Author: Pejman Ghadimi
ISBN: 978-0985601331
A book about the mindset needed to succeed. Money is just a leverage on the path to self-actualization!
EXCERPTS
These visionaries possess passion, determination, and the strong belief that their life’s purpose is to bring these innovations to life. Therefore, they live a life devoted to building on their ideas or projects so they will eventually change the world as they see fit.
How does confidence play a role in finding purpose? Confidence is accumulated through experiences you go through over the years, and certainly is a very important part of finding your purpose. If you lack confidence, you probably won’t discover the power to identify why you exist. Doubt and purpose have no relation in this equation.
Only those individuals who lack self-confidence will mistake the two. As a result, they call confident people “cocky”, “arrogant”, or “stuck up”. True confidence, however, is very much needed in order to initiate the hard work that is based on vision, which ultimately allows your purpose to manifest itself.
Most of today’s top lawyers, doctors, and businessmen fall into the Achiever category. While you do succeed, instead of graduating to the Third Circle, you work your entire life to make more money as your way to keep score. Very few of you actually feel you know your purpose—even if you believe you do, it is only to convince yourself you have found it as money has been made.
However, if you determine that your existence should and will mean more than money, then you graduate to the Third Circle where you find the answers you seek.
Purpose is created as a result of your belief in something greater than yourself, where you allow your mind and emotions to remove themselves from the equation. This is the stage in which money no longer matters and decisions are made for the common good of the vision, rather than your desires, needs, and wants.
The grand scheme of life reveals itself to you, and your existence can only be validated when your vision comes to life. This means that your existence is null, and your feelings ignored until the bigger picture becomes reality.
It is true that people born with more money have an advantage, but it is not because of the wealth but rather the behaviors and values that come from individuals who have figured out how to succeed.
Your observations in the environment stage are centered on love, family, healthy eating, exercise, care for your valuables, education, and going to work happy with your job. This belief is often the reason that many teenagers who are born into wealthier families choose professions that involve a high level of education. This choice is aided by the lack of urgency to make money and because the belief that advanced education is something they witnessed while growing up. Although these individuals have a financial advantage, they are also at a disadvantage. They are so bound by the expectations of their parents that they become consumed with fear of disappointing them. Let’s shift the perspective now and look at the same scenario based on low-income families. In this case, the child witnesses more struggle, stress, and frustration, and even perhaps more violence, but more importantly witnesses the constant pursuit of basic comforts, like money and shelter. This hard-knocks quest paints an image of the importance of money, which is where you become hungry for money as you grow older. You want to compensate for the sacrifices and erase the money arguments from your memories. Even though you are not as likely to succeed in education as the more advantaged person, you thrive in your urgency to make money.
The people who want to innovate believe that they can do anything they set out to do.
This is why surrounding yourself with successful people helps you become successful. Not because they will give you money or help you achieve, but rather their constant “can do” attitude and their reach being so large.
When you believe, you seek information. When you gain information, you act.
You decide that your high goals must be met at any costs and that distractions in your environment do not dictate who you are or who you become. You certainly choose not to allow your environment to distract you from your goals. Choosing to go from survivor to builder is a choice you must make at some point in your life if you plan to achieve self-actualization. Self-actualization is realized by those who live, not just exist.
Once you define success, believe in the possibility, and make the choice to succeed, the environment you live in is no longer an obstacle. Then comes the single greatest emotion that you must learn to control and conquer — fear!
Fear acts like paralysis to your mind. The more you think about it, the more you freeze. You can’t act in any context and so you fail. Since everything in the world involves making decisions, fear consumes a large portion of your life. When you over-analyze things out of fear of making the wrong choice, you give yourself many reasons to take no action. If you think about your earlier years and how many times you passed on opportunities or didn’t act out of fear, you will notice that all of your dreams could have come true by now if you had taken action instead of succumbing to fear of loss.
The same can be said of those of you who fall in love very easily. Fear of being alone drives the emotion of love to manifest itself faster. If this fear is powerful enough, you settle for what you have or what is accessible rather than seek exactly what you want. When you become that Settler, you find yourself unhappy in your choice in the long run. You realize it was driven by fear and not the right fit.
