Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Insight of the Day

One of my mentors, Bob Proctor, writes and "Insight of the Day" email. I though I would share with all of you what he recently sent me:

"I want to tell you a story that has the potential to really impact your life. It sure has mine. I would imagine you've listened to a number of radio shows. Well I'm interviewed on them frequently. I was on a radio show one morning many years ago, and the host and I were really involved with the concept that one idea can change your business, in fact can change your entire life. The host himself was a pretty positive guy and we really had the show rocking. It was one of those call-in shows, and we had the lines plugged. All the callers were enthusiastic, telling us how much they were enjoying our conversation, how it was helping them.
And then, all of a sudden, like a huge clap of thunder, a woman came roaring on the line and really unloaded on the two of us. Our conversation obviously had her upset. It quickly became apparent that her life was very frustrating for her. While she was listening to us, she must have drifted back in time and space to a time when she was in college, thinking about all the enthusiastic plans she had at that time in her life and then comparing them with the reality of how her life had turned out. It was truly a reality crisis that was happening with this woman. It was almost like we were the bad guys; that it was our fault that the plans she made as a young woman never materialized. She started out saying, "You guys are wrong. Life is not how you are talking about it. It's totally different. When I was in college I wanted to be an author, I wanted to write books. Now I'm stuck here with three little kids. I can't just pick up and go to some South Sea Island to write books."

I guess the South Sea Island was part of the plan when she was in college. I was tempted to ask her who decided to have 3 kids, but I didn't dare make her any more upset. I explained to her that I knew a number of authors and none of them went to the South Seas to write their books. Most of the ones I knew were writing while they were busy working at their job or their business or whatever else they were doing. I pointed out one exception -- John Graham who is the creative director of the Nightingale Conant Corporation took a whole stack of Earl Nightingale's radio shows and went to Bimini for a week and turned the shows into a book called This is Earl Nightingale. It's a really excellent book. You might want one for your library.

Outside of that, I told her, I didn't know any authors that went down South to write a book. Then I suggested to her that she should get up an hour early every morning ahead of the family, make herself a pot of coffee and write a page, just a page. At the end of the year she'd have 365 pages written. Even if she were to miss a number of days she'd have 200 to 300 pages. Then she could take the following year to edit what she had written. That way every couple of years she'd be able to turn out a new book, all the while being with and enjoying her family.

As I said this I thought to myself that's a heck of a good idea. I don't know if she did it, but at 6am the following morning I was up writing. I got so enthused about it I was not only up at 6am writing, I was writing on planes, writing in hotel rooms, writing in between meetings. Before I knew it, I had an enormous folder of hand written pages and my book was finished. Because I carried it with me all the time, I didn't have my name or phone number or anything written on the folder.. You guessed it. I lost the folder. I couldn't believe it; I had left it in the taxi. About an hour after I got home, it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't have my folder with me. A cold chill ran through my body as I told my wife Linda what I had done. She peppered me with questions - "What was the name of the cab company? What was the phone number? What was the cab driver's name?" I didn't have answers for any of her questions, just a blank screen. But I remained calm. Linda wanted to know why I wasn't upset. I explained that with something so bad there had to be something really good about it. The book probably wasn't any good. So I let it go and set out to rewrite the entire book. That book You Were Born Rich has been sold all over the world in a number of different languages. We're constantly receiving letters from people about how the book has changed their life. 

Now here's an interesting twist - it was the woman on the radio show that motivated me to write the book. But it was a man who ultimately became my business partner, Gerry Robert, that gave me a suggestion that turned the book into a piece of gold, when I think of what it did for me and my business. And believe me, a book could do the same for you. I believe everyone has a book in them. At any rate, Gerry said, "Bob, rather than sell the book, why don't you give it away. Just sell enough to pay for the books you give away." I looked at him like he had a few screws loose, but he explained that business people spend absolute fortunes on brochures. And yet no one has a brochure case. Lots of people have bookcases, but no brochure cases. And that's because people don't keep brochures. They do keep books. Once it's written, a book doesn't cost much more than a brochure. In fact, in some cases, it costs less. So Gerry said, "Why not use your book as a brochure that will market your business." The more I thought about it, the more I realized it made a lot of sense. It was a very solid, creative concept. I did what Gerry suggested and that idea changed my business like night and day.

