Discover Which Essential Mental Shift Changes Financial Freedom From A Question Of “If” To The Certainty Of “When”
Key Ideas
- Reveals the critical factor to success that nobody wants to talk about.
- Explains why most people never achieve wealth.
- Shows you how to overcome this hurdle and achieve financial freedom with certainty.
Let’s begin with a riddle…
Three birds are sitting on the limb of a tree, and two birds decide to fly away.
How many birds remain?
If you answered “one,” then guess again.
All three birds remain on the branch because deciding to fly away and actually doing what it takes are two different things.
Decisions mean nothing until you follow through by committing with real action.
This distinction is critical to understanding why so few people succeed at building wealth.
Everyone wants financial freedom, but very few achieve it. The difference is commitment to the goal – very few people ever leave the security of the branch and do the hard work of flying to freedom.
“The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”– Vincent T. Lombardi
Deciding you want financial freedom is one thing, but actually doing what’s necessary to achieve the goal requires an entirely different level of commitment.
Many people will learn the tools and tricks to become wealthy, but very few will put them into practice consistently and persistently enough to succeed. The reason is simple – lack of commitment.
Deciding is never enough because it’s merely the warm-up act to real action. Intention without action is like a car without gas. It won’t get you very far.
Many people want to become wealthy, but very few reach the goal.
So what about you? Are you committed to achieving financial freedom? Let's see…
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Commitment Bridges The Gap Between Wanting Financial Freedom and Taking Action To Achieve It
There’s often a huge gap between the decision to seek wealth and the commitment that leads to constructive action. Successfully bridging that gap is the critical difference between success and failure on the road to wealth.
The way you bridge that gap is simple cause and effect.
Commitment is the cause that drives you to take action which produces effects.
Commitment motivates you to do the work, acquire the skills, and overcome the inevitable obstacles that lead to success.
Commitment motivates you to overcome lethargy and take risks.
All these things are actions, and actions are an effect: the cause is commitment.
That’s the problem with most wealth building systems. They skip the commitment phase, which is the essential learning step that will make or break your success.
My wealth building system – Seven Steps To Seven Figures – is different because commitment is where it all begins. An entire system for committing yourself to your most important goals is built into Step 4 here.
The truth is if you were already committed, then you’d already be in action building wealth – you’d see the effects. You wouldn’t just be thinking about it, because you'd be doing it.
The speed at which you grow your wealth directly measures the depth of your commitment. Either you’re consistently growing your wealth and financial intelligence, or you aren’t. The results don’t lie.
“The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it.”– Mack R. Douglas
Unfortunately, most wealth building programs set you up for failure by ignoring the importance of commitment.
Why? Because smart marketers know it doesn't sell well. Tactics and strategies are what people gladly pay for, so marketers deliver by pitching you on the latest whiz-bang, how-to techniques – even if that isn't what will help you.
The unspoken secret in the how-to-make-money seminar business is that nearly all of the manuals, DVDs, and CD sets sold end up languishing on bookshelves collecting dust.
You Need Action, Not Education
Action seldom results from the education.
That’s because learning a how-to trick is useless when commitment is missing. Commitment is the cause that translates the dream of wealth into real results.
Consider an analogy from the construction industry. A hammer is just a tool and won’t produce results for a carpenter who has a higher commitment to vacation or is busy with other projects.
However, when a carpenter is committed to building a house, then proper tools like a hammer will translate into results.
Notice that commitment is the first priority and the tools come second. The same occurs with wealth building and investment tools.
“It is much easier to repent of sins that we have committed than to repent of those we intend to commit.”– Josh Billings
For example, I attended a real estate seminar where I met many participants with tons of real estate knowledge.
They had read mountains of books, attended multiple seminars, and possessed all the knowledge necessary to become successful real estate investors ten times over; however, they didn't own any real estate. I would even venture to say many never will own any investment real estate. Why?
They were busy educating, analyzing and pontificating on real estate, but they weren’t busy taking the crucial and necessary actions to actually own investment real estate.
They weren’t making offers, analyzing markets and deals, or arranging financing. They wanted it, but they weren’t committed enough to actually do it, and their results proved it.
Returning to our earlier flying example: commitment occurs when you transform the decision to fly into action by leaping into the air from the security of the branch.
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Once you’re in the air, then you absolutely must fly to survive, and you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you don't fail.
Leaping from the branch into the air causes risk. It’s no longer an intellectual exercise, but a real action with real consequences for failure or success. You either fly successfully or you go splat.
If you want to become wealthy, then you must leap from the security of the branch. You must fly or go splat. That's commitment.
How Do You Know When You're Committed To Building Wealth … Or Merely Decided?
If you aren’t sure how committed you are to building wealth, there’s a simple and certain way to know for sure.
Simply judge by the results of your life. Judging by results isn’t always kind, but it’s always fair.
Results are like the symptoms that show the disease. They’re the clues that display the root cause.
- For example, if you live in a fancy house, drive a flashy car leveraged with debt, or carry credit card balances, then your results clearly show you’re more committed to lifestyle than financial freedom.
- If you feel stuck in a job and can't leave despite entrepreneurial dreams, then you’re more committed to security than wealth and growth.
- If you read books about wealth and attend seminars, but your portfolio and investment actions don’t reflect what you’ve learned, then you’re interested in wealth, but you aren’t committed to creating it.
- If you procrastinate, make excuses, and get frustrated because you know you should save, invest for the future, and learn more about building wealth, but do little to actually move forward, then you’ve merely decided. You still haven’t committed to becoming wealthy, and your results prove it.
In other words, look at the characteristics and results of your life honestly and contrast it with your unsatisfied dreams and desires.
