"Be careful of the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful of the friends you choose, for you will become like them." - W. Clement Stone

You must identify individuals who have accomplished what you are seeking to accomplish and align yourself with them as best you can. This can be done by reading their books, listening to their tapes, viewing their dvd's and/or videos, and seeing them live. Who do you align yourself with?

Mentors will share their wisdom and 'secrets' with you through their material and in some instances by conversing with you one-on-one. If you do meet them, simply ask for their recommendations on how to accomplish in your own life what they’ve accomplished in their own lives. Many of these successful people will surprise you with their helpfulness and their recommendations.

I watched in awe as each of my friend’s friends did tricks I’d never seen before. When my new friend came over to assess my progress I impressed him at how quickly I learned that one trick. He said it took him several weeks to learn it as well as I did in one night. That inspired me to work harder, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I’d be doing more advanced tricks.

After telling him how I want

Driving back to our house from running errands with my Mom, I watch the park slide by out the passenger door window. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a kid on a bike on the tennis court, and this kid is spinning his bike around and making it do things that I didn’t think were possible. Then we drove past the park, and he was now out of sight.

A few minutes later we arrive at our house (that we just moved into), and I yell to my mom that I’m riding to the park, and I’ll be back in a little while. I begin pedaling with all my might, hoping that the kid with the bike is still there.

Before I even arrive at the park I think to myself, “I want to learn how to do the tricks he was doing!” That brings us to the 1st step in becoming a success magnet...

1. Vision

"All successful people are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, goal, or purpose." - Brian Tracy

You must have a clear vision of where you desire to go with your life and business in order to get there. If you had a magic wand right now that could make your wishes come true, what would your life look like in all areas?

What would you do with your time? Who would you be with? Where would you be living? What would you be driving? What would your finances and relationships look like? How would your business look? What would your client base look like...who would they be?

"There he is!" I pull up and watch in awe as he continues to defy gravity while performing these tricks on his bike. After a while he pedals over and we begin talking.

I skip the small talk and ask him if he could teach me how to do the tricks he was just doing. He laughs and says, "What tricks can you do right now?"

He asked a smart question. In business and in life, you first need to know your capabilities and liabilities before you’re able to move forward and progress.

Think of your entrepreneurial journey like a map. Getting to a destination requires knowing at least two things:

1) Your current location, and

2) Your eventual destination.

Once you know your location and your destination, you can now plan how to get there. You should also know ‘why’ you want to go there. How will your life change once you get there? What will be different? Why do you want to get there in the first place?

After the guy on the bike saw that I was a novice but had a high level of desire, he showed me a few basic tricks to practice and told me that once I could accomplish them easily and consistently, he’d show me some intermediate level tricks.

The bike guy assured me that I seemed a little more proficient at tricks that he himself was when he started. More importantly, he reminded me that he learned all of his tricks from looking at magazines and a couple videos, and he’d never had a person to show him or coach him on how to do them. From his inspirational talk I knew that I could do the tricks I saw him doing if I practiced regularly, remained 'coachable,' and followed his expert guidance. Which leads to step 2 in becoming all you can be...

2. Belief

"Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve." – Napoleon Hill

You must have faith on many different levels. You must have faith in yourself, in your product, service, company, team, coaches, and the laws governing cause and effect. If someone else had a vision and realized that vision, you can, too.

Extensive studies (costing millions of dollars) on extraordinary athletes found that top athletes shared the following characteristics:

1) they possessed a strong belief in God, and/or

2) they possessed a strong belief in themselves and their capabilities.

I knew that I would listen to his suggestions and practice those tricks until I had them down cold...even if it meant crashing or scratching my arms or shins. In no time I’d be learning novice, intermediate and expert tricks, and I already looked forward to it.

The bike trick guy gave me my homework assignment to complete, told me to practice it as much as possible, and he’d be back at the park tomorrow to see my progress. I rode home quickly to tell my mom about my new friend and his incredible bike skills. I shared with Mom how he even taught me a few tricks, and would meet me at the park again tomorrow.

I woke the next day with anticipation, and as I pedaled to the park, I burned with the desire to show my new friend the trick I’d learned after only one night of practice in my garage.

As I approached the park, my excitement grew even more because it wasn’t just my new friend on his bike; several of his other friends- almost as good as he was- practiced tricks on their bikes. This day I learned a very valuable lesson, and it leads to your 3rd step in rising to the top in all areas of your life...