Many parents don’t adequately address failure with their children. These youngsters don’t understand that greatness isn’t achieved in one try. People who don’t leave toxic relationships are usually in that situation because they initially feared rejection. Letting go of a bad relationship would mean admitting failure as well as starting all over again. So they stay, even the Settler.
On the other end, being born into wealth increases this fear. The children that are “privileged” fear that they will jeopardize all that was previously built and so they take a more conservative, low-risk approach.
Think about how much more you could accomplish if you weren’t afraid to fail.
The more you know or believe about yourself, the better you sell yourself. If you believe that you are great looking and a great value to anyone’s life, you see no limitation as to whom you seek as a partner. You believe you deserve someone of similar values to yourself. This confidence is demonstrated in your approach to others and quickly translated into energy that is extremely attractive to others.
Select individuals with similar interests, but whose behaviors and success is actually defined as what you want yours to look like. I am referring to people who are doers, not talkers. Those individuals who live the life you want and who possess the same attitude toward life that you want are those you must include in your entourage.
Let’s say Chris is born into a moderate to poor household. He has constantly been reminded by his parents of how important it is to make money, so he has developed an urgency about it. Since Chris has never been taught the true value of time, he will make as much money as he can in the moment, rather than strategically grow his skillset. So he creates short-term income instead of a longer and larger gain later. His time has no value other than how much money he can trade it for.
Here is a clear example of how you have to think about the value of time: You own a company and lack the manpower, money, and resources to build it up — just like every other great start-up in the world. Spending an entire day at the beach removes you from the business and prevents you from moving forward on the foundation you are building. Now, if you feel overworked and unproductive, relaxing on the beach to recharge your batteries is a great use of your time.
As an individual, you are “graded” according to your income — classified as high, middle or low class — not how you live, which demonstrates how society is consumed by the idea of money. [If society really wanted to shift away from money as a status symbol, media shouldn't anymore promote high-income earners. It should seek status in life quality/ promote people who've done great deeds for the others etc.]
Money itself is a by-product of how you spend your time and how you create value for those around you.
The problem with chasing money is that you never really understand the value, but rather focus on just getting more of it. On the other hand, chasing experiences in life enables you to understand the true value of time rather than money. Those who chase money never find fulfillment, which is why they continue to work just to earn it, even going past the point of having enough to live for a lifetime.
Money as it pertains to the Circles is nothing more than leverage. Living in the Second Circle means you know how to make money. Living in the Third Circle means that money is merely a means to a greater purpose but never the purpose itself.
When you see money as nothing more than paper, you then realize that no matter how many times you miss or lose some, you will always have an opportunity to make it. You no longer miss out on opportunities or make bad decision based on fears of losing money.
The final aspect of being proactive is believing everything is in your control. You never allow yourself to be a victim but rather a recipient of the choices you make.
You learn that instant gratification is a weakness, but more importantly is not allowed in your life. Consistency and hard work lead to positive outcomes, and nothing great is achieved overnight.
Learning to keep your feelings from paralyzing your actions enables you to make better decisions, rather than dwell on what doesn’t work.
The main difference is not the idea of manipulation, but rather who benefits from the manipulation. Leadership requires shaping environments, which can be looked at as manipulation in order to function best. Effective leadership benefits the followers first, not the leader.
Great leaders must know how to identify individuals with similar values and beliefs. Without this, the power of influence cannot occur.
Based on their backgrounds, I knew who would be most influenced by me, which meant they were more likely to follow instructions and learn faster than the average employee.
Great leaders know their own signs. They have a clear view of why people should follow them, so their message is precise and rarely changes — only their plans do. Great leaders understand that others don’t share the same strengths, tolerance, and emotional intelligence, so they work hard to not only lead people but also help them lead themselves eventually.
But it takes true leadership skills to step back and understand why those following you are having a hard time doing so. It takes the first true act of selflessness to put someone else’s life as equally important as your own when they haven’t established nearly as much, or contributed to society much less than we do. Being a great leader when all is great is easy, but being a great leader when all else fails takes all the mastered components of the First Circle in order for you to emerge victorious.
