One Question to Accelerate Success

I want you to think about where your income is today. Think about how far away $500,000 or $1 million a year is from where you’re at now. Take $500,000 a year, my minimum expectation of success in this industry, and subtract however much you are making today. If you are making $100,000 today, then $500,000 minus $100,000 is $400,000. Then multiply that number by three to five—three to five years of being in this industry. So three times $400,000 is $1.2 million. Five times that would be $2 million. So if you had $1 million to $2 million more in three to five years, what would you do with it? What would you do with it for yourself, for your family and for your legacy? Big success requires big dreams.

One thing I think is sad for many people is they stopped dreaming in second grade. Remember when a teacher asked you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Some people said they wanted to be an astronaut, a ballerina or a policeman, and what’s interesting is that no matter what you said when you were in second grade, you believed with all your heart you were going to become that.

But somehow over the years, life beats the dreams out of us. I believe step number one to big success is dreaming again. It’s been since second grade, so give yourself a little practice. Shake off all of the beatings life has given you, all of the turning and urging, running and racing around, all the texting and everything else that fills up your life and keeps you from dreaming. You can do it. It starts with dreaming big.

I’m asking you seriously—pick up a pen and piece of paper and write down one thing you would do for yourself, for your family, for your legacy if and when you have an extra $1 to $2 million a year. What one thing would you do or buy that costs at least a quarter of a million dollars or more? Is it a second home, a big boat, paying off your children’s college education, making sure you have an education fund for your grandchildren, donating to a cause that you know could make this world a better place than when you were born?