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Five Types of Goals: Part 1- Financial Goals!

Author Jeremy | 17.12.2007 | Category Secrets of Success

Financial goals are perhaps the most common type of goal! Everyone wants to be wealthy. Your financial goals will determine how wealthy. In designing your financial goals you have to decide how much money that you want to make per month, per year, per ten years, and so on. You can make goals that deal with investments (how much do you want to make out of your investments) and the segmenting of your business (how much money do you want to make from different segments of your business), etc…  If your goal is to just be financially comfortable (not wealthy), that is a fine goal to maintain and an easier one to accomplish. I would however submit this question: If you can create wealth, without neglecting your other goals or family (which should be part of your goals anyway), then why not set a higher financial goal?

Now you do want to try and keep your goals within reason, but not within reality. When people claim to be realistic they are usually just setting a low bar for themselves and are cutting down their potential. Let me give you an example:

A reasonable man might set goals like, “I am going to make $500, 000.00 this year. And next year I want to make $1,000,000.00. The year after that I want to double what I have made”. Those would be reasonable goals. If you think that those goals can never be accomplished then I would submit to you that you are trying to be too realistic, and are thereby missing a greater, bigger picture.

A realistic man sets goals like, “I am going to make $80,000.00 this year (maybe). Next year I am going to ask my boss for a raise and start making $120,000.00. Then I will invest more in my 401K, and try to make good investments to increase my profit”. Now if all of that is your goal; well, they are not bad goals. But they are short fall goals. You can do better. A lot better! You just need to start thinking beyond your reality, and step into the reality of a successful entrepreneur.

Now an unreasonable man might set goals that defy all logic and reason. These goals might sound like, “I am going to make 1,000,000,000.00 this next year and quadruple that next year”. That is an unreasonable goal, because although technically doable, it is almost impossible to make that kind of money unless you have already established substantial wealth. So yes that may be doable for Donald Trump (even for him that might be a stretch) or Bill Gates (not such a stretch), but probably not doable for someone just starting out on their financial goals.

Keep in mind, that in this great country, millionaires are made (by their own ambition) every day. Set your bar high, because that bar can be reached. And, you will reach that bar if you are determined, and prove yourself to be worthy in reaching it. Just don’t set the bar so high that you need a space ship to reach it.

My Personal Definition of Success!

Author Jeremy | 05.11.2007 | Category Secrets of Success

So as I said in my earlier post, “Success today is measured by many individual standards and never by any one uniformed standard”. I also went into the detail about the background of the word, and some of the different interpretations; but I didn’t give you my personal definition of success. So here it goes:

Success is what you make it. Achieving success is the accomplishment of your hopes and dreams, and the conquering of your fears and worries. Success is setting out to do something, finding a way to do it, and going for it.

One of the biggest fears that most people have is the fear of failure. This is a dangerous fear, because having this fear can prevent greatness. So many people have such a great fear of failure that instead of trying to accomplish their goals, they give up from the start and decide on the expectation that that their dreams were not meant for them. It is often said that “it is easier to fail, then succeed”. And you know what? That saying is true. It is easier to fail then succeed! Far easier! If success was easy to achieve then everyone would do it.

No one says that achieving success should be easy. So one part to my definition of success, is the conquering of the fear of failure. Accept the fact that you may fail; but as long as you don’t accept failure, you will succeed. Failure is a part of success, and as long as you try to turn your failures into successes and you never give up on your hopes and dreams, you will be successful. (I will talk more about this in greater detail in a future post)

Achieving success is not always about making money, having a yacht, or driving fancy cars. Although it is nice! I believe that a man (or woman) is not truly successful unless he/she has conquered or tried to conquer the five types of goals. These goals are Financial Goals, Business Goals, Personal Goals, Asset Goals, and Spiritual Goals. These five types of goals are what make individuals successful in their lives. I will be going over each individual type of goal in the days to come.

