Last night, I was reading a book published by Worldlink Marketing Corporation. The title of the book is,”You Can Be Rich.” It provides practical guidelines and information for those who want to be financially independent.There is a chapter in the book that caught my attention, and this is what I will share with you.
Secret #1 Learn the Value of Time
Time is a very important tool for you to be rich. At present, many people are using it in a wrong way. They want to get wealthy in the shortest time as possible.
However, to be wealthy doesn’t work that way. It takes time to earn money, and to let it grow. While you are still young, save or invest money in government bonds, mutual funds, stocks, and even banks. The younger you are, the more opportunity you will have.
Secret #2 Set Lifelong Goals
Do you have goals in your life?
I remember the story of John Gokongwei Jr. the founder of JG Summit Holdings. Despite of his young age, he continued to work hard because he had a goal in his life.
If you want to be rich, then set lifelong goals for your life. Picture yourself in five or ten years from now.
Do you want to be a successful businessman? Do you want to be promoted in your job?
A person without a goal is like a plane flying without a direction.Once you have a goal, stick to it, and strive to reach it.
Sometimes you will encounter problems and circumstances that will make you discourage. However, do not give up. Just keep moving while focusing on your goals.
Secret #3 Stay out of Debt
Do you have a habit of always borrowing money? If you have that kind of habit, then it is time for you to stop it.
Having debt will give you stress and you will be like a slave of your lender. The reason why many people fell into debt is because they spend more than they earned.
Dr. Francisco in his book, “Wealth Within Your Rich,”listed down the reasons why many people are getting broke. Here are some of the things:
- People buy things that they do not need.
- People do not make a budget.
- People use their credit cards unwisely.
- People invest their money in get rich quick schemes.
A good example is the story of Manny Villar. He borrowed 10,000 pesos as a capital so he can start his gravel and sand business at age 25. At present, he is one of the richest entrepreneur in the Philippines.
But if you will borrow money just for the sake of self gratification and enjoyment, then it is an unwise decision. So if possible, stay out of debt.
Secret #4 Learn to Accept Failure – Successfully
Thomas Watson, the founder of IBM once said,”If you want to be successful faster, you must double your rate of failure.” If you want to be financially successfully, then learn to accept failure.
If you will ask those world renowned business persons how they reach the top, they will have a common answer: “they made their failures a learning experience.”
To fail is a part of human experience and no one can escape it. It only depends on the person how it will be accepted. If you will experience it, then take it as your learning growth. Make it as your inspiration for you to be a more stronger person. Use it as your stepping stone for success.
Secret #5 Develop Winning Attitudes and Habits
If you want to be successful in what you are doing, then you must develop a winning attitudes and habits. Read and identify if you have the following winning traits:
- energetic
- organized
- goal-oriented
- hard-working
- determined
- persistent
- self-motivated
- cooperative
- outgoing
- resourceful
- dynamic
- street smart
- creative
- alert
These are just some of the examples of a winning attitudes and habits of successful person. If you do not have it, then think of the skills that you have, develop a good personality,and create your own trademark.
Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC was a persistent man. His persistency made him a millionaire. He travelled around the US offering his chicken recipes.
He experienced lots of rejections until someone like it. Can you guess how many times he was rejected? It was 1,009 times. His persistence made him a successful person.
Secret #6 Keep Everything in Focus
Having a goal for your future is a good thing, but you must be careful because you can lose your sight of your other plans in life, especially your present life.
If you will not be focused, then you can missed great opportunities today. If you will have plans in your life, then it is better to know what will be your present priority. Take one step at a time. It will keep you focus.
Secret #7 Work with the Right Kind of People
According to the book, there are five signs of quality people:
- They spend their time productively.
- They master their energy towards worthwhile activities.
- They delegate effectively.
- They plan their work regularly.
- They focus on their goals and vision.
In your work, your office-mates and your boss can help you achieve your dreams. But be caution: work only with the right kind of people.
Avoid a person who is pessimist, not confident, or to be short – avoid negative person. It can influence you, and it can be a reason for you not to be successful.
There is a saying: “you cannot fly with the eagles, if you keep scratching with turkeys.”
Secret #8 Develop Total Self-discipline
What is self-discipline? According to WordWeb, “it is an act of denying yourself, or controlling your impulses.
Successful people are self-discipline people. If you want to be rich, then you must discipline yourself to spend your money in good and wise things.
If you want to be top in your class, then you must discipline yourself to study hard and limit yourself in nonsense activities.
“When you have self discipline, you have the ability to make yourself do what you should do when you should do it.”-You Can Be Rich, p.12
According to studies, you can develop self discipline if you will “establish a habit that you can do constantly.” It was proven that if you will do something straight for 30 days, then it will become a part of you.
Let me take myself as an example. One of my hobbies is to write articles. Before, I was having a hard time to finish any articles for my blogs, because of my busy schedule. Then I came up with a solution – that is to wake up every morning at 4 am, so I can write freely.
It was difficult at first. However, I was persistent to do it. For 20 days I forced myself to wake-up at 4 am just to write articles. The result was fantastic. Since then, to wake up at 4 am had never been a problem. It became a part of me. It will never happened if I didn’t discipline myself.
Self disciple is what you need to reach your goals, and to be successful in life.
Secret # 9 Develop Faith
What is faith, it is believing in something or someone even you never seen it, but you know it is true. If you want to accomplish something, then you must believe in yourself.
Faith is also believing in God. Many successful persons have faith in God. They believe that having a spiritual faith will give them power to overcome hardship, trials,and problems.
Myself is also a believer of God. I believed that He is the source of everything. He is the source of all power that you need to be a successful person.
Secret #10 Make Happiness – not wealth your ultimate goal
According to the book, “money should not be the end of itself, but the means to a greater end.” All of us wants to be happy in life, and to have money will make you live the life that you want. However,money cannot buy everything. It will not give you all the happiness that you want.
If you want to be more happy, be a blessing to others. Share the things that you have, so it can help others. In return, you will be blessed too.
