I was about to comment on each individual comment from the last post because many of them were very insightful and deserved answers, then I realized there was a pattern emerging, where many of you could benefit. So, following are three major key points. At first glance they may look random, but in fact are all parts of a greater whole integrated you – the entrepreneurial you.

1. KNOWING YOUR TARGET

Several years ago I was listening to Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul® fame) being interviewed, before actually meeting him, about privately asking Tony Robbins why is it that his (Mark’s) income was $2 million last year, when his (Tony’s) income was $121 million that same previous year. “What am I missing?” asked Mark.

Before I tell you the answer, I want to point out a couple things… Even though earning up to $2M in a year may sound like music to your ears, it’s all relative, because at the end of the day you have to look at your expenses/taxes vs. gross income and see what you’re left with, your net take-home pay.

i.e. it’s not the income, it’s the profit you’re after.

KEY POINT: How much do you want to HAVE in your personal bank account by what date? Begin with the end in mind.

That means you have to calculate NET profits…how much you get to keep after all expenses. Want to have/attract $100,000 in the next four months?

Consider you’ll need to earn more than double that amount in that time frame, especially if you’re working with affiliates or joint venture partners. Possible? Of course it is…

Because once you have a clear target, then your mind will open up, hunt down, compute, never rest until you get the answers you seek. You’ve heard the biblical verse, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

That is talking about two things:

1) Knowing what you want in the first place – have a clear target/goal. Otherwise, how will you know what to ask, seek, and knock for, right?

2) It also calls for relentless, persistent, action-taking on your part. And when you own a precise target/goal that’s firmly planted in your mind, or posted on your wall, or forever visible on your desktop, you have no choice but to consistently ask, seek, knock, use your power of desire and passion to see it through. That’s motivated action that pulls you to success. Hence, attraction.

2. NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL SOMETHING MOVES

That title is originally a quote from the brilliant mind of Albert Einstein, then became a book from best-selling author/speaker, Robert Ringer, ACTION! Nothing Happens Until Something Moves.

I bought this book but have to confess I’ve only read the introduction so far. In fact, I keep this book highly visible on one of my bookshelves, placed like a best-selling book should…front cover facing outward.

The title and cover alone remind me every day of what’s most important to my success…ACTION. The main reason I like action-adventure movies so much is because of what it stands for: taking action.

Because without action, nothing happens.

Mentor to many of the biggest Internet gurus online today, Stephen Pierce, has a twist on this. He says: Nothing moves without a sale. I have to agree. Here’s what else I found to bring this idea home…

“Never leave the site of a [newly formed] goal, without first taking action on it.”
- Jim Rohn

Shakespeare wrote: Action is eloquence.

“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Let me be clear… along with action, especially unfamiliar ones, you WILL experience frustration, as with anything new. You must possess an attitude of ‘must’ no matter what. How do you do that? By having a compelling, reason-why-I’m-excited-to-get-up every morning, monster of a hairy goal/target, which is a dream with a deadline.

Begin with the end in mind.

WHEN are you going to achieve ‘that’? Put a date to it. Make it real. Post a monthly desktop calendar on your wall, three months out, with a red-circled date of what you intend to accomplish by when.

You will SEE it every day in your fun work space. And you’ll be reminded of why you’re doing this each day.

Make it a BHAG! Big Hairy Audacious Goal. It must MOVE you, EXCITE you, MOTIVATE you. That’s your call to action.

3. MENTORING

Now, back to the answer Tony Robbins gave Mark Victor Hansen on why his income was capped at only $2M per year.

Tony asks, “The five closest people you spend the most time with, how much do they earn every year?”

“About $1M to $2M a year,” says Mark.

“THAT’S your problem!” says Tony.

If you simply look at the people whom you spend the most time, you can predict your income for the rest of your life pretty accurately. Scary isn’t it? Actually, it’s much more like an epiphany!

To be more specific from the last post, mental and environmental change play a key role here. The fastest way to achieve success in any area of life is to start hanging around, then partner up with those who are already getting the results you seek…those currently playing at a higher level.

This is what I’ve intuitively done over the course of my life. From real estate development to publishing to international finance to Hollywood to Internet marketing and back into Hollywood again, where I want to be because of the greater impact I can have.

Noel Coward (legendary English writer, actor, composer b. 1899) mentored David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia), and gave him his start. Roger Corman (King of over 400 ‘B’ movies) mentored Martin Scorsese and Francis Coppola. Martin introduced Steven Spielberg and Francis to Robert DeNiro, then Francis turned around and mentored his friend George Lucas who mentored director Ron Howard. It’s what Spielberg called “a time-honored tradition and creative renewal” in Hollywood.

This applies to ANY business. Ask, seek, knock, choose the right mentors. You have the power to make your way prosperous. If you don’t have the resources (money) to get started, you need to be resourceful. Be their apprentice, partner, joint venturer, affiliate, whatever form it takes.

If you do NOTHING ELSE for the rest of your days, except follow this ONE blog post, you’ll be way ahead of the crowd, and on the path to great success much faster than most.

Let me know what you got from this by commenting below…

- Andy