"Secret 40: The World Class is Determined to Win "Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is." -Vince Lombardi, 1913-1970, legendary coach, Green Bay Packers. As simple as it sounds, many times the only thing that separates winners from losers is pure determination. While the winning difference may be slight, the thought process that makes the difference is huge. Amateur performers spend a substantial amount of time negotiating the price of victory. Amateurs seem to have an endless tape looping through their minds, asking, "Is the effort worth the reward for winning?" Meanwhile, champions focus on winning. Their attitude is "Whatever it takes." Champions don't negotiate their efforts and sacrifices en-route to victory. The decision to pay any price and bear any burden in the name of victory was made long before the game started. This subtle difference in thinking is a huge advantage. Nowhere is this more apparent than when pain occurs. Amateurs feel pain and seek escape. Professionals expect to feel pain and have been mentally trained to push past it while maintaining a world-class level of performance. Champions are the warriors of the world. Their outstanding preparation, both mental and physical, makes them unstoppable and ferocious on any performance field."
"You got out of bed this morning and went to work because you wanted to, you are in control of money. If you got out of bed this morning because you had to, money is in control of you. Even in the wealthiest nation in the world, 99% of the population is being controlled by money. The effect is lack of money. The cause is thinking. Albert Einstein once said, "a problem cannot be solved at the level of consciousness in which it occurs." Knowing this, champions raise their level of consciousness by studying how the world class creates wealth. The middle class believes formal education is the answer to acquiring wealth, yet very few academics are wealthy. They seek advanced degrees and certifications, and are confounded when these things don't bring them riches. While the great ones are strong advocates of higher education, they don't believe it has much to do with acquiring money. The middle class trades time for money. The world class trades ideas that solves problems for money. Money flows like water from ideas."
"The middle class often scorns the world class out of frustration over lack of money, yet the answer to earning more than they can spend has been in their lap their whole lives. Ideas - it's such a simple concept that the majority misses it. The poverty class talks about and regurgitates the past; the middle class talks about other people; and the world class talks about ideas. Professional performers know money doesn't care which direction it flows. They know the world will bend over backward to make them rich if it will help them solve their problems. About 150 years ago, Karl Marx was sure the working class, as a whole, would rise up and overcome oppression if they had a chance. What Marx didn't figure into the equation was the poverty-driven thought process of the people. Give people operating at middle class consciousness a million-dollar opportunity, and they will find a way to make it back to the middle class. It is where their limited self-image tells them they belong. The difference has nothing to do with reality. It's all perception in the mind of the performer."
"ACTION STEP FOR TODAY: Ask this critical thinking question: "At what level of monetary success do I feel most comfortable? a.) poverty class b.) middle class c.) world class
Where you feel most comfortable reflects your self-image, and most likely your current status. If you want to become wealthier, begin by raising your self-image by upgrading the self-talk you use regarding money and finances. If all you do is chase more money, you are simply attacking the effect. The cause is how you think, and if you improve the cause, the effect will take care of itself."
