Welcome…
First things first…thank you very much for your interest in my book.
I've been an entrepreneur for the better part of the past 20 years. I've been through a lot in the realm of business over that time. And when you go through a lot that also means that you've been learning a lot. So now that I have a solid 20 years under my belt as both a success and a failure as an entrepreneur, I felt that now is the time for me to write this book.
I recognize your unique individuality. I am therefore careful to point out that I do not proclaim this book to be a road map or blue print for success. This is not a "How To" book.
Rather, based on my many years of experience, I'm offering you truths, suggestions and observations I've used to reach a point in my life where I'd consider myself a success. Which also reminds me; you are a success when you consider yourself to be successful not when somebody else considers you successful. I ask that you never let anyone else define the word success for you; you can only define it for yourself. As you'll discover within the pages of this book, the word success, as you define it, is as unique as your thumbprint.
So again I thank you and ask that you please keep in touch and tell me what you think of both this book and the Easy Reader publishing model. The best way to reach me is through one of the links found below. Thank you…
Blog: http://www.DanielHerzner.com – visit my blog today where you will find a comprehensive library of well over 100 free eBooks
Facebook: http://www.DanielHerzner.com/facebook
Here’s the HONEST ABE Copyright
Notice…
This book is copyrighted material by Transformation Time Is Now, LLC and Daniel Herzner. This book belongs to you and you alone. You may not resell it or give it away. If you feel that somebody else would benefit from ownership of this book then I ask that you please direct them to my web site so that they can gain access to their own copy: http://www.APlumInTheSyrup.com
Is there any way that I can ensure you will follow this copyright notice? No there isn't.
But, if you are reading this notice and have not accessed this book for yourself then you are in violation of business decency. And, what comes around goes around so one
day you will get yours.
So, I’m assuming you have gotten your own copy of this book and your ownership of it will test your honesty.
I also ask that you not save the download link to this book in any social bookmark web sites.
I thank you for having gotten a copy of this book and for respecting this copyright notice.
Please be sure to check Appendix A after reading this book for a very special message.
Introduction
If there's any one thing I've learned about success over the years is that there is no secret formula. Throughout the pages of this book I'll be discussing a number of the things I see as integral to success. That's not to say that everything I touch upon is absolutely required.
In fact, will I touch on all traits found in a successful person? No, that would not be possible to accomplish in a single book.
Having said that, there are a number of traits common to all successful individuals: thinking successfully, using time wisely, hard work and the list goes on. However, the complete picture of what makes person A successful as opposed to what has enabled person B to become successful can be massively different.
The path you travel to success will be as unique as your thumb print. So there are two things you need to remember on your journey to success; what has worked for somebody else will not necessarily work for you and achieving your goals is not a contest, it's not a race. Don't measure your progress against anybody else. You are
100% unique so the path you travel will be 100% unique.
Allow me to clarify this some for you. I've been involved in real estate investing and I carved out a niche for myself in short sale investing (more on the importance of niches a bit later in the book). In case you're not familiar, short selling is a strategy commonly used when dealing with foreclosed real estate. If a property is in foreclosure and its
value is lower than the amount of money still owed to the bank, the lender or lenders on the property may be willing to take less than what is owed. This is referred to as short selling the property.
I learned short selling by taking a weekend foreclosure investing seminar. Everything insofar as locating foreclosed property, dealing ethically with the owner, structuring an offer for the lender, dealing with property appraisals, lining up new financing to pay off the note and all other facets of the transaction was neatly laid out. After attending this
seminar, short selling real estate seemed simple enough and seemed to make sense for all parties involved.
Well, what you learn inside of a seminar environment about short selling and what actually transpires in the real world differ drastically. I quickly came to the realization that every short sale situation is unique. Successfully closing foreclosed real estate by way of short selling is a transaction with a lot of moving parts and there are no two transactions that will play out exactly the same way.
All short sale transactions may start off the same way (a home owner is in foreclosure) and, if successfully executed, will end the same way (paying off the lender for what they've agreed to accept as payment). But everything else in the middle, from one short sale transaction to the next, is 100% unique. No two will ever play out exactly the same way.
