Secrets of the Richest People

Would you like to realize your goals? Maybe you'd like to run your
own business, expand your material possessions, or succeed in the
arts. There is no one path to the pot of gold, but many people of
all backgrounds have successfully found it.

Whether you want to follow the ways of the great financiers, the
famous politicians, or the dynamic movie stars, there are common
modes of behavior each of them followed. And in many cases, they
have shared their secrets so you can follow in their footsteps.
"If you wish to know the road up the mountain, ask the person who
goes back and forth on it," said the ancient sage, Zenrin. What
better way is there to know the secrets than to ask those who made
it?

What goals do you want to achieve? And what amount of effort can you
commit? You may want money for the extra things in life, money to
build a corporate empire, or money to support yourself while you
pursue the fine arts.

Perhaps you'd like to take the risk to start something new in your
life. You may want to open your own business, devote your energies
to an artistic career such as acting, or reap the benefits of your
yearly endeavors with fabulous vacations several times a year. What
will bring you happiness? The satisfaction of success takes many
forms. Not only are people seeking financial fortunes, but also the
ancient goal of peace of mind.

Do you worry? You might be concerned about your health or your
family's well-being. You may be anxious about the added expenses of
education, medical bills, or the steady increase of cost of living.
There are ways out of the endless cycles of worry, stress and
anxiety. Right now, you can rise above the whirl of survival to
achieve the accomplishments you dream of. When you're ready to put
your whole effort into realizing your goals, YOU WILL SUCCEED.
What are Riches?

"Had I but plenty of money, money enough to spare," wrote Robert
Browning. And money is the greatest attribute of riches. A universal
desire, money is the materialization of riches, the stuff that makes
the rest possible.

Are you looking for financial security? For retirement, for
education or leisure? Riches are the overflowing abundance of
material possessions - houses, cars, boats, furnishings - everything
you ever wanted. Centuries ago, Horace wrote, "By right means, if
you can, but by any means, make money." For many people it is a path
towards happiness, a cure-all for worry and peace of mind.

For others, riches come in the form of satisfaction and personal
independence. Satisfaction comes from accomplishment in employment
or attaining goals. It is that feeling of contentment and confidence
from a good task well done. Riches are closely linked with success.
And with that comes fame and acknowledgment of position. Success
might be the feeling of well-being from the rewards of good effort.
Or the enthusiasm and vitality triggered by recognition. "Success is
how well I enjoy the minutes," said producer Norman Lear.

Throughout history, the people who lived with riches often achieved
them by hard work, diligence and a belief in themselves. For some
people, it took courage, genius and stamina. But for many others, it
took nothing special but the desire to turn dreams into reality.
Whether you want millions of dollars, recognition as an artist, or
personal freedom, you have the ability to make your life as rich as
you want.

Think about what you most desire. It may not be hard cash, but what
it can buy. Or it may be those feelings of inner satisfaction, from
creating something beautiful or strong. You may want personal
independence from the work week, or freedom to live anywhere you
want. You may be looking for something meaningful and significant in
life - something other than things money can buy. Whatever your
goals, and however difficult they seem to be to accomplish, you have
the ability to become who you want. Take a look - can you see
yourself surrounded by riches?

Picture the world open and in front of you, ready to become the form
of your dreams, ready to stage your desires. "Why then, the world's
mine oyster," wrote Shakespeare, "which I with sword will open."
Who is Successful?

Many people who achieve fortune in the world are not born rich, but
accomplished their goals through hard work and a plan of action.
Every type of person on earth can become successful. There are
saints and scoundrels; philanthropists and thieves; poets and
politicians; young and old. There are no limitations or physical
boundaries for success.

Success comes to those who think about success and strive for it.
Although many rich financiers at the turn of the century had no
formal education, they overcame that and went on to great fame. Some
people strive towards a single goal from early in life, and often
attain that goal while still young. Others are willing to risk new
adventures later and still attain success. "It's never too late to
learn," wrote Malcolm Forbes, the money magnate. "I learned to ride
a motorcycle at 50 and fly balloons at 52."

