Marcel Legros - Play the Game of Life

There are thousands of self development, self-help, psychology, motivational, and spiritual titles on the market today. Only a few rare authors make it to the best-sellers list. Even fewer build a successful, highly trafficked website with a dedicated readership. I can think of only 5 living self-development superstars:

1. Tony Robbins
2. Brian Tracy
3. Wayne Dyer
4. Deepak Chopra
5. Eckhart Tolle

How many high quality, best-selling authors of popular fiction can you name? The list in that category is massive by comparison.

Tony Robbins is heavily criticized for misrepresenting the truth and for his aggressive sales techniques. He was busy marketing products for the perfect marriage while going through a divorce. Deepak Chopra has also been criticized for writing questionable science.

Most self-development authors never achieve the kind of success they write about. They’re trying to teach us methods for success while they’re clearly not very good at it themselves. Where are all the great wisdom teachers?

Living in a Positive Thinking Bubble

Harsh criticism isn’t well accepted with this group. Peers don’t criticize for fear of losing credibility in their field. When someone does speak up and trashes the book or article, the criticism is denounced as being negative. Self-development authors need to be held accountable for the quality of their work just like everyone else. If the quality of my writing isn’t up to par, I have no chance for success by ignoring criticism. If my writing doesn’t sell, am I ahead of my time or living in denial?

You Can’t Sell Your Way Out of a Paper Bag

The most successful people in any field know how to sell their ideas. You must appeal to the customer’s desire for a solution to a problem. A best-selling author isn’t necessarily the best-writing author. You might be an excellent writer, but to reach your audience you must be able to sell your ideas. Take a sales course. Learn to appeal to your audience’s desire for answers and then deliver it to them in an approachable way.

The Field Is Crowded With Snake Oil Salesmen

Authors often sell their opinions as facts. Opinions are fallible; facts can be measured, proven, or demonstrated. How many times have you read titles like “43 Power Laws,” “7 Steps to Incredible Riches,” or “30 Secrets of Successful People?” Get rich quick schemes have damaged the whole genre. Anyone can make up a system of laws and principles for success but do they work? Where’s the proof? If those opinions and advice were factual, why is the author mired in obscurity and living in his parents’ basement?

People Want Progress, Not Perfection

Buddha, Jesus, Gandhi, and Mother Theresa all had their bad days. Someone burned their toast or stepped on their foot and they might have reacted with anger. Spiritual teachers and motivational coaches don’t like to talk about this, but every human being has negative thoughts and feelings. To deny one half of our nature is to deny reality. I believe in self-improvement but no one is perfect. People give up on a unrealistic systems that work only half of the time.

Measure Your Own Success Before Teaching It To Others:

* Do you have healthy relationships with your friends, family, and co-workers?
* Are you earning enough to support your needs? Are your finances in order?
* Do you receive positive results from the efforts of work and service? Are your customers happy?
* Are you physically healthy and free from life-draining addictions or habits?
* Are you happy and fulfilled?
* Are you living the life you dream about or only wishing for it to happen?
* Do you have goals and the plans to achieve them? Do you have faith that these goals and plans will succeed?
* Do you sincerely care for the welfare of all living things? Do your actions reflect your beliefs?

I’m writing this because people urgently want answers to their problems. We need real life skills, authentic wisdom, and inspired teachers who lead by example. Are you selling a hard-to-follow set of opinions or is it simple and accessible? People know the truth when they hear it. The truth sells, because it’s simple and it works.

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There are two traits common to all of the greatest and most successful people in history; burning desire, and faith.

It makes no difference whether the desire is to become a billionaire, publish book, be an amazing parent, or receive a university degree. What matters is that you have a deep emotional need. Your desire must be stronger than your fear of failure or you won’t even take the first step.

* What 5 things matter most to you?
* If you could have or do anything, what would it be?
* If you won $10 million, what would you do?
* If you only had 1 month to live, what would you do?

Ask yourself these questions and don’t discount your dreams as mere fantasy - they’re your dreams! List them all, even if some of them seem far-fetched or impossible. Pinpoint the dream that appeals to you most and think about what is required to accomplish that dream. Even if you don’t know how to accomplish it, assume there is a solution. Remove the words “can’t” and “impossible” from your vocabulary.