And so it is with the journey each one of us will take to success. There are no two pathways to success which are exactly the same. How you define success may be completely different from how I would define it. And the path that you and I both take to get there will certainly be different. No two people will ever experience the same journey to the success they seek.
As in my short sale example above, you mustn't be pedantic about the path to success. Truthfully, there is no such thing anyway as the path. You can never allow yourself to say "hey, I'm doing exactly what I've been instructed to do, why isn't this working out?"
If only success were that easy.
I think every last one of us wants the best out of life. Who doesn't want a nicer "this" or a better "that" for themselves and their families? That wanting more from life is a common starting point for all of us. Sadly however, a shockingly low number of people will end up at that place they envision reaching.
There are a lot of moving parts in your individual journey to success. Your own journey is as unique as you are. So the purpose of this book is not to provide you with a blue
print for success. Rather, it is meant to inspire you, give you food for thought and hopefully, many suggestions you can use in your own journey.
You may take everything I say to heart and use it all to your advantage. You may take only a selection of the things I have to say and you may not adopt anything at all you'll discover in this book.
And that's OK. Because of your uniqueness, it's up to you to embrace that which makes the most sense for you. For example, some people love face to face selling while others are scared to death of the idea. Both people can become wildly successful and both will take wildly different paths to get there.
Your success is a culmination of everything you learn and everything you experience and how you apply those two things.
It's not possible for one single book, program or seminar to provide you with everything you'll individually need to become the success you dream of becoming. Therefore, you have to understand that your success is a never ending process of learning and discovery. I can only hope that this book is at the very least only a single rung in the ladder you use in your climb to the top.
At this point you may be looking at the example above I'd just given you on the unique journey we all must travel to a life of fulfillment. You might be thinking that, no, not everybody starts from the same spot. Look at somebody like Paris Hilton for example. What was her journey to success? Seems like she didn't have one, did she? You look at a Paris Hilton and you realize she was born into a life of wealth and privilege. There was really no starting point and really no journey. Abundance was immediately available to her the moment she was born.
On the opposite side of this argument, look at somebody like Clarence Thomas. His father took off when he was 2 and was left homeless at a very early age when the family's house burned down. Against all odds, his journey lead him to become only the second African American to sit on the Supreme Court.
Here's the point; the overwhelming majority of us were not born with a golden spoon in our mouths nor were we born into dire and desperate circumstances. So, I don't want you to become hung up on extremes. You won't be doing yourself any favors in your journey to success by looking at either extreme end of the spectrum – so put that out of your mind right now. It will help you to get more out of this book and to get more out of life.
There are many principles I've personally discovered to be true in living a life of achievement and I'll be sharing 17 of them with you in this book. Some of them – maybe many or most of them – are things you've already heard. And to that I say good! If that’s the case, it will only help you to re-familiarize yourself with these important success principles. After all, repetition is the mother of all learning.
I've heard it been said that there has been more information and reading material printed and published over the past 20 years then in all other previous years combined. I cannot say with certainty whether or not that is true. But, one thing I can say
unequivocally is that there is absolutely no shortage of reading material at your disposal today.
Forget about all the books in all the libraries and book stores around the world. And forget about the thousands and thousands of magazines and newspapers that are published daily, weekly and monthly. With the information age that we're living in, the internet alone enables us to access an endless supply of reading material on every last subject you can possibly think of. And we can access those materials with such ease that we so easily take for granted what the world wide web can bring onto our computer screens with the simple click of a mouse. It is truly remarkable and mind boggling when you really stop to think about it.
To say that our choices of available reading material is inordinate is nothing short of a massive understatement. With so much to read at your disposal, I am truly humbled that you’ve chosen to read this book. I thank you for spending some of your precious time with me. That you chose to read this book is a compliment far beyond the ability for
words to express. I really hope my simple "thank you" is enough to tell you how appreciative I am.
I have some things to tell you, things which I think you'll draw great value from, so I
hope you enjoy what I have to say.
Prologue
The definition of the word "success" is as unique and individualistic as the person who defines it. Being successful is not always about the money. Not even close.