3. Identify & Align

"Be careful of the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful of the friends you choose, for you will become like them." - W. Clement Stone

You must identify individuals who have accomplished what you are seeking to accomplish and align yourself with them as best you can. This can be done by reading their books, listening to their tapes, viewing their dvd's and/or videos, and seeing them live. Who do you align yourself with?

Mentors will share their wisdom and 'secrets' with you through their material and in some instances by conversing with you one-on-one. If you do meet them, simply ask for their recommendations on how to accomplish in your own life what they’ve accomplished in their own lives. Many of these successful people will surprise you with their helpfulness and their recommendations.

I watched in awe as each of my friend’s friends did tricks I’d never seen before. When my new friend came over to assess my progress I impressed him at how quickly I learned that one trick. He said it took him several weeks to learn it as well as I did in one night. That inspired me to work harder, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I’d be doing more advanced tricks.

After telling him how I wante

What would you do with your time? Who would you be with? Where would you be living? What would you be driving? What would your finances and relationships look like? How would your business look? What would your client base look like...who would they be?

"There he is!" I pull up and watch in awe as he continues to defy gravity while performing these tricks on his bike. After a while he pedals over and we begin talking.

I skip the small talk and ask him if he could teach me how to do the tricks he was just doing. He laughs and says, "What tricks can you do right now?"

He asked a smart question. In business and in life, you first need to know your capabilities and liabilities before you’re able to move forward and progress.

Think of your entrepreneurial journey like a map. Getting to a destination requires knowing at least two things:

1) Your current location, and

2) Your eventual destination.

Once you know your location and your destination, you can now plan how to get there. You should also know ‘why’ you want to go there. How will your life change once you get there? What will be different? Why do you want to get there in the first place?

After the guy on the bike saw that I was a novice but had a high level of desire, he showed me a few basic tricks to practice and told me that once I could accomplish them easily and consistently, he’d show me some intermediate level tricks.

The bike guy assured me that I seemed a little more proficient at tricks that he himself was when he started. More importantly, he reminded me that he learned all of his tricks from looking at magazines and a couple videos, and he’d never had a person to show him or coach him on how to do them. From his inspirational talk I knew that I could do the tricks I saw him doing if I practiced regularly, remained 'coachable,' and followed his expert guidance. Which leads to step 2 in becoming all you can be...

2. Belief

"Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve." – Napoleon Hill

You must have faith on many different levels. You must have faith in yourself, in your product, service, company, team, coaches, and the laws governing cause and effect. If someone else had a vision and realized that vision, you can, too.

Extensive studies (costing millions of dollars) on extraordinary athletes found that top athletes shared the following characteristics:

1) they possessed a strong belief in God, and/or

2) they possessed a strong belief in themselves and their capabilities.

I knew that I would listen to his suggestions and practice those tricks until I had them down cold...even if it meant crashing or scratching my arms or shins. In no time I’d be learning novice, intermediate and expert tricks, and I already looked forward to it.

The bike trick guy gave me my homework assignment to complete, told me to practice it as much as possible, and he’d be back at the park tomorrow to see my progress. I rode home quickly to tell my mom about my new friend and his incredible bike skills. I shared with Mom how he even taught me a few tricks, and would meet me at the park again tomorrow.

I woke the next day with anticipation, and as I pedaled to the park, I burned with the desire to show my new friend the trick I’d learned after only one night of practice in my garage.

As I approached the park, my excitement grew even more because it wasn’t just my new friend on his bike; several of his other friends- almost as good as he was- practiced tricks on their bikes. This day I learned a very valuable lesson, and it leads to your 3rd step in rising to the top in all areas of your life...

3. Identify & Align

"Be careful of the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful of the friends you choose, for you will become like them." - W. Clement Stone

You must identify individuals who have accomplished what you are seeking to accomplish and align yourself with them as best you can. This can be done by reading their books, listening to their tapes, viewing their dvd's and/or videos, and seeing them live. Who do you align yourself with?

Mentors will share their wisdom and 'secrets' with you through their material and in some instances by conversing with you one-on-one. If you do meet them, simply ask for their recommendations on how to accomplish in your own life what they’ve accomplished in their own lives. Many of these successful people will surprise you with their helpfulness and their recommendations.

