This is the secret to success, and I am honored to share it with you.

This works no matter who you are, what your situation is, or what you want.

This is how every successful person in the world got that way. With the rare exception of lottery winners, that is. And you know what? I have a friend that used this and won a $126 million lottery.

This is a long post. But print it out, or break it into sections if you want. Here we go:

HOW TO GET EVERYTHING YOU WANT IN 2012

1. Set goals. Well Rodeo, you say, that's no big secret! No, it isn't. Set goals and be sure to write them down. And be sure to post them where you can see them every single day. Even that isn't such a big secret, but I promise you the difference between reaching your goals or not is usually determined by whether or not you wrote them down. You see, when you write something down, you are subconsciously making a contract with yourself, and you are far more likely to keep a written contract. But this is only step 1.

2. Work backwards to go forwards. Now, this is the real secret. Anyone can write a goal down, but if the goal is Point B, and you are at Point A, you've got to have a plan to get from A to B. Every successful person does this part, and the key is working from Point B back to Point A. Here's an example:

I know someone that desires their dream house. This dream house is currently way beyond their reach. And they don't think they will ever get from Point A to Point B. So I showed them how they could.

You have to start at Point B and work backwards to Point A. So:

Point B = Buying dream house in 10 years. House will probably cost about $800,000 then; so

Point B = Needing 20% cash to put down, and being able to afford a mortgage of $5,000 per month; so

Point B = Needing to save $160,000 over ten years, and have gross income of $20,000 per month, so that mortgage is 25% of gross income

That sounds like a lot, right? It is - if you look at it from today's perspective. But work backwards, and you can see how it's attainable.

The first thing she needs to do is figure out numerically how to grow from her current income of $4,000 a month to $20,000 a month over ten years. That's basically adding $20,000 a year to their income. That's a huge number to add when you're making $48K a year, but not so big when you get to making, say, $150K a year. So she needs to find a job that has that kind of potential growth.

That means a job in sales, or starting her own business. Sales is easier than starting a business, so the first thing to do is find what kind of sales jobs fit the bill.

This person is a young, attractive female so a job selling high-priced goods to males offers the most promise. Sales jobs that fit this bill could include: financial advisor; insurance products; luxury cars; high-priced homes or other real estate; medical supplies to doctors, etc.

All these jobs offer decent base salaries and commission structures that can take you to a $240k a year salary in ten years or less.

So once this person decides on the job, then it's a matter of setting goals along the way. Obviously, she will not go from $48K to $240K in one year. So she needs to decide how long is reasonable to get to $240K. Let's be a little aggressive and set a eight-year time frame for that. Her income goals for the next eight years would be:

Year 1 - $48K

Year 2 - $60K

Year 3 - $85K

Year 4 - $120K

Year 5 - $150K

Year 6 - $190K

Year 7 - $220K

Year 8 - $240K

Those are not unobtainable goals by any stretch. All it takes to reach them is setting down in November or December of each year and targeting what she needs to do to add an additional $20K - $30K in commissions. If she is successful in the field she chooses, she will find that she's going to reach $240K in less than eight years, but let's not count on it. Let's plan for steady growth.

The next part of the equation is saving $160K for the down payment. If she reaches her income goals, this will be very, very easy. Right now, she's making $48K a year and spending it all. The key for saving will be to live on about the same amount as her income grows. She can spend a little of her extra earnings each year, but if she saves the bulk of it, the down payment will be easily made. Here's how it works:

Year 1 - Income $48K, Expenses $48K, Savings = $0

Year 2 - Income $60K, Expenses $50K, Savings = $10K

Year 3 - Income $85K, Expenses $60K, Savings = $25K, Total Savings = $35K

Year 4 - Income $120K, Expenses $70K, Savings = $50K, Total Savinsgs = $85K

Year 5 - Income $150K, Expenses $90K, Savings = $60K, Total Savings = $145K

Year 6 - Income $190K, Expenses $110K, Savings = $80K, Total Savings = $225K

Look at that! In six years, she has saved more than enough for the down payment. She could probably buy the home a year earlier than planned - maybe two years earlier. And did you notice? Her living expenses double in six years, yet she will still be able to easily save the down payment!

The key to realizing this dream is, once again, to set long-term goals and then, starting from the end, map out the plan to reach that goal.

This is what successful businesspeople, athletes, astronauts, politicians, doctors, teachers and students do every single year. And they monitor and update their plans daily.

