Posts Tagged Starbucks

One of the questions that I get often has to relate in one way shape or form to how did you become so successful without going to college.  Really I think it’s a pretty silly question because if you look at some of the most successful entrepreneurs including Bill Gates (Founded Microsoft & now the richest person in the world), Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and about 50 other businesses) just to name a few; they don’t have a 4 year degree.  Today it’s more like a 5, 6 or more year degree.  With all of the talk coming out of Washington D.C. I think even more students will find excuses to become “life long” students racking up tens of thousands (some hundreds of thousands) of dollars in student loans, yet if you ask them what they are going to do many respond with a puzzled look on their face.

I truly believe in ongoing education, however it needs to be something that you have a passion for.  You have to really want to become a master at what you are trying to accomplish.  I reinvest lots of time, energy and money in acquiring new information, new tools, new contacts and finding short cuts to success each and every month.

One of the biggest reasons I believe that many people don’t succeed is they don’t have any written goals either.  I believe that if you have written goals of what you want in your life personally and professionally you can get whatever you want.  If you ask your friends or family members if they had a written goal for their personal life I’d bet a thousand dollars that less than 3 of 10 will have them.  How can I be so sure?  Most surveys will show that only 3 – 5 % of Americans actually have written goals.  Did you know that only 2% of American really gets wealthy?  Maybe this is just a coincidence, but probably not!  Goals motivate you to move mountains.  I recommend you share your goals with your friends and family members out loud.  Don’t keep them hidden…now you have pressure to perform.

Let me share my most recent personal goals with you…

Recently I committed to running the Miami 1/2 Marathon as a fundraiser for the Olivia Davis Foundation that I founded for a friend in need at the time.  Now we are helping other children and families that have been affected by a debilitating disease.   These families crushed by medical expenses and the pure emotional stress that comes along with it.  I hadn’t run a single mile for over 10 years before committing to this.

Step 1 – Told a bunch of friends and family members
Step 2 – Told a 1/2 Million Families online about the attempt.  These are families that joined our Kids Bowl Free program.  We’re actually going to allow families to train with us online.  It should be fun.
Step 3 – Started running on the treadmill at the YMCA
Step 4 – Started asking questions at General Nutrition Centers (GNC) and got on a vitamin and protein shake plan to build muscle and stamina. Went to the running specialty store and got some tips on training from some guys who’ve done this before.  They sold me some socks that keep your feet from blistering and help your feet breathe.   They also sold me some “racing” shoes.
Step 5 – Kind of on accident the Barista at the Starbucks told me that she was a personal trainer after I had told her about the Marathon.  Now I have a personal trainer working on helping me lift weights, etc.
Step 6 – Complete the race and raise a whole bunch of money for The Olivia Davis Foundation. (Click Here To Help Out)

See if I would have just said it sounds like a good idea to run the 1/2 marathon I’d probably not have gotten this far.  I’m now 30 days from the race and up to 6 Miles in under an hour on the treadmill.  My goal was to complete the 13.1 Miles in under 2.5 hours before I started training.  I now think I may get their.

Are you willing to tell the world your dreams, take action to reach your goals and then repeat this process?  This really is the formula for success.  There are lots of talking heads out there telling you what to do…but do they really do what they say they do…ur Tiger Woods!  It’s my philosophy that if you set a goal, write it down and then tell a lot of people about it you will do whatever it legally takes to reach that goal.