Shortly after that, Gerry and I got together to talk about forming a publishing company to help business people write books. We got excited about how much it could help their business grow. We decided to do it. We hired ghost writers, marketing people and designers. Today we've helped between 200 to 300 people create books that they use as their brochure to market their business. It's making as big a difference in their business, just asYou Were Born Rich did in mine. The Born Rich book is not just an interesting story, it's the cause of numerous interesting stories. As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in my library surrounded by about 3,000 books, yet none of the books here has helped my business like the Born Rich book has. I think of all the people struggling in business right now that are letting the economy affect them. If they only knew how much a book could help their business, they'd start writing now.

If you would like to find out how a book can help you or your business, send an email to Toni@bobproctor.com. And here's the beautiful part about it, you don't even have to know how to write a book. We do, and we can do it for you or with you. I'll promise you one thing, you put a book out with your name on it and it's not going to get thrown away like so many of the brochures that you've printed in the past. A book changed my life and it can change yours."


Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Swimming to My Ship


Jonathan Winters, an American comedian and actor, once said, “If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it”. I think this quote is a beautiful metaphor that reminds us to go after what we want in life, rather than wait for it to come to us.

I went to see the film The Titanic when it came out a while back. The Titanic saga has captivated me ever since I was a small child. I feel a personal connection because hundreds of passengers on board were immigrants fleeing their homeland and traveling to America, considered the new world, to pursue their dream of starting a new life.

After watching the movie I was captivated even more and seized the opportunity to get as close to the real Titanic any person can.

I think my experience and drive to see this mystical ship really embodies the quote that Jonathan Winters said many years ago. Because my ship couldn’t’ come to me I went after it.

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Reject the Conventional


Consider a mousetrap and a mouse.  What do most mice do? They come head on into the trap, flirt with the cheese and get caught. I keep a picture on my wall of a mouse and it’s trap. However, this picture is a little more unconventional. This astute mouse has shimmied down on a vertical wire to the mousetrap to claim its cheese reward.

I keep this photo to remind me to think outside the square, just like this mouse had done. I keep this photo to remind me to approach life from a different angle. It is mandatory for us to cultivate our mind and allow it to blossom beyond our expectations. I sincerely believe this is the secret to happiness, where we truly find what we dearly love to do and then direct all of or energy toward doing it.

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Go After It!


We know so little about the deep blue sea. Only three percent of the world’s oceans have ever been explored. We actually know a lot more about space than we do about our oceans. Consider what part of the Earth you want to explore further and go after it! There is an entire world to see. Embrace the adventure of life.

For me, I wanted more than anything to visit the shipwreck of the Titanic (among many other things). I find shipwrecks utterly intriguing. They are time capsules. The clock stopped the moment they sank. If there were a time machine I would much prefer to go back in time then forward to the future. We cannot turn back time, nor can we travel through the chapters of history, but shipwrecks are perhaps the closest we come to a true time warp.

Where on Earth are you most drawn? Wherever it may be, don’t be afraid venture out and find it, even if is it one the bottom of the ocean floor. Remember, life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look ounce in a while, you’ll miss it.

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure.

Friday, August 21, 2009

The Titanic's Sister Ship: The Britannic


The Britannic lies at a depth of 500 feet of the island of Kea, near Athens, Greece. So far there have only been three major expeditions down to Britannic. The first was the 1976 discovery of the wreak, which was led by legendary explorer Jacques Couteau. The second was in 1998 and the only other was in 2003.

