Success Archives

Successful People vs Unsuccessful People – Where Do You Stand?

We all have a friend or family member that is always complaining about everything and never seems to get anywhere in life. Then, we have another friend or family member that is always positive about everything and is the most accomplished person we know.

Even though their upbringing, overall circumstances in life from an early age, and education are very similar — one is far more successful than the other; so why is that?

Let’s take a look at the most probable reasons for this…

I believe success is a choice and anyone can be successful if they truly want to. Yes, in certain circumstances, you are born with characteristics that will help you become more successful in a particular field.

For example, if you are 6’5″ tall and weigh 275 pounds in high school then you are far more likely to become a professional football player than your friend who is 5’7″ tall and weighs 140 lbs.

However, that does not necessarily mean one of you will be more successful than the other in life overall.

One might only play in the NFL for a couple years and make a few hundred thousand dollars, then get cut, and struggle to find any meaningful employment for years afterward. While the other might become a big time NYC lawyer earning millions of dollars per year for a 30 year career.

I’d say the “little guy” ended up being FAR more successful in the long run because of the choices he made in life – not because of his size or any particular skill he was born with.

You can also look at two brothers/sisters that were born to the same parents, grew up in the same neighborhood, attended the same school, did mostly all the same things growing up, etc… and one ends up becoming hugely successful while the other struggles throughout adulthood and by most standards is a total failure! This happens all the time with siblings.

So, what separates the successful from the unsuccessful?

This brings me back to my original point in that I believe success is a choice… It’s not about your skill level, talent you may or may not be born with, your education level, or where you grew up. It is about your willpower, habits, determination, commitment, hard work, and belief in yourself!

You’ve read about high school or college dropouts that turned out to be self-made millionaires or even billionaires. These rags to riches stories are abundant and ever-present. There are also just as many stories about people born with all the opportunities in life — money, family, talent, education, etc — who end up being complete failures in every sense of the word.

Therefore, I maintain that success has very little to do with your circumstances and a LOT to do with YOU and what you decide you are going to do with your life!

Your attitude and daily activities will shape your future. If you want a successful future, you have to be a positive person that has a plan, and applies good habits in your daily life.

Obviously it’s not easy to develop smart and desirable habits, or we would all do it and everyone would be successful. However, with unwavering determination and the constant drive to reach your goals, you can achieve whatever you desire in life.

Go through each of the lists in the images above carefully. Be honest with yourself. Look deeply into you and see which of them you share the most traits with. Don’t lie or try to be something you’re not, it’s just you and your conscious doing this exercise, so there’s no need to cheat.

Nobody is completely in one group or the other — we are all human — so none of us can be perfect!

However, looking at those charts should give you a solid idea of where you currently are with your thought process, and what you could be working on to adopt the “successful mindset” right now.

It’s important to remember that successful people will always do what unsuccessful people won’t do.

Two of my favorite quotes that go along nicely with this topic:

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” ~ Napoleon Hill
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Will Durant

The “67 Steps” Program… To The Good Life!

Learn the Tai Lopez 67 Steps to Becoming a Millionaire

Walk through the doors of your destiny, here is your key to the best life

How to Live a Good Life and the Grand Theory of Everything –- with Tai Lopez!

Okay, so, what is the 67 steps program?

In a nutshell, it is an online education course that teaches people the things they should have been taught in school about — Health, Wealth, Love & Happiness — but weren’t, and now they wish they would have been. It was created by the personal development guru, Tai Lopez.

Each of the 67 steps contains multiple lessons learned from the many mentors Tai has had over the years, the hundreds of books he’s read, and personal experiences he has gained building his many successful business ventures.

When you invest in the 67 Steps, you save a lot of years (potentially even decades) of wasted time figuring everything out on your own.

The lessons revealed since this program was first released have improved countless lives throughout the world.

This is the closest thing I’ve ever seen for a safe, foolproof, step-by-step guide on how to become successful!

Generally speaking the program overall is essentially a no-nonsense approach to life that helps you gain the mental and emotional resources necessary to succeed in whatever you do, and start living the best possible life for you.

