The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure

by Grant Cardone

While it might not be “exceptional” compared with what others are seeking, the goal you set should always move you to a better place—or toward an objective you've not yet achieved.

If you stop trying to succeed, it's like trying to live the rest of your life off the last breath of air.

Extremely successful people know that their efforts must continue in order for them to realize new achievements. Once the hunt for a desired object or goal is abandoned, the cycle of success comes to an end.

When people start limiting the amount of success they desire, I assure you they will limit what will be required of them in order to achieve success and will fail miserably at doing what it takes to keep it.

This is the focus of the 10X Rule: You must set targets that are 10 times what you think you want and then do 10 times what you think it will take to accomplish those targets. Massive thoughts must be followed by massive actions.

you'll suffer greatly by setting subpar targets. You simply will not invest the energy, effort, and resources necessary to accommodate unexpected variables and conditions that are certain to occur sometime during the course of the project or event.

When you miscalculate the efforts you need to make something happen, you become visibly disappointed and discouraged. This causes you to incorrectly identify the problem and sooner or later assume that the target is unattainable and ultimately throw in the towel.

Never reduce a target. Instead, increase actions. When you start rethinking your targets, making up excuses, and letting yourself off the hook, you are giving up on your dreams! These actions should be an indication that you're getting off track—that you should begin thinking in terms of correcting your initial estimation of effort.

The 10X Rule assumes the target is never the problem. Any target attacked with the right actions in the right amounts with persistence is attainable.

When people inadequately measure the actions necessary, they inevitably start to rationalize.

Regardless of the timing, the economy, the product, or how big your venture is, the right acts done to the right degree over time will make you successful.

Assume that every project you attempt will take more time, money, energy, effort, and people than you can imagine. Multiply every expectation you have by 10, and you will probably be safe. And if it doesn't take 10 times more than anticipated, great. It is better to be pleasantly surprised than greatly disappointed.

success does not merely “happen.” It is the result of relentless, proper actions taken over time. Only those who operate with the appropriate view and corresponding actions will have success.

“luck” is directly proportional to what they've done. The more actions you take, the better your chances are of getting “lucky.”

Where you are in life, the conditions you're facing, and the situations, events, and people on which your attention is most focused will influence your definition of success.

the most crucial things to know about success—in order to have it and keep it— are the following: 1. Success is important. 2. Success is your duty. 3. There is no shortage of success.

Get real! Regardless of whatever goals you are trying to attain—success is absolutely critical. If you quit caring, then you quit winning; quit winning long enough, and you will just plain quit!

Do kids benefit when they see their moms and dads losing or quitting? Does anyone benefit when you can't get your art sold or that great book published or that great idea that will improve everything across? No one will benefit from your failure.

It is fairly common for people who don't get what they want to provide justifications—and even lie to themselves—by minimizing how valuable success is to them.

Even the most fortunate and well-connected people among us must do something to put themselves in the right places at the right times in front of the right people.

The reason why successful people seem lucky is because success naturally allows for more success. People create magical momentum by reaching their goals, which compels them to set—and eventually reach—even loftier goals.

Don't be confused by what looks like luck to you. Lucky people don't make successful people; people who completely commit themselves to success seem to get lucky in life. Someone once said, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”

And despite the oft-used phrase, there is no such thing as an “overnight success.” Success always comes as a result of earlier actions—no matter how seemingly insignificant they are or how long ago they were taken.

Success comes about as a result of mental and spiritual claims to own it, followed by taking necessary actions over time until it is acquired. If you approach it with any less gusto than your ethical and moral duty, obligation, and responsibility to your family, your company, and your future, you will most likely not create it—and have even more difficulty keeping it.

Unlike a product that is manufactured and inventoried, there is no “limit” as to how much success can be created. You can have as much as you want, and so can I—and your achievement does not prevent or limit my ability to achieve.

Success is not a lottery, bingo, a horse race, or a card game that allows for only one winner.

Unlike copper, silver, gold, or diamonds—items that already exist and that you must find in order to bring to market—success is something people make.

You must rid yourself of the concept that success can be restricted in any way. Operating under this notion will hurt your ability to create success for yourself.

Success for anyone or any group is ultimately a positive contribution to all people and all groups as it provides validation of the possibilities to all.

People who refuse to take responsibility generally don't do well at taking much action and subsequently don't do well in the game of success.

Those who give control over to another for their success—or lack of it—will never be in control of their lives.

To get where you want to go in life, you must adopt the view that whatever is going on in your world—good, bad, or nothing—is something caused by you.

If you are willing to take credit when you win, you have to take credit when you don't! Increasing your responsibility level will inherently enhance your ability to find solutions and create more success for yourself.

Everything that happens in your life comes as a result of your own responsibility, not merely some outside force. This will prompt you to start looking for ways to move beyond the situation and take control of not having bad things “happen” to you in the future.

Anytime you play victim in order to “be right,” you are taking on the identity of a victim, and that can't be a good thing. Until a person is done being a victim, he or she is unable to create solutions and success. That person only has problems.

Once you start to approach every situation as someone who is acting—not being acted upon—you will start to have more control over your life. Having (or failing to have) success, I believe, is a direct result of everything you are doing and thinking yourself.

although I may not always have a say in what happens to me, I always have a choice about how I respond to it.

Not surprisingly, everyone is looking for the secret shortcut—and equally unsurprising is the following fact: There are no shortcuts. The more action you take, the better your chances are of getting a break.

Disciplined, consistent, and persistent actions are more of a determining factor in the creation of success than any other combination of things.

To simplify action, we are going to break down your choices into four simple categories or degrees of action. Your four choices are: 1. Do nothing. 2. Retreat. 3. Take normal levels of action. 4. Take massive action.

People who do nothing in their career, relationships, or whatever they want have probably given up on their dreams and are now willing to accept pretty much whatever comes their way.

Signs that you are doing nothing include exhibiting boredom, lethargy, complacency, and lack of purpose. People in this group will find themselves spending their time and energy justifying their situations—which requires as much work as the other actions.

Any realm in which you have assumed you can no longer advance and improve—and are now deciding that there is “nothing you can do”—would be considered an area of retreat.

Taking normal action is the most dangerous of the levels, because it is the most accepted by society.

Signals that you're taking massive action are having people comment upon and admire your level of activity.

Taking massive action means making somewhat unreasonable choices and then following these up with even more action. This level of action will be considered by some to be borderline insane, well beyond the agreed-upon social norm—and will always create new problems. But remember: If you don't create new problems, then you're not taking enough action.

You will know you are stepping into the realm of massive action when you (1) create new problems for yourself and (2) start to receive criticism and warning from others.

No one is going to come to your house and make your dreams come true. No one is going to march into your company and make your products known to the world.

Making massive action a discipline will break you through obscurity, increase your value to the marketplace, and help you generate success in any area you elect.

The normal levels of action at which most people operate fail to take into account the effects of various forces—such as gravity, age, resistance, timing, and the unexpected. When average actions hit any resistance, competition, loss or lack of interest, negative or challenging market conditions, or all of these, you will find your project tumbling down.