Built in the same shipyard as the Titanic, the Britannic was the new unsinkable ship – over 30 meters longer than the Titanic. But when WWI broke out, the opulent cruise liner was re-commishioned and taken over by the Admiralty as a Red Cross hospital ship. She was never to sail as the luxury liner that her owners had in mind.

She sailed off the was with crew, doctors, burses and Royal Army Medical Corps personnel on board. On November 21, 1916 she was stuck off the coast of the Kea channel and was struck, either by a mine or U-boat. She sank in 55 minutes, three times faster than the Titanic. The Brittannic is still in one piece and the radio room is still intact.

Having witnessed the awesome beauty of the Titanic, now it’s my dream to explore her sister ship. 

Thursday, August 20, 2009

We Are All Born Rich


My former mentor Bob Proctor instilled in me the belief that we are all born rich. Until I met Bob Proctor, I used to regard the word rich from a monetary perspective, but later I developed the faculty awareness to drill deeper on what he said.

Bob did not mean we are all born monetarily wealthy, rich kids having rich dads. Rather, he recalled that we are all born equal, with equal opportunities and an abundance of potential. Prosperity is our natural birthright and we all posses the same coloring marker set with which we can mark in life.

Consider Bob’s advice. It reduces the most complicated concept in life to the simplest form. We can all create the same opportunities for ourselves and can use as many colors as we like when marking up our lives.

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Make A Bucket List


When I was a young boy, I developed my Top 10 ‘Hit List,' or bucket list, of goals to achieve in my life. Years later, I have accomplished seven of those ten goals. I am still working to cross the last three off my list. These include: climbing Mount Everest, visiting a space station orbiting up to 300 miles above Earth and to explore the lunar surface of the moon.

Creating a hit list of your own can help motivate you to pursue your life goals, pushing you to dream big and accomplish those dreams. I strongly believe that there are no coincidences in life. A higher conscious individual understands how prosperity laws work. A person with a compelling dream actually bends the universe to their will and strives for a unique constellation of attributes.

 

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Make Your Life A Mosaic of Colorful Experiences


Consider your life as a mosaic that becomes filled with each of your life’s experiences. When you set back and take a look at your mosaic, is it very colorful or black and white? With a mosaic of colorful experiences available to all of us – I find it more appealing to drill deeper into life.

 

A life of prosperity is a series of assignments, each one, helping you grow, developing your talents, and expanding your consciousness. As your consciousness grows, so does the impact you make and the influence within your inner circle.

I do my best to keep my life’s mosaic from becoming black and white. I have had many adventurous experiences: I have visited over 85 countries seeking adventure. I have dived down to the deepest abyss of the oceans, rocketed to the edge of space and summated the world’s highest mountains, so name a few.

Be sure to add a colorful experience to your mosaic each day. What are you waiting for?

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure.

 

Monday, August 17, 2009

What it Means to be Wealthy


I don’t believe real wealth can me measured monetarily. Wealth is not money in the bank. For me, real wealth is having an abundance of ideas and a strong belief system, which underpins everything you do in life. Ninety-nine percent of what I consider to be wealth is derived from one’s belief system. The monetary strategies to become financially abundant compromise just one per cent of the equation. There are many wealthy men and wealthy women and that doesn’t mean they are millionaires.

I recall my earlier life which was more money focused and oriented, whereas these days I am more cause oriented. In life, there is no sense in possessing great financial wealth and not being happy. Equally, there’s no point in being rich and being physically unwell.

People should feel good about themselves because of what they are and what they do. If you are contributing to the world you will be satisfied with yourself. People should not measure their self-worth by what they have in their garage.

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

What Is Your Gift?

Becoming a Thrillionaire isn’t just about seeking adventures and making the most of your life. It is also about giving back to others. Giving a gift, whether that gift idea is tangible or intangible.

Look around. There is an abundance of thrills to be experienced. Be sure you look outside of the square. The quality of our thinking determines the quality of our life. We need to collect our change every day and give it to something that warms our heart. Everybody has a gift to give.

