Frank Rodriguez

Your success in life will be largely determined by your ability to find your true calling, the right work for you to do, and then putting your whole heart into doing it very well.

The happiest people are those who have carefully thought through who they are, what they want, where they are going, and then decided exactly what they need to do to get to their goal. Asking yourself five targeted questions can help you home in on whatever path is right for you.

#1: What do I do easily and well?

When you are seeking your true calling, you must look at the activities that have always been easy for you but which have been difficult for others. Often, you will get comments and compliments on how well you do a particular task. You will be surprised when you hear those remarks, because you never even thought about it that much. It just seemed natural for you from the very beginning.

My daughter is a natural and spontaneous little actress. From the time she was three or four years old, she has memorized lines and acted in every school play and function that has ever come up. In fact, by the time she was six, she was memorizing every line in the school play, not only her own but the lines of every other child. When the other children forgot their lines, Christina would whisper them and keep the play on track.

When Christina was 11 years old, she appeared at a city council meeting and gave a speech in favor of a permit allowing her school to expand. She stood up at the meeting, on a chair, in front of 150 adults, and gave an impassioned little talk. As a result, the permit was granted – and Christina was on the front page of two newspapers the following day.

#2: What are the things that I have done in life that have been most responsible for my success?

In looking back over your work and your activities, what are the things you have done that have given you the greatest rewards and satisfaction? If you work for a company, what are the activities you have engaged in that have achieved the very best results for yourself and your company? Your previous success experiences are signposts pointing to the sort of things that you should be doing more and more of if you want to deploy yourself more fully for greater happiness and satisfaction in life.

#3: What would I do differently, knowing what I know now?

Is there anything that you are currently doing that you wouldn’t start up again if you had to do it over? Is there any relationship that you are in that you wouldn’t get into if you could make the choice today? Is there any job or part of any job that you are doing that you would not embark upon, knowing what you now know, if you had to do it over?

As many as 95 percent of people working today are under-employed, not working to their full capacity for themselves and their companies. Only 5 percent, when interviewed, will say that they are working fully extended at their current job. Only 5 percent feel that their entire potential is being consumed and that they are working on the outer edge of their abilities. These people also tend to be the happiest, the highest paid, and the most fulfilled in any organization or enterprise.

#4: What work would I choose to do if I won a million dollars, cash, in the lottery tomorrow?

This is a question I sometimes ask my seminar audiences. When you hear this question, your gut reaction is a good indicator of where you are today and possibly where you should be going in the future. Most people, when they think of winning a million dollars, think of quitting their current job and doing something else. There is nothing wrong with that. Since most people have backed into their current jobs, taking them because they just happened to be there at the time a job was needed, most people probably should be doing something else.

Napoleon Hill once said the key to success in America is to find out what you really enjoy doing, and then find a way to make a good living at it. What do you most love to do?

Successful people don’t feel like they work at all. They are doing what they love to do, and they are so busy doing it that their work becomes their play. Their work life and their personal life blends together like a hand fitting neatly into a glove. There is no separation. They are totally committed individuals who are accomplishing far more in a shorter period of time than the average person who is merely going through the motions.

#5: If I were absolutely guaranteed tremendous success in any job I chose, what field would I go into?

One of the major reasons people hold themselves back from doing what they are truly meant to do is that they are afraid they will fail in some way. And being afraid that you will fail is the surest guarantor that you will fail.

But what if you are absolutely guaranteed success in any field you choose? What would it be? What would you want to do if you had unlimited time, unlimited resources, and guaranteed success?

The answer to that question should cause you to tingle a little bit. It should make your stomach flutter. It should send a thrill of excitement and anticipation through you that tells you this is the job you should be doing.

Asking and answering the above five questions can change your life.

You have within you talents and abilities so vast that you could never use them all if you lived to be a thousand. You have natural skills and talents that can enable you to overcome any obstacle and achieve any goal you could ever set for yourself. There are no limits on what you can be, have, or do if you find your true calling.

When you become one of the few people who are doing what they love to do, who are totally absorbed in doing something they really care about, you will make more progress in a couple of years than the average wage slave makes in five or 10 years. You will come to the attention of people who can help you and open doors for you. You will be happy and fulfilled in both your work and your personal relationships. You will have more energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. You will unlock your true potential, and your future will become unlimited.

