When
starting any enterprise or business, whether it is full-time
or part-time, we all know the value of having plenty of
capital (money). But I bet we both know or at least have
heard of people who started with no capital who went on
to make fortunes. How? You may ask.
Well,
I believe there are actually some things that are more
valuable than capital that can lead to your entrepreneurial
success. Let me give you the list.
1.
Time.
Time
is more valuable than capital. The time you set
aside not to be wasted, not to be given away.
Time you set aside to be invested in an enterprise that
brings value to the marketplace with the hope of making
a profit. Now we have capital time.
How
valuable is time? Time properly invested is worth
a fortune. Time wasted can be devastation.
Time invested can perform miracles, so you invest your
time.
2.
Desperation.
I
have a friend Lydia, whose first major investment in
her new enterprise was desperation. She said, "My kids
are hungry, I gotta make this work. If this doesn't
work, what will I do?" So she invested $1 in her
enterprise selling a product she believed in.
The $1 was to buy a few fliers so she could make a sale
at retail, collect the money and then buy the product
wholesale to deliver back to the customer.
My
friend Bill Bailey went to Chicago as a teenager after
he got out of high school. And the first job he
got was as a night janitor. Someone said, "Bill,
why would you settle for night janitor?"
He said, "Malnutrition." You work at whatever
you can possibly get when you get hungry. You
go to work somewhere -- night janitor, it doesn't matter
where it is. Years later, now Bill is a recipient
of the Horatio Alger award, rich and powerful and one
of the great examples of lifestyle that I know.
But, his first job -- night janitor. Desperation
can be a powerful incentive. When you say - I
must.
3.
Determination.
Determination
says I will. First Lydia said, "I must find a
customer." Desperation. Second, she said, "I will
find someone before this first day is over." Sure
enough, she found someone. She said, "If it works once,
it will work again." But then the next person
said, "No." Now what must you invest?
4.
Courage.
Courage
is more valuable than capital. If you've only
got $1 and a lot of courage, I'm telling you, you've
got a good future ahead of you. Courage in spite of
the circumstances. Humans can do the most incredible
things no matter what happens. Haven't we heard
the stories? There are some recent ones from Kosovo
that are some of the most classic, unbelievable stories
of being in the depths of hell and finally making it
out. It's humans. You can't sell humans short. Courage
in spite of, not because of, but in spite of.
Now once Lydia has made 3 or 4 sales and gotten going,
here's what now takes over.
5.
Ambition.
"Wow!
If I can sell 3, I can sell 33. If I can sell 33, I
can sell 103." Wow. Lydia is now dazzled
by her own dreams of the future.
6.
Faith.
Now
she begins to believe she's got a good product.
This is probably a good company. And she then
starts to believe in herself. Lydia, single mother,
2 kids, no job. "My gosh, I'm going to pull it off!"
Her self-esteem starts to soar. These are investments
that are unmatched. Money can't touch it.
What if you had a million dollars and no faith?
You'd be poor. You wouldn't be rich. Now
here is the next one, the reason why she's a millionaire
today.
7.
Ingenuity.
Putting
your brains to work. Probably up until now, you've
put about 1/10 of your brainpower to work. What
if you employed the other 9/10? You can't believe
what can happen. Humans can come up with the most
intriguing things to do. Ingenuity. What's
ingenuity worth? A fortune. It is more valuable
than money. All you need is a $1 and plenty of
ingenuity. Figuring out a way to make it work,
make it work, make it work.
8.
Heart and Soul.
What
is a substitute for heart and soul? It's not money.
Money can't buy heart and soul. Heart and soul
is more valuable than a million dollars. A million
dollars without heart and soul, you have no life.
You are ineffective. But, heart and soul is like
the unseen magic that moves people, moves people to
buy, moves people to make decisions, moves people to
act, moves people to respond.
9.
Personality.
You've
just got to spruce up and sharpen up your own personality.
You've got plenty of personality. Just get it
developed to where it is effective every day, it's effective
no matter who you talk to - whether it is a child or
whether it is a business person - whether it is a rich
person or a poor person. A unique personality
that is at home anywhere. My mentor Bill Bailey
taught me, "You've got to learn to be just as comfortable,
Mr. Rohn, whether it is in a little shack in Kentucky
having a beer and watching the fights with Winfred,
my old friend or in a Georgian mansion in Washington,
DC as the Senator's guest." Move with ease whether
it is with the rich or whether it is with the poor.
And it makes no difference to you who is rich or who
is poor. A chance to have a unique relationship
with whomever. The kind of personality that's comfortable.
The kind of personality that's not bent out of shape.
And
lastly, let's not forget charisma and sophistication.
Charisma with a touch of humility. This entire
list is more valuable than money. With one dollar
and the list I just gave you, the world is yours.
It belongs to you, whatever piece of it you desire;
whatever development you wish for your life. I've
given you the secret. Capital. The kind of capital that
is more valuable than money and that can secure your
future and fortune. Remember that you lack not
the resources.
To
Your Success,
Jim
Rohn
To
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