Treasure Your Dreams

Consistency: Steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.

Prioritize: To put things in order of importance.

 I have a very hard time consistently prioritizing. By this, I mean consistently doing the things I KNOW will have the most impact on my day. Sometimes, I wish I could just wind myself up and I would automatically go through the day’s actions without having to constantly motivate myself to do the things I know need to be done.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I don’t spend my day lounging around on the couch with a TV remote in my hand, or sleeping in until noon, or shopping online. No — I truly do feel as if I am busy for most of the day, every day.

My only question is, busy doing what?

In this business, it is SO easy to get busy doing busy work. In other words, doing things that make you “feel” busy but don’t ever really accomplish much.

This goes back to the 80/20 rule — that 80% of the work we do accounts for 20% of our results, while 20% of the work we do accounts for 80% of our results.

My next question is; if we KNOW this, then why do we continue to waste our time on the 80%?

I know from talking with team members (downline, crossline AND upline), that I am not the only one who suffers from this “disease” — the 80% disease, I mean. Knowing this makes me all the more insistent that we find a vaccine of some kind.

Surely, there must be something.

My advice, is this (and believe me, when I say advice I mean advice to myself as much as to anyone else!):

Look at each day, as a new day; completely separate from the day before, or the day after. It’s so easy to say to ourselves “Well, I made 60 calls yesterday, so today I can take it easy.” — this kind of thinking will only hold you back.

If you look at every day individually, you won’t have the success (or in some cases, the failure) of the day before to hold you back. You become responsible for achieving success THAT day, and that day only. Then, when that day is at an end, you can ask yourself that all-important question that any of us who listen to Michael Clouse have heard over and over — “Did I keep the main thing, the main thing?”

In truth, everyone has a “main thing” — whether you are an entrepreneur, a student, an employee, a stay-at-home mom… everyone has a “main thing” that they need to do, every day, in order to be successful.

Take each day, and focus that day on keeping your main thing, the main thing.

Tonight, I had the privilege of listening to a great call by Michael Clouse — he talked about hearing something at a Brian Tracy event that completely shifted his focus, and had an immense impact on his life.

Tonight, I heard something from Michael that I believe will have an immense impact on mine; he said that if you get up every day, and do the #1 most important thing you could possibly do that day, you will look up at the end of the year and be able to say to yourself “This year, I did the 365 most important things I could have done.”

Wow — in all the books I’ve read, and the tapes I’ve listened to on prioritizing, time management, etc, that one sentence put things more into perspective for me than anything else has.

I want to be able to look back at the end of 2009 and say to myself “Yes, I did the 365 most important things I could have done this year.”

He went on to say that those things don’t necessarily have to be related to work– they can be something with your family, something with your friends, something for yourself. But the bottom line is it has to be something that, on that particular day, is the most important thing you could possibly do.

So, my challenge to you (and to myself) is this: Go out tomorrow, and do the most important thing. Keep your main thing the main thing. Then, go out the next day and do it again, and again, and again and again. Before you know it, you will have an entire year to look back on and say, “I did the 365 most important things I could have done.” — and that, is all you can do!

 The quote I leave you with is this — by none other than Michael Clouse:

“Keep the main thing, the main thing!”

I was sitting here in my office, playing around on the computer and just enjoying my Saturday afternoon and I felt compelled to share my thoughts with you –

In my office, I have a wall that is plastered with photos on bright colored paper — these are all pictures of my dreams.

I have my dream barn… my dream car… my dream check… my dream home in the mountains…my dream flat in Paris… just to name a few.

The coolest part about these dreams is that each and every one of them has a date. A “Target Date” for when I will reach that goal. When working towards your dreams, a deadline is necessary — a goal without a deadline is nothing but a wish.

Personally, I love dreaming. Maybe a little too much sometimes! I could sit for hours and just imagine where I see my life heading over the next 5, 10 even 20 years.

But even more than dreaming, I LOVE goals — because unlike dreams, goals are something you have dreamt in your head, put down on paper and are taking the action steps to achieve. People sometimes go their whole lives without achieving their dreams — and what they don’t realize is that by simply putting it on paper, and adding a deadline to it they have increased its likelihood a hundred fold.

