A. YOU COME FROM A LONG LINE OF CHAMPIONS!
To start a book on success, the first thing to do is to establish that anyone who reads it has the REAL ability and possibility to succeed: there are no silly or inferior people; or people whose destiny is to be poor or to barely survive. There are, though, many that have bought into the lies of this world, internalizing and accepting as truth the horrible “You can’t”. And as they believe they can’t, they transmit it to others and “manifest” it in their lives.
But THE TRUTH, the only absolute truth is that every human being is special. Each and every one of us is a soul that is growing and evolving. A soul on a mission!
To find and fulfill this mission, and not only to work tirelessly to accumulate material things, THAT IS SUCCESS!
If you've ever doubted how special you are, and the immense value you have for the world, you just have to do a historical analysis, and think about the thousands of people who had to live before you, only for you to be born!
Think of your ancestors: they survived a thousand tragedies so you could be here and read this book.
Do not kid yourself: life in this world has been harsh! Your ancestors had to fight against enormous odds, and only the strongest, fittest and special survived.
The weak perished... But not your grandparents, great-grandparents; great-great-grandparents and the ones before.
You come from a bread of Champions! You descend from the greater ones!
From those who crossed seas and conquered lands…
From those who beat pest, hunger and war.
From those who kept going ahead despite the persecutions…
From those who weighed anchors to go on great adventures...
And thanks to them, success runs in your blood… You are destined to success! You are called to live a meaningful life!

You are full of skills, talents and potential!
Your purpose is too important to doubt whether you're equipped for success.
The Creator did the most difficult part: he made you perfect.
Your ancestors did their part, by surviving, improving, learning...
You have it easy: you just have to use what was given to you!
Your duty is to use your talents!
You can, with your own effort, clarity of objectives, and applying certain immutable laws and principles of success, turn on your great computer and program it to achieve the greatness you want and CAN achieve.

Success, happiness and prosperity are blessings that come to those who:
• develop the right mindset,
• accept that they are full of potential,
• believe they are capable of achieving great things,
• and do what is necessary to achieve what they want.

They are not a privilege of the “super smart” or those with more money; or everyone but you.
They are a reward for those:
• who use the talents and the ideas that God put in their hearts,
• who strive and persist in doing things right, using imagination and common sense consistently,
• who develop positive values and emotions.
• who block negative emotions such as frustration, anger, stress, anxiety and remorse;
• who get away from bad habits; from ideas of failure or defeat, from painful memories, and from negative relatives or friends.
• who don’t sit and wait for great opportunities, but take common occasions and make them great.

Accept success as a good thing, and invite it into your life.

Set today as the starting point for a new life.
Every race starts at one point.
Every building starts with one stone.
Every great work, every dream, every great achievement starts somewhere.
The march of a thousand miles begins with one step, said Confucius.
Everyone, absolutely everyone, have to start the walk somewhere.
It does not matter where you are right now.
It does not matter if you are a student, a professional, a housewife, a peasant coming to the city looking for a better life.
It does not matter if you are unemployed and out of work (or as I like to refer to it: awaiting for a really wonderful and transformative life experience that I was not having in my former employment).
What matters is not if you have a lot or have a little; but what you decide to do with what you have. And since what matters is not where you start but where you get, go ahead and establish this as your departing point, with the following statement:

I declare this moment as the beginning of my new life.
A life full of abundance, prosperity and success in all fields;
I accept without any doubt in my heart that I was created for greatness.
I accept my call is to be the best I can be.
Starting today, all I do will be part of this plan, because I believe, I know and I have absolute faith THAT I DESERVE THE BEST!

Amen to that.