I’m not going to give you all of the 67 steps or details about them because that wouldn’t be fair to Tai Lopez and his team, or any of the thousands of people who have already purchased the program, but I will give you a small taste of some of the awesome information contained in the membership:

Be Worth A Damn
Become Adaptable
Humble Yourself
Get A Mentor
Ignore the Masses
Grind Daily
Escape the Salary
Learning Forever
Be Tough
Master Your Mind
Build Upon Your Strengths
Find Something You Like, Not Love
Preparation Is Key
Adopt the Investor Mentality
Be a Social Butterfly
Seek the Truth
Define Your Goals
Choose Relationships Carefully
Spend Your Time Wisely
Prioritize

Remember, each of the above has a plethora of information within them inside the course – plus nearly 50 more lessons!

At the time of writing this post, the 67 steps is the #1 product in the business/investing section of Clickbank out of literally hundreds of products & services in that section of one of the top affiliate marketplaces on the entire internet. That speaks volumes for it in itself.

How much does the 67 steps program cost?

Yup, you guessed it, only $67

I’ve heard people say that’s expensive, or that the program should be free, or asking if it’s a scam, and all sorts of other stuff.

To that I say…

How many times have you gone out partying and spent way more than $67 on booze in one night with nothing to show for it other than a hangover the next day? How much do you spend every month on coffee or junk food? What does your cable bill cost you every month? How many thousands of dollars worth of clothes/shoes are in your closet that you’ve barely ever worn? What else do you waste hundreds of dollars on per year?

All of that shit does nothing for you whatsoever! In fact, most of it actually hurts you in one way or another.

So, why would you not be willing to invest a measly $67 on something that could literally change your life for the better?

Even if you only get ONE golden nugget out of it all then you will still be better off than you are right now. At the very worst, you get nothing out of it, and you won’t be any worse off than you currently are.

To me, it’s a no-brainer! There is literally nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Look, I am not trying to convince anyone that they NEED this program. It really doesn’t affect me either way. I am just giving my thoughts on the subject so you can make an informed and unbiased decision.

With that being said, think of it this way…

Ideally, you will gain some useful insight and knowledge that helps you or your business grow.

Worst case, you are out $67.

I’m just saying, most people spend WAY more than that on coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, junk food, or some other crap every month.

Heck, many people spend tens of thousands of dollars getting a college degree and end up learning next to nothing. Then, they get a job they hate that barely pays the bills. I find it quite crazy that people freak out over $67 when they will go $50,000 to $100,000 or more in debt to go to college just for the sake of getting a degree that they aren’t sure what they are gonna do with, and there are no refunds.

I’m not saying that getting a college degree isn’t a good choice for some people (I have two of them), but it is FAR more expensive than this program and you may end up wasting years of your life and loads of money for no reason whatsoever. So, what’s the harm in testing out a $67 program that has quite literally changed the lives of thousands of people for the better?!

Are you going to read the steps in this mentorship program, then turn around and make a million dollars overnight? No, of course not! Will you have a better outlook on life and information that could very well help you build a successful business, better health, stronger relationships, and more happiness? Yes, I believe you will, as long as you keep an open mind and apply the knowledge you gain! You have to listen and absorb what you are being taught.

A lot of people just need some extra motivation and advice from someone who has a ton of different experiences in life and business, and is knowledgeable about many things. This is what Tai Lopez has to offer in the 67 steps membership. It is up to the individuals to use what they learn and put it into action in their daily lives.

It’s definitely not some “magic solution” like other programs try to make you believe they are. Nothing is the absolute solution for anyone. You still have to be willing to put in the time, effort, and work to apply the lessons of the 67 steps in order to reap the rewards.

In my opinion, if you are open-minded and willing to listen, learn, and put into action what you learn from the program – you will almost certainly see some significant growth in your personal life and/or business.

Is Tai Lopez a Scam?

Getting away from directly discussing the 67 steps program for a bit, a lot of people want to know if the owner, Tai Lopez, is a scam artist.

I personally don’t think he is in any way, shape, or form. And I have been following him for years online, as well as have met him before.

People love to call him a scammer, but this is my Tai Lopez Review….

