Maximum Achievement

by Brian Tracy

  To move ahead, you have to both learn and unlearn a few things. You are locked in place at your current level of knowledge and skill. You can go no further with what you now know. Your future largely depends on what you learn and practice from this moment onward.

  I began to study success, happiness and achievement based on the preceding principles. They became the foundation upon which I built the superstructure of the system I’ll be sharing with you as we go along. Each part of this book complements each other part of this book, very much as a magnificent building goes up, piece by piece, until the structure is complete in all its glory.

  Thought by thought, action by action, you will learn how to make your life a masterpiece. You will learn how to create something truly beautiful out of your efforts. You will learn how to take complete control of your destiny. You will learn how to accomplish more than you might have ever dreamed possible. Just don’t expect it to be easy.

  BRICK BY BRICK

  When I began to study the psychology and science of human achievement, I used myself and my own situation as the test of what was true or not. You must do the same. Listen to your inner voice. Irrespective of anything else you may have learned, or chosen to believe, simply ask, “Is this true for me?”

  As you’ll more fully understand in Chapter Six, superior men and women trust themselves at a deep level. They are very sensitive to whether something feels right. You should be the same. You should find that everything in this book has a good feel to it, but if it doesn’t, put it aside for the time being and come back to it later when it makes more sense.

  Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are.” That’s what I did. When I began asking why some people were more successful than others, I plunged in. Even though I had been a poor student, I was a voracious reader, and I wasn’t afraid of hard work. While other people around me were dating and dancing, I was studying, making up for lost time.

  One thing I learned was that if all it took to live a wonderful life was books and ideas, then we’d all be rich and happy. There are more and better books, tapes, videos and courses on how to be successful in every area of life today than there ever have been in all of human history. And I’ve never read or seen or listened to one that didn’t have something valuable to offer. But all of them together is not enough.

  You have to have a system. Without a system you can use to integrate the ideas you learn, you are like a person trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle without a picture. And almost any system is better than no system at all. But you’ve got to learn the system and then discipline yourself to stay at it until you get the results you want.

  No one would seriously try to master any complex subject without learning everything possible from those who had gone before and demonstrated mastery in that area. This is true in law, medicine, engineering and business. It is equally true in human relations, happiness, health, wealth and peace of mind. Virtually anything you could ever want to be, have or do is amenable to learning and hard work. But you have to have a system, and you have to work the system.

  BASIC OPERATING PRINCIPLES

  The main reason for so much underachievement and frustration is simply that people do not know how to get the most out of themselves. They don’t know how to apply themselves for maximum performance and happiness. They don’t know their basic operating principles and as a result, they waste many hours, even years, functioning far below their potential.

  For example, imagine that someone gave you an expensive, sophisticated personal computer. It was delivered to your home, and when you took all the parts out of the boxes, you found that there was only one thing missing: the instruction manual. Now imagine that you had no training at all in computers or in computer language. Then imagine that you now had to figure out how the computer worked, how to set it up, how to operate it, how to program it and how to get it to produce something of value. How long do you think it would take you, working without help or guidance, to figure out how to use a personal computer on this basis?

  The answer is that, even if you were highly motivated and determined, it would probably take you years to figure out how to operate a computer on your own. And it’s a certainty that long before that, you would have turned your mind to other things and gone back to doing your work in the same old, slow fashion.

  Now, let’s imagine instead that you received the same computer, but this time it came complete with an instruction manual that was user-friendly and, in addition, a computer expert came along and showed you, step by step, how to set up the computer, how to operate it, how to program it and how to run it at maximum efficiency.

  With the instruction manual and expert training, you could have the computer up and running in an afternoon. From then on, you would get better and better at using it, and the quality and quantity of what you produced would increase rapidly.

  The point is this: You come into this world with no instruction manual. You are born with an amazing brain, the complexities and possibilities of which are so vast that we cannot yet comprehend them. This marvelous, three-pound organ of yours contains as many as 100 billion cells and processes 100 million bits of information per hour. It maintains a perfect chemical balance in every one of your body’s billions of cells through your autonomic nervous system. Properly used, your incredible brain can take you from rags to riches, from loneliness to popularity, from sickness to radiant health, and from depression to happiness and joy—if you learn how to use it properly.

  This entire book can be viewed as an instruction manual designed to help you get the most out of yourself. It will show you how to harness the amazing power of your mind to bring you anything you really want in life.

