From Preston Ely, Mindset Advisor...
I know when you guys think about me, most of you associate my name with “living large” and I can prove it…
Just now when I said that, what honestly popped into your head? Did you picture me with a bunch of materialistic things? Did you see me in a sports car, on a motorcycle, boat, or maybe a private jet…?
I won’t lie. I like all those things and I could use a new motorcycle. But, you’ve got me all wrong. That’s not how I define “living large.” How I define it is what really got me here…
To me, living large can only be achieved by answering questions such as:
Who are you? What are you here for? Why have you been planted on earth?
How can I get stronger physically so that I can handle the actual demands of life?
How can I handle all the stress that’s coming to me that continually kills people regularly? How can I get myself strong enough to where that stuff doesn’t faze me?
How can I grow spiritually?
How can I sharpen my mind?
HOW CAN I GROW?
Law #1: Discover your Purpose
One of the first things I do when I sit down with people is say, “Who are you?”
They don't usually have a real answer and say something like: “I do this. I do that…”
IT’S NOT WHAT YOU DO THAT MAKES YOU WHO YOU ARE (yep, I’m yelling)!
Howard Thurman (American theologian) said:
Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that… because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
Most people aren't alive. Most people are internally dead and they're just going with the flow in life, going down the path of least resistance, letting circumstances and events push them here… push them there… and the government and the media loves them. THEY. LOVE. THEM.
Eric Liddell (he was the biker dude in Chariots of Fire, remember?) said:
I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure.
Let me ask you this:
When you're going through your day-to-day business (real estate or whatever it is that you're doing a lot of, are you contemplating leaving? Are you thinking, “Should I leave? Shouldn’t I leave?” When you're there, do you feel God's pleasure? Do you feel pleasure, period? If you ask yourself that enough times, you're going to figure it out…
This is the fundamental stuff that’s going to make you rich. Without knowing this stuff, you probably will never get the money and if you do you will just lose it.
Take note of your gifts. Take note of your passions.
Law #2: Desire and Passion
Your heart is going to lead you to your destiny. Is anybody out there wondering like Neo in The Matrix?
“I just wonder what I'm supposed to do…”
When he said that, it hit home with me. I know I am supposed to do something big. What the heck is it? You guys should be asking the same question.
This is how you figure it out:
Follow your heart. Follow your passions. It will lead you to your destiny.
If you’re a painter, writer, poet, musician… I’ll just say it, you're all artists. Entrepreneurs are also artists. Real estate investors are entrepreneurs. You’re an artist.
When you sit down and figure out what you're going to do with your day to day – how you’re going to take your business to the next level – you’re waiting for your muse. You're waiting for the moments of inspiration to come and they do if you're earnestly seeking them.
The War of Art
Get that book. Every single one of you. You're all going to thank me. A few of you will leave me in your will.
It’s about a psychologist who started noticing this very weird thing about cancer patients - when people got terminal cancer, they started asking themselves very different questions and started doing more meaningful things because they knew the end was coming.
They reached out to people they should have reached out to in the first place. They started doing things they have always wanted to do. They started saying:
I always did want to dance. I'm going to go dance.
The psychologist noticed that a good percentage of these people went into remission. Think about that for a second. His theory was, and I believe it, that stress causes cancer. His theory is that the stress of living a fake life was causing these people's cancer. The stress of living a fake life.
People's consciousness (when they knew they were about to die), transferred from their ego to their true self.
Think about that:
Transferred from their ego that’s trying to look good, that’s trying to make everybody happy, that’s scared, that’s putting up all the walls, that is scared to go figure out who they really are. When they got cancer, their consciousness switched to their true self.
Law # 3: Stubborn, Pig-Headed Determination
I learned this from Chet Holmes who wrote a book called The Ultimate Sales Machine. If you're running a big business, you should get that book.
He teaches that the number one thing that he's noticed about how to be successful is stubborn, pig-headed determination.
You guys need to have a breaking point where you finally put your foot down and you say, “ENOUGH.” You have your defining moment right then and there. I don't know how to manufacture that but I'm trying to figure it out because I've noticed that when people have those moments, their lives magically change.
They have those moments after they have a baby, get married, endure excruciating painful moments in life, you know what I mean?
After your defining moment comes self-discipline and willpower. Have you had your defining moment? If not, get on that. Pronto.
Here’s a story about true pig-headedness:
Stick boy used to be really lame. You should see how he used to dress, but that’s beside the point. He was trying to get into real estate after I was. He always copies everything I do, but he wasn’t having quite as much luck.
He decided to go the pre-foreclosure route. He probably spent 20-40 grand on coaching. He finally does a deal, an auction deal that was supposed to yield $50,000 profit. He even makes it to the closing table and closes the deal. Funds never get wired…
Turns out Lee Kearney, the REO rock star who we had not met yet, did some sort of funky lean on it and claimed the money. He took Stick to court and stole his 50Gs. Stole his $50,000. I'm like, all right, let's see what Stick Boy does? Let's see if he gives up.
I'm like, "Stick Boy, what are you going to do?" He goes, "What do you mean?" I'm like, "Well, are you going to keep trying to do this?" He was like, "Yeah, what the hell are you talking about? Of course, I'm going to keep going…" Losing that 50 grand did not even phase him.
And look at him now. He's annoying the whole world thousands of people at a time…
Law #4: Self-Discipline and Willpower to Overcome Resistance and Endure Pain
You know when you're supposed to get to the gym and you just feel that resistance? Can you relate to that? You just feel this force. The exercise isn't even that hard if you start lightly and do things smartly, right? You don't go straight into lifting 315 pounds, but you need to feel some resistance.
You’re going to feel some resistance to doing everything that’s worth doing.
It's the warriors, champions, athletes. It's the soldiers that give their lives for what they believe in. It's the people who are willing to die. I'm ready to die physically. If somebody walked in here, put a gun to any one of your heads and said, "Dude, it's you or him." Take me. I'm ready to die.
Decide what you believe in and then get your ass to work, 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Every time you do, you get self-esteem points. When you feel that resistance get even more determined.
Law #5: Motivation
What motivates you? Purpose, fear, money, recognition, encouragement?
Whatever it is, find a way to encourage your motivation. You need motivation constantly, and I mean constantly.
People often say that motivation doesn’t last, well neither does bathing. That’s why its recommended daily. Goals help you with motivation.
If you're not rich yet, you should be reading your goals out load every single day before you begin your day. If you're not willing to do that, then you're not going to get rich.
Whew, we covered a bunch of good stuff today! I’ll give you guys the next 5 Laws of Living Large in an upcoming lesson…so make sure you check back here soon.
What do you guys think? Do you have a personal law you live by? Share it with us below.
Discover who you are.
Uncover your passions.
Stay stubborn and pigheaded.
Develop self-discipline and willpower.
Feed what motivates you.