Intentions and Winning habits

Living the Lie with Fun

Before we even talk about how to use the imagination to ‘fake it to become it,’ there is one imperative.

Get Out of Debt ASAP

It is imperative to get your debt down to zero. Debt and fears about it getting out of control destroy dreams. I know how it feels because I was once in over my head. I still remember the shame I felt because a few relatives knew how bad things had become. They didn’t know the reason and I never told them. They just assumed I had been irresponsible. I hadn’t and I’ll take the story to my grave, but I know how it feels to be so deeply under water and feel like you’re drowning.

Stop watching commercials about ways to get out of debt. Just get out of it. Commit to it. Downsize if necessary. Sell all that ‘stuff’ you don’t need anyway. Imagine being debt free and especially how freeing that feels. I promise you surprises will show up, but when they do don’t be dumb and spend the windfall on ‘things,’ no matter for whom. Get debt down to zero and keep it there.

After that, it is possible to live the lie with fun. Visualization is so, so, so much fun.

Here is how:

First class travel

The differences between coach and business class and first class (if available) are stark. I don’t think it is possible to imagine it without experiencing it at least once, especially on an international flight. It is not just the seating arrangement, or the quality of the food, it is the ambience and attitude of the staff that is so markedly different toward you. Their demeanor fuels you with success-energy. That is hard to fake.

There are ways to hack the experience: save up all your air-miles and then blow them on a first-class trip. After all, the air-miles have not cost you anything. If that is not possible because you don’t travel that much then ask your friends and family not to buy you any birthday, Christmas, or other presents. Instead, set up a website that permits donations and ask them instead to donate to your ‘dream fund.’ Then purchase a long haul first class return trip when they are sold at their cheapest in off season times and during a weekday. It doesn’t matter where you go or when you go. It is the experience you need. You need to get the feelings of intimidation and unworthiness out of your head and replaced by the feeling of belonging.

Thereafter, it will be much easier to imagine first class travel in a powerful way and add it to your mini-mind movie.

Top class hotels are expensive to stay at, but it costs very little to walk into one and have a coffee in the lounge. When on vacation or simply taking a day out Instead of going to a dive for a meal find a top hotel, sit in the lobby or stroll through to the restaurant bar, order a drink and eat all the free nibbles on the bar. It was all about getting comfortable with first class ambience and feeling like you belong. Those feelings greatly enhance the effectiveness of your mind movie. No staff know who you are so play the Walter Mitty game a little. It is a simple way to rewire your neurons.

On vacation take a whole day just visiting and hanging out in some top hotel lobbies. Hotels spend so much money on the lobby experience it really is a very economical way to absorb and visualize. There is always a spectacular display of flowers and art to enjoy and oftentimes an excellent pianist playing ambient music. The parking lot is full of super cars. The staff are so polite and attentive and they have no idea if you are a paying guest or a VIP of a paying guest so you get the same experience for free.

Test drive your dream car

Whatever your dream car, go visit the showroom. You would be surprised how few vehicles get sold there. It is not a high-volume business. The sales people are usually bored stiff. They are glad of the chat and if they are genuine sales people they love their product and can’t wait to show it off. If it helps share this book with them and be honest. Tell them you are visualizing. Afterward they will have your email or text details and you’ll get frequent reminders of your dream car.

The difference will be that now you have the ‘feel’ of it. You know how it sounds from the driving seat. You have that new-car smell. You know to start it, how it feels when you hit the accelerator. Yes, they will let you test drive it. They don’t care. They want you to get the bug.

Window shop dream homes

The same is true with realtors. They mostly do open houses because they want to hand out business cards to people who might need a realtor. They know most people who visit are just ogling, but they don’t mind. So, take advantage. Go visit the multi-million-dollar open houses. Do it differently from the oglers. Touch everything. Open the wine room door. Play with the audio-visual system. Test the temperature of the pool water. Take some pictures of the view.

Follow the common habits of the wealthy

Sarah Stanley Fallaw, director of research for the Affluent Market Institute, studied more than 600 millionaires for her book, “The Next Millionaire Next Door: Enduring Strategies for Building Wealth.”