LINK: http://www.briantracy.com/

For the first 11 years of so of my married life, we struggled with poverty. Not third world poverty, but we certainly qualified for all kinds of government programs for the poor and needy.

Right now, you may not be facing poverty like that, but my guess is that you are concerned about your money. You would like to see it increase and be stead for many, many years to come, yes?

Today, I’m going to share with you the #1 reason I was steeped in poverty. I will then tell you exactly how I broke out of poverty’s death grip.

ARTICLE LINK: http://www.awaionline.com/2012/05/the-1-reason-for-my-poverty/

CHAPTER 10

POWER OF THE MASTER MIND

THE DRIVING FORCE

The Ninth Step toward Riches

POWER is essential for success in the accumulation of money.

PLANS are inert and useless, without sufficient POWER to translate them into ACTION. This chapter will describe the method by which an individual may attain and apply POWER.

POWER may be defined as “organized and intelligently directed KNOWLEDGE.” Power, as the term is here used, refers to ORGANIZED effort, sufficient to enable an individual to transmute DESIRE into its monetary equivalent. ORGANIZED effort is produced through the coordination of effort of two or more people, who work toward a DEFINITE end, in a spirit of harmony.

POWER IS REQUIRED FOR THE ACCUMULATION OF MONEY! POWER IS NECESSARY FOR THE RETENTION OF MONEY AFTER IT HAS BEEN ACCUMULATED!

LINK:  http://www.sacred-texts.com/nth/tgr/tgr15.htm

NOTE: Great chapter to read.

Franklin’s book – and the success formula in it – has influenced countless people since then, including top salesman, motivational speaker, and author Frank Bettger.

Bettger dedicated the last chapter of his own bestseller, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling, to Franklin’s success secrets. He writes that he’d never met anyone who actually used Franklin’s system.

Surprising because Franklin dedicates 15 pages of his autobiography to it, more than he dedicates to any other subject. He even writes that he hopes “some of my descendants may follow the example and reap the benefit.”

What was Franklin’s formula?

He chose 13 subjects that he felt were necessary for him to master. Each week, he gave strict attention to each subject one at a time. Franklin’s reasoning was that it would be best not to scatter your attention by attempting all 13 at once.

In the 14th week, he’d start over again. He’d repeat this cycle four (13 X 4 = 52) times the first year.

In the second year, because it was ingrained in him, Franklin found he only had to go through the cycle once. In ensuing years, he’d repeat it once every several years. Doing so kept Franklin from inadvertently forgetting about one or more of the subjects and kept him focused on improving in all thirteen areas.

Bettger decided to follow Franklin’s formula. But since the subjects on Franklin’s list didn’t all apply to Bettger, he customized the list. He kept six of Franklin’s topics and added seven new ones.

Then Bettger wrote down each principle on a 3″x 5″card with a brief summary of its principles. With each week, Bettger says, he got a clearer understanding of his subject. Plus, his business became more interesting and exciting.

Now, Bettger was a salesman. So he geared his list to his profession.

And just like he derived his list from Franklin’s by modernizing and customizing it, I’ve put together a list that is more suitable for a writer:

1. Enthusiasm
2. Order: self-organization
3. Think in terms of others’ interests
4. Prospecting
5. Social media
6. Improving my website
7. Self-discipline and boosting productivity
8. Knowledge of my business
9. Sincerity, appreciation, gratitude, acts of kindness, and praise
10. Smile: happiness
11. Focus on opportunities, not problems
12. Enhancing my reputation
13. Self-confidence

Why not give it a try? Change the above list in any way you feel fits you best. Write each topic on a 3″x 5″ card with a brief summary of its principles. Each week, pay extra attention to that particular topic.

For example, in the enthusiasm week, Bettger recommends you look at yourself in the mirror each morning and say, “Force yourself to act enthusiastic, and you’ll become more enthusiastic.” Then whatever you do during that week, pay special attention to do it enthusiastically. Write with enthusiasm. Prospect with enthusiasm. Do everything with a flair that shows people how happy you are to be alive.