Financial freedom is important.
MONEY IS GOOD. There is no doubt about it.
I have NO quarrel with things, with new cars (that smell so good!) or spacious houses. I believe in success, prosperity and abundance: it is what The Creator wants for everyone: part of our legitimate aspirations for a better life and a great help to fulfill our purpose.
Fat cows are better than skinny cows. I have been through fat cows, SO FAT they seemed to be on hormones; but have also experienced the lean cows, the scrawny and ugly ones! Worst, there was a time in my life when THERE WERE NO COWS!!! Times so bad that I became like a cow myself… Unable to think, just brooding and waiting for miracles!
So, believe me, I know and understand the importance of money.,.
However, to forget the real WHY’s and WHAT FOR’s of money, is a dangerous business...
The real problem, the terrible thing, is that too many are willing to do whatever it takes, even if they harm others, to find the dollar, to get the money, to obtain the cash…
Orison Swett Marden, father of personal motivation in the nineteenth century, masterfully warned us:
Often what is called success is failure. When men love money so much, that they sacrifice their friendships, their family, their home life; sacrifice position, honor, health, everything for the dollar, their life is a failure, although they may have accumulated money.
In other words, SUCCESS IS NOT how much money you have in the bank, with little care for anything else. “The greatest success, in the end, is to live a good life”, said Jim Rohn.
Just to accumulate things does not get you a happy and fulfilled life…
Those things come from living a balanced life.

The balance that leads to happiness and success is achieved by finding among other things:
• Love. God is love, says the Bible. As virtue, it represents all the kindness, compassion and human affection. As sentiment, is the ability to love and be loved by family, friends, spouses; and to develop harmonious relations. In other words, is the power to connect with others, but not just so they see our new car and Gucci bag, but a little of our soul.
• Peace. To live free from hatred, fear, and guilt, allows us to sleep peacefully. It should be a legitimate aspiration of all, and yet sometimes is not appreciated enough.
• Health. Health is a must for everything, it is our source of energy. Appreciate your health! Refuse to think about disease, and accept only thoughts of energy and vitality.
• Wisdom. That understanding reached only by the few that could stand over the shoulders of their own superficiality, and look beyond...
• Time-consciousness. Time is so scarce! We must seize time, stopping occasionally amid the frantic race to appreciate all the good we have, because life goes by so fast! When we have twenty, the concept seems so banal. At forty, we begin to understand. But my father says that it becomes quite clear when one meets seventy...
• Spirituality. The relationship with God, that All which transcend beyond our lives, ready to have a relationship with us and nourish our souls and spirits.
• Gratefulness. The ability to be thankful. There are people who despite having it all, are NOT successful, because they lack the most important ingredient: the ability to appreciate and enjoy what they have.
• And yes, Prosperity… As I said, it is better to be prosperous than poor, and this is a fair objective in life. The fat cows are better their milk is tastier... It is better to have abundance than lack. But I left it last in this list, because, sadly, society had taught us to concentrate in this one, and forget about the rest… And that… That is a big mistake.

2. What you believe determines your destiny.
As many of the masters of success have said before:
Your beliefs are the foundation of your life, because you always act consistently with what you believe and expect to happen.
What you think determines what you expect; and what you expect determines what happens.
You do have the ability to be and achieve anything you set your mind to, because what you believe with “feeling”, becomes your reality.
Believe controls your path to success!

To remove your shortcomings, limitations and other diseases, and to direct your life to abundance, eliminate the cause: the negative way you draw the world in your mind.
Assign yourself a high value. As Emerson said: the value you give yourself, is what the world gives you back. What others perceive and value of you, is based on what you decide to believe about yourself: it is what you broadcast and scream in silence to all.
Therefore, believe that you are incredibly valuable!
Learn, practice and experience new habits and ways of thinking, imagining, remembering and acting, to create a new image of yourself based on the positive.
Get rid of the bad and the mediocre! Remove the mental viruses. Free your mind from meagerness; leave behind that mentality of poverty, the “I don’t deserve it”, the “that’s not for me”.
Load yourself only with positive programs, so you can use your mind in such fantastic and wonderful ways that you cannot even imagine yet.
From the moment you wake up, fill your mind with constructive thoughts.
Think of harmony, health, peace and good wishes.
Think of all the good and capable you are, and of ALL the things you can do!
Visualize yourself being successful and fulfilling your goals.
Think good things and you will see them happening!
Smile: this will send the brain a message of happiness; a feeling that all is well.
Walk concentrated on your strengths and talents (not on your limitations).
Accept the fact that you carry within seeds of wisdom and prosperity!
Remember that if you think you are a success, you will be a success, and an inspiration as well!
BELIEVE in yourself, believe that you deserve success, that you can achieve greatness!
BELIEVE that you can get what you want; that your dreams will come true!
Walk totally sure –with the idea etched in your mind as if it is the core language of your operational system-, that the Creator has endowed you with the unquestionable ability to get where you want.