I watched in awe as each of my friend’s friends did tricks I’d never seen before. When my new friend came over to assess my progress I impressed him at how quickly I learned that one trick. He said it took him several weeks to learn it as well as I did in one night. That inspired me to work harder, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I’d be doing more advanced tricks.

After telling him how I want

The bike guy assured me that I seemed a little more proficient at tricks that he himself was when he started. More importantly, he reminded me that he learned all of his tricks from looking at magazines and a couple videos, and he’d never had a person to show him or coach him on how to do them. From his inspirational talk I knew that I could do the tricks I saw him doing if I practiced regularly, remained 'coachable,' and followed his expert guidance. Which leads to step 2 in becoming all you can be...

2. Belief

"Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve." – Napoleon Hill

You must have faith on many different levels. You must have faith in yourself, in your product, service, company, team, coaches, and the laws governing cause and effect. If someone else had a vision and realized that vision, you can, too.

Extensive studies (costing millions of dollars) on extraordinary athletes found that top athletes shared the following characteristics:

1) they possessed a strong belief in God, and/or

2) they possessed a strong belief in themselves and their capabilities.

I knew that I would listen to his suggestions and practice those tricks until I had them down cold...even if it meant crashing or scratching my arms or shins. In no time I’d be learning novice, intermediate and expert tricks, and I already looked forward to it.

The bike trick guy gave me my homework assignment to complete, told me to practice it as much as possible, and he’d be back at the park tomorrow to see my progress. I rode home quickly to tell my mom about my new friend and his incredible bike skills. I shared with Mom how he even taught me a few tricks, and would meet me at the park again tomorrow.

I woke the next day with anticipation, and as I pedaled to the park, I burned with the desire to show my new friend the trick I’d learned after only one night of practice in my garage.

As I approached the park, my excitement grew even more because it wasn’t just my new friend on his bike; several of his other friends- almost as good as he was- practiced tricks on their bikes. This day I learned a very valuable lesson, and it leads to your 3rd step in rising to the top in all areas of your life...

3. Identify & Align

"Be careful of the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful of the friends you choose, for you will become like them." - W. Clement Stone

You must identify individuals who have accomplished what you are seeking to accomplish and align yourself with them as best you can. This can be done by reading their books, listening to their tapes, viewing their dvd's and/or videos, and seeing them live. Who do you align yourself with?

Mentors will share their wisdom and 'secrets' with you through their material and in some instances by conversing with you one-on-one. If you do meet them, simply ask for their recommendations on how to accomplish in your own life what they’ve accomplished in their own lives. Many of these successful people will surprise you with their helpfulness and their recommendations.

I watched in awe as each of my friend’s friends did tricks I’d never seen before. When my new friend came over to assess my progress I impressed him at how quickly I learned that one trick. He said it took him several weeks to learn it as well as I did in one night. That inspired me to work harder, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I’d be doing more advanced tricks.

After telling him how I want

2) they possessed a strong belief in themselves and their capabilities.

I knew that I would listen to his suggestions and practice those tricks until I had them down cold...even if it meant crashing or scratching my arms or shins. In no time I’d be learning novice, intermediate and expert tricks, and I already looked forward to it.

The bike trick guy gave me my homework assignment to complete, told me to practice it as much as possible, and he’d be back at the park tomorrow to see my progress. I rode home quickly to tell my mom about my new friend and his incredible bike skills. I shared with Mom how he even taught me a few tricks, and would meet me at the park again tomorrow.

I woke the next day with anticipation, and as I pedaled to the park, I burned with the desire to show my new friend the trick I’d learned after only one night of practice in my garage.

As I approached the park, my excitement grew even more because it wasn’t just my new friend on his bike; several of his other friends- almost as good as he was- practiced tricks on their bikes. This day I learned a very valuable lesson, and it leads to your 3rd step in rising to the top in all areas of your life...

3. Identify & Align

"Be careful of the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful of the friends you choose, for you will become like them." - W. Clement Stone

You must identify individuals who have accomplished what you are seeking to accomplish and align yourself with them as best you can. This can be done by reading their books, listening to their tapes, viewing their dvd's and/or videos, and seeing them live. Who do you align yourself with?

Mentors will share their wisdom and 'secrets' with you through their material and in some instances by conversing with you one-on-one. If you do meet them, simply ask for their recommendations on how to accomplish in your own life what they’ve accomplished in their own lives. Many of these successful people will surprise you with their helpfulness and their recommendations.

