Ever feel like Steve is too talented...

[Zach M]

to be a good role model? I do sometimes. Anyone else?

Lately I've been wondering if "having more power than I think" is just an empty platitude, and whether the dream of self-employment is too much for this lifetime?

Either way, I can still benefit from his writing and grow my own pace.

[Andrew Brunelle]

I wouldn't say he is too talented, but too disciplined and courageous for most people to reach his level of success. But we all can learn from him, and grow at our own pace. Like Steve says, the time is going to pass anyway, so we might as well work on growth and betterment rather than just keep repeating the same patterns.

[Mounds]

One of the wisest things you can do is surround yourself with people that are better than you.
Now, that's up to interpretation who is better than you. Maybe in your opinion, your better at PD than Steve. Find those people you want to sponge off of and surround yourself with them!
I've got a few: Ramit Sethi from IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com, Robert Pagliarini (Other 8 Hours), a biologist friend of mine, my dad, Angela and PWL from the boards.

[SatvikBeri]

To be honest, Steve doesn't strike me as very talented. He couldn't even pass college his first time around!

You can even compensate for a lack of discipline with habits. Imagine implementing one great habit each month like exercising every day, or eating better, or studying a new language for half an hour, or making 5 sales/job interview calls. If you get just one habit each month, imagine how productive each day will be after a year.

Now extend that to 20 years. Are Steve's results still hard to believe?

[Zach M]

Originally Posted by SatvikBeri

To be honest, Steve doesn't strike me as very talented. He couldn't even pass college his first time around!

But he got into Berkeley. That's what's been bugging me. He tells the story about being at a low point at 19, then studying lots of PD, and that's how he got to where he is now. But if he got accepted into a competitive university before studying PD he must have had something more going for him.

[ssandra]

Sounds to me as if you are trying to make excuses in order not to shine yourself...

You are perfect exactly as you are, you just have forgotten it...

Maybe you are not talented in ways of school or university. Maybe you are talented in other ways?

Remember to never be afraid to be the best you can be. That way you give others permission to do the same.

[ericabiz]

Originally Posted by ssandra

Sounds to me as if you are trying to make excuses in order not to shine yourself...

You are perfect exactly as you are, you just have forgotten it...

Maybe you are not talented in ways of school or university. Maybe you are talented in other ways?

Remember to never be afraid to be the best you can be. That way you give others permission to do the same.

Agreed!

There are plenty of people who went to (and graduated from) highly competitive colleges who are doing nothing with their degrees.

And there are plenty of folks who are doing quite well without a college degree at all.

Zach, you sound like you be trying to externally motivate ("I want to be like...") instead of internally motivate ("I am...")

Maybe you have a different path than Steve. Steve's path is pretty hard...I don't know if most of us would be up for it But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your path.

-Erica

[Zach M]

Originally Posted by ericabiz

Steve's path is pretty hard...I don't know if most of us would be up for it

Thank you! This is what I've been thinking. It's nice to hear it from someone else.

[brendannz]

SPs probably been more successful than you, but he's probably also failed more than you, I'm guessing..

the shoplifting at age 19, & going bankrupt at times. etc.etc.

Just a thought..

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by Zach Matley

Thank you! This is what I've been thinking. It's nice to hear it from someone else.

Constructive criticism Zach! This seems to me like the shrug effect. In other words, it seems like you are purposely widening the gap between you and him in order to justify what you feel are your own shortcomings. Correct me if I'm wrong!
Sponge off his success and don't idolize him. His journey started with a single step, just like yours. Same with Warren Buffet. Same with Obama. Same with Einstein. Four men made up of flesh and blood, each with 24 hours in a day. How did they pull off the extraordinary? Not by shrugging their shoulders and thinking, "But if I only had..."

-Tim

[Zach M]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Same with Warren Buffet. Same with Obama. Same with Einstein. Four men made up of flesh and blood, each with 24 hours in a day. How did they pull off the extraordinary? Not by shrugging their shoulders and thinking, "But if I only had..."

