Words of Wisdom From Brian Tracy

BNI Members get 25% off BTU course fees. For more information, please click, call or e-mail: www.briantracyu.com/bnimembers; (866) 505-8345, Extension 21; bni@briantracyu.com

The Real "Secret" of Success: Persistence
By Brian Tracy

Each year, in December/January, I resolve that this is going to be the best year of my life!

If 2008 was the best year of your life, what would happen? How much would you earn? What would your health be like? How much would you weigh? What would your family life be like? What kind of lifestyle would you be living? How much money in the bank would you have? And how much passive income would you be earning each month?

The strategic planner Michael Kami once said, "Those who do not plan for the future cannot have one." There are no guarantees in life. But you can be sure that if you do not have goals and plans, you will not accomplish as much as is possible.

In 2007, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, was a big success. Millions of copies were sold in book form—and many more in video. Even though the book has been extremely popular, it has been roundly condemned by literary critics worldwide. Why is this? The answer is simple: The book says that if you visualize and think happy thoughts, by the Law of Attraction you will attract everything you want into your life—without effort or intervention on your part.

Everyone wants to believe that success is this simple. This message appeals to lazy, inexperienced people. As you know, it takes a lot more than happy thoughts to be successful, especially in sales, marketing, and business development.

Get the equivalent of a "Street-Smart MBA" at your own pace. In 1 hour per week, you'll learn how to: • Improve your business, sales, personal performance and leadership skills • Accomplish your goals much faster than you ever have before • Immediately apply critical business and sales fundementals to your current challenges • Develop improved habits, progress and accountability via Action Exercises and Course Counselors • Attain improved results - GUARANTEED. If you are a business owner, you'll learn how to plan and organize, market and sell, borrow and raise money, cut costs and reduce expenses, and turn your business into a high profit, wealth generating machine. If you are a sales professional, you'll learn how to get more and better appointments with key decision makers, make better and more professional presentations, position yourself against competitors, answer objections and close sales faster than ever before. "My team goes through Brian Tracy University courses once per week. Not only do they acquire new skills, but they get fired up for what we call BTU Days." - T. Carter, San Diego, CA BNI Members get 25% off course fees. For more information, please click, call or e-mail: www.briantracyu.com/bnimembers (866) 505-8345, Extension 21 bni@briantracyu.com

I hold an alternate philosophy to be true: that of the importance of having a "flight plan." This month I am releasing my new book, Flight Plan. This book explains the real secret of success in twelve chapters, using the metaphor of a cross country flight that is off course most of the time. There are three key steps. First, you must be absolutely clear about who you are and what you want in the key areas of life. You must have a "flight plan" clearly thought out and written down if you want to arrive at any worthwhile destination.

Second, you must have the courage to take off—to launch toward your destination with no guarantees of success. You must have the willingness and the resolve to overcome the natural fears and resistance that cause most people to hesitate and procrastinate for months and years.

Third, you must be willing to accept feedback and make continual course corrections on your journey. When an airplane takes off from Los Angeles bound for New York, it will be off-course 99% of the time. Because of updrafts, downdrafts, headwinds, tailwinds, storm fronts, and the earth's gravitation, the plane will veer off-course.

Nonetheless, when the plane takes off, the pilot comes on the loudspeaker and says, "Welcome to our flight, we will be touching down in New York at 20 minutes after five this afternoon. Have a nice flight." And sure enough, after an infinite number of course corrections, the plane touches down exactly on schedule.

Have you ever heard a pilot say, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we have a storm front ahead, so I am aborting this flight and returning to the airport where we took off"? It never happens! Once the pilot has taken off, he continues to make the necessary course corrections until he arrives at his destination. He persists through all unexpected weather problems until he arrives at his destination.

It is the same with you. In 2008, you must clearly decide upon your goals in each of the important parts of your life. You must then have the courage and the boldness to take off, to take the first step, to launch yourself toward those goals with no guarantees of success. Finally, you must resolve to persist until you succeed, making continual course corrections until you finally arrive at your destination.

If you'll do these three things, you will have learned and applied the real secret of success: persistence. By launching toward your goal and never giving up, you will make 2008 the very best year of your life—until 2009.

I wish you all the best of success in the exciting months ahead.

About Brian Tracy:

Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations.

Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 4,000,000 people in 4,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 46 other countries worldwide. As a keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year.

Brian has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of sales, entrepreneurship, economics, history, business, philosophy and psychology. He is a top-selling author of 42 books that have been translated into 35 languages and which are sold in 52 countries.