Whatever your task, whatever your obstacles, you can be as
successful as anyone else. Study the people who accomplished
recognition in the areas of your pursuit. How did they achieve their
goals? And don't be afraid you don't have what it takes. As Daniel
Webster wrote, "There is always room at the top."

Forming Conviction

The single attribute that every successful person has is the one
pointed devotion to attain a goal. "There in the sunshine are my
highest aspirations," wrote Louisa May Alcott, "I can look up and
see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they
lead."

What are your desires? How can you form them into definite goals
that you can attain? Lawrence Peter wrote, "If you don't know where
you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else." Maybe you're
studying a craft or skill. Perhaps you're caught in a rung of the
corporate ladder. Or, you might feel constricted by your family and
the environment around you.

Which star are you reaching for? "Ours is a world where people don't
know what they want and are willing to go through anything to get
it," wrote Don Marquis. Take the time to think about your own
aspirations. Look inside to find what feels right. Almost everyone
entertains the notions of fame and fortune, but put on the costume
that fits you.

Conviction requires certain qualities of action. You must be sincere
and be willing to assume responsibility. And you need the
self-discipline necessary to work towards your goals. Are you
prepared to achieve your dreams? Can you form their reality in your
mind? Will you devote your entire being to attaining what you want?
On Your Own

Most millionaires are non-conformists. So are the most famous actors
and actresses; and the most prominent artists. Writers are known for
their individual traits and eccentricities. Your convictions and
goals are your own business, even when you find help along the path.
Mentors often take people under their wings to nourish and teach. Or
spiritual guides will show you the path to attainment. But you're on
your own to achieve.

Cultivate a sense of justice and an ability to make decisions.
Cooperate with everybody and develop your own self-respect. And
follow good criticism and advice after you've judged carefully. J.
Paul Getty said, "I advise young millionaires to be skeptical of
advice. They should advise themselves; they should form their own
opinions."

Lord Byron wrote, "There is rapture on the lonely shore." And if you
attain your goals with poise and sincerity, you'll find warmth and
love at the top - not the cold loneliness pictured by the jealous.
Put on blinders to negative comments and criticism meant to hurt
you. About the people who criticize, Voltaire wrote, "Never having
been able to succeed in the world, they took revenge by speaking ill
of it."


Seize the Day
People are judged by what they think and what they say. But the true
measure of their character is what they do. Anyone who has achieved
success and fortune in the world has done it by action. William
Jennings Bryan wrote, "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a
matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing
to be achieved."

The choice of the path you follow is often put before you as
opportunity. "Few people recognize opportunity," said Cary Grant,
"because it comes disguised as hard work." Don't let opportunities
slip past while you're still considering them, and create new ones
as you see them. "Wise people make more opportunities than they
find," said Francis Bacon.

What opportunities can you act upon? Woolworth saw a need for small
inexpensive items and opened the chain of stores that grossed
billions. Wrigley started giving gum away as a bonus from a supplies
wagon he sold from, and saw the opportunity to make money from the
gum that became in high demand.

All successful people the world over have found the opportunities
for their own special talents and acted upon those ways to achieve.
Why wait for the time to pass? There's never a better time than now.
"Sometimes," wrote Lewis Carroll believed as many as six impossible
things before breakfast." Take your own impossible dreams and make
them become reality.

How They Think

Thousands of potential millionaires are born every year. And making
a million dollars is coming closer to everyone's pocket. What advice
did the money-makers follow? Aristotle Onassis worked eighteen hours
a day to maintain his fortune. He started as a welder and aimed for
the top. "You have to think money day and night," he said, "you
should even dream about it in your sleep."

John D. Rockefeller, Jr., said, "I believe in the dignity of labor,
whether with head or hand; that the world owes every person an
opportunity to make a living." And J. Paul Getty acknowledged his
hard work: "I have no complex about wealth. I have worked hard for
my money, producing things people need." Even Proverbs advises: "In
all labor there is profit."

Richard Bach, the author of the best selling "Jonathan Livingston
Seagull" wrote, "You are never given a wish without also being given
the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however."
The Empress of the British Empire, Queen Victoria, admonished, "We
are not interested in the possibilities of defeat."
Do You Have What it Takes?

