There are a number of… characteristics and skills that a person must cultivate and develop in their life before they can start to become successful in whatever path they choose.
You can think of these traits as the proverbial building blocks…the foundation…of your growth into a successful life.
You can build a life without them, but, like building a house without a strong foundation, it’ll be put at risk with the first heavy wind or rainstorm. And I don’t have to tell you that life will have a few more of those….
The Power Of Concentration
For 2000 years, great people have invariably had great concentration. In art and science, business and warfare, literature, politics and philosophy, the real achievements of human kind have been the result of this power. Concentration arises chiefly from being deeply interested, and is very closely related to persistence and what Napoleon Hill called “definiteness of purpose.”
Concentration is the enemy of self- consciousness and vacillation. It enables you and me to accomplish incredible things. It is one of the factors of genius itself.
A timid person is erratic in their habits. They shift constantly from one thing to another, appearing to be “busy” but accomplishing nothing worth anything.
They start a new business venture…They “hope” that “this will work.” That means they haven’t DECIDED if what they are going to do will receive their 100% EFFORT and FOCUS. They vaguely think that things COULD turn out well, but ultimately they are only “hoping it works.”
And IT won’t.
They begin with enthusiasm, but at the first sign of difficulty, lose heart and give up. Every change they make causes a loss of time and energy, so that they are always going but never arriving.
Flying back from Las Vegas, my mind is replete with metaphors from a deck of cards.
People are dealt cards and then they have to play those cards. A great player can be dealt good or bad cards. A poor player can be dealt good or bad cards. Luck plays it’s role, good and bad. People who think that luck, chance, randomness… “mean something” never succeed. Never. They go broke at everything they do.
Beyond randomness, people make their own world.
To cultivate concentration you must have focus. At first, it’s a good thing to think and do only one thing at a time. Concentration is the art of continuous and intense application to a task. It is not an abstraction; therefore it cannot be offered as an excuse for carelessness.
There’s nothing wrong with writing a book and doing home improvement in the same 30 day period. There is everything wrong with someone who starts projects and doesn’t finish them. The creation of one bad habit pattern after another destroys the most crystal clear dreams.
It’s fairly easy to tell if someone will succeed or not.
- Do they have the power of concentrated effort?
- Historically do they GET THINGS DONE?
Do YOU get things done?
The vast majority of people don’t which is why they are destined to do the same thing every day for the rest of their “life.”
Legend Point: Developing focal concentration is a pillar of long term success.
Completing actions is one of the marks of a self-confident person. They do everything they undertake as well as they can. If it is a business matter to be discussed, they prepare themselves so completely that they are able to talk with accuracy and intelligence.
If it is a public speech to be delivered, they don’t wait until the day before and then put together a few hastily considered thoughts, but all is carefully and thoroughly prepared long in advance. Such a person speaks little of what they are going to do, but first does it and lets their work speak for itself.
Every person should get an idea of values in their life. There can be no true success where time and talent are blown to the wind. The building of a self-confident person requires effort, self-sacrifice, and singleness of purpose.
Self-Confidence a Predictor of Income
Self confidence is a KEY predictor of INCOME. That means that to the degree you have self confidence, I can predict your likelihood of becoming a higher income individual.
Recent research reported this summer shows that this is something that can be measured from childhood right to the paychecks the child will receive as an adult.
OK, ready for the unfortunate fact?
No one can become deeply interested in work that they don’t like.
Thousands of people struggle up-stream all their lives because they are in a job that doesn’t fit them. My friend Bob Beverley loves great quotes. Here’s one that would do him proud!
“It is a sad parody on life to see a man earning his living by a vocation which has never received his approval. It is pitiable to see a youth, with the image of power and destiny stamped upon him, trying to support himself in a mean, contemptible occupation, which dwarfs his nature, and makes him despise himself; an occupation which is constantly condemning him, ostracizing him from all that is best and truest in life. Dig trenches, shovel coal, carry a rod; do anything rather than sacrifice your self-respect, blunt your sense of right and wrong, and shut yourself off forever from the true joy of living, which comes only from the consciousness of doing one’s best.”
