Training and learning are absolutely critical to your follow-through and the development of courage, persistence, unreasonable thinking, and especially discipline. I keep reminding myself that when it comes to dreams and goals, there is no being reasonable or rational and there is no distinguishing between the possible and the impossible. I think you will agree that it is impossible for you to ever do anything exceptional if you continue to live your life with thinking and actions that are mediocre.
Big thinking, massive actions, expansion, and risk taking are necessary for your survival and future growth. Staying small and quiet are just ways to continue being small and quiet. Keep thinking this way, and sometime in the very near future, no one will be able to see you, hear you—or be aware that you ever existed. Commit to 10X thinking and 10X action. This is the major difference between success and the alternative. It is not about intelligence, economics, or even who you know—because without massive action, none of those things matter.
I still have many of my own long-term goals and targets to meet. I haven't yet made the show, 6 billion people do not yet know me, and there are countless other things I still want to do—many I haven't even thought of yet! However, I do know that I am moving in the right direction. I also know, and want you to know again, that this is not about me being more special or having some unique quality; it is simply about operating with 10X thinking and 10X actions.
Make your fire so big and so hot that others will have no choice but to sit around it in amazement. You will never have all the answers, your timing will never be perfect, and there will always be obstacles and difficulties. However, you can always count on one thing: Taking massive actions consistently and persistently and then following up with more fourth-degree actions are the only ways to guarantee the success you desire. Always go all in on massive action. Let the rest of the world operate at the first three degrees of action, and watch them spend their lives fighting over the bits and pieces left behind.
Look around you and you will see the world filled with average people, average thinking, and—at best—average actions. Take another look. What you will really see behind this acceptance of average are people who have given up on their dreams and who cease to live with a dynamic purpose. They are instead willing to settle for whatever their estimation of “normal” is. When you're choosing the people whom you will learn from, look for the exceptional—those who stand out because of the way they approach their lives. Don't worry about how they are special or different from you. Focus on how they think and act and how you can duplicate that. Success is not a choice or an option; it's your duty to operate at the right level of thoughts and actions. So follow through on your responsibility to leave a footprint on this planet—so that when you are done with your tour of duty, you will be remembered for approaching your life with nothing less than the biggest of dreams and the most remarkable actions. Remember: Success is your duty, obligation, and responsibility, and by thinking at 10X levels and taking 10X actions, I am certain you will create more success than you have even dreamed of!
Glossary
Most words have multiple meanings, so for a full understanding of each word included here, seek out a good dictionary. I have found that my ability to fully understand any subject is limited only by my understanding of the words contained in that subject. So the first thing to do, the secret to applying the 10X Rule, is to always understand the words and phrases of the subject you are learning. This has been a key point of my own success. When I have failed to do this, I have failed in reaching my goals.
10X Rule. Concept based on understanding the correct estimation of how much effort and thought are required to get anything done successfully. Where others perform one action, the 10X Rule says to do 10 actions and to set targets 10 times higher than you first imagine.
401(k). A retirement account to which both employee and employer contribute, on which taxes are deferred until withdrawal, and for which the employee usually selects the types of investments.
absolute. Positive; unquestionable.
abundance. An ample quantity; wealth.
accommodate. To bring into agreement or to bend to another's needs.
accomplish. (1) To bring about (a result) by effort; (2) to bring to completion; (3) to succeed.
act. The doing of a thing; deed.
action. (1) A thing done; deed; (2) the accomplishment of a thing usually over a period of time.
adapt. To make fit (as for a specific or new use or situation), often by modification.
additional. The result of adding; increase.
advertising. The action of calling something to the attention of the public, especially by paid announcements.
agreed. To concur in (as an opinion); admit, concede.
agreement. (1) A contract duly executed and legally binding; (2) spoken or unspoken mutual reality on a given situation.
air. The general character or complexion of anything; appearance.
á la carte. A menu or list wherein each item is priced separately.
alterations. The result of modification.
Amway. A direct-selling company that uses multilevel marketing or network marketing to promote its products. Amway was founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos.
Ancient Rome. A small, agricultural community that grew into one of the largest civilizations in the ancient world. Internal strife and external attacks eventually broke it up into independent kingdoms. The Dark Ages followed this division and dispersion.
ancillary. Extra; not the main source.
annual. Covering the period of a year.
apathetic. (1) Having or showing little or no feeling or emotion; spiritless; (2) having little or no interest or concern.
arrogance. An attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions.
assertive. Characterized by confidence.
asset. An item of value owned; (plural) the items on a balance sheet showing the book value of property owned.
assignments. Specified tasks or an amount of work assigned or undertaken as if assigned by authority.
attention. (1) Observation, notice, especially a consideration with a view to action; (2) an act of civility or courtesy, especially in courtship; (3) consideration of the needs and wants of others.
audition. A trial performance to appraise an entertainer's merits.
Barack Obama. Born August 4, 1961, Obama is the 44th and current president of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama was the junior U.S. senator from Illinois from January 2005 until November 2008, when he resigned following his election to the presidency.
barrage. A rapid outpouring of many things at once.
basic. Constituting or serving as the basis or starting point.
basics. Something that is fundamental (e.g., get back to basics).
bend over backward. To go beyond the normal expectations in order to create a positive effect.
beyond. (1) On or to the farther side, farther; (2) in addition.
Bible. Books forming the central religious text of Judaism and Christianity.
Bill Gates. Born October 28, 1955, Gates is an American business magnate, philanthropist, author, and chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen. He is ranked consistently as one of the world's wealthiest people and the wealthiest overall as of March 2009. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of CEO and chief software architect, and he remains the largest individual shareholder with more than 8 percent of the common stock.
biochemical. Characterized by, produced by, or involving chemical reactions in living organisms.
biological. Study of living organisms and vital processes.