There are qualities of endeavor and achievement that are common to
many people who make it to the top. The following questions are a
guideline to self-enterprise and attaining your goals.

1. Do you prefer to work for yourself than for others?
2. Are you well-informed on current business and political affairs?
3. Are you a leader?
4. Do you take advantage of opportunities?
5. Do you pay attention to what other people say?
6. Can you finish a job even when it is difficult or unpleasant?
7. Are you challenged by problems?
8. Do you have a goal you want to achieve?
9. Do you consider other people?
10. Do you strive to attain?
11. Can you obey commands?
12. Can you bounce back after defeat?
13. Do you believe in yourself?
14. Can you stand by your actions in spite of criticism?
15. Can you follow instructions?
16. Can you respond to the needs of others?
17. Will you give credit to others?
18. Can you make your own decisions?
19. Are you determined?
20. Are you ready for success?

Establish a Goal

What do you want? Are you looking for financial security,
professional acknowledgment, spiritual attainment? Do you want to
fit better socially, or become more expressive creatively? Establish
the goal that's right for you.

Then turn that goal from a dream into a desire. You want to realize
that goal, not just wish for it. Aesop said, "Beware that you do not
lose the substance by grabbing at the shadow." Know exactly what you
want, then go for it.

Don't be tricked by your own procrastination - especially if you
want to achieve something artistic. The writer Thomas Wolfe wrote,
"I had been sustained by that delightful illusion of success which
we all have when we dream about the books we are going to write
instead of actually doing them. Now I was face to face with it, and
suddenly I realized that I had committed my life and my integrity so
irrevocably to this struggle that I must conquer now or be
destroyed."

Can you see what you want? If you want the abundance of material
wealth that money provides, what goal will give you that money? Do
you want the prestige of owning your own business? What business do
you want to begin? Where are the opportunities for you? Talk to
everyone in the business you want to join. Make friends in the
literary or art societies in your area. Read books and articles
about your field of endeavor. How can you attain your goal?

"If you don't want to work, you have to work to earn enough money so
that you don't have to work," wrote Ogden Nash. And isn't that the
way- "Money makes money; success breeds success". But not always.
How can you break through those thoughts to help yourself to the
rewards? Henry David Thoreau wrote, "I have learned this at least by
my experiment: that if you advance confidently in the direction of
your dreams, and endeavor to live the life which you imagine, you
will meet with success."

Think big and visualize success. Do you see yourself in a big house?
Maybe you picture your artwork hanging in a gallery. Can you feel
your book in print and in your hands? How does it feel to be a
person of success? Believe that you are; believe that it is in your
grasp. That's what the others did, and that's how people make it to
the top.

Then get down to basics. Be precise. Exactly how much money do you
want, and by what date? And exactly what are you going to do to earn
that money? Be realistic, but give yourself short-term goals. Write
it down. In six months or one year, you will have how much money.
And repeat it until it feels good. Then repeat it twice a day until
it swirls in your subconscious, until it becomes your one-pointed
goal. "The goal stands up, the keeper stands up to keep the goal,"
wrote A.E. Housman.

Keys to Success

- Make people feel at ease. They will respond to your needs as you
respond to theirs.
- Share the spotlight. Give credit to those who deserve it - and to
those who strive. Don't grab praise away from other people.
- Have confidence in your own value. Don't do anything that won't
credit your own self-respect. Follow up your actions as they reflect
your own self-worth.
- Listen well to others' comments. Then weigh your own actions.
- Cultivate relationships with people who have good and important
things to say.
- Participate in life. Be active in business meetings and endeavors;
volunteer to be part of organizations and groups. Social interaction
will boost your sense of well-being .
- Feel worthy of your own goal. Know that you can attain it and that
it is right for you.
- Grasp your own challenge. Don't give yourself impossible goals,
but always reach higher.
- Relax and be yourself. Each person is different and just as
wonderful as the next. Don't be plagued by what you think others
think of you.
- Don't bathe in success - use it. Once you achieve your first goal,
go on to others. Use the money you earn for the rewards you look
for. Then go on to the next endeavor.
- Be slow to criticize others' achievements. Find out how they did
it and learn from them.
- Never use subterfuge. Don't go behind someone's back. Speak your
mind and earn respect.
- Banish negative thoughts and traits. Restructure your life to
exclude bad habits.
- Believe in yourself and what you are to accomplish. All the power
in the world is within you to achieve.

