Chapter 93

The Extra Mile

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Today's Empowering Quote
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"There is no joy in getting by on your job - doing as little as you can.  There is a LOT of pleasure in doing more than you have to.  'And whosoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him twain,' says the Bible, wisely."
-Norman Carlisle

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Today's Empowering Question
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"How will I be changed by doing my best at this task?  What will I think of myself?"

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Today's Fast Session
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When we were doing the research for our audio program, Financial Abundance Now!, I was stunned by a few bits of information researchers Thomas Stanley and William Danko had published in their 2 million copy best seller, 'The Millionaire Next Door'.

Among their many remarkable insights gained by interviewing first generation millionaires (not inherited) for 20 years was that even though Russian households in America account for only 1.1% of all households, 5.8% of all households in America with a net worth of one million dollars or more were of Russian ancestry.

So Russians in America are 5 times more likely to become wealthy in America than the average American household.

It's a prosperity mindset.  And that translates into action and wise financial decisions.

Interestingly, in America, 80% of all wealthy households are first generation rich. Only 20% are second generation or beyond.

What does this mean?

Well, one thing it means, according to Stanley and Danko, is that by the 2nd and 3rd generations most of the wealth is usually gone.  Pfffft! Spent.

See, if the kids are born here, the society orients them not to the value of hard work, or of sacrificing for the good of their family, not with teaching values of thrift.  We're conditioned here to be good consumers... to spend it.

All of it.

Hey, man. When the economy is in the doldrums and you're in serious danger of losing your job, SPEND! Don't get another job.  Help the economy and spend all your spare time spending all your money!  Put other people to work serving you... 'Cause you deserve a break today!

That's no joke.

Honestly, this session wasn't supposed to be about finances. The actual topic revolves around the Empowering Quote and Question.  The subject is interchangeable.  It can be about money, relationships, career, health or spirituality... you plug in your own topic.

Finances just provide an interesting backdrop to how the typical person in America views tasks - any task besides leisure pursuits.

Not to say we don't put in long hours.  Studies show we "work" longer than ever before. But our performance as it compares to what we're capable of doing is, well... it sucks.

The average person hates doing things that could actually give them a better life - things that could give them true freedom of choice.

Listen... the floor you've got to refinish, the walls that you're painting, the book you have to read and the test on those chapters are the greatest gift you could ever be
given.

I remember how I used to avoid labor of any kind.

My habitual inner thoughts were,

'How come I have to do this?'
'Gosh, they're picky. It's good enough.'
'Why can't someone else do this? He hates me.'
'I'm too good for this.'
'Oh, I can't wait until this is over.'
'I can't do that. It's too hard.'
'I'll never get this done.'
'What can I spend this money on?'
'The boss is gone. Let's take a break.'
'I'll do it tomorrow when it's cooler outside.'

And I woke up each day dumber than the day before.

Man, your tasks are a part of life.  If you shirk your responsibilities, other people may get hurt, but think of it this way.  You might "get out of" doing something, but
you are hurting yourself more than anyone else.

I was the laziest person alive.  Many people told me that. I was forced to live in a van because of it.  I was drugged out, drunk and stupid for years, yet with some neat technology, turned it all around and now have choices than 99.999% of all living people don't have.

Why?

Because I began to believe that responsibilities were a blessing instead of a curse.

Dirty floor?  Wow!  Cleaning it will be more practice at being like people I admire... 'do it now' people.

Build a garage?  Cool.  Think of the space we'll have after it's done. I'll have acquired some great skills, too.

Tearing down, moving and re-installing thirteen office cubicles? Ooh, lots of work. But we'll be so much more productive when it's done.  Tons of benefits.  Awesome!

What will I think of myself if I do the best job I'm capable of?  What will I think of myself if I put in a halfway effort?

You see, when you do less than your best on a regular basis, you see who you are. You can't hide from yourself.  Deep inside we all know what top performance looks like - what it feels like inside.

And I'm telling you that your tasks aren't punishment from the gods.  They're valuable practice for when it really matters.  Every thing you do, no matter how small, creates your character.  Your self-image is built from how well or how poorly you do the jobs in your life.  Your gorgeous blond hair doesn't improve your self-image.  Your actions do.

When you leave the kitchen table a mess every day, you're creating a destiny. If you start lots of stuff, but finish little, you're watching.  You may be ignoring it consciously, but your subconscious mind knows and one more  grain of sand is put on the "Loser" side of the scale in your mind.

Get angry a lot?  Ever wonder why?  It's not because of what others have done to you.  It's often from watching people in your same station in life gaining characteristics and opportunities you wish you had but never made work.

It's impossible to act like a loser, to perform poorly at even unimportant tasks and feel like a winner.

The truth is, there are no unimportant tasks.  None. Every one is practice for the next one, training to help prepare you for more challenging, more rewarding opportunities.  Practice bad habits day in and day out, and you cannot perform well or make correct decisions when you need to.

Every little short cut you take - Every time you lie to someone to cover up a mistake - Every time you take something that isn't yours, YOU are watching.  No, you may not get "caught" by someone else. But you caught you.

And that is a whole lot worse.

Ever start to achieve success in some arena of life only to sabotage it?  Try to quit a habit but always go back to it?  Does this happen over and over?

It's probably because you've caught yourself failing so often, that when you do start to succeed, since you now don't see yourself as a success, your mind literally forces
the failure oriented behaviors.

I know today's session was a bit of a pummeling.  But the best coaches and leaders who ever lived don't pull punches.  You must assess yourself honestly and understand the implications of every action you take, or you will consistently be in spots you can't get out of.  Success in life comes from knowing how to duplicate success from one area of life in another area.  Master success in one area and you've created the ability to do it in many other parts.  You just need to know the core formulas.

We talked about some critical areas just now.  Pay attention to them.  It's vital to your life. Success and happiness are not mysterious.

It can be predictable. Ask any Russian American.

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Today's Winning Beliefs
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-- I'm doing what is best for me and those important to me today
-- I see myself as a winner and do the things winners do
-- I love solving difficult challenges
-- I am disciplined... that is why I'm successful
-- My willpower is growing every day
-- My tasks in life are my most valuable blessings

 

 

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