3. Be thankful for the obstacles you'll face. This one is very tough but if you can do it, your success will be so much easier.

When an obstacle or setback occurs, try to be thankful for it. If you're religious, thank God or Buddha or whomever for giving you the chance to prove yourself at the highest levels. If you're not religious, just thank the random order of the universe for another chance to show what you're made of.

Whoever you thank, you'll see that when you are thankful for challenges, they aren't challenges any more. This is because when you are grateful for the obstacle in front of you, the fear of it immediately vanishes. And you aren't afraid of something, your brain naturally works at full power to solve the problem. Fear, of course, clouds the brain so when the fear is gone, the problem is solved much easier and faster.

This is not to say that you want obstacles to appear. And I'm not discounting tragedies that occur. I am saying that if you are not afraid of whatever appears, and lose that fright by thanking the source of it, whatever comes your way will not be anything that will slow you down.

4. Treat every person you meet as if they want to do something good for you. I've put this out here before, and I get ridiculous comments like, "You don't live in the real world! Everyone wants to kill you! No one wants to help you! Come on down to my neighborhood and get a taste of real life!" You know what I say to those people?

Who cares!

More than 99% of the people in the world are good at heart. I know there are bad people in the world, but guess what? 99% of THE BAD PEOPLE couldn't care less about you! A bad person only wants to hurt you if you put yourself in a position where they CAN hurt you. Like a mugger - if you meet a mugger in the day, on a crowded street, they aren't going to mug you. But if you meet them in a dark, secluded alley at night then sure! They're going to mug you. Well - stay out of dark, secluded alleys at night!

So if 1% of the people in the world are rotten, and 99% of the 1% couldn't care less about you, then why would you ever worry about the .001% of the people out there that might want to hurt you? Stay out of the places where they can hurt you, and you have no worries at all!

The point of this section, though, is to focus on believing that almost everyone you will ever meet will help you if you ask for help. They don't want to hurt you and if they have the chance, they'd love to help you.

If you approach each person you meet with the attitude of "Hi! I know you want to help me!" you will be amazed at the opportunities that open up for you. Those in a position to grant opportunities to others will grant those opportunities to people they feel will take advantage of the opportunity. If your attitude is exactly that, then you will find yourself showered with opportunity.

That's only logical but so many people go through life afraid of their own shadow that they never see the chances that are out there for them. That breaks my heart but you know what? That means there are not that many people out there with the same attitude as yours, which means the pool of people eligible for incredible opportunities isn't that big. Which increases your chances, right?

Right!

5. Get a mentor. The key word in that phrase is "get". A mentor is invaluable in your success, because they have been where you are, and done the things it takes to get to where you want to be. So identify someone in your field, or who you admire, and ask them to be your mentor.

Tell them, "I've admired the success you've achieved and I aim to follow in your footsteps. I would be honored if you would be my mentor - someone that could follow my progress and be available for advice from time to time. Would you do me this great favor?"

If they say "No" they will be the first person that either I or any of my friends have ever heard of that said "No". I have never, ever heard of anyone turning down a request to be a mentor. Being asked to mentor is an honor, and anyone that's asked to do it is always flattered by the request.

So pick out a mentor and make the request. Don't even worry if you don't know what they should do. I promise you they will know how to mentor you.

These are things that I know will help you reach all your goals in 2012. If you aren't sure what your goals should be, then listen to our friend Prince:

"Set your goals high, high as the sky!"

Good luck and I hope you have a fantastic 2012!

[Edited 12/27/11 12:21pm]

[Edited 12/27/11 12:38pm]

I love this.

I'm putting it in my profile just underneath the divas slapping each other and the fat guy in a speedo dancing.

Rodeo, thanks a lot for this thread but....what´s it got to do with getting "EVERYTHING" I want?

And it sounds very complicated, too.

What if I want to have lots of sex with a certain person but that person is no longer around? What if I don´t want to own a house in the town where I live? Sure, having a big house would probably help in getting sex with that special someone but then again, I´d think that she´s materialistic and shallow.

Anyway...do you have some more self help advice?

I think this sums it up:

I like the list very much. I suppose the difficult part is actually doing it.

I thought this was about how to get everything I want in 2012 and not how I could get a ridiculously overpriced house in 2022.

This is only about getting a successful career, but not about anything I'd want in my life .

novabrkr said:

I thought this was about how to get everything I want in 2012 and not how I could get a ridiculously overpriced house in 2022.

Right?