The people who are not willing to face themselves fear what they might see, but whether you like or hate the circumstance you are in, the faster you accept who you are, the faster you can improve.
For the most part, a strong phase full of achievement motivates you to keep pushing ahead until you forget what you are pushing for. Despite not being good, it is necessary to push forward until you can form a purpose for why you push.
You must learn to let go of your fears and insecurities, and instead let your emotions remain within your control, rather than dictating your actions or reactions.
When you reach a certain plateau in life — one where you find enough money to live comfortably — you choose to spend money on things that simply make you happier and encourage you to keep working.
About 20 percent of your emotional happiness comes from money. Even though most pursue money their entire life, money itself creates only a small portion of your life’s joy. The remaining 80 percent comes from fulfillment.
Your vision is contagious; it is this greater belief that very few people experience in their lives. As a result, you acquire followers and start an empire.
Vision gives birth to ideas.
As you see more of life and understand more of the concepts that could trap you, you come to the decision that you simply can’t spend the rest of your life building other people’s dreams. You feel that you are too valuable from a mindset standpoint to take orders from individuals who don’t understand you or your capacity. It is a realization that you want to seek more of life rather than confine yourself in your comfort zone. You have a growing desire to step away from the mediocre teams and groups in which you spent your younger work years. You decide to seek the alternative path of entrepreneurship. No job or assignment doled out by others fits you anymore. You realize that you no longer want to be part of the rat race. At this point, you are highly motivated to take on the immense challenge of building something from nothing. Your confidence is to the roof as you are now navigating through the Third Circle, and your belief in yourself is increasing as you discard all the things you no longer want.
When you undertake entrepreneurship, you do so within a realm of your passion or existing work line. Yet, very often you focus on what you are good at rather than on widening your horizon.
I spent many years working in banking, leadership, people management, investing, and real estate. When I started making money in real estate and finance, I didn’t consider myself an entrepreneur, and I certainly wasn’t the type of entrepreneur we are discussing here as no innovation occurred — only income. I knew how to make money and I had discovered various ways of making it. Despite not working for somebody else, these ventures didn’t bring me any additional value over working for someone else. Yes, I was making more money but that was a selfish aspect that didn’t bring value to anyone but me. While many people consider anyone with their own business an entrepreneur, I have a different view. When I finally focused my energy and skill on leadership and talent management, I found my true passion and what I believe to be my purpose. Entrepreneurship in the context of the Third Circle is about innovation and advancement, not self-employment. Self-employment is about risk tolerance, not entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is about envisioning something that doesn’t exist and then having the ability and mindset to bring it to life.
Michelangelo said: “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” You can only go as far as you believe you can go.
When you start questioning what your legacy is and how you can be remembered, you look at your actual accomplishments and how any or all of them can be actually remembered past your death. You then have to question if they are a correct portrayal of how you would want to be remembered.
Legacy ties directly into true entrepreneurship because entrepreneurship is such a lonely road. There are so many unknown variables that make it so hard for just anybody to take the course. Since ideas are unique to each individual, it makes it impossible for others to bring your business ideas to life. This very unique idea becomes your idea and as a result reminds you that there is more at stake than just making money, there is the creation of legacy. This feeling is what enables you to finish what you started, despite the obstacles, failures, and more. This feeling is what makes you feel purposeful, rather than part of a machine. It empowers you to create the change you envision and gives you the strength to stand up each and every time you fall.
I think those who can master control over their emotions can accomplish anything they set out to do. That self-control makes them valuable beyond any measure of money, success, or ability. Those who know emotions make us weak, despite making us human, can push the boundaries of society and go places others have never imagined possible. They stand up to enemies never heard of before, and help create the world they wish to live in rather than the one given to them.
Think about high school, as an example. Most of the career counselors guide you towards a job, not so much owning your own business or becoming an innovator, but rather just doing your part in the bigger picture. Society needs doctors, lawyers, engineers, technicians, and business managers to keep running efficiently and it is the role of the early education system to put in your head that those other dreams of owning businesses, innovating the world, or thinking outside the box are not normal successful routes to take. Have you ever wondered why? And why does this behavior continue into less accredited colleges and community colleges? Why does everyone want to teach you a skill to work for others? Why is it that only Ivy League schools seem to put out inventors, innovators, and great business minds? Is it the education they provide?