In order to cultivate concentration a person must bring their will to bear strongly upon their work and their life. With a good mentor, they will come to realize that most every difficulty yields to this power, and that uninterrupted application to one thing will achieve the seemingly impossible.
Mental shiftlessness is powerless in the face of difficulty, but a person of strong will and concentration uses obstacles as stepping-stones to higher things.
You need to begin to develop your concentration today in little things. Cultivate intense focus in whatever you do. Say to yourself: “This one thing I do and I will do it well UNTIL IT IS DONE.” PERIOD.
All the goals in the world are meaningless without focus…concentration…intended effort UNTIL completion.
OK, so just what all is worth your concentrated effort?
You want to concentrate not only in business, but in non- income producing activities and reading.
Then what happens?
The power of concentrated effort brings with it many other valuable elements, like order, punctuality, thoroughness, self-respect, and self-reliance. Through concentration effort you will not only aspire to but reach the highest achievements.
People complain all the time that they don’t like the idea that they lack concentration, memory, definiteness, and other qualities of excellence, but those same people don’t make the slightest effort to improve the self.
Power of Self-Improvement
I had a conversation with a guy at the blackjack table this weekend. “That self improvement stuff doesn’t work.” Because we happened to be winning, I asked him if he ever read a book on blackjack.
“A number of them. Patterson, Ustin,…”
“Why?”
“You make more money when you play right.”
“How do you know?” “Because I do better now than I used to do.”
“Ah, so you read to improve your game…(and then I told him)…life is just like Blackjack. You find out what works best and you improve your game, you up your odds and optimize both crummy and good situations. That IS self improvement.”
He said nothing.
(People hate being wrong.)
Playing the Game of Life
It takes concentrated effort to count cards and play optimal strategy. Memory, self reliance, ability to manage money.
It takes concentrated effort to play the game of life with optimal strategy. Memory, self reliance, ability to manage money.
The player who is an idiot..the one who plays without improving himself can still get dealt Blackjack and easily win his bet.
But the fact is that I outlast the entire table almost every time I play…Not always because bad stuff happens in life, exactly as it does in cards, but MOST of the time, because of concentrated effort YOU can optimize the playing of the cards you are dealt….
Want 3 Secrets to Success?
Discipline: “training, activity or regimen that develops or improves a skill”.
There are many levels of excellence in life. Personal Mastery is a discipline that is developed over time and with experience; and with the help of the skill of Self-Discipline. The two work together to bring you to a level of excellence. Charisma and personal magnetism allow you to interact with others at a level of excellence and influential elegance that makes you the “go-to” person, the expert, the one in demand. For the first time, the Three Disciplines are offered as a package. 2 high quality digital audio CDs are dedicated to each area, for a total of 6 CDs plus a complete manual to accompany you on your journey.
Personal Mastery: It’s the single trait they all look for. It’s the characteristic women say they most want in a man. It’s the difference between being the best and being everyone else. It’s the trait corporate head hunters look for first and most.
Personal Mastery is what differentiates the individual who is truly focused and in charge of their life vs. the person who is pulled and pushed by life’s tides.
Charisma: The extraordinary power to inspire worship and desire. It is the pinnacle of personal magnetism that enables an individual to inspire and influence people. And you can raise your CQ (Charisma Quotient) immediately.
You can be the one in ten who is the focal point of people’s attention. Whether you want to increase your business, or simply have almost everyone find you magnetic, this program has over 45 specific things you can do be more loved, respected and even the object of desire.
Self-Discipline: No one is born with self-discipline. No one. Self-discipline is one of the skills of success that has to be wired into the brain at the unconscious level.
When people ask “what is the secret to success?” there are definitely a few “correct” answers. One is Self-Discipline.
To actually do the right thing every hour of every day of every week, of every year. It seems like so much work…and it is…at first…until you master self-discipline and it becomes as habitual as taking your daily walk, brushing your teeth or eating dinner every day. Self-discipline can be installed into your brain’s operating system but expect no Genie from the lamp to help you on this one. If you don’t wire it in, it will never get there by accident. Never.
With self-discipline, everything in life is easier. Without it, life drifts down the river until it falls off the water fall.
Learn More about the Three Disciplines or Order