Work Towards Your Goal

"To get profit without risk, experience without danger, and reward
without work, is as impossible as it is to live without being born,"
wrote A.P. Gouthey. Every person who has attained something
worthwhile has worked for that goal.

Cary Grant said, "I do believe that people can do practically
anything they set out to do if they apply themselves diligently and
learn." Which path is the right way towards your goal? Do you need
more education? Do you need a few years experience in your field of
business? Maybe you need a teacher or guide to help you practice.
"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the
position that one has reached, as by the obstacles which are
overcome while trying to succeed," wrote Booker T. Washington.

What obstacles are in your way? Consider them as easy to pass
through as hurdles are to a champion runner. Take each obstacle as a
special challenge placed especially for you. Approach it with
intelligence and courage, then learn what it has to teach.

"Success is a journey," said Ben Sweetland, "not a destination." For
some, the process of attainment is the attainment itself. They move
on, keep growing and expanding. There is no still water at the top.
"The message from the moon is that no problem need any longer be
considered insoluble," wrote Norman Cousins. And you can attain
anything that seems impossible.

If you have a problem that needs to be solved, sit calmly and
consider it with a clear mind. Observe all the consequences of the
actions both good and bad. Ponder the paths and actions and
contemplate the core of the problem. The solution will appear.
"Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it
shall be opened to you for everyone who asketh, receiveth. He that
seeketh, findeth and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."

Tap the inner self and encourage positive actions. With each
outgoing breath, release the impossible; at each incoming breath,
inhale the attainable. Demand the best of yourself, but don't
despair from an overused sense of perfection.

What can you learn? And who can teach you? Can you attend classes
and seminars from universities near home? Check out books from the
libraries and absorb the material. Find a master and become an
apprentice. "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or
eighty," said Henry Ford. "Anyone who keeps learning stays young.
The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." Never stop
learning; never stop growing and expanding as a person and in your
personal endeavor.

Ask Yourself

As you consider the success you desire, you need to affirm its
possibilities and develop the self-confidence necessary to attain
the goals. Learn to do things well. "If you know how to do one thing
well, you can do everything," wrote the philosopher Gurdjieff.

Are you ready for success?

Is what you are doing now helping you to achieve your goals?
Do you weigh the consequences before making a decision?
Is this the best use of your time?
Do you cooperate with everyone and help cultivate their best
potentials?Are you warm and sincere?
Do you have the courage to succeed?
Do you have the self-discipline necessary to achieve your goals?
Do you have a realistic sense of self-worth?
Do you give more than you take?
Do you have the courage to fail, and then pick up and try again?
Can you assume responsibility without blaming others if things go
wrong?
Are you strong?
Can you be sympathetic to life and its sufferings?
Can you say no?
Will you follow your convictions and plans to achieve?
Do you sincerely want to achieve the goals you have chosen?

Taking Responsibility

"The price of greatness is responsibility," wrote Winston Churchill.
Are you willing to take the responsibility once you attain the
success you desire? "The deepest personal defeat suffered by human
beings is constituted by the difference between what one was capable
of becoming and what one has in fact become," wrote Ashley Montague.
And the greatest tragedy is to become less than your full potential,
using less than the abilities you have to work with.

Are you waiting for something to happen? Maybe you're waiting for a
job offer, or a promotion. Perhaps you're waiting until you get good
enough at a craft or skill. Or are you waiting for the inspiration
of creativity to strike your life?

It is up to you to take the actions and be responsible for their
consequences. "Our responsibility: every opportunity, an obligation;
every possession, a duty," wrote John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Inspire
yourself. Read books that will spurn you to action; talk to people
who have the vitality you admire. How would you like to lead your
life? And make the changes necessary to be like that. "There is
nothing permanent except change," wrote Heraclitus. What changes do
you want to make? What are you waiting for?

Accomplishment

What actions will take you closer to your goals? Decide upon the
steps and write them down. Review them until you feel comfortable
with those steps. Then repeat them at least once a day, crossing
them off as you accomplish them.