If you put coins in somebody else’s parking meter, send money to a child in need, sponsor endangered animals, collect chance for UNICEF, give away personal belongings to charity, lead an exhilarating heart pounding adventurous lifestyle or write a check for a massive cash donation, you are a Thrillionaire.

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Visiting the Titanic



After taking a ship to the exact coordinates of the RMS Titanic we boarded a Russian MIR submersible that would take us down to the shipwreck. The dive down into the abyss took under four hours. The sea life was like anything I’d ever seen.

After three and a half hours we finally observed the ship on the radar screen. My heart was pounding rapidly. Exactly 28 minutes had passed and we finally came upon the bow of the Titanic. It was simply awesome. I was stuck by how vast it was. We saw an old chest, suitcases that once belonged to immigrants, ceramics, shoes, you name it. The amount of shoes struck me – we saw pairs of shoes, side by side, seemingly trapped together. At the depth in the salt water, bodies and bones would have decomposed within a couple of years. Those shoes, I realized, were what remained of human bodies.

The experience was so shockingly real. We saw Captain Smith’s cabin, where Molly Brown slept and had lunch on the ship’s bridge. I later learned we were the first group of people to dine on the deck of the titanic since it sank in 1912. 

It took me several days to come down from that high. Experiences like that are contagious for me. 

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Unconventional Millionaire


In early 2007 a producer contacted me from a British production company making the television program Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous for European and North American viewers. This program highlights the lives of millionaires. He was very eager to speak with me about filming me for a segment of the show. But first, he had to establish exactly what kind of expensive things I owned. He inquired about what kind of cars I preferred.

 

When I responded to tell him there were many types of nice cars, but I did not own any of them, he wondered exactly what kind of car I did own. When I replied that I in fact did not own a car at all, there was a long silence on the other end – a millionaire without a car? The producer was astonished. He decided I must be a boat man, I must own some sort of yacht. Well, I do enjoy yachting but no, I didn’t own a boat. I finally explained to him that my golden rule thus far was to not invest in anything that moves, and that’s why I didn’t have a car, a boat or even works of art.

Inevitably the producer decided he would go ahead with the filming, no doubt assuming that they’d get plenty of interesting footage out of my asset-rich business portfolio and a preview of my thrill seeking adventures.

In short, I am not into showing off. People have this stereotypical view that wealthy people should be glamorous. After all, most millionaires are. But the glamour aspect doesn’t grab me. It’s not who I am.

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Today Is a Good Day



Begin every day with the mindset that “today is a good day”. Believe that you will accomplish your dreams, and you have never been closer to accomplishing those dreams until today. If you begin the day with the right mindset every day, you will achieve great things. As you plant the seed to future success, the words you speak will reflect the prosperity consciousness you posses.

As a Thrillionaire, sooner than later you will accomplish that dream and will be onto the next one. Listen to the universe to discover what your next assignment will be. Your beliefs will change, as you will allow yourself the luxury of critical thinking. Like writing a movie script of your vision, you will be involving all your senses. You will ascertain that your mind is an instrument for poverty and prosperity.

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure.

What Is a Thrillionaire?



Thrillionaires are individuals who understand the thrill of giving, and share their stories so that others will become inspired to become Thrillionaires themselves. A Thrillionaire is one who seeks out the thrills of life and is motivated to live life to the fullest – seeking adventures that will take them to the edge of the Earth and back. Just like an inner compass, guiding them towards their destination.

Becoming a Thrillionaire will set you apart from the masses. No matter what a person’s status level of achievement in society, those who have reached a pinnacle of success in life do not rest on their laurels. A Thrillionaire is motivated and inspired to live their life to the fullest and give back to society as much as they can. A Thrillionaire will leave the Earth a better place than they found it.

Live with passion and dare to dream. Make your life an epic extraordinary adventure.