Success is about living the life of your dreams whatever that might mean for you. It's about being perfectly content and honestly saying to yourself that you would change very little, if anything, about your existence.
If you think success comes down to how much a person has in the bank than you're sorely mistaken.
After all, can anyone argue with the success of Mother Theresa of Calcutta? She was admired by millions around the world. She met with dignitaries from many countries and was adored and admired by presidents and kings.
Did Mother Theresa have money? Did she want money? Can you tell me she wasn't a phenomenal success?
A person can be extraordinarily successful and live a very modest life. I think of a professor I'd had when I was a student in college. His name was Ed Beck; a professor of Economics at SUNY Oneonta in upstate New York. Prof. Beck made it a point to know each of his students by name. He had a love for his students and his subject and
it showed. By all accounts Ed Beck was an incredibly successful college professor. You could just tell that he was doing what he loved to do. Although Prof. Beck did not possess a great net worth he was still a great success.
At the same time, a person can live a very elite lifestyle but be miserable inside. We've all heard the story of the overworked executive who gives the outward appearance of a successful life. He lives in the 6000 square foot home with a Ferrari parked in the heated garage. He travels to meetings in far flung cities in a private jet. However, his home life is a wreck. His wife is lonely and miserable, because her husband is never around. His son is a derelict because dad's love and discipline was seldomly there for him. Despite his net worth being deep into the millions, can he be considered successful?
Albert Schweitzer said it like this: "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."
I'll say it again; being successful is not necessarily just about having money.
Success is about following your passion. It's about doing what it is you want to do. It's about being loved, admired and respected by those closest to you. It's about being able to look at yourself in the mirror and being unequivocally happy with the person looking back. Your own personal success can only be defined by you.
Having said that, the word success in our society has pretty much become synonymous with money. After all, money is the measuring stick commonly used to judge success. And there's nothing wrong with that. It is a materialistic world we live in and money is frequently required to live a good life. Matter of fact, money is required just to live period.
And money is neutral. Money won't make you bad and money won't make you good. What it will do is make you more of what you already are. If you're a kind and generous person then having more money will enable you to be more kind and generous. If you're an asshole and you become wealthy then chances are good you'll be an even bigger asshole. Money doesn't give a damn who you are and its accumulation is not reserved for one class or the other, one race or the other, one sex or the other.
Money, and lots of it, is out there floating around and it doesn't care where or who it goes to. A person with as kind a heart as The Pope can become wealthy as can a blood thirsty drug lord. A person with an above average intelligence can become wealthy as can the person who barely finished high school.
You can hold a lit match to a worn out, beat up old single and hold that same match to a crispy brand new hundred and they'll both go up in smoke. Money is neutral paper; nothing more, nothing less.
But, as the great Zig Ziglar has said, "money is not the most important thing in life but it does rank right up there with oxygen". Ah yes…money…what a popular, sought after thing this neutral paper is. There isn't much out there more popular than the almighty dollar.
But the accumulation of money should never be the driving force of your life. What should drive you is your passion. As long as you allow yourself to be driven by your passion, the accumulation of money will flow naturally along. You'll never be truly successful unless and until you're doing what you love.
There's something else worth mentioning here on the topic of money and the accumulation of wealth. As I write this sentence, the date is April 21, 2009. Not too long ago, back in December of last year, a guy by the name of Bernard Madoff was arrested by the authorities for orchestrating an investment fraud the likes of which have never before been seen.
I'm sure you're familiar with the story so I won't bother recapping it here. Even though Madoff is a swindler of epoch proportions he is only the tip of the iceberg. There are just too many stories of people grossly taking advantage of others in the name of accumulating money. There's the aforementioned Bernard Msoff, Sam Israel, Lou Pearlman, James Nicholson and the list just goes on and on and on.
What's the point? What good is accumulating wealth if you're doing so at the detriment of others? What good is having lots of money if you're compromising your freedom for it?
It just doesn't make sense to me. For me personally it is far more important that I be able to look my son in the eye and rest my head on the pillow at night knowing that nobody is being hurt by my actions. Sure, I desire great wealth for myself and my family but I'll be damned if anybody else is going to be hurt by my quest for success.