I expected some sort of voodoo or magic advice from Rodeo. But this sounds more complicated than a Ponzi scheme.

[Edited 12/27/11 11:46am]

My head hurts.

KoolEaze said:

novabrkr said:

I thought this was about how to get everything I want in 2012 and not how I could get a ridiculously overpriced house in 2022.

Right?

I expected some sort of voodoo or magic advice from Rodeo. But this sounds more complicated than a Ponzi scheme.

[Edited 12/27/11 11:46am]

novabrkr said:

I thought this was about how to get everything I want in 2012 and not how I could get a ridiculously overpriced house in 2022.

LOL, I changed the title just for you!

KoolEaze said:

Rodeo, thanks a lot for this thread but....what´s it got to do with getting "EVERYTHING" I want?

And it sounds very complicated, too.

What if I want to have lots of sex with a certain person but that person is no longer around? What if I don´t want to own a house in the town where I live? Sure, having a big house would probably help in getting sex with that special someone but then again, I´d think that she´s materialistic and shallow.

Anyway...do you have some more self help advice?

LOL, the house example was just that - an example. I picked a big one, so that people could see that ANYTHING is attainable by using these principles.

missfee said:

I like the list very much. I suppose the difficult part is actually doing it.

That's a great point!

The best way I've found to "do it" is to buy a calendar. Each night, write down the things you want to accomplish the next day. Then when you accomplish them, check them off. If you didn't accomplish it, carry it over to the next day and keep carrying it over until you get it done.

I've found it's best to use an actual calendar that gives you 10 - 20 lines for each day to write down stuff. Lots of people use their phones now for their calendars, but I've not found this to be as effective.

There's just something about actually writing things down that motivates me more than just typing on my phone.

Anyway, these are not things I made up. These are things I've learned throughout my life, and they are also things that have been taught or confirmed to me by some of the most successful people in the world.

So I know they work!

Serious said:

This is only about getting a successful career, but not about anything I'd want in my life .

If that's what you think, you need to read it again! And after reading it again, if that's still what you think, OrgNote me.

RodeoSchro said:

missfee said:

I like the list very much. I suppose the difficult part is actually doing it.

That's a great point!

The best way I've found to "do it" is to buy a calendar. Each night, write down the things you want to accomplish the next day. Then when you accomplish them, check them off. If you didn't accomplish it, carry it over to the next day and keep carrying it over until you get it done.

I've found it's best to use an actual calendar that gives you 10 - 20 lines for each day to write down stuff. Lots of people use their phones now for their calendars, but I've not found this to be as effective.

There's just something about actually writing things down that motivates me more than just typing on my phone.

Anyway, these are not things I made up. These are things I've learned throughout my life, and they are also things that have been taught or confirmed to me by some of the most successful people in the world.

So I know they work!

And there you have it. They might be successful, but they are not necessarily any happier just because of that.

novabrkr said:

I thought this was about how to get everything I want in 2012 and not how I could get a ridiculously overpriced house in 2022.

Serious said:

RodeoSchro said:

That's a great point!

The best way I've found to "do it" is to buy a calendar. Each night, write down the things you want to accomplish the next day. Then when you accomplish them, check them off. If you didn't accomplish it, carry it over to the next day and keep carrying it over until you get it done.

I've found it's best to use an actual calendar that gives you 10 - 20 lines for each day to write down stuff. Lots of people use their phones now for their calendars, but I've not found this to be as effective.

There's just something about actually writing things down that motivates me more than just typing on my phone.

Anyway, these are not things I made up. These are things I've learned throughout my life, and they are also things that have been taught or confirmed to me by some of the most successful people in the world.

So I know they work!

And there you have it. They might be successful, but they are not necessarily any happier just because of that.

This thread isn't titled "How to be Happy". It's about how to be successful.

But I'll start a thread on happiness if you want! It will be moved to P&R, though.

RodeoSchro said:

Serious said:

This is only about getting a successful career, but not about anything I'd want in my life .

If that's what you think, you need to read it again! And after reading it again, if that's still what you think, OrgNote me.

I guess we just see life in a very different way .

KoolEaze said:

novabrkr said:

I thought this was about how to get everything I want in 2012 and not how I could get a ridiculously overpriced house in 2022.

Right?

I expected some sort of voodoo or magic advice from Rodeo. But this sounds more complicated than a Ponzi scheme.

[Edited 12/27/11 11:46am]

LOL, there is no such thing as voodoo or magic. Only knowledge, which is what this thread delivers!