The dude has MILLIONS of followers on all the top social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. And has a TON of social proof showing positive customer testimonials, reviews, comments, etc…
All his products have tons of raving fans giving him positive reviews and testimonials on a daily basis. Most of them are on video or posted on their own social media accounts, so there’s no way they could be faked either.
He gets invited to speak at internet marketing conferences and other business events, and a ton of people show up to listen to him. Often times in record-breaking numbers.
Tai puts his entire life out there for the world to see. He’s not trying to hide behind an anonymous identity, a computer screen, use a fake name, or anything else like that. He’s out there in public.
He’s done a “TEDx Talk” — which is a very popular and respected media organization — and his TED talk has gotten more than 9,000,000 views so far. Yes, 9 Million!
He freely gives away cars, cash, tablets and smartphones all the time. He’s as generous of a person as I’ve ever seen.
He hangs out with a lot of celebrities (in both business and entertainment) and professional athletes, he seems to treat his employees exceptionally well, and those who know him personally appear to genuinely like him… So I would say that definitely bodes well for his reputation.
Billionaires such as Mark Cuban, and bestselling authors such as Keith Ferrazzi have collaborated with Tai Lopez. So have MANY other well known people in various professions. He was even a featured guest on the Adam Carolla podcast.

…The list goes on and on!

So, is Tai Lopez a scam artist or a business genius that truly knows what he’s doing? Personally, I believe it’s the latter!

People on the internet love to hate on Tai Lopez, but I have never seen any REAL reason for doing so. His products/programs are totally legit, he gives out a lot of great information for free on his social media accounts, he helps a lot of people out financially for nothing in return, and so on.

I’ve personally never seen or heard of an actual reason to not like the guy, and nobody in his inner circle has ever publicly come out with anything negative about him that I know of either.

You may not like his tactics or personality, but I don’t see how anyone can say he’s a scam artist or that his products are scams. They just aren’t! There’s too much proof to the contrary.

Not long ago, I went to a business mastermind event that he hosted in Los Angeles. The event lasted then entire day – around 12 hours. Tai spent personal time with everyone that was there. He gave specific business advice to everyone in attendance. He didn’t directly try to sell anything to anyone (at least not that I saw). It was a great opportunity to network with other business owners, and meet a virtual celebrity in the social media world. The people that were at the event were all business owners in one form or another – some were already highly successful and some were just getting started – but everyone appeared to be very happy with the event and what they learned. I know I was!

Also, from what I’ve heard and seen, he treats his employees very well. In fact, the 67 steps was actually something he made for his employees. Then, he decided it was something the public could benefit from as well, so he started offering it up for all. People close to him seem to really like him. That has to count for something.

I’m not saying he doesn’t have any skeletons in the closet or that he’s perfect. Nobody can say that about anybody, and I don’t intimately know the guy, I’m just sharing my opinion based on what I have seen over the years.

Yes, he can be a bit too flashy and even cocky at times. No doubt about that. He likes to show off his cars, girls, and other stuff but that’s just the larger than life persona he has created on the surface. Under that is a wealth of knowledge and a very generous human being.

One thing I can say without a doubt is that the dude is a marketing genius! There is NO disputing that fact. Whether you love him or hate him, you can’t deny that he has an incredible ability to market himself and his products. If nothing else, I admire him for that. There’s a lot to be learned just from his marketing tactics alone. Since most people who follow him (and this blog) are current or aspiring business owners, he offers a wealth of knowledge for you and your company just by seeing what he does and how he does it.

At the very least, if you follow him, he is entertaining and shares some useful knowledge. Nothing wrong with that!

I check out his snapchats, instagrams, and facebook posts on a daily basis, as well as his youtube videos quite frequently, and I have done so for years. I’ve personally gotten a lot of inspiration, motivation, and golden business nuggets from Tai Lopez and I don’t understand why he has so many haters. That’s just my personal experience with him. Take it or leave it. The choice is yours.

Tai Lopez Reading

What does Tai Lopez do?

Well, other than being the 67 steps creator, he does several things, including:

Personal Development Guru
Business Mogul
Real Estate Investor
Author
Entrepreneur
Social Media Expert
Entertainer
Mentor
Internet Marketer
Mensa Member (yeah he’s technically a genius)

…and more!

The real Tai Lopez is a gifted & persuasive speaker & teacher that draws lessons from history, psychology, philosophy, science, religion, books, social interactions, business experiences, and other intellectual realms in order to deliver the fundamentals of motivation and success in an exciting and easily digestible way.