Look at money for what it is; a tool that can be used to improve the quality of life. Don't love money, rather, love the things that money can do for you. Love people and use money, not the other way around.
So as you read this book, understand that I use the word success frequently to mean the accumulation of money. But far more importantly, I want you to define success for yourself as only you can define it. Whether or not money is in your definition is only important to you. Don't ever let anybody else define the word "success" for you.
Having said that, I wish for you a life of success that reaches far beyond your wildest dreams. I sincerely hope that what you'll find within the pages of this book will help you to get there.
1 – Evolution Is The Key To Your Success
… your success is a reflection of the value you bring to others and your value is a direct reflection of your skill set. The more valuable your skill set, the better your chances of high achievement.
I can sum up this entire chapter in a 7 seemingly simple word phrase: to have more, you must become more.
This is a truth which transcends everything else if your definition of success includes the accumulation of wealth. Is that you? Does your definition of success include a large bank account? If so, read these words again and let them really sink in: to have more, you must become more.
Look, everybody wants more from life but only a very small percentage of us are willing to do what is actually required to get it. If you're willing to accept what I'm about to tell you as the definitive truth to having your heart's desire, then everything you want to achieve in life – and more – will be yours.
If you’re expecting this to be some complicated, drawn out formula then, I’m sorry to say, you’re out of luck.
The fact is, any and all success in life can be boiled down to a two step process. The process is ALWAYS the same. The process, at times, is more involved, more detailed than at other times but it always remains the same.
By the time you’re through reading this chapter, you’ll know the exact success formula that anybody who has ever achieved their dream life has already used. What I'm saying here is not hype and I assure you that if you take this advice to heart, then you’re ultimate success is a foregone conclusion.
What's really nice about the formula I'm about to give you is that it can be used by employees to garner higher wages and professional advancement and entrepreneurs to command higher fees of their clients.
The process I’m about to reveal does not discriminate; it can be applied equally by anyone regardless of age, sex, race, religion, background, education level or any other “obstacle” you think might be standing in your way. I can promise you that if you apply what I’m about to give you with consistency then your success is a certainty.
To begin, understand this: your success is a reflection of the value you bring to others and your value is a direct reflection of your skill set. The more valuable your skill set, the better your chances of high achievement. For example, an auto mechanic stands a better chance of earning more than a day laborer and an attorney stands a better chance of earning more than an auto mechanic. The reason for this is obvious. The marketplace is willing to pay higher prices for greater skills. And, the more specialized the skill one can bring to their area of expertise, the more they can expect to get paid for their service.
It’s important you understand that the marketplace will always pay you what you’re worth and never a penny more. If you want to make more, then you must become more. From this observation we can conclude that the first part of the success formula is to make yourself more valuable by improving upon your skill set. Adding value to your skill set means learning something new – acquiring more knowledge – about your area of expertise or developing a new area of expertise altogether.
In general terms, the more specialized – or niche – your chosen area of expertise, the greater your probability of earning a higher income. I say "in general terms" because how you choose to niche yourself will, in large part, determine your ultimate level of success. For example, the woman who niches herself in a specific, highly sought after
area of international law stands a better chance of great success than the person who chooses a niche in the area of crochet.
Equally important to the concept of improving your value to other is the avoidance of stagnation. You’ll want to add to your skill set in perpetuity. Once you’ve taken the initiative to enhance your value then keep the momentum moving forward. There is always an opportunity to expand your knowledge of a particular subject. There is always the opportunity to become better at what you do. The more knowledge you acquire, the more valuable you become.
Acquiring knowledge is the first part of the success formula, applying that knowledge is the second part. After all, what good is acquired knowledge if it’s not put to good use? But, many people neglect this crucial step. I offer you the following example to illustrate this point.