What’s exciting for me is to look at these goals on my wall — some of which I have had for several years now, and realize how CLOSE some of them are! Sitting here, I can count 2 that I will reach before the end of this calendar year. Another, that will be realized NEXT year — and ALL of them within the next 5 years.

When I look at these goals, I literally get goosebumps at the thought of what my life will look like 5 years from now once they have all been achieved. To be honest, I won’t even recognize it.

What about you? Do you have a goal? Everyone has dreams, but only a small percentage of people actually take the time to turn their dreams into solid, reachable goals. It doesn’t even take much time — just write it down, ON PAPER, put a deadline with it and there you have it… a goal.

It’s not difficult, but it will have a poweful, positive impact on your life.

 I really could talk about goal setting for pages and pages… especially when I get into the different methods of goal setting, the different authors who have written incredible books on the topic, my personal favorite method of goal setting….

BUT — Goal setting is what I will be teaching on at our company convention in Las Vegas… and I would HATE to spoil it for all of you who will be there! Consider this blog a teaser…

The quote I leave you with today is this, I mentioned it at the beginning but it is so, so powerful — by Kathy Lutz,

“Goals are dreams with deadlines.”

I’m currently reading “Think and Grow Rich”, by Napoleon Hill. Usually, I finish books really quickly — but this one, for some reason, is taking me a really long time. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, I REALLY enjoy it — but I’ve been struggling with finding the time to actually sit down and read.

Yesterday, while spending some time going over Michael Clouse’s recommended “Daily 1/2 Dozen Things” with my team, I realized how much slacking I had been doing with my reading lately. So, I read my 10 pages today — and I have to say that when I am done here I will probably go read at least 10 more.

The chapter I read today was about ideas — how a simple idea, a single thought, is the trigger for everything we have today. Every single thing began as an idea that was had by someone, somewhere.

Wow — that one really got my wheel spinning. It truly put into perspective the importance of giving yourself time each day to do nothing but think — and when I say “think” I don’t mean about what you are going to be doing after your done with your thinking time. It is SO important to spend time every day allowing yourself to think with your subconscious mind which, on a conscious level, is really quite the opposite of thinking.

Great ideas, innovative, life altering ideas, are had when your body is in a state of total relaxation. Some refer to it as being in the “zone”, others refer to it as self-hypnosis, or meditation.

I prefer to call it my “non-thinking time”.

I don’t know about you, but for me, it is REALLY hard to put the thoughts in my head on mute. Even when I am completely still, or “relaxing” my mind and the thoughts inside it are running a million miles an hour — taking time every day to purposefully put yourself into a state of relaxation, or “non-thinking time” can truly do wonders in your life.

This is something that has been a struggle for me — something that I found unnecessary and saw, rather than as a benefit, as a waste of perfectly good time I could be using to do something else.

The chapter I read today from Napoleon Hill’s book, and a conversation I had the other day with our company owner put this into perspective for me.

This time you give yourself is invaluable — so much so that you are literally cheating yourself every day you do not engage in this activity of non-thinking. It is rejuvenating mentally, physically and spiritually — it renews your body AND your mind.

You will find that, after doing this, you will face the remainder of your day with more focus, energy and enthusiasm. You will feel more motivated to get done the things you need to accomplish, and you will feel more positive about your goals and your direction in life.

I can say this positively because today, in the middle of my afternoon, I spent about half an hour laying face-down on my bed, eyes closed, lights off and simply allowed myself to relax. It took some time — I began by reading a few pages in a book, to calm my mind down. I then spent a few minutes laying there, reflecting on the things I had read, allowing my mind to wander until finally I became unaware that I was thinking at all.

I would have thought that I was asleep, but after being jolted ”awake” by the alarm I set for myself I realized I hadn’t been sleeping at all — just experiencing a complete and total state of relaxation.

My challenge for you is to spend some time over the next few days where you allow yourself to escape the endless chatter of your thoughts — allow yourself to relax, completely, both physically and mentally. I believe that, when putting this exersise into practice on a consistent basis, you will find a remarkable difference in your daily activities and your state of mind.

Everythings starts with an idea — and you never know what YOUR next idea will be!

 The quote I leave you with is this, by James Allen:

“The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart—this you will build your life by, this you will become.”

This is the thought, or rather the question, weighing most heavily on my mind tonight. For that reason, this blog will be different from my others. Typically, I try to write about things I know; tonight I come from the opposite side of the coin — I will write about something I have a desire to know.