Now let me be clear on one point (This next statement may sound harsh to some people. Sorry). Yes I do believe that mindset has a lot to do with your success. You have to have the right mindset to achieve success. But, mindset is not the only thing that you need to achieve success. Far from it!

I do not believe that the universe wills you to have certain things; all you have to do is think it, and ask the Universe. No I do not believe that. If that is what you believe and it is working for you, Great! Do what works (but definitely stay tuned to this blog in the coming months as we discuss that theory).

I do believe mindset is important to success, but even more important is your determination, dedication, your willingness to succeed, your ability to adapt and overcome difficulty and fear, and education. Now when I say education, I don’t mean that you have to have a college degree to achieve success. You simply just have to have the will and aptitude to learn new things (to include your chosen profession). I can’t tell you how many people have expressed to me their goals and said “yes, Jeremy this is my version of success this is what I want to accomplish, will you help me”; and when I take the time to teach them and help them achieve their goals I find that they would rather watch television or go to a party, than learn what is necessary for them to learn in order to achieve success (not the majority). The unwillingness to learn is the acceptance of failure! (The fact that you are reading this Blog, and that you have made it this far down the post tells me that you have a willingness to learn. Good Job!)

So this was a long, drawn-out, and vague explanation of my definition of success; but I can simplify it in this way: A successful person will have achieved, or is actively striving to achieve the accomplishment of his/her versions of the five types of goals (to be detailed in the coming week). To be successful you must have determination, dedication, willingness to succeed; the ability to adapt and overcome difficulty and fear; and you have to be educated and willing to continue learning. Success may include wealth, but should also always include family, friends, charity, and love. And lastly a successful person is never willing to accept ones self for who they are right now, or then. A successful person is always trying to make them selves better. Never accept who you are, always strive to improve. (Whether small or large, everyone can improve themselves)

I know this is a vague definition of my definition of success; and honestly I could have gone on another fifty pages. But over the course of the next couple of months (in this blog) you will see my definition expand, and investigate what success truly is. My goal is to help anyone who wants to become successful achieve their own personal success (and know what that means to them). Again feel free to comment, ask questions, or even contact me directly; for anything you might need! I firmly believe that one can not be truly successful without creating success in others along the way!

What is Success

Author Jeremy | 31.10.2007 | Category Secrets of Success

Success today is measured by many individual standards, and never by any one uniformed standard. Many times an individual doesn’t even know what success looks like until that individual achieves some level of success. And even then the measure of success for Johnny might be a million dollars and a house in the Hampton’s; where as the measure of success for Jimmy is a wife, two kids, a dog named Scruffy, and a house in a cul-de-sac. So who is to tell you or I just what success is; and for that matter how to achieve success?

Well, first let’s look at the definition of success, and then we will go on from there. The Encarta Dictionary: English (North American Version) explains success as follows:

Success – suc-cess (noun) - The achievement of intention; the achievement of something planned or attempted.

By that definition anything that we set out to do and accomplish is success. So if I set out to go and pick up the trash in my yard and I accomplish that task; I by definition am successful, right! Perhaps by definition, yes; but by modern standards and interpretations; I would not be considered a successful man for performing such a menial task.

The modern day, and Americanized version of the definition of success (by interpretation) usually means: The achievement of something not easily achieved. By our modern day standard I may not be considered successful unless I have gained wealth, power, or have achieved notoriety and fame. These are some of the factors by which we gage success.

I would submit that a true concise definition of success could never be formulated. Why? Because everyone seems to have their own version of the definition, as well they should. I may not consider myself successful unless I have a yacht, a house on the lake, a million dollars and a riding lawn mower. Your definition of success might be more expansive or even simpler. You may not consider yourself a success unless you have a house in the suburbs, a working car, a good job, and a loving family.

Whatever your personal definition of success; there is usually one common denominator. Happiness! What creates happiness for you? I would suggest that if you are truly happy in life, then you are successful. Without happiness you can’t have success. Those who claim to be successful, but are not happy; are not successful at all (they are just pretending).