Mahatma Gandhi dreamed of a free India, independent from British rule. He dreamed of religious tolerance, truth and non-violence. He had no material wealth or social position, but he had a dream and a burning desire to make it happen. If he had dismissed his dream as mere fantasy or wishful thinking, India might still be languishing under colonial rule. Instead, he focused all his energy and galvanized the entire Indian population into action. Two hundred million people believed in him because he had an unshakeable faith that his dreams were possible.

Nothing is Impossible

Faith is misunderstood. It isn’t wishing or hoping something will happen. Faith means you know something is true or possible, even when solid proof isn’t apparent. It comes from within yourself and it’s available to anyone. Faith is a universal power that transforms a burning emotional desire into a reality. If you want something badly enough and believe that you can do it, there is nothing you can’t accomplish in your life. There is no one that can stop you from achieving your dreams except your own fears, doubt, and insecurities.

Talk Yourself Into It

You can willfully develop faith by taming and training your mind. Write down your goals, and speak them out loud to yourself as if you’ve already accomplished them. Give yourself permission to say things like ,”I’m a genius. I’m very wealthy. I have a healthy mind and body. I love my work. I love my family. I am a great human being.” Take 30 seconds every day to repeat these things to yourself. It isn’t egotistical, selfish, or wishful thinking. You’re creating a positive mental habit of thinking like a successful person. Positive self-talk is the easiest and most important step to building self-confidence and faith in your dreams.

Your thoughts are just as real as physical things. Whatever you think about will become a reality, one way or another. If you think negatively and tell yourself “people are stupid,” stupid people usually appear and make your day miserable - almost like magic. Treat your mind like your physical body - feed it healthy thoughts and it will become fit and serve you well. Develop unshakeable faith and begin creating what you think about. Try it for a few days and I guarantee you’ll begin to see evidence of this truth everywhere.

One word of warning: Before you follow your dreams, look very closely at your intent. Love and compassion have the power to enrich your life and everyone you touch, while hate and negativity always backfires. Negative desires and emotions will materialize just as positive ones will, so choose your goals carefully. There is no such thing as bad luck, only bad intent.

Now why are those stupid people following me?

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This article is about the challenges you will face as you strive to become your personal best. There are incredible rewards for you if you reach the top but there is a powerful obstacle in your way. If you want true success, you will have to escape the social gravity of a bell curve.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Look at the image above - we’ll use it to illustrate how wealth is distributed. The black line is called a bell curve. On the left side of the bell, a small number of people make the lowest incomes. In the center of the curve the largest number of people earn an average salary. The bell’s easterly slopes are home to a small number of people earning the highest salaries.

The green sloping curve shows the amount of earnings in relation the the bell curve. It is based on the Pareto Principle, also called “The 80-20 Rule.” The people at the top earn so much more than the average, it doesn’t seem fair. It may not seem fair, but it’s true all over the world. The best in the world get paid so much because they are exceedingly rare.

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If you want to get ahead at work, you need to understand what your employer really wants. Your employer is in business to become successful and make money. For-profit businesses want to make money for themselves, governments want to make money for development and programs, and non-profits want to make money for the benefit of others. This is the guiding principle behind every decision made in business.

A successful construction contractor, once told me a story I’ll never forget.

I was busy gathering my tools at the end of the day, getting ready to go home. The owner of the company approached me clutching two handfuls of screws, scrap wire, and other construction materials. “Why were all these laying around? They were going to be thrown out!” he said.
“It’s nothing,” I replied. “There can’t be more than two dollars worth of material there. We’re too busy to stop and pick up scraps. They’re just crumbs.”
The owner look at me with a scowl. “Yes, but they’re MY crumbs.”

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What are some decision making techniques of successful people? If decisions define your success, then it’s important to learn how to wade through the seemingly endless choices we encounter in life. Many books and sources talk about the Pareto principle (the 80/20 rule), grids, analytical thinking, and all kinds of mumbo jumbo. Those tools are […]

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A means to an end
Ask someone you meet today, “What does success mean to you?”, and you’ll likely be greeted with many variations of the same answer. The basic response almost always seems to be “money” - who has it, how to get it, and usually that we want more of it, a lot more, […]

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