Entrepreneurship is something that most Ivy League schools are very familiar with because what they do is hire retired executives, retired business figures, and other innovators and free thinkers to teach their classes and courses, giving their students the exposure they need to understand that there is a high probability of success. In other colleges, entrepreneurship simply isn’t carried with the same weight due to the ratio of those teaching those skills.
Government is another way to encourage one action over another, making it even more difficult for you to choose your own way out. Think about the support that government gives to conventional education with student loans, grants, and rewards, just for choosing to go to school. This institution is simply looking out for itself to continue functioning. The faster you go to work, the faster you pay taxes and the faster you contribute labor to society. More importantly, it entraps you by loading you down with debt from a very young age, which makes you dependent on work in order to avoid financial ruin early on. This is one of the many ways the government pushes you towards belonging to the system. It’s only when there is a flaw in its system — like job scarcity — that government acts as though it is helping others create more machines to help the masses function.
When you work for a company, it is in that company’s best interest to keep you there, ensuring that the slightest idea you may have of going out of the box and seeking employment elsewhere or pursuing your dreams is reinforced by their talk of uncertainty. Working for others from an early age is great because there is quite a lot to learn, but it also is one of the main reasons people don’t follow their dreams. You become comfortable and secure. It’s just easy. No matter the nature of your work, practice makes perfect and your abilities simply become better with time and that is exactly what a company wishes to happen, for you to become an expert in your field so that you become disconnected with what’s going on and become even more comfortable with staying where you are. The emotional role that Corporate America plays is simply to get you comfortable and secure with not only an income larger than one you’ll make the first three years of working for yourself, but also the security of knowing you can count on a regular paycheck and, as a result, take on debt. This then creates this domino effect of obligations preventing your from taking risk. Think about why most people say, “You’ve got to do it while you are young.” That is because obligations — like your spouse, kids, debt, and the inability to take risk — all become firmer with time and make it harder for you to have the energy to fight all the forces up against you at an older age, rather than when you have never experienced any.
Have you ever wondered why immigrants work harder than Americans in America? Their understanding of and appreciation for opportunity and hard work is a strong motivator. Where did this appreciation come from? The appreciation came from not having that same resource at home, and therefore understanding that when presented with it, it must be cherished and taken advantage of.
If every child visited two different countries between the ages of 9 and 12, they would certainly be more cultured, understanding, and capable. At that age, they still absorb everything and understand the context of society.
You understand that defining your existence occurs through the action you take living life to the fullest and impacting others positively. You understand that simply going to work each and every day and doing the same thing without understanding why is no longer an option.
The world doesn’t revolve around you and that actions not thoughts, define who we are. There should never be a time when you allow other’s actions to prevent you from acting on your own and certainly no time when you should allow circumstances outside of your control to stop your actions. There can be no victory and no change without action. Living life to the fullest is about having control over your outcomes and understanding that nothing can stop you from enjoying everything around you but you.
Those who succeed often don’t want to share information, because they don’t need more money, so sharing information, writing a book, or helping others isn’t their primary concern. This doesn’t describe everyone, but a large segment.
You have the same opportunity to envision and build the road that others cannot see. You will then enjoy the rewards at the end before anyone else can travel down the same path. It is imperative that you create a road that others can also discover and travel through because this is how we grow as a society. If you are constantly seeking other paths to follow, then you are creating income, not innovation.
“If I died tomorrow, what would people remember me for? And who outside of my immediate family and friends would tell my stories to others?”
Someone once said, “There are some who live, while others just exist.” Those who don’t live life for the experience but exist only for the outcomes are missing out. They have the opportunity to change their outcome and their experience through the choices and actions they take each and every second they exist.
Those entrepreneurs understand that the thrill of bringing an idea to life is about overcoming failures and being able to move past your emotions into a state of selflessness.
