Here’s Wealth Principle #3! One of my friends and mentors, Keith Cunningham, often tells the story of his bankruptcy some 20 years ago, primarily because it is a great example for his teaching. In the late 80’s, Keith got into massive financial trouble when his real estate empire in Texas crumbled around him, and he was ultimately forced to declare personal bankruptcy – losing over $100 Million dollars through the process. In telling his story, however, he makes a number of great points. First, bankruptcy is not permanent, as no financial setback is. Just because you incur a bankruptcy or other problem doesn’t mean that you cannot be successful in the future. Provided you use it as a learning opportunity, it only has to be a temporary setback on the path to wealth. However, the more important point he makes, with a big smile on his face, is that if you’re going to go bankrupt, you might as well have a great story to tell. “No one wants to hear how you went bankrupt over a duplex”. His point is that people are remembered for doing BIG things and thinking BIG. Donald Trump has this same philosophy — if you’re going to think, you might as well think BIG because it doesn’t really take any more effort. One of the common threads I see in everyone around me that’s successful and wealthy is that they tend to think BIG. They don’t focus on buying one unit in an apartment building, they think about buying the whole building. They think about how to raise $20,000,000, not $20,000. No one is out of reach for them if they believe that person could have a large impact on them. You hear stories all the time of people who became successful because they didn’t dismiss an outrageous idea when they got it. Richard Branson, of the Virgin Group of Companies, is a great example of this. Branson does everything BIG and with a lot of splash. The truth is, he’s a terrible public speaker. He rambles, mumbles and stumbles his way through talks .. yet people are riveted to hear what he says because he’s a BIG thinker. And, not only does he THINK big, but he takes MASSIVE action. Things that get him on the front page of newspapers around the world on a regular basis. If you’re going to live this life, you might as well live it BIG! This is the attitude that I see a lot of wealthy people take, and I try to apply the concept in my own life as well. I would have never anticipated I’d be one of the top real estate trainers in North America only a few years ago when I decided to expand my training program. I would have never imagined 5 years ago that I could amass a real estate portfolio coming up to $100 million dollars in value. Had I thought to myself, ‘why bother – it’s impossible’, I would have never started taking the actions that brought these things to reality. But, I’ve tried to apply the “Think Big” principle in my own life, and the results speak for themselves. And most wealthy people I know do the exact same thing. As the saying goes, ‘Motion creates Emotion” .. in other words, when you start taking action in a certain direction, you can’t help but to build momentum and enthusiasm as you begin to create results. It’s a fact that the vast majority of people are looking for someone to follow. Most people are followers, and looking for their leader. I once heard a great analogy — most people are wandering around with their umbilical cord in their hand, looking desperately for somewhere to plug it in. If you’re willing to step up and make a bold claim or reach for something huge, it’s stunning how many people will get in line behind you, wanting to see you make that success happy. At first, it’s sometimes difficult to think and act big because you lack confidence. My best advice on this topic is, fake it ’til you make it. Act AS IF you had already achieved your goal. How would you act if you had already achieved what it is you are hoping to do? The next time someone says to you, “stop thinking so big” or “you’re such a dreamer” or “you could never pull that off…” — get excited, because you’re probably in the middle of a thought that could change your life. The only question is, will you LET it change your life by letting it take root and taking action on it?]]>