I have a very elaborate definition of success. My own definition. Yes it includes money; but it also includes family, friends, charity, and the ability to really live. That definition (my definition of success) will be my next post; in two days!

Feel free to comment on this or any of my other posts so far. I enjoy the feedback, and (if you must) criticism.

Comment from Uri Kalish on “Blueprint for Success”!

Author Jeremy | 29.10.2007 | Category Secrets of Success

Uri Kalish (a fabulous blog writer, and philosopher) submitted a beautifully written comment on my post of “Blueprint for Success”. Unfortunately as I am new to this blogging software (word-press), and in going to accept his comment so all of you could read it (it really was beautifully written), I accidentally deleted it. I am seriously kicking myself for this (Uri Kalish if you are reading this, I promise that will not happen again). So in absence of his comment, I will try to sum up what he had said (unfortunately not as poetically).

He said that Money can be earned and lost, but time can never be regained. Instead of worrying about success, spending countless hours in your office, away from your family (trying to earn your yacht); You should be worrying more about spending time with your family and enjoying what you have now. He made reference to my son and said that you can never get back those first moments, like my son’s first words, and first steps.

His words were something to that effect, except better (If I massacred your words, please forgive me!).

My response is this:

I absolutely agree whole heartedly with Uri Kalish. Success should not take precedence over your family. Without your family your success would be vacant. What good is it having a Yacht if your family is not there to share it with you.

Many people associate success with money, power, and fame. Yes, success does include money and sometimes power; but those are not the only factors of success. In fact far from it! (I will be posting my definition of success to this blog in my next post. If you want a sneak peak at it now, you can go to www.secretsofwealthandprosperity.com/articles.htm and read my article “What is Success”.)

So now a question lingers. Can you achieve success without missing out on the important times with your family? The answer is yes. Achieving success does not have to be all time consuming. Your family is an important part of your success; so you have to find ways to be there for them. This is something that we will be going over in great detail on this blog very shortly. One step at a time. So bookmark this blog. It is about to get interesting!

Also, if you want to check out one of my favorite blogs; check out this blog by Uri Kalish http://urikalish.blogspot.com. It is one of the best blogs that I have seen. By Tomorrow night you will also be able to find his link to the right side of this page. 

Comments!

Author Jeremy | 29.10.2007 | Category Got Questions?

I was told the other day by someone who had tried to leave a comment to my blog, that he was unable to leave a comment unless he was a Word Press member. I greatly appreciated the information, and have now fixed the problem. Now any one who wishes to leave a comment may do so. Sorry for the inconvenience!

 I encourage you to be a part of the conversation and post some comments, questions; whatever you got. Hope to hear from you soon!

Blueprint For Success

Author Jeremy | 26.10.2007 | Category Secrets of Success

As I said in my last post: “Guard your goals in your imagination and find a way to make your imagination a reality”.

So you have your goals; Now What? Now you have to start etching out your blueprint for success. What this is, is a blueprint for how you are going to achieve your goals. You have to figure out what your goals initial are and find a way to make them happen. Keep in mind this is just a preliminary sketch. The final blueprint will take time and trial and error to finish. But, as long as you stick to your ever changing blueprint and you are focused on your goals, you will achieve your goals.

So lets start with a draft blueprint:

Lets take the goal “you want to own a 60 foot yacht (example)”. O.k. so what do you need to get that yacht? Well, first you need money. A lot of money! How are you going to get that money? By working for it and earning it! But, can you make that kind of money working where you are right now? Probably not! So, you need to start up a business, or get a way better job. Let’s go with the first one for now. You are going to start a business. What kind of business are you going to start? Where are you going to start it and how (we will go over this in a future post, soon)?

Now we have the start of a blueprint. We know you first need to find a way better job, or start your own profitable company (I personally like the start your own company. More fun!). This is what is called a medium goal. This means that this goal can be achieved very quickly or it can take some time. A short term goal might be, being able to quit your job and be working on your medium goal of a profitable business. And a long term goal would be buying your Yacht. Because it is going to take some time to get that yacht. You are also going to need a lot of money for the yacht. Again, that is a long term goal.