  YOUR MULTIDIMENSIONAL MIND

  Your mind is like a central processing unit in a large computer network. It is accessed, influenced and programmed by several operators, or sources. All data inputs affect and influence other data. All incoming information is immediately available to influence data being processed by any of the individual users. New information, whether true or false, can immediately alter operations in every other area.

  Your subconscious mind is your central processing unit. Your main job in achieving any goal is to reprogram this unit so that what you think, feel and believe becomes the mental equivalent of exactly what you want to experience and enjoy.

  The access ports to your subconscious are both internal and external. Internally, you are affected by your thoughts, your mental pictures or imagination and your feelings. Externally, you are influenced by your suggestive environment, by everything that registers on your conscious mind. You are affected by what you do, say, hear, see, read, watch, listen to and, especially, by the people you associate with and the conversations you participate in. Each of these influences can trigger or stimulate one or more of the other influences. All of them in combination have created, and are creating, the person you are today, and every aspect of your life.

  When you think a thought, for any reason, it often triggers another thought, or even a stream of consciousness that takes you far away from the original thought. Your mind rushes on, like a torrent, carrying you toward your goals or away, depending on the amount of mental control you choose to exert.

  Your thoughts trigger images or pictures consistent with them, and these images can lead from one to another and away from the thought that triggered them in the first place, or back toward it.

  Thoughts or images trigger emotions of all kinds. Your feelings themselves trigger thoughts and images, which can then trigger additional feelings, and so on.

  The thoughts you think, the images you hold, the feelings you experience trigger words and actions consistent with them. If you are thinking about your goals, if you can see your goals as already realized, and if this thought makes you feel positive and enthusiastic, you will speak positively and act effectively as you go through your day.

  What you read can affect your thoughts, images, feelings, words
and actions, and these can in turn influence what you read next. The people around you, your conversations, will influence how you speak, walk, talk and behave.

  The tapes you listen to in your car, the shows you watch on television, the seminars you attend and the things you do each day will all affect the person you become and they will, in turn, affect, multiply, diminish, increase and alter other influences and other stored information.

  In addition to all of these factors, your past experiences, your reinforcement history, good or bad, colors your attitudes and perceptions toward everything that happens to you, and around you.

  If this sounds a little complicated, it is. Your mind and your life are like a room full of musicians, all playing different instruments and different tunes, and all trying to get your attention. Amidst all this confusion, is it any wonder that the great majority feel that they are not in control of their lives? Is it any wonder that most people would rather be doing something else, somewhere else, and in many cases, with someone else? Is it any wonder that most people feel that they could be doing much better than they are, but they feel helpless to make a change? This situation is both the great challenge and the great opportunity of your life.

  Your main job, in taking control of your life and your future, is to become the conductor of your own orchestra. You must take control of the internal and external aspects of your life and get them all playing in harmony around a central theme of your own choosing. Your job is to play beautiful music with your life, to make your life a great performance.

  UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT LAWS

  You may already know that there are two types of laws in the universe: man-made laws and natural laws. You can violate man-made laws, like traffic laws, and you may or may not get caught. But if you attempt to violate natural laws, you get caught every single time, without exception.

  Natural laws, in turn, can be divided into two categories: physical laws and mental laws. The operation of physical laws, like those governing electricity or mechanics, can be proven in controlled experiments and practical activities.

  Mental laws, however, can only be proven by experience and intuition, and by seeing them work in your own life.

  Some mental laws were written about as far back as 2000 B.C., or four thousand years ago. In the ancient world, these laws or principles were taught in what were called the “mystery schools.” Students would enter these schools and undergo long periods of training, taking many years, during which they would be gradually introduced, one at a time, to these principles.

  In those days, such principles were never meant to be shared with the general public. The heads of these ancient schools felt that the average person would misunderstand and misuse these laws, and at that time, they were probably right.

  Today, most of these laws are discussed and written about quite openly, although only a tiny fraction of the population is even aware of them. In studying the lives and stories of successful men and women, I found that almost all of them used these laws, consciously or unconsciously, and as a result they were often able to accomplish more in two or three years than the average person accomplishes in a lifetime. In fact, all real and lasting success comes from organizing your life in harmony with these general principles.

  Here’s an important point: Mental laws are like physical laws in that they are in force 100 percent of the time. The Law of Gravity, for instance, works everywhere on planet Earth twenty-four hours per day. If you jump from a ten-story building, you will fall to the sidewalk with equal force whether you are in downtown New York or downtown Tokyo.