Each passing year can produce two different results.
If you use it to get closer to your goals, in working towards your purpose, in fighting for your dreams, then the bottom line can say, "I grew up".
However, if you choose to do the same old same old, vegetating in your bed without apparent direction, watching TV until you fall asleep from exhaustion, waiting for a miracle, for the sudden change, or for next morning to keep doing the same… At the end of that year, the bottom line will say “I got older; I aged.”
So, GET UP, GET YOUR AMBITION FIRED UP, AND GET TO WORK FOR WHAT YOU WANT!
Make things happen, instead of waiting for things to turn up! The more you wait for something to turn up, the more likely you are to get turned down. Those who lose time waiting for perfect conditions, never get to do anything.

Instead of complaining, criticizing or just doing nothing, turn off the TV, take the initiative and act! Any thing of value that you want to accomplish, requires your effort.
Try to create something. Invent the next revolutionary device!
Write the next book of recipes; or a book of exercises to lose weight!
Compose the next great symphony!
Paint the next Sistine Chapel!
Do something big! You can!
If you dream of becoming a Chef, cook!
If you want to be a singer, start with karaoke! And then upload your video on You Tube!
If you want to be an entrepreneur, start a business!
If you want to be president, run for your city, then your state! Do not just sit around and hope that someday someone will knock at your door, discover your talent, and make you president!
This world moves so fast that opportunities are born every day; things that a few years (or months) ago no one imagined. In technology, in energy, in how to make or sell ice cream. In everything!
True, to be a DOER require effort; requires taking risks. Circumstances will combine to give you favorable opportunities for improving your condition as well as for grasping precious prizes… But these opportunities will require you to seize them and make the most of!
OPPORTUNITIES require your effort in order to transform into SUCCESS!
Your actions are the thermometer that measures your value; the only indicator of who you are. You are what you do, not what you say!
So, start doing now!

We insisted that you are what you do, not what you say, because people have the tendency to talk and talk, and then talk some more, and never really do anything. Some even think that by saying “yes, I’ll do it… later…” they have already accomplished something.
Well… NO!
That is call PROCRASTINATION.
Procrastination is choosing to do nothing as an alternative to the possibility of doing something. We think more or less the following: “I have to do it. I'm going to do it. I am determined! I start... TOMORROW!” And, as we said, some even believe that by procrastinating they are doing something. But the truth is, what we procrastinate, DOES NOT EXIST! There is only what we do!
Procrastination is attractive because it requires no effort. It is simply to do ... NOTHING! And since we love doing the minimum-because it leaves us more time for Facebook, Twitter and Celebrity News (…that dress was hooooorrible! So dated!), this habit develop from being an excuse to become the norm.
In the end, it is a symptom of fear. What you are really saying is: I know I should do it, but I'm afraid of doing it wrong or not liking the results. And, deciding to "do it later" becomes an acceptable substitute to actually doing it; allowing for self-deceiving and evading the reality that you are not doing what you have to do.

By procrastinating, not only you stop living the NOW with intensity; but you suffer consequences such as:
a. Anxiety. You'll be thinking about what you have to do, stressed out because you didn’t do it; and thinking of the consequences you will suffer for not doing it (as opposed to just DOING IT!)
b. Boredom. To not use your NOW in activities that help to your self-realization, prevents you from enjoying life to the full.
c. Dumb-xiety. Inactivity and inertia kill more neurons than lead in paint. If you don’t use it, you lose it! And when neurons begin to die, we become dull, we can’t think and just want to keep watching the soap opera to see if Alexia ends up being John’s sister, or the daughter of the evil oil tycoon...

You must dream, you must progress, you must do things… But it has to be because you analyzed and know yourself, and these things will make you happy; not because they will please your herd; your parents, your friends or neighbors.

