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I allowed myself to become obsessed with success again with the same innocence and energy I had as a kid. Rather than denying my obsession with success, I gave myself permission to embrace it.
Hitting that massive bottom in my life had given me something to bounce back from, and I wanted to bounce back as high as possible. If I could go that low and survive, I thought, how high could I go in the other direction?
In my life being obsessed with success has never created problems for me. Denying my obsession is what caused me problems.
When you learn how to control and focus your obsessions, you will become a powerful and unstoppable person capable of making all your dreams a reality. You can create the life you deserve,
When I started studying other obsessive types who were super successful and stopped seeking advice from those who were settling for average lives, average results, average money, average everything and who were never obsessed with anything except defending average, that’s when I began to really live.
Your obsession is the most valuable tool you have to build the life you deserve and dream of.
To have what you want in life, you must give yourself permission to throw yourself all in on your dreams. Make it clear to others that you are obsessed and that, though you would like their support, any expectations they may have of your staying where you are, settling for less than you dream, or being average will have to take a backseat. Ask yourself, How far up can I go? How much more can I do? And most important, What do I want to become completely obsessed with that will lead to success?
“If you can, you must.”
success is defined as the attainment of my potential.
I have always underestimated my potential.
I have yet to fulfill my full potential—and am obsessed with discovering what that might be.
I have always secretly believed I was capable of doing unbelievable things.
Guys who are making dreams a reality never believe they have done enough or accomplished enough; they are obsessed with the next level.
When I’m striving to achieve my full potential, I am at my happiest. I am happiest when I’m closing monster deals, solving big problems, making connections with giant players, and doing things I myself doubted were possible. When those things happen, I become a better father, husband, friend, employer, and contributing member of society: a better me.
People are lazy because it is tolerated.
Average is a failing formula and it works for no one, no matter how much they try to make sense of it. Unhappy people can’t teach you how to be happy. The poor can’t teach you how to get rich. A guy in a failing marriage cannot teach you how to make your marriage work. An average person can’t teach you how to be exceptional.
live by: “Never take advice from a quitter.” And let me be clear—average people are quitters. They quit striving for a better life and quit short of their potential.
They didn’t simply play in the game; they were obsessed with shaping it.
in order to have greatness, you must claim it.
There’s no such thing as obsession lite. There is no such thing as part-time obsession.
There is no sense of balance for those bitten by their obsessions and doing something spectacular.
“You don’t always need to like what you do to love what you do.”
PURPOSE IS To understand what my purpose is and to keep fueling it, I constantly ask myself questions.
Personal Interests What excites me now? What is so exciting to me that I would do anything to accomplish it? What bores me? What is the thing or things I have always wanted to do? What don’t I want to do, no matter the payoff? What do I do that causes me to forget to eat? What have I been interested in since childhood? Money Motivation What am I willing to do for no money? What would I like to do for a lot of money? If money had nothing to do with my life, what would I do with my time? What amount of money would give me the security I need? What amount of money would I need to have choices?
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your purpose is composed of what constitutes a complete life for you.
Those who are really alive and who make the biggest difference know how to keep updating and refocusing their obsession as they mature, as life changes, and as opportunities come and go.
The key to tying your obsession to your purpose is to continue to set new goals for yourself.
you need to be obsessed with setting and hitting your goals and continuing to feed your future.
action. I assume my mind accepts everything as reality.
Success feeds me. Winning feeds me. Production feeds me. Reaching my potential feeds me. I make lists of the things that make me stronger and those that don’t, and I use those to feed the beast and starve anything that causes me doubt.
“What drives you?” This might be the most important question for anyone to answer. For me it’s an ongoing, moment-by-moment effort to feed the beast and starve the doubt. Actually,
Stay focused on what allows you and your business to grow, and invest no time, energy, or resources in those things and people that don’t.
I’m still going to go for it because the alternative is too painful. I will judge myself less for coming up short than I would for never going for it.
Feed the beast so that it becomes so powerful there is no room for doubt.
Wake up and go to sleep focusing on your goals. Write them down every morning and read them every night until they become a part of you. Once you internalize them, you will see everything around you as a means of achieving those goals. The moment you quit this practice, you will find yourself falling into the repetitive cycle of work without purpose.
One of the reasons I’m successful is that I’ve always been obsessed with taking care of my finances and made money a priority.
I will never apologize for wanting money—and I am going to talk about it.
Money is funny, kind of like a jealous lover. Pay attention to it or it will leave you for those who will.
your company. I treat all my companies like produce stands. My thought is What do I have to exchange with the marketplace today that might be spoiled or no good tomorrow?
I spend 95 percent of my time focused on getting money and 5 percent of my time on budgets. Invest in getting the attention of people who will exchange their money for your products or services, not on worrying about your books all the time.
The more important this target is, the more often you should get a report on it.
Anything worth doing is worth doing every day.
You better get obsessed with your team’s success, or your people will soon slack to below average. Remember: Out of sight, out of mind. The fish stinks from the head down. If you act like successes are not important, your team will act like they are not important.
Bury your employees in sales messages and feed them whatever they need to have the energy, motivation, and confidence to make that extra sales call. Instill in them what you are so aware of—that in each moment they can be obsessed or be average, and that it is, in fact, a choice.
you don’t fix problems with problems—you fix them with success.
Today I let myself absorb advice and help only from people who are doing better than me. I believe in the saying “If you are the most successful person in the room, you are in the wrong room.”
I sat down with a piece of paper and took an inventory of my life. What is my purpose in life and what am I currently doing? I asked myself. If I get back to my purpose and clarify my goals, I thought, I will get back on track. As I wrote, it hit me, just as the truth always does, immediately and clearly. I had lost track of my bigger purpose; I was no longer obsessed with the big goals and had settled for simply being busy and having some modest financial success. None of this was in any way in line with what I knew I was capable of. The “burnout” had started because I was no longer obsessed
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“If you want to meet the devil, have white space on your calendar.”
There are plenty of naysayers and haters. I can’t afford to be one of them and neither can you.
the best way to handle naysayers is to hit your goals over and over until they have no choice but to believe in you.
