Showing posts with label Billionaire Advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Billionaire Advice. Show all posts

Friday, November 6, 2009

Success Leaves Clues - 20 Questions to Help You Find Success


I just heard this quote while listening to a teleconference about the top five mistakes people make online and how to avoid them:

"Success leaves clues."

I believe the first person I heard say this was Tony Robbins. It's an interesting quote. The point is to look at how people or companies become successful and see if there are techniques used in their line of business that might be used in your line of business.

Some of the best ways to ensure success is to master techniques of those who win.

For example, to succeed online, you don't start and stop. You keep going no matter what. It is not easy to do when the rent is due and the bank account is low. SO, figure out your plan to ensure your success before you ever launch.

If you want to be successful, you've got to DO it. You can't just TRY it, you have to DO it. Remember Yoda (Star Wars) said "there is no try; there is only do or not do."

Commit! Don't start and stop. Get in and stay in.

What are you doing? Are you following the clues of those who blazed a trail before you? Even if you're blazing a new trail (a good idea) are you taking techniques used by people who succeeded in similar businesses?

I'm a sucker for documentaries, but especially documentaries about how great people, bands, companies, and leaders became great. What did they do? What challenges did they face? How did they overcome their struggles to succeed?

So, now, let's apply this right now in our own life.

Pick a mentor, say, Amelia Earhart. Or a leader of a company you admire, such as Steve Jobs and Apple. Now, start looking at what that person did when they succeeded.

Ask these 20 questions to identify the clues to your mentor's success:

  1. Challenges: what challenge or need were they trying to fill or meet?
  2. Commitment: when did they commit to meet the challenge and how did that decision impact their success?
  3. Obstacles: what obstacles to success stood in their path?
  4. Tools: what tools did they use to succeed?
  5. Values: what were their values?
  6. Differentiators: what made them different? How did they use their uniqueness to their advantage? What did they do that was NEW in their industry?
  7. Copy/Creation: what did they copy or need to learn in order to create their solution?
  8. Coaching: who were THEIR mentors?
  9. Money: how did they finance their project or pay their bills when times were rough? How did they use money or create systems to fund their operations?
  10. Value: what value did they give? At what standard did it match - 2x? 5x? 10x?
  11. Public Relations: how were they unique in the way they spun their story?
  12. Timing: in what ways did they put themselves in position to win?
  13. Team: what type of team did they build? What made it unique or particularly adept at meeting the challenge? Who coached them?
  14. Network: what type of network were they leveraging?
  15. Competition: who were their primary competitors? How did competitors impact their ability to succeed?
  16. Product (or service): in what ways was their product superior to any other product?
  17. Failures: in what ways did they fail?
  18. Coping: how did they cope with failure? What did they learn from their failures? How did they remain persistent when things looked bleak?
  19. Wins: in what ways did they win? How did they capitalize on that success?
  20. Gratitude: how did they express gratitude? How did they celebrate their wins?
Go back and study your leader and plug in the answers to each of these questions as you find them. See what I mean? These questions will help you succeed by identifying the key aspects of performance exhibited by WINNERS.

Take any great leader, team, group, company, or organization, and you can break down their success by asking these questions. Within the answers to these questions lie the clues for your own success.

Now, you'll be armed with INFORMATION to succeed.

But information is not enough. You must ACT.

When we don't just look for clues but actually use them, we're likely to find new success. So DO. Commit. Be who you want to be.

Bonus tip: look at ANY world class performer, leader, or player. Look at what they do to be successful. Look at who makes the least money. Look at who makes the most money. In almost every case, the person who makes the most money HAS A COACH.

Do you have a coach? I offer coaching, on a very limited basis one to one, but mostly in groups these days. Contact me through scott [at] aspirenow (dot) com to discuss coaching. Find someone who can mentor and coach you. Make sure that coach is someone who has been there and done that successfully. Get that person on board with you and start to use their pearls of wisdom.

P.S. this is NOT the way people should write articles!
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Thursday, March 20, 2008

How To Test Out Of College

I Finished College In 5 Years.

Had I exited a year earlier, I figure that in my industry I would have earned an extra $40,000. Well, I can tell you that I didn't gain that many more friends by staying in college (in fact, I'm no longer in contact with any of the friends made that last year). Not only that, I can also tell you that finishing a year earlier would have put me ahead of the curve on problems coming up in the economy that made my life quite a bit more difficult. In addition, by earning $40,000 more, and not PAYING more for college, I could have significantly impacted my ability to buy a house sooner, by a better car sooner, and even more.

Simply put, I feel that I could have improved my life by finishing college at least a year earlier.

Do you agree?

Whether a parent, advising their child on career choices, or a student facing more education, this advice may benefit you.

Opportunities Can Pass You By...

Question: What's unique about this list of billionaires?

Sir Richard Branson (Founder of Virgin companies, and CEO of Virgin Airlines), Dean Kamen (Inventor of Segway and holder of over 80 Patents), Bill Gates and Paul Allen (Founders of Microsoft), Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple Computer), Ralph Lauren (Founder of Polo Ralph Lauren), Larry Ellison (CEO/Founder of Oracle), Michael Dell (Dell Computer), Kirk Kerkorian (Casinos).

Answer: they all quit college early.

I wonder what would have happened had these guys not opted out early.
Is is possible to learn from a Rich Jerk? Possibly. (I know, these guys are all great, but doesn't part of you wonder...?) Personally, I'd rather test-out than opt-out.
Now, even more importantly, you have an opportunity to get out of college early by TESTING OUT rather than DROPPING OUT. What's great about testing out? Well, you complete the mission. It's important to finish what we start. Below, I've put together an even more extensive list of why this would matter for most college students.

More reasons to test out early:

1. You save money through reduced tuition costs.
2. You get in less debt through fewer student loans.
3. You save money on living expenses.
4. You start making money sooner.
5. You get a jump-start on your career.
6. You still get a degree.
7. Spend less time sitting through boring classes.

Learn How to Test Out Of College

Are you anxious to get out of college more quickly and start taking on the world with your dreams? Why sit through boring classes, waste more money, and loose out on opportunities that could be yours when you could finish college and get your degree by testing out early?
Learn how to finish college FAST! 98% of participants in this program test out at least 1 year early. Skip a full-year of college or more with advice from this program:


Here are a few testimonials from this program:

"Thanks to your guides, I earned 15 CLEP credits and I am in my last class! You all have great stuff. Thanks! " -Dana

“Your guide was extremely helpful, even more so than the more expensive CLEP study guides I also purchased..I passed with flying colors.” - Gail

"..You saved me about $700 and an extra semester in college!" - Lisa

"Excellent Study Aids. Best I have Used! Thanks!!" - Hale

"The guides are very well put together...all I could ask for!" - John
If you're considering exiting college early, why wait another day?


Sure, there are programs discussing ways to "get rich quick" by alleged college dropouts. Rather than follow a dropout "guru's advice" you might want to just consider testing out. It's the ethical way to finish college early AND get your degree.

I'm always interest to know about people who dropout of college early - the ethical way! Please let me know how the program works for you.
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Advice provided is for entertainment purposes. We recomment you consult your career counsellor before decided what choice is best for you with your education. Photo of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates at D5 is courtesy Wikipedia.

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