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Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires

7 Strategies I Learned from Self-Made Millionaires About Achieving Personal & Professional Success
Copyright 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's
coming attractions."                                      
        Albert Einstein

After attending a seminar in Las Vegas this past weekend on
achieving personal and professional success, I walked away
with a plethora of time-tested tools that can be applied
immediately.  Many of the presenters were "self-made"
millionaires, as I'm not talking about someone who
inherited it or married into it.These individuals, through
grit, determination and calculated risk did it on their
own. Here are seven proven strategies guaranteed to
dramatically improve your happiness, and help you in
achieving success in any area of your life, if you apply
them.

1. Wherever you are today is a result of what you've done
in the past. Take responsibility for the choices you've
made. Learn from them and move on. Let go of the mistake
but don't lose the lesson. Don't focus on the pain of your
past, focus on your purpose for the future. This frame of
mind alone can turn your life around.

2. "You become what you think about all day," Earl
Nightingale once said. Have you ever noticed while driving
your car that if you keep looking to the right, you
eventually go to the right? Keep looking to the left and
your car veers left? What you think about and focus on
becomes reality. So focus on achieving success and be
specific with your goals.

3. The books you read and the people you interact with most
determine 90% of your success. So surround yourself with
successful, positive people. Join a mastermind group. It
can consist of like-minded individuals all around the
country where you talk by phone once a week. Attend
business and personal development seminars to find the
right people. Who are the people you spend the most time
with? What about their goals, values and priorities? Do
they have any goals?! You are an average of the five people
you spend the most time with. Try this exercise:  Add up
their yearly income and divide by five. Most likely your
income is within 10% of that sum. You can spend time with
people less successful than you and feel like a big fish,
but as you discover your passion and climb the ladder of
success, those same people will drag you down and
discourage your dreams.

4. Make the books you read be about achieving personal and
professional success. Invest at least 3% of your yearly
income in personal and professional development books,
CD's, e-books, teleseminars, webinars and the like. If
you're pressed for time, listen to motivational CD's in
your car. The average person spends 500 to 1000 hours per
year in their cars. Turn your car into a virtual mobile
classroom.

5. Reprogram your mind. You've heard the phrase "stinkin'
thinkin'." To reprogram your mind with positive thoughts,
spend a few minutes upon awakening reading inspirational
literature or something related to the field you are
passionate about. Do the same thing within that last hour
before bedtime. The subconscious mind is most amenable to
suggestion the first hour upon awakening, and that last
hour before retiring. [Check out these subliminal self-help programs.]

6. The mirror exercise. Every morning getting up and every
evening  going to bed, give yourself pep talks. At first
you will feel embarrassed and ridiculous, but this
technique is very powerful. Ruben Gonzalez, three time
Olympian in the luge, was the keynote speaker this weekend.
He told how his friend used to make him stand in front of a
mirror and say to himself with emotion, "No matter how
terrible it gets I am going to make it happen!" He would
say this over and over until he believed it. Saying it with
emotion will help your dream manifest itself more quickly.

7. Learn to overcome procrastination. Most people
procrastinate doing something because they fear it. For
example, if you're procrastinating learning a new software
program, take classes or hire a tutor. If that skill is
necessary in helping you achieve an important goal you must
do it. Also, do the thing you like least first. The more
you  think about what you "should" do and procrastinate,
the harder it is to get started, and your anxiety is
compounded. Think how much better, lighter (and more
confident) you'll feel when it's complete.

Celebrate your successes and reward yourself for even small
accomplishments. All work and no play serves as a
de-motivator. The larger the success, the larger the
reward. Have you ever noticed how much you accomplish right
before a vacation? You're looking forward to that reward,
and you don't want to think about it when you're on
vacation. Do the same thing with these simple steps. Apply
them. Work them.

Focus on your dreams not the fear. The price of success is
huge, but the price of regret is worse. Increase your
self-belief and increase your desire. Ask yourself, "Who am
I?" "What do I want to be?" And go do that. Good luck.


About the Author:
Colleen Kettenhofen is a Portland, Oregon based
motivational keynote speaker and author. Most popular
topics: dealing with difficult people, achieving success,
presentation skills, managing people, leadership and life
balance. She has spoken in 47 states and 6 countries. She
is co-author of "The Masters of Success, v.2," along with
Ken Blanchard, Jack Canfield and others. Colleen is
available for keynotes, breakout sessions and seminars.
http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com

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