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
---------------------------- -- 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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