Behind your results hides your true commitment – for better or worse. Look honestly and you'll see what you’re committed to.
My question to you is simply this:
Are you committed to retiring early and wealthy, or have you only made the decision?
Are you safely holding onto the security of the branch, or have you taken the leap of faith and committed yourself to flight?
What Does Commitment To Financial Freedom Look Like?
Commitment to wealth is the realization that you’ll attain financial freedom no matter what. Period.
It’s not a question of “if,” but rather “how” and “when”.
You gain this clarity of commitment when you reach the point where no alternative to wealth and financial security is acceptable.
You aren’t willing to settle for a nice lifestyle by working for the rest of your life, and you aren’t willing to greet shoppers with carts or flip burgers after you retire.
You want freedom from financial constraints sooner rather than later, and you’re willing to do what’s necessary because no other alternative is tolerable.
Commitment has courage of conviction and clear boundaries.
There’s nothing vague about being committed to achieving financial freedom because it’s black and white. This clarity in thinking is what translates into meaningful action in your life.
Attaining this level of commitment has nothing to do with Herculean self-discipline or amazing grace.
Instead, it comes from knowing in your heart what priority financial independence holds in your life, the price you’re paying for not having it, and the unacceptability of anything less.
Once you’re clear that financial freedom is a priority, then it becomes very difficult to live out of congruence with this commitment.
You proactively get into action because that’s what you want to do – not because you should. Your habits change to support financial freedom and you start to see results.
Self-discipline isn’t required because these are the things you want to do.
How To Become Wealthy
Commitment converts the inevitable obstacles that occur along the journey to wealth from brick walls that block forward momentum into hurdles which are easily cleared.
Your actions are results-oriented, making each setback a lesson in how to play the game smarter next time.
Your commitment raises your energy level because you’re excited by your goal.
You wake up early invigorated by the opportunity to take additional actions that bring you one step closer to your dream.
Building wealth is fun now, where it might have been tedious before.
“If we fall, we don't need self-recrimination or blame or anger – we need a reawakening of our intention and a willingness to recommit…”– Sharon Salzberg
When you’re committed to becoming wealthy, your actions are consistent and persistent.
Every day, you prioritize your activities to take you closer to financial freedom. Other goals take a backseat because financial security is now in the driver’s seat.
With commitment, you’re motivated to save and invest. You’d rather do that than spend valuable resources on unnecessary lifestyle.
Living below your means and allocating resources to build assets doesn’t feel like a sacrifice because you’re clear on your goal and know there’s no other acceptable alternative. You’re excited to move toward attaining it.
“Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.”– Peter Drucker
You’re now consumed by your dream and think about it regularly because you’re committed to making it happen.
You choose to read books, attend seminars, and listen to educational audio products about financial and investment issues because that’s what interests you.
The tools and skills that lead to financial success grow out of your desire to learn: this is a natural effect caused by your commitment.
Additionally, your commitment to financial success creates new friendships and new environments to support your goal.
You may hire a mentor, form a mastermind group, or join a professional organization to structure social support and accountability.
Each of these environments enhances your commitment and increases your persistence, thus increasing your odds of success.
Your commitment produces a force of energy that opens doors and creates possibilities that otherwise wouldn’t have been there. You find opportunity where there previously was none.
Your forward progress is powerful, directed, focused, and creates results when you’re committed.
No other alternative is possible because you’ll correct and adjust until you get what you committed to.
Nothing less is acceptable. Becoming wealthy is no longer a question of “if,” but “when”.
That’s commitment.
In Conclusion
I've coached clients on achievement and success issues for many, many years. Whenever clients are stuck, the root cause is nearly always commitment.
Whenever there’s a gap between what you want and what you have, the first place to look is nearly always commitment.
It’s a huge deal that remarkably few success coaches seem to understand. It isn't sexy and doesn't sell well, but it gets reliable results.
You can’t learn to fly by thinking about flying or watching others fly from the security of a branch.
You can’t become wealthy by standing around the periphery and observing.
You must incur the risk of leaving the branch and leaping into the air.
It’s the element of risk that forces you to fly no matter what gets in the way because failure becomes an unacceptable alternative. You’ll correct and adjust until you succeed.
Taking action and incurring risk might not be the easiest path, but it’s the only way to get results.
You might feel scared the first time you leap from the branch into the air, but in the future, every branch you stand on will feel more secure. You’ll know from experience you’re a capable pilot.
Every time you spread those wings to take flight, you’ll become stronger and more skilled until the process becomes second nature.
Success begets more success, and it all begins with that first commitment.
“Advice is judged by results, not by intentions.”– Cicero
Many dream of wealth and many more want it, but few commit to doing whatever is necessary to create it.
The difference is as dramatic as night is to day because one creates success, and the other never will.
If you want to fly toward financial freedom, then the Seven Steps to Seven Figures curriculum is specifically designed to help you.
The fourth step specifically focuses on commitment and is the correct starting point on your journey to financial security when that is your challenge. It will help you get greater results with less effort and discipline.
“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes… but no plans.”– Peter Drucker
You can either fumble through the “how-to” tools and tricks hoping to be one of the fortunate few who eventually get results, or you can follow a step-by-step blueprint that offers a complete solution and fills in the gaps left by others.
Commitment is the first step that everyone who becomes wealthy must complete – but most gurus fail to teach.
It’s the step that transforms your dreams of wealth from a question of “if” to the certainty of “when”.
When will you take the leap?
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100% correct here Todd! It’s important to focus on what people do rather than what they say!
Keep up the good work with motivating those to commit by taking action
mycareercrusade Yeah, one of the principles I apply in coaching is the inconsistency between what we say and the results produced by our actions. It’s very telling. Judge by results – often harsh, always fair.