"I believe there is no escape from the rule that We must do many,
many little things to accomplish even just one big thing," said
James Dupont. "This gives me patience when I need it most." The most
rewarding accomplishments are those that take long to achieve and
present difficulties. It is only through these difficulties that a
person can rise above the rest to be the unusual, the outspoken and
the well-deserved.

As if building a kit, follow your own instructions. Decide your best
courses of action and achieve their benefits. Whether the steps are
small or large, make them achievable and then do them. Don't commit
yourself to things that you never intend to do. "Even if you're on
the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there," said
Will Rogers. Don't be paralyzed by inaction; rather act upon your
own convictions.

Set yourself up for rewards. Don't give yourself goals that have no
feeling of satisfaction or no monetary rewards. If you want to be an
artist, be the best and learn from the best. Don't dwell on
imperfections or the awkwardness of unpolished skills.

If you go into business, do it for profit or reinvestment. "In
business, the earning of profit is something more than an incident
of success. It is an essential condition of success. Because the
continued absence of profit itself spells failure," said Justice
Brandeis.

Marchant wrote, "To be a success in business, be daring, be first,
be different." Think of ways to achieve the best; formulas to
increase productivity or decrease overhead. Profit is your drive.
"Profitability is the sovereign criterion of the enterprise," wrote
Peter Drucker. And, profitability is the core of any achievement -
whether financial or artistic.

Once you achieve your goals, think of ways to benefit others. "Money
getters are the benefactors of our race," said P.T. Barnum. "To them
we are indebted for our institutions of learning, and of art, our
academies, colleges and churches." How can you benefit humankind and
still keep enough to fulfill your own desires?

The Hidden Asset

Not all success can be counted in dollars; not all richness is
measured by money. "The great secret of success is to go through
life as a person who never gets used up," said Albert Schweitzer.
"Retire upon yourself and look for the ultimate cause of things
inside you." Look within yourself for the ultimate inspiration, and
follow the true feelings you discover. "One of my favorite methods
is to whisper," said Alfred Hitchcock. "I've discovered the best
work is done with sweet reason."

Act upon your own conscience -that guides; that judges your actions
and signals your behavior. "Conscience is the inner voice that warns
us that someone may be looking," wrote H.L. Mencken. Accomplish what
you desire; fulfill your inner yearnings. But don't compromise your
deepest feelings. "We do our best that we know how at the moment,
and if it doesn't turn out, we modify it," said F.D. Roosevelt.
Follow the paths that life offers you and live the fullest existence
you can.

Take a Look

Look at yourself and look at those who have succeeded throughout
history. Do you have what it takes? Even if you have only a few of
the qualities of the other great people, you can achieve your
heart's desire. Reach for the highest, then reach higher. Accomplish
your steps one by one on a daily basis, always moving forward,
always making progress. Encourage yourself. Insist that you can
succeed and affirm these thoughts daily.

Keep a sense of proportion and judge for yourself. Then keep busy at
the tasks you've set out to accomplish. What's keeping you? "Genius
is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration,"
said Albert Einstein. Find inspiration wherever you can. Talk to
people; read about people; learn your business or craft. Believe
that you can do it and you will. The only way to dispel the doubt
that you can do something is to finish it.

Always be the best you can be. Never fall short from fatigue or
lethargy. Don't attempt to do anything that you can't give your all
to. There is no way to inner satisfaction without appealing to the
higher consciousness. Search within and without to find the paths
that are meant for you and follow them with conviction and a steady
heart. And, you will succeed to become as rich and full as you ever
desired.

Harold Ickes wanted the "freedom to live one's life with the window
of the soul open to new thoughts, new ideas and new aspirations."
And Woody Allen looked for a clear path. "If only God would give me
some clear sign" he said. "Like making a large deposit in my name at
a Swiss bank." Finally, Sophie Tucker sums up everyone's worldly
outlook: "I've been rich and I've been poor," she said, "rich is
better."



The publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for any of the
information, and its potential use or misuse, included in this report. While
the information is believed to be correct at the time of publication, it is
recommended that you seek the advice of the a qualified professional for
assistance.