I'd just finished having dinner on a yacht cruising down the Na Pali Coast before returning to the Princeville Resort in Kauai, Hawaii when the phone rang. It was my attorney telling me she'd just closed the deal. Now this is what I'm talking about. Sitting by the pool, overlooking the mountains as they meet the ocean thousands of miles away while a new mansion awaits my return is the whole point for perpetual days of gorilla grinding. Wouldn't it be nice if every deal produced those results? The reality is quite different let me assure you. I saw this day coming years before it happened. From the sounds of it, one may think I found a success track that I knew would pay off and just stayed the course. Let me assure you that couldn't be farther from the truth. I had no remote idea what would bring me to a successful day like that but I knew it was coming. I made the decision 14 months into a 20 month layoff. In case you didn't catch that, it meant the checks stopped coming for nearly two years. By the way, this was after years of experience and halfway through an MBA program. All the usual bills still applied so if you think you've got problems, trust me, I understand. When this is your situation, there is only one way to make it to other side. You have to stand your ground and be focused on success knowing that your day is coming.

The Princeville Resort, Kauai, Hawaii

Currently, many people rely on the government for way too much. If you're relying on anyone other than yourself for success or happiness, eventually you'll be disappointed. Yesterday it was the fiscal cliff, today its sequestration, tomorrow it will be something else and all of them are out of your control. The global economy can stand to be in much better shape and whether fortunately or unfortunately, I said two years ago that this would happen. Not that I'm some kind of economist or global financial guru, but I did sit across the table from a lot of decamillionaires and billionaires who are many times smarter than I. In addition, I stopped focusing on the micro economy meaning studying one sector or one investment type and began studying the macro economy meaning things such as emerging markets, fiscal policy, etc. Don't worry if you don't catch all that as the technical details aren't as important as the mindset right now. You can get bogged down in analysis enough to suck the wind out of your own sail.  Keep focusing on success and the details will reveal themselves.

Any Secrets to Success?

A friend of mine called me a few weeks ago and asked if I'd heard of a video called The Secret. I told him I was very familiar with it as I saw it on Oprah about 2 am one morning while getting over the flu. She swore by it as the key to success. In case you never heard of it, it's not new and I'd been using the principles for many years and you probably have to. They describe this secret as the Law of Attraction meaning you attract success or the lack of it by the virtue of your thoughts. While some argue that the video spent a bit too much time on material wealth as opposed to success in other areas, I understood the bigger picture. It's much like my experience in Princeville. I saw it long before it happened. Interestingly enough, after our conversation I watched it again and told myself if I ever saw one of the visionaries on the DVD named Dr. Michael Beckwith I'd ask how much of his vision was faith based. In what seemed like overnight fashion, I met him all of three weeks later along with his lovely wife as he delivered one of the most impressive sermons I'd ever heard. Meanwhile his wife sang the tears out of everyone's eyes. Needless to say, I got my answer. The dynamic duo and I shared a great big hug and I look forward to visiting them on my next trip to California.

Success Has a Fleeting Nature

I tend to write very positive and motivational messages and occassionally include a picture of something exotic. I like to motivate and I know pictures work but don't get it twisted thinking everyday is spent in the lap of luxury.  To get to higher levels of success you have to be willing to risk something. If you play it safe, you won't move very far. If money is your big driver, know that someone always has more and even at $100 million you're not on anybody's rich list. That being said, I once lost a seven figure amount, which is not exactly the kind of deal you want to talk about. I stayed mad for about 10 minutes because when you see yourself in a losing proposition, don't throw good money after bad. If you don't plan a good enough exit strategy which I didn't, cut your losses and get out fast. Because I kept my emotions in check, I searched for another much bigger deal. When I inquired about it, they asked that I provide an income statement before I was allowed a seat at the table. I sent my statements in before the loss ever showed up which was the result of keeping multiple irons in the fire and staying ready. By the time of the meeting the loss was realized but I had secured my seat already.     

Success has a fleeting nature and it's more prone to run after you get a taste of it. You have to stay hungry. That means remain in the company of success minded people and write down your goals even if you don't have a plan to achieve them. If you want it bad enough, a way will be shown. Continue to read success stories even if you've heard similar ones before. Don't be frivolous with your money and be sure to tell it which way to go. Otherwise an outlet mall will show you where it's been. Ensure that you listen to credible people and don't believe everyone in a fancy suit. Successful people have something to show for what they're saying. From an investment standpoint never believe anyone who says they can guarantee you a % return. The only thing anyone can guarantee you is the level of integrity and due diligence they'll put in. Finally, in Chris Tucker a.k.a Smokey from Friday like fashion, "don't eva, eva, eva-eva-eva-eva-eva" give up. Let's work!