What makes a leader?

I have always aspired to be a leader, but the truth of the matter is, I have really never had anyone to lead. Now, as I see leaders — or rather, potential leaders — begin to form within my team I feel this huge burden to BE a leader to them.

My first instinct is to run to Barnes and Noble, pick up every book I can find on leadership and read and read and read until I “get it” — I know this wouldn’t be a bad place to start, but I know also that this is not enough.

Unfortunately, leaders are not born overnight. In order to become a leader, one must gain the trust and respect of those he or she wishes to lead. Reading books on leadership will not make someone a leader — so what will?

The most logical answer I can come up with is to lead by example — in order to become a leader, one must become a person worthy of being followed.

So, if this is true, then the best way to become a leader is to continually be working on improving oneself.

If I want my team members to commit to their businesses, I must be commited.
If I want my team members to consistently call their prospects, I must be consistent.
If I want my team members to become good managers of their time, I must become a good manager of my own.
If I want my team members to become great leaders, I must first become a great leader.

When you look at the great leaders in history, the best ones are remembered for practicing what they preached. That is what I, what anyone striving to become a leader, must work towards every day.

How could I ever ask someone to do what I do not do myself?

This concept of leadership is a new challenge to me — however, I can only surmise from recent circumstances that it is a challenge that I am ready for; a challenge I can overcome.

The Law of Attraction states that you attract people who are like yourself — in his CD “Recipe for Success”, Michael Clouse states that in looking at the people you have brought into your business, you will be able to see a reflection of yourself.

Well, to me, that reflection is one of leadership. For the first time I can truly look at my team and “see” 5 leaders, or rather, 5 people with the qualities to become leaders if they themselves are lead properly.

In James 1 it states that “God will never test you beyond what you can bear.” God would never hand me leaders to lead, if I was incapable of leading them.

Based on these two things; the law of attraction, backed up by God’s Word, I can only surmise that this test is truly one I am ready for. I am nervous, I am excited, but more than anything I am committed to learning what it takes to become a leader.

I know I do not have all the answers. But I do know that I will start at the most logical place; within myself. I will continue to work daily towards improving myself; however unlike before there is a new passion driving my actions.

In order to truly help others improve THEIR lives, I must constantly be working toward improving my own.

The quote I leave you with today is this, by Michael S Clouse:

“Leadership is knowledge is action!”

Clean your room now, so you can go to the movies tonight.
Do your homework today, so you will be prepared for the test next week.
Save your money now, so you can go on vacation during spring break.

 All our lives we are faced with situations and choices that involve delayed gratification.  It’s not a new idea — it is something that everyone becomes familiar with at a very early age, whether they know it by name or not. Knowing it by name though, and becoming familiar with its advantages can help you get the things you want, faster.

Let me start with an example; Mr. Bill Gates. Do you think he was born rich? Did he have the “thought” of Microsoft and then instantly become the “richest man in the world”? Of course he didn’t — in fact, it’s been said that in the early days Mr. Gates could often be found asleep UNDER his desk after falling asleep from exhaustion in the wee hours of the morning.

Why, you ask, would someone be willing to work themselves THAT HARD? He was the man in charge! He had no “boss” telling to work 20 hour days, so why put himself through that?

The answer, is delayed gratification. You see, Bill Gates understood the concept of working hard now to experience the benefits later.

Do you think Bill Gates works 20 hour days now? I doubt it. He lives one of the most luxurious lives of anyone in the WORLD — because he was willing to sow the actions that would reap that lifestyle.

It took me a long time to grasp the concept of delayed gratification. Sure, it sounds GREAT in theory — but when it comes down to practice it is quite different. It’s easy to tell yourself you will live by this proven principle of success when you have no immediately gratifying activities to pass up, but how will you respond when the pressure is on?

Will you have the will power to say “no” when you want to say yes?
That has definitley been a struggle for me.

As I look at my schedule for this upcoming week I can’t help but to cringe — just LOOKING at it makes me feel exhausted! However, I have made the commitment, to myself and to my future, to work hard now so I can enjoy the rewards later.

I know that working hard now, consistently, day in and day out, will allow me to be retired in 2-4 years.

That’s right, retired by the age of 25.

I am willing to pass up the occasional night out with friends, the lunch dates, the parties, because I know that when I’m 25, it will all be worth it.

