THE21 SUCCESSSECRETS OF$ELF-MADEMILLIONAIRE$ episode (05)
1291 Words
Dedicate Yourself
to Lifelong
Learning
Continuous learning is the minimum
requirement for success in any field.
—DENIS WAITLEY
YOU HAVE A virtually unlimited capacity to learn and
improve in your chosen field. You have more brains,
ability, and intelligence than you could ever use if you
were to work on developing yourself for the rest of
your life. You are smarter than you can even imagine.
There is no obstacle that you cannot overcome, no
problem you cannot solve, and no goal you cannot
achieve by applying the power of your mind to your
situation.
But your mind is like a muscle. It develops only
with use. Just as you have to strain your physical muscles to build them, you have to work your mental
muscles to build your mind as well. The good news is
that the more you learn, the more you can learn. Just
like the more you play a sport, the better you get at
the sport. The more you dedicate yourself to lifelong
learning, the easier it is for you to learn even more.
Leaders are learners. Continuous learning is the
key to the 21st century. Lifelong learning is the minimum requirement for success in your field or in any
field. Make a decision today that you are going to become a student of your craft and that you are going to
continue learning and becoming better for the rest of
your life.
There are three keys to lifelong learning. The first
key is to read in your field for at least 30 to 60 minutes
each day. Reading is to the mind as exercise is to the
body. Reading for an hour each day will translate into
about one book per week. One book per week will
translate into 50 books per year. Fifty books per year
will translate into 500 books over the next 10 years.
Since the average adult reads less than one book
per year, when you begin reading one hour per day,
one book per week, this alone will give you an incredible edge in your field. You will become one of the
smartest, most competent, and highest paid people in
your profession by simply reading one hour each day.
The second key to lifelong learning is to listen to
audio programs in your car as you drive from place to
place. The average person sits behind the wheel in his or her car 500 to 1,000 hours per year. This is the
equivalent of 12 to 24 forty-hour weeks, or as much as
three to six months of working time that you spend in
your car. This is the equivalent of one to two full-time
semesters at a university.
Turn your car into a learning machine, into a university on wheels. Never let your car motor be running without an educational audio program playing.
Many people have become millionaires through the
miracle of audio learning. This is why audio learning
is often called the greatest breakthrough in education
since the invention of the printing press.
A third key to lifelong learning is to attend every
course and seminar you can possibly find that can
help you to be better in your field.* The combination
of books, audio programs, and seminars will enable
you to save hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars, and many years of hard work, in achieving the
level of financial success that you desire.
Make a decision today to become a lifelong learner.
You will be amazed at the effect that it has in your career. Lifelong learning can be a major factor in your
becoming a self-made millionaire.
*To attend Brian Tracy’s exciting two-day seminar on becoming a millionaire, see p. 81 ACTION EXERCISE
Select a subject that can really help
you to be more productive and effective in your field. Set a goal to master
this subject. Make it a “do-it-toyourself” project. Then, read on this
subject every day. Listen to audio programs on the subject. Attend courses
on the subject. Work on this project
as if your future depends on it, because it does!
2nd portion
PayYourself First
A part of all you earn is yours to keep,
and if you cannot save money, the
seeds of greatness are not in you.
—W. CLEMENT STONE
RESOLVE TODAY THAT you are going to save and invest
at least 10 percent of your income throughout your
working life. Take 10 percent of your income off the
top of your paycheck each time you receive one and
put it into a special account for financial accumulation. The fact is that if you save just $100 per month
throughout your working lifetime and you invest that
money in an average mutual fund that grows at 10 percent per annum, you will be worth more than one million dollars by the time you retire. This means that
anyone, even a person earning minimum wage, if he
or she starts early enough and saves long enough, can
become a millionaire over the course of his or her
working lifetime. Developing the lifelong habit of saving and investing your money is not easy. It requires tremendous
determination and willpower. You have to set it as a
goal, write it down, make a plan, and work on it all the
time. But once this practice locks in and becomes automatic, your financial success is virtually assured.
Practice frugality, frugality, frugality in all things.
Be very careful with every penny. Question every expenditure. Delay or defer every important buying decision for at least a week, if not a month. The longer
you put off making a buying decision, the better your
decision will be and the better price you will get at
that time.
A major reason that people retire poor is because
of impulse buying. They see something they like and
they buy it with very little thought. They become victims of what is called “Parkinson’s Law,” which says
that “expenses rise to meet income.” This means that
no matter how much you earn, you tend to spend that
much and a little bit more besides. You never get
ahead and you never get out of debt.
But you don’t have to be a victim of Parkinson’s
Law. If you cannot save 10 percent of your income,
start today by saving 1 percent of your income in a
special savings and investment account. Put it away at
the beginning of each month, even before you begin
paying down your debts. Live on the other 99 percent
of your income. As you become comfortable living on 99percent, raise your savings level to 2 percent of
your income, then 3 percent and 4 percent, and so on.
Within one year, you will be saving 10 percent and
maybe even 15 percent or 20 percent of your income
and living comfortably on the balance. At the same
time, your savings and investment account will start
to grow. You will become more careful about your expenditures, and your debts will begin to be paid off.
Within a year or two, your entire financial life will be
under your control and you will be on your way to becoming a self-made millionaire. This process has
worked for everyone who has ever tried it. Try it and
see for yourself. ACTION EXERCISE
Open a special account for financial
accumulation today. Make a deposit
in this account, no matter how small.
Then, look for every opportunity to
add to this account. Begin to study
money so that you understand how to
make it grow. Read books and magazines by experts on the subject. Never
stop saving, learning, and growing
until you become financially independent
Learn Every
Detail of Your
Business
- Writer