You see every long term goal usually has one, two, or even three other short term goals and medium goals that will need to be achieved before you can achieve your long term goal. There is a forth type of goal as well. I call this the “here and now” goal.

Here and now goals are goals that you can achieve right now, that will ultimately help get you to your long term goal. Examples of here and now goals are as follows: You have to find a business to work with or operate. You have to make a blueprint. Lets talk about some fun ones! You have to know how to drive a boat when you buy one, right. So go out and learn. That is a good here and now; and it will keep you motivated to achieve your long term goal. You have to know what kind of boat you really want (research before you buy anything); so go out and find some boats (I am sorry Yacht’s) that you like and set a mental picture of your goal.

In short, your goals are broken up into several different pieces: Here and now goals, short term goals, medium goals, and long term goals. You make a blueprint for success out of discovering all of these goals and discovering ways to accomplish them. Now, no one says your blueprint has to be completely solid (completely done). You are going to make changes to your blueprint as time goes by. But, your long term goals should always be constant. But also, feel free to keep adding long term goals when ever you should discover a new one.

A man without goals, is a man without success.

Think Success Part 2

Author Jeremy | 25.10.2007 | Category Secrets of Success

So now that you have your goals written down (discussed in last post), you are ready to use those goals to your benefit. Here is what you do. Make two copies of your goals. Take one copy and place it in someplace safe; someplace that you will not be frequently looking or ravaging. Someplace out of mind, and out of sight.

Take that the other copy of your goals and separate each goal from one another. This next part may sound corny, but again, please indulge me.

Now take each goal (on separate pieces of paper) and post each paper (goal) in and on different areas of your house. For instance: Take the goal “I want a big house” and stick that on your desk top above your computer. In-fact better yet; go online and find the house that you want; print a picture of that house and stick it on your desk top. Get a picture of the really big yacht that you want and stick that on your kitchen window. So now every-time you do dishes you will think about sailing away to paradise. Hey, speaking of dishes: Do you want a maid (or housekeeper, p.c. version)? Write that goal down and post that on your vacuum cleaner. Get the drift?

The purpose of all of this is to get you to a point where you are constantly thinking about your goals. In fact, don’t just think about your goals; dream about them. Imagine that you are in that big house, staring at your yacht, while talking with your housekeeper. Imagine that you have already achieved success. What does that feel like? Feels pretty good, right!

Now of course you don’t have to leave these post-its, or goal papers (if you will) up forever. That would be silly; unless you want to! But you should live with these goal papers, these goals, until you can vividly imagine what each goals would feel like to have accomplished; and you have totally memorized each goal. You should be dreaming about your goals and your happiness. Goals provide powerful food for the imagination; Don’t discount them.

You are probably asking,”What the heck do I do with the goals I locked away”? Well you have those locked away for a future date of reminiscing. After you have your goals completely memorized, you don’t often need reminding. But five or ten years down the line you may stumble upon your saved goals that have been locked away; and if you follow exactly what I am teaching; you will look at those goals and realize that you have actually achieved them. Most of them anyway. And those goals that you have yet to achieve,; looking at this list of goals will rejuvenate your drive to accomplish them.

You will wave your hands in the air and yell “Thank you God, Thank you Jeremy”! Always thank God first. Very important!

O.k. so that was a bit dramatic, but you get the gist. “Guard your goals in your imagination and find the way to make your imagination a reality” (quote by me. Use it if you want). How do you make your imagination a reality? Stay tuned!!!

Think Success

Author Jeremy | 23.10.2007 | Category Secrets of Success

Now once you know for certain that you are an entrepreneur (discussed in the last post within the success category), then it is time to concentrate on achieving success. How do you become a successful entrepreneur? Well, success is determined by a great many things (most of which we will cover in this category, on this blog, over the next couple of months). One of the first factors of success, and probably one of the most important, is mindset.