No, it isn’t easy. It is a daily struggle. Sometimes, I give in. But I will say this, I always wish that I wouldn’t have. Sometimes, I wonder if it IS worth it — but all I have to do is spend a few moments looking at my goals to remember that it definitely is.

I often feel like kicking myself for not “getting it” sooner — for being in my business for nearly 3 1/2 years before realize the true value, the true rewards in practicing delayed gratification. When I think of where I could be by now, had I said “no” a few more times in the past — well, it makes me realize the value of this incredible principle so much more.

 Society’s lack of understanding delayed gratification is exactly what has put our country into the economic state it is in. Many people go all through life and never really get what they want because they don’t “get” delayed gratification.

The reward at the end is wonderful, but the process to get there is often not so great.

Only YOU can decide if the process to get to your goal is worth the goal itself. If it isn’t, then you need a new goal. For me, it is — and I will continue to strive daily to delay gratification; to work hard now so that here when I’m 25 I can play even harder.

 So my challenge to you is this; set a goal, and do whatever it takes to reach it. Commit yourself to the process. Learn how to say “no”, and when you DO reach your goal, it will all be worth it!

The quote I leave you with is this, by one of my favorite motivational speakers and trainers of all time, Michael S. Clouse:

“It’s easy to see the outcome and yet overlook the process.”

Very few things in life can be done by yourself. Even fewer are enjoyable when done by yourself. As a human race we are programmed for interaction; for camaraderie, for companionship and teamwork.

And we wonder why the economic state of our country is what it is today.

The corporate world (the rat race, the J-O-B) unfortunately operates on a “every man for himself” mentality. This is true whether you are at the very bottom, or the very top. Everyone is out for himself.

You are either climbing that corporate ladder, or kicking someone off from it –

The absense of this mentality is truly one of the most rewarding aspects of what I do. I LOVE the fact that in MY industry you can only grow yourself by helping others grow.

Shouldn’t everything in life be this way? How different would our world be if everyone was out to HELP each other, rather than to push each other down?

So much time is focused on self-prosperity. So little, on the prosperity of others.

Everyday I have the privlege of helping other people get what they want out of life. I get to share in the hopes and dreams of the people in my organization — help them set goals, help them REACH those goals! I get to rejoice in their successes, and encourage them when they falter.

I am truly, truly blessed to be able to do what I do every day.

Today, I had the opportunity to witness one of those successes. A lady in my organization brought someone in to HER organization — this was something she has been striving towards for some time now, and was in the midst of becoming discouraged.

I saw the email notification pop up in my Inbox and literally let out a squeal of excitement! I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day — I was SO excited for her!

My true passion in what I do is helping those who have joined me reach their goals — to coach them as they make their journey towards success. Again, I am so blessed in what I do.

I encourage you to think on this; how different would your life be on a daily basis, if you were to help other people aspire towards their own happiness?

How rewarding it is to help others — I believe that is truly what we were put on this earth to do.

The quote I leave you with today is by Mark Twain:

“Really great people make you feel that you, too, can be great.”

The 80/20 rule is no secret. It is a formula that can be applied to almost any area of life — 80% of what you do, accounts for 20% of the work you get done; in the same way, 20% of what you do, accounts for 80% of the work you get done.

In other words — when looking at a ‘To Do’ list, you can generally assess that in completing 20% of the items on that list, you will complete 80% of the most important tasks.

The key, is choosing the RIGHT 20%.

So many people spend their time working on the wrong end of this equation. They spend all day being “busy”, and then look up at 5:00 only to realize that there is still “so much to be done”.

Of course, you will never have enough time in the day to finish EVERYTHING you could possibly need and/or want to accomplish — but you CAN make sure you accomplish the most important things for that day; the 20% of your tasks that will make up for 80% of your productivity.

So what about people? Does the 80/20 rule apply here? Of course it does.

80% of the people in an organization account for 20% of the work done; just as 20% of the people account for 80% of the work.

Both roles are important; both are needed — but the question you should ask yourself is, “Am I a 20%er?”

In my industry I am always on the hunt for 20%ers. Those are the people who will buid my business — who will make a significant difference in my organization, and as a result, in my paycheck.

These people will light my business on fire with growth — they will help me take it to a new level of success.