I watched in awe as each of my friend’s friends did tricks I’d never seen before. When my new friend came over to assess my progress I impressed him at how quickly I learned that one trick. He said it took him several weeks to learn it as well as I did in one night. That inspired me to work harder, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I’d be doing more advanced tricks.

After telling him how I want

"Be careful of the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful of the friends you choose, for you will become like them." - W. Clement Stone

You must identify individuals who have accomplished what you are seeking to accomplish and align yourself with them as best you can. This can be done by reading their books, listening to their tapes, viewing their dvd's and/or videos, and seeing them live. Who do you align yourself with?

Mentors will share their wisdom and 'secrets' with you through their material and in some instances by conversing with you one-on-one. If you do meet them, simply ask for their recommendations on how to accomplish in your own life what they’ve accomplished in their own lives. Many of these successful people will surprise you with their helpfulness and their recommendations.

I watched in awe as each of my friend’s friends did tricks I’d never seen before. When my new friend came over to assess my progress I impressed him at how quickly I learned that one trick. He said it took him several weeks to learn it as well as I did in one night. That inspired me to work harder, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I’d be doing more advanced tricks.

After telling him how I wanted to do all of the cool tricks he did, he reminded me that it took hard work, time, energy, and falls to learn and make these tricks appear so effortless. My bike mentor offered to show me step by step how to accomplish each trick. This is the 4th step on your journey to greatness...

4. Commitment to Action

"You must take action now that will move you towards your goals. Develop a sense of urgency in your life." – Les Brown

Most failures become such not because they don’t know what to do. Most people (including you) know what it takes to reach the success you desire. The real difficulty, or where the rubber meets the road, lies in the execution. You need to follow through with actions in order to reach your goals.

Make a commitment to follow through with the promises you make to yourself...and your accountability partners. You will want to form a master mind to hold you accountable to these actions to speed this process along.

My bike buddy told me that it took him 2 years to get to the expert level he enjoyed when I met him. As he told me, I made up my mind that I didn’t want to wait that long, so I would make a commitment to myself to practice day and night until I could accomplish all the tricks I saw him doing.

I enjoyed the challenge of practicing these tricks so much that I did it every waking moment during that summer. My new group of bike riding friends enjoyed seeing my progress and they were anxious to show me the next trick to see how quickly I could learn it. That leads to the all-important secret step in accomplishing your dreams...

5. The Secret Step - HAVE FUN!!!

"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing." - Dale Carnegie

Enjoy the journey! It's a short ride and you may as well have fun doing what you choose as your career. Then it becomes your passion or purpose- not just a job.

You will find that if you feel gratitude for the gifts and blessings you have now, you will be given more to be thankful for.

Applying these 5 steps, I became a National Bicycle Freestyle Champion, the #1 Honor Graduate from Marine Corps Boot Camp, an All-Marine Wrestler briefly in Quantico, VA, #1 in 5 different sales organizations. I am now President of a brand new corporation formed from an idea with Jim Kelly, the NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback.

Even though my parents were teenagers when they had me, and I experienced 4 divorces and 6 marriages while still a child, and had attended 9 different schools by the 8th grade, following these principles had an inestimable impact on the improvement of my quality of life. I don’t mention these facts to engender pity or evoke visions of a terrible childhood- I only meant to show the power of following these steps in order to begin leading a Hall of Fame Life!

If you apply these principles to all aspects of your life, you too can make unprecedented advances forward in your life.

SUMMARY:

"I’ve found 100% of the people who fail to take the 1st step never take the 2nd step." – Zig Ziglar

These 5 steps and this entire book are worthless without a one-word ingredient from you: DECISION!

Make a decision to follow through with the 5 steps and/or any other awesome lessons contained in this book which touch you and you feel will help get you where you desire to go.

A few questions may assist you on your journey to entrepreneurial greatness. As a result of this book and the articles that touched you:

- What will you start doing?

- What will you do more of?

- What will you do less of?

- What will you stop doing altogether?

- What would (insert mentors name) do right now?

- What is the best use of your time right now?

"It doesn’t matter where you came from, or where you are now; there are steps you can begin taking TODAY to begin leading a Hall of Fame Life." – Tom Beal

I look forward to reading your articles and seeing results from your success as you progress in your journey!