It is true that “whatever the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve”. You have to have to have the mindset of a successful entrepreneur before you can actually be a successful entrepreneur. Sounds strange right. You might be asking right now, “well Jeremy, how can I have the mindset of a successful entrepreneur if I have not achieved success, and therefore do not know what my mindset would be if I was successful”? My answer to you would be, “practice the pretend”

“Practice the Pretend” is when you pretend that you are something that you want to be. And by pretending that you are already what you are not, but want to be; you will experience some of the feelings, imaginary reward, and mindset that you would have in that position you long for. Then you practice and perfect that mindset. O.k. sounds a little confusing still, right! Let me break it down like this:

I want you to make a list of all of your goals that you wish to achieve as an entrepreneur (this may sound Corney to some of you, but please indulge me. Just do it!). Make a list of your financial goals (how much money do you want to make per month), your personal asset goals (Do you want that boat, that 70″ television, that motorcycle, that house on the lake, etc..), your personal goals (do you want to get married, have two kids, graduate college, etc..) and your business goals (what kind of business do you want to own, do you want to be in investments, do you want to have multiple businesses with multiple employees, etc..). Write these goals down and store them some place safe.

Try to make these goals practical and within some reason. If your goal is make 1 Billion Dollars over the next next three months; that is not within reason. It probably won’t happen (unless you win the lottery 5 times in a row, even then it is a stretch. Don’t try that by the way). But now if your goal is to make 1 Million Dollars over the next year and a half; Well that is do-able. That is a more reasonable goal.

So now you have your goals. Now what do you do with them. I am going to tell you in my next post which will be entitled “Think Success Part 2″. See you on Wednesday October 24th, 2007, for my next post.

Do You Have Questions?

Author Jeremy | 19.10.2007 | Category Got Questions?

If you have any questions about me, what I do, the secrets of success, or even if you want to know what the weather is like here in Washington; don’t be afraid to ask. I encourage you to join the conversation and ask some questions. I promise to get back to as soon as my schedule will allow. Usually you will get a response within a day or two.

I look forward to speaking with you!

Definition of Entrepreneur: You Have To Know What You Are!

Author Jeremy | 19.10.2007 | Category Secrets of Success

Now in order to be a successful entrepreneur you must first know what exactly an entrepreneur is. It surprises me just how many people proclaim themselves to be an entrepreneur without ever knowing the true meaning of the word. So here it is: 

Entrepreneur [en-tre-pre-nuer] (noun)- An Innovator. One who recognizes opportunities and organizes resources to take  advantage of those opportunities.

Let me add a little to that definition and explain to you my definition of entrepreneur. An Entrepreneur is a “Go-Getter”! He/She is someone that sees an opportunity and does whatever it takes to take advantage of that opportunity (ethically of course). I personally believe that at the core of every great entrepreneur there can be found two essential qualities. These two qualities are Heart and Dedication.

Having “Heart” means that you have a passion for success. Success is in your blood (so to speak)!

Having “Dedication” Means that you have the will and determination to achieve what is in your heart (success).

These two core qualities are surprisingly hard to find in people these days. Everyone wants to be successful, but not everyone is willing to put in the time and effort it takes to be successful. I can’t tell you how many people have told me, “I want to be rich”! So I sit down with them I set up some goals, and I show them how to achieve their goals. And they are motivated and eager to meet these goals, for about a week. Then they tapper off and start watching television. It is easy to say that you have a goal; But what good is a goal without the drive to accomplish that goal.

So if you are a “Go-Getter” that possesses those two core qualities, “Heart” and “Dedication”; If you have the ability to recognize opportunities for what they are, and take advantage of those opportunities; then you my friend are an Entrepreneur.

OK, so now you know that you meet the minimum qualifications to be called an entrepreneur. Now What? Well now you have to learn how to become a successful entrepreneur, and utilize what you learn to achieve your success. I will show you how. But not yet! Check back here soon to see further updates.

(Also don’t be afraid to jump into the conversation and ask some questions. I have developed another category all together just for that purpose. Just check to the right of the screen.)