So how do I go about looking for 20%ers? Well, the best place to start is within myself — to strive daily to BE a 20%er.

Remember, we attract what we are. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “You are what you eat” — well, we also “are what we think”

Our world on the outside is a direct reflection of who we are on the inside. In order to attract 20%ers on the outside, I must BE a 20% on the inside.

It is my daily aim to wake up and spend my day acting as a 20%er acts — accomplishing the tasks that are most important (prioritizing), using effective time management, going the extra mile, staying in the office that one extra hour.

Now remember, I said this is my “aim” — meaning I am nowhere near perfect at this yet. It is a daily task to remind myself that I WANT to be a 20%er. That I will be [and already am, in my mind] a 20%er — not only in my business life, but in all other areas as well.

So what about those who stand out even among the 20%ers? The best of the best — who are they?

Those people, those very, very rare people, are 20% of the 20%ers.

Those people are 4%ers. And as rare as it is to find a 20%er, as effective as it is to have a 20%er in your organization, and to become a 20%er yourself, a 4%er is THAT MUCH MORE RARE.

In an organization of 10,000 people,
2000 of them are 20%ers.
2000 of them will account for 80% of your growth, and your success.
400 of them will be at the very, very top of that growth.
400 of them will be 4%ers.
400 of them will account for 64% of your growth, and your success.

So my question to you, is this; who are you?
Are you an 80%er? That person who is content to go through life without ever doing any real moving and shaking? Or are you a 20%er, or better yet, a 4%er? Are you a person who wants to make a difference, no matter what area you choose to pursue.

I know who I am — I am not content to be an 80%er. I don’t even want to be a 20%er.
I want to be known as a 4%er — as a true leader and inspiration to those around me.

Your decision is up to you! Remember what I said earlier; all parts are necessary, for it is the parts that make up the whole. It’s up to you to decide what your role will be.

The quote I leave you with is this, by Ted Turner;

“Do something… Either lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

We’re all familiar with the common name to describe a person who is always negative. You know, that person who never has a good thing to say about ANYTHING. That person who blames everything and everyONE (except themselves, of course) for anything bad that happens TO them.

Unfortunately for them, bad things probably happen to them pretty often. When they say “Nothing ever goes my way”, they probably aren’t too far from the truth — in fact, it’s probably not an exageration at all.

Because you see, Debbie Downer keeps his/her thoughts on the negative side of the spectrum. They are constantly thinking about the things they DON’T want, and rarely (if ever) spend time focusing on the positive things that COULD potentially happen to them or for them!

They see the negative in every situation, and therefore, they see the all of the negative things that could/should/will happen to them rather these thoughts are meritted or not.

Poor Debbie Downer — you really can do nothing but feel sorry for him/her. Because you see, for Debbie Downer, success and happiness will be virtually impossible UNTIL (or unless) they change their thinking!

 People so often overlook the power of their own thoughts — but the mind, specificaly the subconsious mind, is a very powerful tool, not to be taken lightly.

I feel as if I constantly referring back to the post on the 5 points that can ultimately lead to your success; your philosophy, your attitude, your actions, your results, and your lifestyle.

You see if your philosophy (your opinion) is that you never catch a break, the world is a horrible place with horrible people, and that nothing EVER goes your way, then that philosophy translates into your attitude.

Your attitude is what you think about all day long — so if you constantly have negative thoughts, then you will have a negative attitude.

Your attitude then determines your actions — you operate based on this phiolosphy and your thoughts that result from it. You don’t trust people, you expect something bad to be lurking behind every corner, and unfortunatley for you — you are rarely dissapointed.

Because you see, your actions create your results, and your results in turn create your lifestyle. So, a negative phiolosophy, leads to a negative lifestyle. Plain and simple!

You may be wondering by now, HOW does a Debbie Downer go about changing? What can he/she do to experience a radical change in his/her life that will turn it around for the better?

Well, it will take some reprogramming — some practice — and most of all, persistance.

I reccommend Maximum Achievement, by Brian Tracy as a GREAT place to start! This book will (among countless other things) teach you about the Seven Laws of Mental Mastery — just as the law of gravity and the laws of physics are in effect all day every day, whether you are aware of them or not, so are the 7 mental laws.

He will teach you about becoming an “inverse paranoid”, or in other words — how to become convinced that the world is out to do you GOOD!