Not criticism Mounds, a request for clarification: Does this mean you believe you are capable of becoming a billionaire, a president, or a Nobel prize winner?

[ssandra]

Originally Posted by Zach Matley

Not criticism Mounds, a request for clarification: Does this mean you believe you are capable of becoming a billionaire, a president, or a Nobel prize winner?

I know you asked Mounds, but for me the answers are: Yes, Yes and Yes.

All three at the same time... also possible

Not likely though because I have 0 interest in politics or anything I could possibly win a Nobel prize for, except maybe literature

Edit: me being a billionaire is already a given

But possible? Yes, definitely

Possible for you? Yes, absolutely!

[Zach M]

Thanks Sandra. It looks like an important step is to learn to become more optimistic like you.

And thanks to Ericabiz. One of my FB connections just "liked" your website tonight. Nice syncronicity. I'm enjoying reading it for the first time.

A common trait among millionaires and billionaires is that they had accomplished more by the time they were my age. Looks like I'll need to get busy bucking a trend.

EDIT: I meant reading for the first time, not enjoying for the first time. Hope that was clear.

[Cochonette]

My greatest role-model is myself... as much as I dislike myself, I won't get anywhere if I can't model my own better life. Before I found Steve, external role-models were really important to me. But in reality, I can do a lot more for myself by focusing on no one in particular other than myself. Focusing on another person without even knowing where I am is like looking at my destination on a map and having no idea where I am and the next step I need to take. I can't just hop to the other place on the map, and I may never get there... but I can take a step from where I am right now and go in that general direction.

[supertom]

From his first self-discipline entry

"I have personally reaped tremendous benefits from pursuing the path of self-discipline. When I was 20 years old, I lived in a small studio apartment, and my sleep hours were something like 4am to 1pm. My diet included lots of fast food and junk food. I didn’t exercise except for sometimes taking long walks.Getting the mail seemed like a significant accomplishment each day, and the highlight of my day was hanging out with friends. At the end of a month, I couldn’t really think of many salient events that occurred during the month. I had no job, no car, no income, no goals, no plans, and no real future. All I felt I had was a lot of problems that weren’t getting any better. I had no sense that I could control my path through life. I would simply wait for things to happen and then react to them"

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by Zach Matley

Does this mean you believe you are capable of becoming a billionaire, a president, or a Nobel prize winner?

Why not?

[Lauxa]

Steve, not really, but Acting Like Godot impresses the hell out of me.

[Starbuck]

Sure he is too talented compared to the rest of us - and me - in *some areas*. Those are the areas I really want to focus on learning from. Sure it gets me down sometimes that he - and a lot of other people - are so much more succesful than I in terms of generating income from doing what they love. But after too many trials and errors I just know that the only way I will ever learn that particular talent is by paying attention to what people like Steve are doing. It sounds awfully rational and it is. That doesn't mean it's easy.

But it's the only way really, if I want to learn the stuff that he so graciously is willing to teach for absolutely free by continuing to write for this web site.

[Tanja]

Originally Posted by Zach Matley

to be a good role model? I do sometimes. Anyone else?
Lately I've been wondering if "having more power than I think" is just an empty platitude, and whether the dream of self-employment is too much for this lifetime?

Originally Posted by Zach Matley

A common trait among millionaires and billionaires is that they had accomplished more by the time they were my age. Looks like I'll need to get busy bucking a trend.

I think comparing yourself with others or what and how much they've accomplished is not the best way to go. Of course, it's great to surround yourself with people that are excellent at what they do and you can learn from them, how they've reached their goals and made their dreams come true, see how their mind works, what methods they use etc.
For me those people are inspiring because of their courage to go after what they want, determination, willingness to experiment with new things etc. However, it's important to know whether you want something because it is really you who wants it and not because it is some form of society's measure of success. Let's say you want to become a big-shot lawyer/CEO/whatever, I want to own a small local chocolate shop and someone else wants to be a gardener , if we all achieve our goals, I consider us all successful.