Basically what I am saying is… the man knows his shit. He has a ton of business experience in many different industries and an insane amount of knowledge to share. He’s got a bigger than life personality, which puts a lot of people off, but if you look past that then you will likely learn some very useful information from him and his programs.

Overall, my review of the 67 steps program and of Tai Lopez himself is positive. His products and personality aren’t for everyone (nothing is), but I would say the vast majority of people could certainly benefit from his training. I truly believe that the 67 steps could change your life for the better, and so could the man behind the scenes – Tai Lopez.

A Tried and True Formula for Business Success

For most of my life success has mostly come naturally to me. Whether it was school, business, money, sports, relationships, or just about anything else; I’ve always been successful. Of course, I had some failures (nobody is perfect) but was always able to come out on top in the end. So, my self-confidence level was always off the charts. I always felt I was destined to do great things in business and in life. Somehow I just knew it was inevitable.

Well, I did make it happen, I became an online millionaire, and then I gave it back. I don’t say I “lost it” because I know where it went. And it was not due to any recession or the fault of anyone but me. These days, I describe myself as a recovering self-made millionaire. That’s not a bad thing. It just is what it is. My confidence has been shaken but it is not gone. I’m writing this post as much for myself as for anyone else. It is the overview on how I built my business success and how I’m going to rebuild it again. I know how to become successful and this formula can be used by you too.

The last few years for me have been just one big upside down inside out roller coaster ride. I kept slipping and sliding and wasn’t able to hold on to the ball and run like I did so many times in the past. I made small strides but big success was elusive. Then, I got pissed. I’d had enough. I was mad at the world. Was my golden journey over? Was I just supposed to go off into the proverbial sunset and disappear? After months of talking to myself, beating myself up, soul searching and living in an emotional tsunami the answers started to show themselves. I realized that the person to be mad at was me! Every success and failure in my life was my own. It was nobody else’s fault. I then moved to a forgiveness mode and started to treat everyone, including myself, with a lot more respect.

I started to write down the answers and information that started to flow. I have not stopped writing and updating, and months later what you see below is how I became successful.

I realized that what I thought was natural, intangible and random achievements were actually blueprints for success that my subconscious mind had developed, built and stored for me over the years. I always trusted and respected my subconscious mind and my intuition and now I know that they feel the same about me. I really felt relieved and hopeful knowing now that I could get it down on paper, have a plan to follow, and achieve my goals. This formula, now tangible and clear to me, has worked for me over and over and over again. There was a definite pattern and yes, there was a method to my madness.

There are a lot more things to distract us today than ever before. There are a lot more things you need to know today. You must live in two worlds today – virtual and real. Having it on paper has kept me focused.

After getting it down on paper I saw where I went off my success path way too many times. I was not doing the things that I always did to keep me on the path to the successes I wanted, no matter what it was I was after.

What you will read below is a simple guide that I used to develop, in my opinion, a great success track record. It took years to develop and now I want to share it with you. Please join me on my new journey to get back, and keep, what I feel I deserve in life and what I feel YOU deserve in life. I want to share the journey with you. I will give you the good, the bad and the ugly as the saying goes.

Remember, It’s never too late to develop personal growth at any age or at any level of experience for business, life, or relationships.

1) You Must NEED It

You have to decide what you really need. Success will not happen if you just “want” it or wish it would happen. True success calls for a need so intense that you cannot be satisfied until you reach the goal. It’s a burning desire! You must absolutely totally be committed to this need. There is no turning back. You have done the dreaming and the research and now there is no doubt about the vision. You’re going for it! You need it! You’re not going to let anyone or anything stop you!

2) Become an Action Taker

You are willing to take extraordinary action. You don’t care how many hours in a day you have to work, you don’t care what tasks you have to do, you don’t care how much you have to travel. You will do whatever you have to do to succeed. Anything!

3) Stay Vigilant

You must be constantly be aware as to what is working and what is not. Always keep your eyes wide open. You should quietly and calmly review your findings on a daily basis. You should keep a journal on everything you see, think, feel and even suspect. A pattern will emerge if you remain open minded. Expect failure, learn from it, and then fight like a mad person to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I call this my preventative attitude. It keeps you sharp and prepared.

