and future.
What could you do to help them in
their lives and work so that they
would be open to helping you? Identify the people you
should get to know.
What could you do to help them in advance of your
needing anything in return? Remember, first you sow and
then you reap.
◆
SUCCESS
18
SECRET
Take Excellent
Care of Your
Physical Health
The key to happiness is a sound mind
in a sound body.
—THEODORE ROOSEVELT
WE ARE LIVING at the most wonderful time in human history
in terms of longevity and physical fitness. You can live longer
and live better today than has ever before been possible. You
should aim to live to be 80 or 90 or even 100 years old, in
excellent health, and you can do it if you decide to.
First, set a goal to live to be at least 80 years old.
Then, look at your current health habits and ask yourself
whether or not the way you are living today is going to get
you to the age of 80 in great shape.
61
62
The 2 1 S u cce s s S e c re t s o f S e l f - M a d e M i
l l i o n a i re s There are three keys to living a long, happy,
healthy life. The first is proper weight. Set a goal to get your
weight under control and then remain lean and fit for the rest
of your life. There is a five-word formula for weight loss and
physical fitness. It is simply this:
“Eat less and exercise more.”
The second key is proper diet, and the key to a proper diet is
to eat better foods and fewer of them.
Eat more lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Eliminate
desserts, soft drinks, candy, and anything else containing sugar
from your life. Stop consuming extra salt and stop eating white
flour products. Eat smaller portions and eat four or five times
a day rather than three large meals.
When you can take complete control of your eating habits, you
will find it easier to take control of your habits in other parts
of your life as well.
The third key to long life is proper exercise. This requires that
you engage in vigorous physical activity approximately 200
minutes per week or an average of 30 minutes per day. You
can get all the exercise you need by going for a brisk
30-to-60-minute walk three to five days per week. If you are
really serious, you should join a health club or get some fitness
equipment for your house and work out even more vigorously.
The key to excellent physical health and long life is to set clear,
specific goals for your levels of health and fitness. You must
make a plan and then follow
Ta ke E xce l l e n t C a re o f Yo u r P hys i c a l H e
a l t h 63
your plan every day. This commitment to health requires
tremendous self-mastery, self-control, and self-discipline, but the
payoff can be extraordinary.
If your financial goal is to achieve a net worth in excess of
one million dollars, your health goal should be to live as long
as possible so that you can enjoy a wonderful lifestyle with
your money.
◆
ACTION EXERCISE
Identify one health habit that you
need to develop to enjoy higher levels of health and energy.
Perhaps it is
eliminating desserts altogether. Then, set this as a personal
challenge and resolve to discipline yourself until your new
health habit is firmly entrenched.