We don’t want you to be as so many…
People that, despite making lots of money, are unhappy because they are far from their purposes and their dreams.
People that do things they don’t want to do for social or family pressure —or because they believe it is their duty—, and not because it represents who they are and what they feel.
People that spend money they don’t have on things that they don’t need.
People that get into debt or into trouble they shouldn’t have gotten into, just to try and please the others.
People that try to create impressions that will not last on people who do not care for them…
People that try to please people that dislike them, and will possibly continue to dislike them no matter what they do…
These people ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL!

I recently was called to a meeting at an unfamiliar address. As I was in a hurry, I did not program the GPS: just drove as fast as I could. But not knowing exactly where I was going, I got lost! I arrived late, after driving around the area for several minutes, despite the fact that I broke all the speed limits! That made me think: That who reaches its goals is not that who leaves first or drives faster, but that who prepares and begins knowing exactly where is going.
Do not continue being like a ship adrift. Think: Where do you want to go?
When you're 80, and you sit in a quiet moment… What will be the story of your life; the intimate story that you only have for yourself?
So,
How are you going to do it?
What are the steps you are ready to take to achieve this?
Take time to design your life the way you want to live it.
This is the opportunity to start building your story!

They say that goals should be ambitious enough so achieving them requires your effort; but real enough as to be achievable.
I understand that. If you start setting goals that are disproportionate or that lack common sense (as “I want all the Ferraris in the world”) that will only lead you to unnecessary frustration. However, if you take this precept too far, you can become complacent, because, who is to say what is “real” or “achievable” for you?
Many with so much potential, never “get there” because their goals are not ambitious enough!
Do you have an impossible dream that could change the world? Then make it possible!
Most modern inventions were considered impossible a hundred or two hundred years ago, like flying on a machine (those Wright brothers are craaaaazy!); or transmitting waves through the air (radio and television); or before that, sailing around the earth (the world is flat, you nuts, you will fall off a cliff!). Everybody thought Bell had gone crazy, when he proposed to make a human voice heard over a wire. Certain physical achievements were also considered impossible, as running 100 meters in less than 10 seconds, or a mile in under four minutes: scientists said that the athlete would die.
The greatest discoveries of history were made by people who were viewed as insane because what they said was hard to grasp and accept. Those who dreamed of breaking these barriers, were thought to be crazy, until they did it!
Remember: In order to discover something completely new or to revolutionize something, you have to look at it in a completely different way, to dream differently!
So, again, unless your goal is “to own all the private jets on earth” or something like that, don’t let the world stop you.
Be original! Be enterprising! Go forward! Don’t stand still! Do something! Be somebody!
Remember that crazy, fanatic, fool, dreamer, iconoclast, are the epithets shouted at every person who ever has blessed or who ever will bless the world.
Dream big!

There is no other time to live but the present.
In order to live efficiently,
let go of guilt for the past
or the worry about the future…
Don’t worry, be happy,
and live intensely!

A crisis forces us to find new ideas; to make changes to improve.
Sometimes it comes so you develop your passion for something (and in life you advance only if you are passionate about things).
Sometimes, it helps you to discover what you DON’T want in life, which is as important as knowing what DO you want (you learn to avoid the DON’Ts).
In the end, how you see a crisis depends on you. Winston Churchill said: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; and an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. “
Ecclesiastes suggest taking them in stride. In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider— God has made the one as well as the other, and no one knows what will happen in the future. Ecclesiastes 7.14.
When changes come disguised as bad times or failures, learn to wait with faith and confidence. Instead of focusing on the pain (and it hurts, I know, I have faced my share), believe and accept that the crisis came for your benefit, and hope for the reward of the good that is coming your way.
As Confucius said, "Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle." And by lighting the candle of hope, you can see all the good that is coming, even see the golden path that life is creating just ahead of you... However, if you remain in the darkness, afraid, sitting in a nook, crying and complaining, envisioning your downfall… Well… You won’t see the golden lining…
Even if the crisis means having to retreat or to lose some of the ground you had won to life, remember: when the athlete take a few steps back before a jump, we don’t laugh nor call him a failure: we understand that sometimes it is necessary to take a step back to take two steps forward.