BlackBerry. A wireless handheld device introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager. In 2002, known more commonly as the smartphone.
blind. Made or done without sight of certain objects.
blip. Something relatively
small or inconsequential within a larger context.
block and tackle. The simple things necessary in order to accomplish a task (comes from football terminology).
boogeyman. A folkloric or legendary ghostlike monster. The boogeyman has no specific appearance, and conceptions of the monster can vary drastically, even from household to household within the same community. In many cases, he simply has no set appearance in the mind of a child but is just an amorphous embodiment of terror.
briefing. An act or instance of giving precise instructions or essential information.
broke. To ruin financially; out of money.
budget. A list of all planned expenses and revenues; a plan for saving and spending.
business downturn. A downward turn, especially toward a decline in business and economic activity.
buy-in. The commitment of interested or affected parties to a decision (often called stakeholders) to “buy in” to the decision; that is, to agree to give it support, often by having been involved in its formulation.
campaign. A connected series of operations designed to bring about a particular result.
capital. (1) A stock of accumulated goods, especially at a specified time and in contrast to income received during a specified period; also the value of these accumulated goods; (2) accumulated goods devoted to the production of other goods; (3) accumulated possessions calculated to bring in income.
chaos. A state of utter confusion.
cheerleader. One who calls for and directs organized cheering.
church activities. A form of organized, supervised, often extracurricular recreation in a place of religious worship.
Circuit City. Publicly held company that sold electronics. Failed in 2009.
circumstance. The sum of essential and environmental factors (as of an event or situation).
cold call. A call made without introduction or advance notice, referred to as “cold” because no introduction has been made.
Communist Russia. The largest ruling Communist Party in the world, which collapsed in 1991.
community. A body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered throughout a larger society.
competition. Those who strive against others to win.
competitive. The state of striving consciously or unconsciously for an objective.
conditioned. (1) Brought or put into a specified state; (2) determined or established by conditioning.
conquer. To gain mastery over or win by overcoming obstacles or opposition.
contact. A person serving as a go-between, messenger, connection, or source of special information.
contraction. The act of getting smaller; reducing efforts, resources, and energy used.
control. (1) To exercise restraining or directing influence over, regulate; (2) to have power over.
counterintuitive. Contrary to what one would intuitively expect; the power or faculty of attaining direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.
courage. An act that demonstrates mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.
craft. An occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity or artistic skill.
crawfish. Any of numerous freshwater crustaceans resembling the lobster but usually much smaller.
creative. Having the quality of something created rather than imitated.
critical. Of, relating to, or being a turning point or especially important juncture.
CRM (Customer Relations Manager). Software applications that allow companies to manage every aspect of their relationship with a customer.
crossover. An instance of breaking into another category.
cultivate. To encourage and help the growth of.
culture. (1) The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization (a corporate culture focused on the bottom line); (2) the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic.
customer satisfaction. Business term; a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectations. It is seen as a key performance indicator within business and is part of the four perspectives of a balanced scorecard.
cycle (sales cycle). An interval of time during which a recurring succession of events or phenomena are completed.
database. Usually a large collection of data organized especially for rapid search and retrieval.
database management. The act of conducting or supervising usually a large collection of data.
data-scrubbing programs. The process of taking a data set with individually identifiable information and removing or altering the data in such a way that the usefulness of the data set is retained but the identification of individuals contained in that data set is nearly impossible.
dazzling. To arouse admiration by an impressive display.
deaf ears. Unwilling to hear or listen; not to be persuaded.
deal. An arrangement for mutual advantage.
defy. To confront with assured power of resistance; disregard.
degree. The relative intensity of something.
delusion. Act of misleading the mind or judgment of something. (I used this in the context of misleading yourself from falsehoods. In this way, delusion is good.)
demise. (1) A cessation of existence or activity; (2) a loss of position or status.
demographics. (1) The statistical characteristics of human populations (such as age or income) used especially to identify markets; (2) a market or segment of the population identified by demographics.
denial. A psychological defense mechanism whereby confrontation with a personal problem or reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality.
dependency. (1) The quality or state of being dependent; (2) one who is relied upon; (3) addiction.
deploy. To spread out, utilize, or arrange for a deliberate purpose.
deprived. Marked by the withholding, especially of the necessities of life or healthful environmental influences.
determine. To fix conclusively (e.g., determine motives).
detox. (1) To remove a harmful substance (such as a poison or toxin) or the effect of such; (2) to render (a harmful substance) harmless.
differentiate. To mark or show a difference in; constitute a difference that distinguishes.
diligence. The act characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort; painstaking.
Dillard's. Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, a major department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states.
diminish. To make less or cause to appear less.
direct mail. Printed matter (such as circulars) prepared for soliciting business or contributions and mailed directly to individuals. Typically, this refers to programs in which entire databases are mailed with a particular offer.
disagreeable. Can describe a person who is able to disagree with the acceptable norm or social considerations.
discipline. To train or develop by instruction and exercise, especially in terms of self-control.
dissertation. An extended, usually written treatment of a subject.
Dollar Store. A variety store or price-point retailer that sells inexpensive items, usually with a single price point for all items in the store. Typical merchandise includes cleaning supplies, toys, and confectionary. Typically serves communities too small for Wal-Mart.
dominate. To take over, overpower, or bring into submission of another or others.
do nots. A made-up word; things a person wants to avoid or not do.
double down. Term from the game blackjack whereby a person doubles up a previous bet in hopes of either doubling his or her winnings or making up losses.
downside. A negative aspect; worst-case scenario.
downturn. A downward turn, especially toward a decline in business and economic activity.
earn. (1) To
become duly worthy of or entitled or suited to; (2) to make worthy of or obtain (e.g., earn your business).
The Ten Times Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure Page 19