No one likes a Debbie Downer — and a negative outlook on life will lead to nothing but discouragement and letdowns — do not let your mindset stand in the way of your success!

 The quote I leave you with is this, by Brian Tracy:

“Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.”

When I was little I used to take all of my dolls, set them up in chairs with papers and books and “teach” them. I LOVED playing school! Part of me has always wanted to be a teacher, at least of some kind.

I recently shared that story with someone and was posed with the question “Well, why didn’t you become a teacher then?”

I’ve often thought about this question… long before this particular conversation even took place. The conclusion I have reached is I AM a teacher! That is truly what I do, all day long, is teach!

If I am talking to prospects, I am teaching them about a business opportunity that has the power to totally transform their lives! How rewarding! My job, every day, is to share my story about a company, a product and an industry that I believe in — how many teachers can say that much?

I get to share, what I believe, is the best opportunity in the world with as many people as I can every day — how cool is that?

It goes further than that though… once a prospect DOES decide to join, I get to teach them how to own and operate their own business — something that most of them have never done before! I get to witness the excitement, the nervousness, the dissapointments, AND best of all the successes that every single one of my team members has as they make their journey with their new business!

I get to teach people the action steps they need to pursue a life of not only financial freedom, but the freedom of their time as well — I get to teach people how to reach their dreams!!

Lastly, I get to teach people (some not even on MY team) about goal setting, the power of visualization and positive thinking, how to personally improve their lives and theirselves to a point where most of them didn’t even realize was possible!

So, in short, my answer to that person’s question is; “I AM a teacher!! I teach all day long!”

I love what I do — I love everything about it, really. Not too many people can say that about what they do all day every day!

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes by one of the geniuses of our day, Zig Ziglar –

“You can have anything you want, if you help enough other people get what they want!”

What defines an obsession? According the the dictionary, the word “obsession” is defined as “the domination of one’s thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc”.

What about passion? The word “passion”, according to the dictionary, is defined as “any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate”.

I read a quote once that stated “Passion is knowing what you want, and never stopping until you get it.”

I love that quote — I find it very inspiring.

After some more digging, I found another definition in the dictionary for the word “passion” — this might be my favorite:

“The state of the mind when it is powerfully acted upon and influenced by something external to itself; the state of any particular faculty which, under such conditions, becomes extremely sensitive or uncontrollably excited; any emotion or sentiment (specifically, love or anger) in a state of abnormal or controlling activity”

So what if you were to put the two words together — to combine them in describing a single act, whim, dream, desire, or goal that you have for yourself. What if you were to take a goal, and then turn the act of reaching that goal into a passionate obsession.

Wow. Imagine the results — imagine that feeling. Allowing the passion you held for that goal to overcome your daily life and activities and to actually influence your state of mind. Then — allowing that influence to become your most dominant thought, your obsession.

You may remember from a previous post that your attititude can be described as what you think about all day long — typically this is a multitude of things; but what if you were to allow your obsession with a thing that has become your passion to invade your dominant thoughts throughout the day — this new state of mind would become a part of your attitude, a part of yourself.

I want to transform my dreams into passionate obsessions. I want the thoughts that surround those dreams and the actions necessary to reach them to become so strong that they physically influence my state of mind and take hold of my dominant thoughts on a daily basis.

I want to become so passionate about my dreams, that I “won’t stop until I [reach them]“ –

What about you?

Each of us has a dream — many of us have several. Sadly, so many people walk through life day by day only to find themselves at the end and to realize they never got what they truly wanted out of life.

What is it that YOU truly want?

Take that dream, and write it on paper — put a deadline on it. Congratulations, you have just turned your dream into a goal.

Now take that goal and allow it to consume you. Draw a picture of it and look at it daily — allow the desire to reach that goal to become so strong in you that it becomes a passion — that it takes over and influences your mind in a way you have never been influenced before.

Become “uncontrolably excited” about your goal — and think on it, daily. Allow that passion to comsume you until you find that it has become an obsession. Allow that obsession to become so strong that you think on it “all day long” — become the master of your own dominant thoughts.

Then, in the state of your new passionate obsession, take the steps necessary to reach your goal — do not be deterred by set-backs or slow-moving… do not accept failure as an option.

Do this, then look up in 5 years, and marvel at what your life looks like.