4) Decide What Is Real and What Isn’t

Reality dictates that you must always stay nimble and flexible. Reality is a fluid concept. Get to the reality of any situation no matter how much it pains you. Finding the reality of a situation will eventually put you in a position to always move forward. Questions will shine a light on the reality of your situation: Who, what, where, when, why and how. Ask, Ask, Ask.

Find out what people love or hate about you and your product or service. If people working with you are a wrong fit do them a favor, and yourself, and help them leave and find a job that’s right for them. Be human but don’t fall in love with anything or anyone. Be ready mentally to change course if you have to.

Mentally try to put yourself out of business before someone else or some other thing does. Be paranoid about your success every day. Question everything. You want daily reality checks with you and your staff. It’s an attitude that is good for everyone.

5) Remember Change is Good

You must continue to change your approach and evolve your business, based on all the information you have accumulated, until you achieve your goals. If you have to change to a less glamorous course of action after hearing the reality of the situation so be it. Keep moving forward. Do not fall in love with today because change is coming! You will always have to “start all over again” tomorrow. Nothing stays the same forever. Get used to it. In the end you will see that change is good (and certain).

6) Get Support

To succeed you must have at least one person in your life that will be there to support you. They will be there to listen to you without judging and give their opinion when asked. You need that person to whisper in your ear “you can do it” when you are afraid and feeling insecure. They must also be able to tell you when you are heading down the wrong path. Brutal honesty is key here. You want them them cheer you on but also keep you in check. You must truly trust that this person cares about you and your well being. A good accountant and a lawyer are also critical to serve as business advisers.

If you are going into your own business, partners could be very beneficial but they also could be a major detriment. Move slowly and use extreme caution when heading into a partnership. I’ve had great success with partners in the past but also major issues. Below is my story and it’s not really a very pretty testament to the concept of partnerships. My story should serve only as a warning sign to you and that’s it. I think partnerships can be a great thing but certainly not always. Do it if it’s truly good for you and your business, but beware!

I know I’m a good partner, and I’ve had some good partnerships, but they are hard to find. I will give an overview here and then try to cover partnerships more deeply in future posts.

Here is where it gets sticky for me. The weakest element for me in my formula has always been support. I’m not going to reveal the raw details just yet but I will give you the main theme. To summarize: I tried to revive my business multiple times with different partners and none of it worked. You’re probably thinking, “Maybe something is wrong with you!” And I don’t blame you for thinking that. Trust me, I thought the same thing and I went through that mind game with myself. But I had many major past successes that helped me hold on to my confidence. I knew that it wasn’t me. I know I must take some of the blame, obviously, but in the grand scheme of things it was not my fault that these partners did not work out. Someday I may reveal all the stories, but not now.

Some of the assorted reasons for these situations not working were…

I did my part but they couldn’t deliver on their end
Dealing with their other partners and/or family and not one specific decision maker
Greed
Deceit and dishonesty
Betrayal by close “friends”
Too many ideas without taking action on them

I hope you forgive me for not giving specifics but I don’t like to name and shame. This should be sufficient enough to help serve you on your own journey. I just want to share the lessons I have learned for now.

The major lessons to take with you today on the subject of partnering:

With partners, money and success can breed greed and jealously. Be aware. Friendships mean nothing when it comes to partnerships and money. Keep your eyes and ears open.
Don’t be open and reveal your secrets or feelings. They can be used against you. Talk only to your parents, spouse, therapist, or trusted advisor about these things. Not to your business partners.
Don’t trust anybody but the people listed above and even then be careful.
Use your own money and be in control.
A better option may be to “buy” support. Hire what you need rather than have partners. Over pay them if you have to. Hire people smarter and better than you to help build your business. You can’t do it all on your own.

Finally, the biggest lesson I have ever learned for being successful at business or life in general is to NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, GIVE UP! It’s impossible, I repeat, it’s impossible to fail if you adamantly refuse to give up, give in or go home. You can retreat and regroup though. You enable yourself and organization to rest. You plan your next move, you review all the steps above and then launch your offensive. Just keep going!

On another related note, you might be also be interested in my 20 rules for success at making money online or what I feel are 5 very important work at home success traits to keep on this theme of becoming successful.

Good Luck to you, my friend!