Chapter One
Do You Have What It Takes?
People always ask me, "How did you get so rich?" The way I do things has allowed me to succeed financially far beyond what I had expected. I have had a lot of fun, and I have made a lot of money. I have known many celebrities, billionaire businesspeople, and superstar sports figures. It is not easy to explain in a couple of words, but I have noticed that all these successful people have traits that set them apart from the pack: their attitudes, actions, persistence, and passion, plus a whole slew of other qualities that separate the winners from the losers.
To be successful you have to separate yourself from 98 percent of the rest of the world. Sure, you can get into that special 2 percent at the top, and it is not just by being smart, working hard, and investing wisely. There is a formula, a recipe for success that the top 2 percent live by and that you too can follow to be successful.
First, you must be honest w
Chapter One
Do You Have What It Takes?
People always ask me, "How did you get so rich?" The way I do things has allowed me to succeed financially far beyond what I had expected. I have had a lot of fun, and I have made a lot of money. I have known many celebrities, billionaire businesspeople, and superstar sports figures. It is not easy to explain in a couple of words, but I have noticed that all these successful people have traits that set them apart from the pack: their attitudes, actions, persistence, and passion, plus a whole slew of other qualities that separate the winners from the losers.
To be successful you have to separate yourself from 98 percent of the rest of the world. Sure, you can get into that special 2 percent at the top, and it is not just by being smart, working hard, and investing wisely. There is a formula, a recipe for success that the top 2 percent live by and that you too can follow to be successful.
First, you must be honest with yourself. The only way to get rich is to be realistic and brutally honest. You have to get out of the ideal fantasy world you read about in magazines and see on TV. It is not as easy as they make it look. It is tough, and people get hurt. So you have to be as tough as nails and willing to kick ass if you want to win. Most people are not cut out for this. You have to deal with a tremendous amount of pressure. You have to think large and be creative to solve big problems that scare the crap out of most people. People are going to try to steal from you and destroy you just for the fun of it. You have to stand up to them, fight back and kick their ass. Nobody is going to hold your hand and help you along. You are on your own. You have to be able to bend but never break.
All of the greats in every sport, in finance and business, in the arts, and in government possess something special. A lot of people have it, but frankly, most people do not. Do you have what it takes to think big and kick ass? Virtually all self-made millionaires and billionaires, such as Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Walt Disney had the ability to think big and kick ass. It is hard to explain, so I have devised the following success quiz, which you can take to see if you have it. If you have it, you are going to make a lot of money.
Take this quiz to see if you match the profile:
1. How much money do you want to have in five years?
a. $100,000 to $249,999.
b. $250,000 to $499,999.
c. $500,000 to $4,999,999.
d. $5 million or more.
2. What is your financial dream?
a. Winning the lottery.
b. Getting a good job with health benefits, a 401(k), and three weeks vacation.
c. Owning my own home.
d. Having unlimited passive income from a business and/or real estate holdings or other investments.
3. Which statement best describes your financial situation?
a. I am very satisfied with where I am financially.
b. I am somewhat satisfied with where I am financially.
c. I am unsatisfied but feel hopeless.
d. My financial situation is completely unsatisfactory. I want much more.
4. How much time do you spend each day building your wealth?
a. Less than half an hour.
b. Half an hour to one hour.
c. One hour to two hours.
d. Two hours or more.
5. How much money do you spend on business, financial education, and training?
a. Less than $100 per year.
b. $100 to $499 per year.
c. $500 to $1,199 per year.
d. More than $1,200 per year.
6. What do you do when you are faced with a difficult problem?
a. Ignore it and hope it will go away.
b. Complain to my friends and family.
c. Turn it over to someone else to worry about.
d. Brainstorm until I find a creative solution.
7. What is your attitude toward work?
a. It is drudgery. I hate my job.
b. I do not mind work, but I wish I were doing something else.
c. Work is okay. I have to work to get paid.
d. I love to work. It is exhilarating and fun.
8. What would you do if you lost your job or source of income?
a. Save money by moving in with friends or family and collect unemployment insurance.
b. Go back to school for retraining.
c. Find a new job.
d. Start my own company.
9. Which statement best describes your energy and concentration level?
a. I barely have enough energy to get through the day.
b. I work hard for a while, and then I run out of steam and coast through the rest of the day.
c. I can work hard for eight hours.
d. I am a blaze of energy, and I never get tired when I am doing something I enjoy.
10. Which best describes your reaction when someone tells you that you can't do something?
a. I give up and sit around feeling sorry for myself.
b. I lose my temper and throw a tantrum.
c. I give it another try.
d. I get energized, and will not give up until I get what I want.
11. You have an important decision to make and you do not know what to do. Which statement best describes your decision-making process?
a. I watch a lot of TV.
b. I talk to all my friends to see what they would do.
c. I analyze the situation logically and do what seems to make the most sense.
d. I trust my gut instincts after doing b and c.
Continues...
Excerpted from Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Lifeby Donald J. Trump Copyright © 2007 by Donald J. Trump. Excerpted by permission.
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