Serious said:

RodeoSchro said:

If that's what you think, you need to read it again! And after reading it again, if that's still what you think, OrgNote me.

I guess we just see life in a very different way .

No sweat!

RodeoSchro said:

Serious said:

And there you have it. They might be successful, but they are not necessarily any happier just because of that.

This thread isn't titled "How to be Happy". It's about how to be successful.

But I'll start a thread on happiness if you want! It will be moved to P&R, though.

Okay, I get that. But it's not called "how to be successful" but it is called "how to get everything you want" and I couldn't care less if I am successful or not, all I ever wanted in my life and all I will ever want is to be happy .

Serious said:

RodeoSchro said:

This thread isn't titled "How to be Happy". It's about how to be successful.

But I'll start a thread on happiness if you want! It will be moved to P&R, though.

Okay, I get that. But it's not called "how to be successful" but it is called "how to get everything you want" and I couldn't care less if I am successful or not, all I ever wanted in my life and all I will ever want is to be happy .

OK, i changed it just for you! And also for novabreakr.

RodeoSchro said:

Serious said:

Okay, I get that. But it's not called "how to be successful" but it is called "how to get everything you want" and I couldn't care less if I am successful or not, all I ever wanted in my life and all I will ever want is to be happy .

OK, i changed it just for you! And also for novabreakr.

Dude, you're awesome. This is a right click save if I ever saw one! I can see some personal goals of mine that have nothing to do with career which I can apply these principals to; thanks Rodeo!

Ottensen said:

Dude, you're awesome. This is a right click save if I ever saw one! I can see some personal goals of mine that have nothing to do with career which I can apply these principals to; thanks Rodeo!

Serious said:

RodeoSchro said:

OK, i changed it just for you! And also for novabreakr.

BTW, I do think Step 4 in and of itself will make you a happy person!

RodeoSchro said:

Serious said:

BTW, I do think Step 4 in and of itself will make you a happy person!

If I knew people who could help me with things I want I would ask them for help.

But yes there are people who have been of great help to me and I am thankful for that.

Serious said:

RodeoSchro said:

BTW, I do think Step 4 in and of itself will make you a happy person!

If I knew people who could help me with things I want I would ask them for help.

But yes there are people who have been of great help to me and I am thankful for that.

The thing is, there are tons of people that can help you, or provide you with opportunities, that you run across every day but don't realize it.

If your attitude towards everyone is, "Hi! I know you have good intentions toward me!" you will be amazed at how the people you meet pick up on that.

They will be inspired because what they are getting from you is a "I trust this person and know they are in a position to help me" vibe, which is a way of stroking their ego. You are making them feel important and by doing that, they will want to reaffirm that feeling about them that you have.

So they will bring up things or givesuggestions or make offers to you that can be extremely beneficial.

It works! I got this piece of advice from one of the top female executives in the country. She was part of an article in Parade Magazine where they asked successful people what the most important piece of advice they ever got was.

"Treat everyone you meet as if they have good intentions toward you" was hers. She received it from her father, and she credited that one piece of advice for making it possible for her to rise to the top of the corporate world.

RodeoSchro said:

Serious said:

If I knew people who could help me with things I want I would ask them for help.

But yes there are people who have been of great help to me and I am thankful for that.

The thing is, there are tons of people that can help you, or provide you with opportunities, that you run across every day but don't realize it.

If your attitude towards everyone is, "Hi! I know you have good intentions toward me!" you will be amazed at how the people you meet pick up on that.

They will be inspired because what they are getting from you is a "I trust this person and know they are in a position to help me" vibe, which is a way of stroking their ego. You are making them feel important and by doing that, they will want to reaffirm that feeling about them that you have.

So they will bring up things or givesuggestions or make offers to you that can be extremely beneficial.

It works! I got this piece of advice from one of the top female executives in the country. She was part of an article in Parade Magazine where they asked successful people what the most important piece of advice they ever got was.

"Treat everyone you meet as if they have good intentions toward you" was hers. She received it from her father, and she credited that one piece of advice for making it possible for her to rise to the top of the corporate world.

I am not saying step 4 isn't good advice. But I am acting like that anyway most of the times.

I know the bulk of the discussion here has been #4...but for me #3 is the most difficult. To look at your obstacles, be thankful for them and to learn from them sounds reasonable...however, to me, it's the most difficult thing to do. So I guess I could put this on my list for 2012 which would in turn, help my negative attitude towards the things that I had to deal with this year.