Do you really want to be self-employed or you think you should? (if that makes any sense).
If this is what you want, go for it!

Originally Posted by Lauxa

Acting Like Godot impresses the hell out of me.

+1

[Angela]

Exactly how talented would a good role model be? Would they encourage you to continue buying into and be resigned about your beliefs in your own limits? Would they be less successful in getting the results they want in life than Steve is? Or would they have to have begun with less apparent resources (IQ, motivation, family affluence, support, etc.)?

If not Steve, who IS your ideal role model -- who totally inspires you?

[ssandra]

Originally Posted by Zach Matley

Thanks Sandra. It looks like an important step is to learn to become more optimistic like you.

Hi Zach,

You wouldn't believe the shape I was in a few years ago. I'm 28 now. When I was 18 till 21 I was extremely depressed. I saw negativity everywhere.

When I was 20 - 25 I was having panic attacks. They came from not acknowledging and trying to hide myself.

From 12 - 28 (till about 4 months ago) I was having extreme mood swings. I could go from happy to sad and depressed in a day. And never lasted longer then a few days happy before the bad things came back again.

In that period, everything I came up with was met with thoughts like "Sure I can try that, but I won't succeed anyway" "People will laugh at me when I try that" and the most common one "who am I to do this?"

Positive would be one way NOBODY would describe me at that point. Neurotic, nervous, filled with anxiety... yes.

How did I change?

First step was Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Not saying that you need the therapy But the recognition of what is going on in your head, and actively transforming it.
For example, when people in the streets were laughing I always felt like they were laughing at me... (I know... ridiculous right?). Actively recognizing that, instead of just feeling bad "without reason" was step 1. Step 2 was to add thoughts in my mind. So automatically I would go thinking "they are laughing at me" and I would recognize that thought and would think on purpose "I don't know them. Why would they be laughing at me? If I was that other person, I wouldn't laugh at me, so why do I assume they are worse persons then I am?"
This led to step 3. The negative thoughts went away. Took me a few years cause they were very deep and very automatic, but they went away.

For you, thoughts that you could focus on would be

and whether the dream of self-employment is too much for this lifetime?

Looks like I'll need to get busy bucking a trend.

Second step in my development only occurred a few months ago. I finally realized that I was responsible for how I feel.
If I hadn't learned how to control my thoughts earlier, that idea wouldn't have done anything for me, but since I was (and am) very aware of what I'm thinking when I'm thinking it, and more so when it is something negative, I was able to transform easily how I felt.

This has lead to the fact that for the first time in my life, 4 months have passed and I haven't felt extremely bad. I haven't had a screaming fight with my husband. I haven't had the urge to just crawl up in bed and be there for the rest of my life!
Of course I have my bad moments. But they are not nearly as bad as before, and way less both in length as in frequency.

Now my last step is to find the limiting belief that I've had for my whole life (for me it is "I am stupid", or at least the Dutch version of it), and transform that, or at least not let it run my life anymore, because it is not serving me anymore.

Now, I know that Angela would suggest starting at step 3, and I agree that that would bring change way faster. But if I hadn't gone through step 1 (controlling my thoughts) and step 2 (controlling my emotions) I would have never been able to dig deep enough to root out step 3 (controlling my beliefs).
Maybe you are. Probably you are . If you happen to be in the area of LA, I'd suggest looking up Angela and have her help you with this.
Or if you have the funds, get her on the phone to help you achieve a breakthrough wit this.

Or, if you feel like you cannot do that yet, start with step 1. Controlling your thoughts.

And there is no fixed way to become a millionaire or billionaire. There is only your way. And your way is the best way for you

[ssandra]

Originally Posted by Lauxa

Steve, not really, but Acting Like Godot impresses the hell out of me.

+1.