  It doesn’t matter whether you know about gravity, or whether you agree with gravity, or whether anyone ever told you about gravity when you were growing up. The law is neutral. It works for you everywhere, regardless of whether you know about it or whether it is particularly convenient for you at that moment.

  Mental laws, although their physical effects cannot be seen quite so easily, also work 100 percent of the time. Whenever your life is going well, it means that your thoughts and activities are aligned and in harmony with these invisible mental laws. Whenever you are having problems of any kind, it is almost invariably because you are violating one or more of these laws, whether you know about them or not. Because they are central to your happiness, it is essential that you become familiar with them and integrate them into everything you do.

  1. THE LAW OF CONTROL

  The Law of Control says that you feel positive about yourself to the degree to which you feel you are in control of your own life, and you feel negative about yourself to the degree to which you feel that you are not in control, or that you are controlled by some external force, person or influence.

  This law or principle is widely recognized in psychology. It is called “locus of control” theory. It is generally agreed that most stress, anxiety, tension and psychosomatic illness comes about as a result of the person feeling out of control, or not in control of some important part of his life.

  For example, if you feel that your life is controlled by your debts, or your boss, or your ill health, or a bad relationship, or the behavior of others, you will suffer stress. This stress will manifest itself in irritation, anger, and resentment. If not dealt with, it can progress to insomnia, depression or illness of various kinds.

  You can have either an internal or an external locus of control. That is, you can feel that you are in charge of your own life, happy, positive and confident, or you can feel controlled by others, helpless, trapped, very much like a victim.

  In every case, control over your life begins with your thoughts, the only thing over which you do have complete control. How you think about any situation determines how you feel, and your feelings determine your behavior.

  Self-discipline, self-mastery, self-control all begin with you taking control of your thinking. No person or situation can make you feel anything—it is only the way you think about a situation that makes you feel the way you do. And you can control the way you think. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

  There are basically two ways you can get control of any situation that is causing you stress or unhappiness. First, you can take action. You can move forward and do something to change it. You can assert yourself in the situation and make it different somehow. And second, you can simply walk away. You can often regain control by letting go of a person or situation and getting busy doing something else.

  Sometimes the very best thing to do in a situation if you feel out of control is just to leave. If you have ever ended an unhappy relationship or quit an unpleasant job, you will remember how much better you felt when you stopped struggling. By deciding not to resist anymore, you took back your sense of control.

  The law of control explains why it is so important for you to be decisive. It explains why it is so important for you to know exactly what you want. The self-confidence that comes with feeling in control is why a person with a clear purpose and a plan always has an edge over someone who is vague or unsure.

  Examine the various areas of your life with a mental checklist and decide where you feel positive and in control, and where you don’t. Then begin thinking of the specific things you could do to get control in those parts of your life causing you stress. Think also of the situations you might be better off walking away from.

  One of your major responsibilities is to get and keep your life under control. This sense of control becomes your foundation for building greater happiness and success in the future. Make sure it’s rock solid.

  2. THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

  The Law of Cause and Effect says that for every effect in your life there is a specific cause. It is so important it has been called the “Iron Law of the Universe.” It says that everything happens for a reason, whether or not you know what it is. There are no accidents. We live in an orderly universe governed strictly by law, and this understanding is central to every other law or principle.

  The Law
of Cause and Effect says that there are specific causes of success and there are specific causes of failure. There are specific causes for health and for illness. There are specific causes for happiness and for unhappiness. If there is an effect in your life that you want more of, you merely need to trace it back to the causes and repeat the causes. If there is an effect in your life that you do not enjoy, you need to trace it back to the causes and get rid of them.

  This law is so simple that it is baffling to most people. They continue doing, or not doing, things that are causing them unhappiness and frustration, and they then blame everyone else, or society, for their problems.

  Insanity has been defined as “doing the same things in the same way and expecting to get different results.” To some degree, we’re all guilty of this. We need to face this tendency squarely and deal with it honestly.

  There is a Scottish proverb that says, “It is better to light one wee candle than to curse the darkness.” It is better by far to sit down and carefully analyze the reasons for your difficulties than to get upset and angry about them.

  In the book of Proverbs, it says, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that also shall he reap.” This version of the Law of Cause and Effect is called the Law of Sowing and Reaping. It says that whatever you sow, you will reap. It also says that whatever you are reaping today is the result of what you have sown in the past. If you wish to reap a different harvest in any area of your life in the future, you need to plant different seeds today, and of course, this refers primarily to mental seeds.

  The most important application of the Law of Cause and Effect, or sowing and reaping, is this: “Thoughts are causes and conditions are effects.”