Let’s say you decide to get involved in real estate investing. You know that real estate can make for a dynamic investment and many people who know their stuff have become wealthy in real estate. So you buy a book to learn more about the topic. The book was good, it was informative but you determine you need to know more so you purchase a real estate training course or attend a seminar. You study the course and it looks like foreclosure investing is an interesting niche. So, you buy another book specifically on how to buy and sell foreclosed property. After all, you owe it to yourself to know as much as possible about this complex subject matter.
However, after a while, things at work have gotten really busy and whatever free time you may’ve had is spent taking care of the kids. So, in the end, your aspirations of becoming a real estate investor are placed on the back burner – life has simply gotten in the way.
Does this scenario sound familiar? Have you ever let this type of thing happen to you or perhaps you know someone whom this story describes? The truth is, anyone who reads two books and studies a course on real estate investing has built up a great deal of knowledge on the subject. They probably know more on the topic than most other people they’ll ever come in contact with. But sadly, all that acquired knowledge will go to
waste because the knowledge was never given a fair chance – it was never applied and used.
Sometimes, along these same lines, what’s called analysis paralysis will hold someone back from achieving more. So much time is spent getting ready to get ready that no meaningful action is ever taken. There are many underlying reasons why we, as human beings, hold ourselves back from accomplishing more with our lives – we'll touch upon some of these reasons throughout the remainder of this book. It could be fear of failure or, oddly enough, fear of success. It could be the potential pain of getting out of our comfort zone. It could be just about any excuse we might want to tell ourselves. But, in the end, action not taken is opportunity lost.
To recap, the universal success formula can always be boiled down to a two step process: 1) acquire new knowledge and skills and 2) apply the acquired knowledge and skills.
In a later chapter entitled "Keep It Real" we'll go into greater detail on the importance of keeping things in their proper perspective. But, it's important to note at this time that there is no such thing as an evolutionary silver bullet. Your evolution toward higher success will come about as a result of deliberate steps you need to take to make yourself more valuable to the marketplace.
Along the way you will discover what's known as "ah-ha" moments. Those are the moments when you discover some useful bit of knowledge that you know, when applied, can help move yourself towards higher success. But, do not expect one book, one course or one anything else to catapult you to that place you're striving to reach.
Think of it in terms of Darwin's theory of evolution. Knuckle dragging cavemen did not suddenly wake up one day to find that they'd become modern man. There was a definite evolution which took place.
Here are a few final thoughts: the knowledge and skills you choose to acquire will have a direct impact on your value to others. The more specialized or niche your skills, the more valuable those skills are likely to be. And, always, always add to your skill set.
For example, an interior painter can make himself more valuable by learning faux finishes. He can make himself more valuable still by learning Venetian plastering techniques and so on.
You will always be compensated according to the value you're able to deliver to other people and never a penny more. Every next level of income you wish to reach demands a new you.
You hold the key – it’s all up to you. You can either survive or you can thrive. You alone will determine which path you’ll take based on how valuable a resource you are to others.
2 – No Excuses
You and you alone, can hold yourself back from greater accomplishment. There is no outside force or circumstance, there is no other individual or no other "thing" that can keep you back. You can only do it to yourself.
In the previous section we talked about the importance of expanding your personal value. There really is no other way around it; if you want more you must become more.
And truthfully, there is no such thing as a force so powerful which can hold you back from making yourself a more valuable person. The ability to grow yourself without limits is your birth right.
However, in actuality, there is one force that can hold you back from greater accomplishment. And this is a force that only you can marshal. You have to be made aware of this force because it wields unmitigated power over you.
This force I speak of is you. You and you alone, can hold yourself back from greater accomplishment. There is no outside force or circumstance, there is no other individual or no other "thing" that can keep you back. You can only do it to yourself.
You are the one who can propel yourself on to live the life you dream of or the one to hold yourself back to live a life of mediocrity. And which path you choose will be determined by whether or not you go out and make things happen or you make excuses.
That's really what it will all come down to. Because you can make excuses or you can make things happen but you won't be able to do both.
The force you hold over yourself to keep yourself back from accomplishment comes out in the form of excuses. Big ones, little ones; it doesn't matter. All excuses are detrimental to your success. And, you should find no excuse you'd ever tell yourself acceptable.
So as an example, in th