I want to be like him

[Angela]

Originally Posted by ssandra

Now, I know that Angela would suggest starting at step 3

Actually, I would suggest starting with a choice to move to a perspective of being 100% responsible. Taking on examining your gunk (or just about going for any results at all that you want in life) without first choosing to be at cause for the results you get -- in my experience, it just doesn't work well.

I won't even bother to work with someone if all there willing to do is "try."

[ericabiz]

Originally Posted by ssandra

I know you asked Mounds, but for me the answers are: Yes, Yes and Yes.

All three at the same time... also possible

Not likely though because I have 0 interest in politics or anything I could possibly win a Nobel prize for, except maybe literature

Edit: me being a billionaire is already a given

But possible? Yes, definitely

Possible for you? Yes, absolutely!

Me too!

Billionaire is probably the one I feel most strongly attuned to personally, because I know how much amazing good I can do in the world with $1 billion!

And Zach, glad you are enjoying my site! Please sign up for updates so I can keep you in the loop when I write new posts. (My next one is pretty eye-opening and should be up tomorrow!)

-Erica

[Zach M]

Originally Posted by Angela

Would they be less successful in getting the results they want in life than Steve is? Or would they have to have begun with less apparent resources (IQ, motivation, family affluence, support, etc.)?

If not Steve, who IS your ideal role model -- who totally inspires you?

Thanks Angela!!! I can draw some inspiration from a lot of people, such as Steve, RoxyRuby, Johny Soporno, etc. Someone who totally inspires me would need to have been clueless about business in his mid 30's, and still became a multi-millionaire. A history of ADD-like and/or Apserger's-like symptoms would be a big bonus.

It's hard to find millionaires who started in their mid-30's. So far I've found Harrison Ford who did Star Wars at 30, and J.K. Rowling who finished her first manuscript at 30. I can keep looking, though.

It seems a lot of my beliefs of my limitations are based on inductive reasoning rather than fear or a fragile ego. If there are not many people with a background like mine who became rich, then it's reasonable (according to IR) to conclude a low probability of success.

[SatvikBeri]

Originally Posted by Zach Matley

Thanks Angela!!! I can draw some inspiration from a lot of people, such as Steve, RoxyRuby, Johny Soporno, etc. Someone who totally inspires me would need to have been clueless about business in his mid 30's, and still became a multi-millionaire. A history of ADD-like and/or Apserger's-like symptoms would be a big bonus.

It's hard to find millionaires who started in their mid-30's. So far I've found Harrison Ford who did Star Wars at 30, and J.K. Rowling who finished her first manuscript at 30. I can keep looking, though.

It seems a lot of my beliefs of my limitations are based on inductive reasoning rather than fear or a fragile ego. If there are not many people with a background like mine who became rich, then it's reasonable (according to IR) to conclude a low probability of success.

Colonel Sanders started cooking at a restaurant when he was 40. He started franchising the KFC brand when he was 65, using his social security money to do so!

[Zach M]

It is actually reasonable to reject inductive reasoning as a predictor of success since there are so many individual differences among human beings. Thanks for helping me sort this out, guys!

[soarian]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Constructive criticism Zach! This seems to me like the shrug effect. In other words, it seems like you are purposely widening the gap between you and him in order to justify what you feel are your own shortcomings. Correct me if I'm wrong!
Sponge off his success and don't idolize him. His journey started with a single step, just like yours. Same with Warren Buffet. Same with Obama. Same with Einstein. Four men made up of flesh and blood, each with 24 hours in a day. How did they pull off the extraordinary? Not by shrugging their shoulders and thinking, "But if I only had..."

-Tim

It's about the compounding effect of what we're thinking all day.
"Think good, and good follows. Think evil, and evil follows. You are what you think all day long." --Joseph Murphy

[Zach M]

Wow. Did you know that Wikipedia lists 331 people under the category American Billionaires? And that's just in one nation! It'll keep me busy to look at all their backgrounds.

[Angela]

Well, you've got Andrew Carnegie, Napoleon Hill's commissioner and one of the most famous rags-to-riches characters ever -- also thought to have had ADHD.