Creating a “Million Dollar” Mindset

At the annual convention of The National Speakers Association, in Orlando, FL. One session was restricted to speakers whose gross income exceeded one million dollars (I’m not in this group……yet!). A summary of characteristics of those attending was shared in a separate break-out session. Here they are, in no particular order of importance because they are all important and collectively, they are extremely powerful.
1. You are running a business. Yes, even when you work for someone else, you are in business for yourself. Become serious with work activities. Treat everything you do as a critical link to build your personal successful business.
2. Be passionate. Do what you love and the passion will surface. Don’t settle for a “second rate” career that does not excite you. Life is too short to settle for this compromise. Build passion and you build success.
3. Be focused. Every successful individual has incredible focus on what they want to achieve. It’s the characteristic of every successful event or action.
4. Be caring. Having a deep concern for clients, customers, buyers of your services, or goods is paramount for building a strong customer base. If carried out internally within the organization, you will build a huge following from peers and management.
5. Continuously learn. School is never out for the pro. Successful people are always looking for that next piece of information to build their expertise.
6. Be innovative. Be constantly striving to find new and more effective ways for your work activities. Ideas with inertia don’t grow new direction.
7. Implement. We all know much more than we put into action. Achievers implement and follow-through on their ideas. They don’t let them escape untested and untried. They are results oriented.
8. Be a risk taker. Winners don’t like to lose but they understand they sometimes do. Put boldness into your lifestyle and you just might achieve extraordinary things.
9. Be client focused. Those we serve in our career activities are the individuals we need to “love us.” They become devoted followers and thus increase our results and bottom line.
10. Cultivate a strong work ethic. When you are at work, work! Don’t be unproductive. Give it your all. That’s what clients expect. That is what we are paid to do. That is how we bring more success into our life and business.
11. Be optimistic. Positive always wins over negative. Therefore, create an optimistic outlook in all you do. It’s the mindset of winners.
12. Be realistic. Always seek to know the reality of what is. Don’t live in a fantasy world of make-believe. The truth will set you free and possibly save you a lot or make you a lot of money.
13. Be niched. Narrow your focus on creating your specialization. Become the expert by growing specialized knowledge. Be the “go to” individual in your company or in the marketplace when it involves your expertise.
14. Create systems. Achievers cannot afford to waste time. Therefore, they systemize everything for efficiency and effectiveness.
15. Be very good at helping others get results. The expert can see the forest for the trees and has an understanding others have not yet grasped. By applying all of the above, you will help others get results and you will thus get the results you seek as well.
I dare say most of you possess many, if not all of these characteristics. What’s different with this elite group of speakers, and those still striving to reach their level of success, is the intensity and effectiveness at which each of these characteristics are applied. Where are you on the intensity / effectiveness scale?