She reveals that millionaires spend roughly 5 1/2 hours a week reading for pleasure, compared to the average American’s 2 hours. Investor Warren Buffett, who spends 80% of his days reading, has said he has a “disgusting pile” of books by his chair. Businessman and investor Mark Cuban often reads for 3 hours a day to learn more about the industries he’s working in. Another study of 1200 wealthy people showed that the majority listed reading as their favorite pastime.

Successful people, however, don’t just read anything. They are highly selective and in particular read biographies and autobiographies. They believe that books are a gateway to learning and knowledge. In fact, there is a notable difference between the reading habits of the wealthy and the not-so-wealthy.

According to Tom Corley, author of Rich Habits. Successful people tend to choose educational books and publications over novels, tabloids, and magazines. I couldn’t agree more. I have obsessed over biographies since I was a teenager.

But, reading isn’t the only hobby among the rich. Millionaires also spend more time exercising — nearly 6 hours a week compared to the average American’s weekly 2 1/2 hours, Stanley Fallaw found.

Millionaires may have more time to exercise because they spend less time on social media. The average American spends 14 hours a week on social media compared to the average millionaires’ 2 1/2 hours a week. I spend zero time on social media although an online service posts my articles and blogs for me.

Exercise is also common among successful people. Oprah Winfrey’s workouts include “45 minutes of cardio six mornings a week, four to five strength-training sessions a week, incline crunches, and stretching,” according to her trainer. Billionaire Richard Branson also exercises before breakfast and is a fan of playing tennis. He stays active by kite-surfing, swimming, and cycling. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour also rises early to get her exercise in, waking up every morning at 5:45 a.m. to play tennis.

Wealthy people wake up early and on average about 3 hours before the normal workday commences. Corley found that 44% of wealthy people wake up three hours before work starts, compared to just 3% of poor people. They don’t check email first thing either. Some make a habit of meditating or writing in a journal, reading something educational, or getting a head start on an important project. Some simply have a healthy breakfast and get some exercise. Generally, wealthy people leave their inbox for later in the day and don’t make email a top priority.

Wealthy people value their health and structure their eating habits accordingly. Corley found that 57% of wealthy people count calories every day, as opposed to 5% of poor people. He also found that 70% of rich folks eat fewer than 300 calories of junk food per day, but 97% of poor people eat above that mark.

They have a ‘Primary Goal’ as Corey terms it. Wealthy people choose a primary life goal and focus on it with laser-like precision – even if it seems outrageous or unattainable. (We call this an Intention not a goal) Everything they do, every decision they make and action they take, is done with this primary objective in mind. Intense concentration of this nature is what enables the wealthy to accomplish what others only dream about. According to Corley, 80% of wealthy people focus on achieving a single goal, compared to only 12% of poor people.

Additionally, he found that most keep a daily to-do list. 81% percent of them, in fact, compared to 19% of poor people. What’s more, Corley finds that 67% of wealthy folks actually complete 70% or more of their to-do lists every day.

Successful people also take long lunches of more than an hour. The rich, says Corley, understand how to work smarter, not harder – and taking breaks is an important part of that. A long, relaxing midday lunch allows you to refresh yourself, and return to work ready to put in more productive time. Knowing that if you push yourself to continue working every waking moment, you’re only going to end up exhausted, inefficient, and unable to produce worthwhile results is essential to success. The wealthy typically walk away from work by 5pm or 6pm, and don’t return to it until the next morning, according to Inc.

According to Corley, 67% of rich people watch television for one hour or less per day, while only 23% of poor people limit their TV intake. They also generally avoid reality shows – only 6% of the wealthy watch them, compared to 78% of the non-wealthy.

For the most part, though, the wealthy don’t believe in luck. Instead, they believe that actions and habits create the opportunity for luck. That’s why only 6% of rich people play the lottery regularly, compared to 77% of poor people. Wealthy people believe you have to create your own luck through focus and hard work. I have never purchased a lottery ticket even when pressurized by peers.

Effective communication is another critical skill for the wealthy, listening is an essential part of it. In general, rich people spend five minutes listening for each minute they speak. This enables them to truly understand where others are coming from and facilitate conversations that further relationships and foster success.

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