Last Updated on April 7, 2017

• If you had bought $1,000 worth of Revlon stock 10 years ago, it would now be worth $4
• If you had bought $1,000 worth of Harken Energy stock ten years ago, it would now be worth $2.
• If you had bought $1,000 worth of United Airlines stock ten years ago, it would now be worth $0.

But think about this…

• If you had bought $1,000 worth of Budweiser (the beer, not the stock) one year ago, and turned in the cans for the 10 cent deposit, you would have $214.

Isn’t it amazing that your investment advisor could have advocated drinking and recycling, rather than investing in their worthless stocks, and you’d be 5 to 43 TIMES RICHER? It never fails to amaze me just how bad some investments can be when you’re a hapless retail client dabbling in the stock market (hey, we’ve all been there, right?). But here’s an investment that will dwarf any returns you’ll get in the stock market, bond market or any market for that matter… Thirty two years ago, almost to the day, I had one of many one-to-one talks with my “rich” uncle Michael. He was my early mentor who managed over 150 salespeople in a 4-state area for Philadelphia Life Insurance Company. Sadly, he passed-away just a few months ago, but his business experience and advice was truly incredible, and I’m deeply grateful for his guidance, his patience, and the remarkable insights he shared with me. But in the process of our dozens of one-to-one talks, my uncle Mike taught me something about investing that no one else ever taught me. He said…

There Is NO Greater Investment On The Face Of This Earth Than The Investment You Make In Yourself

He taught me the deep secret that investing in my mind, my skills and my knowledge base is something no one can ever take away from me – ever! Circumstances could cause the loss of a job and financial hardship. But with the skills for selling, marketing and making and managing money, I would always be able to provide for myself and those around me. When I was just 16 years old, he introduced me to such classics as Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich”, Dr. Maxwell Maltz’s “Psychocybernetics,” Dale Carnegie’s “How To Win Friends And Influence People,” J. Paul Getty’s “How to be Rich,” George Clayson’s “The Richest Man in Babylon”, and others. I didn’t realize it at the time, but he was preparing me to walk down the road to success, arming me with the most powerful weapon of all: A Motivated and Inspired MIND With a Formidable Road Map to Success. And yet, when you look at the average person, they’d rather spend $30 bucks drinking beer on Friday night than invest in a tape program to increase their business. Would rather go see a third-rate movie than buy a classic business or success book. Most agents would rather blow $500 on stationery than invest in a marketing program or seminar that could make them millions. It’s amazing! People often ask me what makes successful people stay successful. And I tell them…

“They Stay Successful Because School’s Never Out For The Professional…”

Each year I spend tens of thousands of dollars and many-hundreds of hours buying and devouring books and courses and traveling to marketing meetings – just to keep on top of my game. Why do I do this? Because school’s never out for the pro, and the investments I make in my mind and my skills always pay off bigger than anything else I’ve ever done. Here’s a quick reminder: When was the last time you made a commitment to improve yourself? When was the last time you read “Think and Grow Rich” (I’ve read it no less than 12 times), or bought a great book or course on real estate marketing, or did ANYTHING to build your money-making or success skills? They say that the level of success of a person is directly related to the SUCCESS HABITS (both mentally and physically – i.e. how they think and what they do) they form over their lifetime. What are your habits? If you’re like most people, you really have none. Well, that’s all about to change right now. Here are a few great exercises for developing life-changing success habits in your life. I think they’ll make a big difference in your success and fulfillment. Success Habit Exercise #1: Take 30 to 60 minutes each day to invest in yourself…to go back to school and keep your edge sharp…and gain something that no one can ever take away. Buy a course. Read a book. Listen to a tape program. Talk with colleagues on what they do to improve their businesses. Start a mastermind club with other agents. You’ve got to keep yourself in the “deal flow” of information and innovation. Just being there will keep your mind alive and help motivate you to new levels of success. Success Habit Exercise #2: Decide where you want to go in your life and business. Another one of my early mentors (who is worth over $100 million today) told me, “Most people fail in life because they don’t know how to differentiate the important from the unimportant.” That’s because most people really don’t know where they want to go – so any decision, any path will do. Once a year, I update my 5-year plan. Then I plan my business (and life) for the next 12 months. Then I break down the “things” I’ll need to do reach those annual goals, and I make monthly goals. Then I’ll break those down into weekly tasks, and finally daily tasks. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. But if you don’t start, you’ll never get anywhere. Success Habit Exercise #3: Each day, before I leave work, I look at my daily tasks – what I completed, and what’s remaining – and I create and prioritize my daily tasks for the next day. Why? Because that one skill alone keeps me on track to accomplish my goals, and helps me hit the ground running the next day – way ahead of anyone else. Success Habit Exercise #4: Take 30 minutes each day to quiet your mind and deeply think about where you want your life to be in 6 months, 12 months, 2 years and 5 years. You can try it right before bed time and right after rising in the morning. I don’t want you to simply “think” about what you want, I want you to: 1) Attach a positive emotion to the thought – a feeling, and 2) Think as if you’re already there…as if you’re already living your life where you want it to be. Why do I want you to do this? Because programming your mind when it’s quiet and receptive sets off an invisible force within your subconscious that will align the universe in motion to help manifest your goals. Hey, don’t laugh. I know it sounds like quackery, but it’s true. Try these 4 exercises each day, and very soon you’ll awaken to a whole new life…a whole new world of success and fulfillment.