5-Part Millionaire Mindset Success Formula – Part 1

Shark Tank.    The Apprentice.  Chopped.

American Ninja Warrior.  Amazing Race.  The Voice.

What do all these shows have in common?

Ordinary people like you and me making their dreams a reality.  They don’t all win on the show.  But all of them gain from the experience.

That is the Millionaire Mindset.

So I thought I’d walk you through some of these lessons I’ve learned through my 50+ years of this adventure-we-call-life, that illustrate the Millionaire Mindset.  One that you can live in your life – whether your goal is to earn a million dollars a year (or a billion), or it is just to enjoy living life to the fullest (another version of success).

So lets jump right in.

 

Passion Plus Persistence Turns Daydreams into Dollars

It was 1996.  I had just been let go from my first wireless telecom site acquisition job following completion of the Sprint’s first cellular network project in Northern California.  The project was over and my services were no longer needed.

I liked the work.  Met interesting people.  Drove all over the East and North Bay.  I was making decent money for a twenty-something – about $40k a year (I know that seems like almost nothing now).

This was my first time ever being laid off (and wouldn’t be my last).  Not a fun time.

I did some interim work helping out a friend I worked with previously.  Did some budgeting for the outpatient surgery center he managed.

Opportunity Knocks

I stayed in touch with a couple people I’d worked with and for on the Sprint project.  Then in one of those conversations (checking in and asking if they had any work I could do) my friend says, “We need site acqs in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Are you interested?  The pay is really good.”

After checking with my wife and finding out more details (they paid a bit more than my last wireless job AND paid a per diem of several thousand dollars a month on top of that – which would double my take home pay) I decided to go for it.

I called him back and said, “Yes, I’m interested.  What’s next?”

He told me to come out there and they’d hire me.  Sounded cool.  And I’d never been farther east than Utah.  Would be an adventure of a lifetime.

So my wife and I packed our stuff into storage.  Put what we needed into the Chevy Blazer (including our cat and bird).  And prepared to drive across country.

And then it happened.

I made a final call to let my friend know I was heading out and would be there in about nine days.

He says, “Well, that opportunity is no longer available.  We’re not in Cincinnati anymore.  We’re now in Cleveland and I don’t  have anything for your right now.  I’m sorry.”

It was like a punch in the stomach.  Took the air right out of me.

What now?  I’d put all my eggs in that basket.  Told friends and family about it.  How could I face them now and tell them the deal was off?  I wasn’t about to lose face over this.  I WOULD make it work.  I don’t know how but it has to.

So, not to be deterred, I told him, “Then we’re going to go on a nine-day vacation.  When I get out there I’ll call you.  And if there is something when we get out there, we’ll take it.”

Maybe a little rash taking that kind of risk.  But my wife had faith in me and it was an experience I couldn’t pass up.  And we’d already packed (and I hate undoing things or giving up once I’ve made up my mind).

The Adventure Begins

So we drove from Pleasanton, California out Interstate 80.  Through the Sierras, across the Nevada desert, into Utah, Wyoming and on.  Into the  mid-West through the wheat and corn fields (and thunderstorms and tornado warnings).

I kind of felt like I was one of the early settlers of the West, heading out in a wagon train, pursuing my fortune in the gold fields of the foothills of Sacramento.

And on I went.  Up to Niagara Falls.  Because, why not see it if we’re that close, right?  Then back into Pennsylvania where I made my next call.

“So what’s the latest?”

He says, “Well, if you can get here tomorrow, we need a site acq and you can interview with my boss then.”

I told him, “I’ll be there.”

So that night we drove to Cleveland.  Interviewed the next morning.  And started that day.

Success!

So what made it work?

I had the passion.  I loved the site acq work I had done for Sprint and wanted to do more of it.  I saw an awesome opportunity to learn, be paid well, and see the country.  Something I felt if I didn’t do then, I would regret my decision and always wonder, “What if?”

I persisted.  There were plenty of times I could have given up and just packed it in.  But I didn’t.

• I could have just written the opportunity off by not even considering moving out of state.  My family was all in Northern California as was my wife’s.  We knew no one out there besides my work friend.
• I could have cancelled the trip when they told me the job in Cincinnati wasn’t available.
• I could have turned around when I hit the crazy thunderstorms and tornadoes.
• I could have just taken the trip and not followed up on the job or not driven out there to apply.

If you want to achieve something great, passion and persistence are critical.  Without both you won’t follow through.  And without follow through, nothing great is ever accomplished.

What are you passionate enough about to take those kinds of risks?  Are you willing to keep going in spite of the huge odds against you?

Passion + Persistence = Achievement

Which brings us to the next step.

To be continued…

P. S. Want to be notified when Part 2 comes out (and get a free report that will put these ideas on rocket fuel)?  Go here to get it now.  Plus you’ll get my weekly newsletter with cool links to I search out each week to help you, whether with your career, your business, or to get more out of life’s adventure.