An Open Letter to My Future Son & Daughter: Step 1

⓵ Create a burning desire

“Intense, burning desire is the motivational force that enables you to overcome any obstacle and achieve almost any goal.”

— Brian Tracy

You can lift yourself into a position of great affluence and wealth.

Yes, even without money, without great influence, and with only a little schooling.

You got that?

Now pay attention as this might be the best advice you’ll ever get.

The 1^st step to success is to create a burning desire. A burning desire to achieve your major goal (whatever that is). A plan to do so. And a restless devotion (thoughts and efforts) to reach your goal. This is the most important step of all.

No one has ever been known to succeed without applying this principle. 

Your major goal needs to become more than a mere wish. It needs to become a burning desire. This is the only way to achieve desired results. If you think about it, everybody would be a billionaire with a six-pack if a mere wish would do it.

⓶ Stop daydreaming about your goals

There’s a big difference between a mere wish and a burning desire that has assumed the proportions of an obsession. 

You need to know exactly what you want out of life and be determined to get it. And you shouldn’t stop at wishing. You should intensify your wishes into a burning desire, create a sound plan to achieve your goal, and back your desire with a constant effort. 

If you want greatness, you’ll also need the help of other minds (more on this later).

Before going after your goal, you need to have a clear and concise mental picture of what you want to achieve.

The more you visualize your end goal the faster it is taken over by your subconscious mind (we’ll go over the subconscious mind many times throughout this book as it’s of great importance).

Once your subconscious picks up that mental picture, you’ll be attracted towards the right direction to reach your goals. This doesn’t mean that you’ll wake up rich or that you’ll reach your goals overnight.

But it means that (through a hidden nature law) you’ll be presented with opportunities to achieve your goal. 

Before going after your goal, you need to be able to explain it simply — in just a few words. By knowing what you want and having a clear image of your end goal, it’ll be much easier to create a burning desire.

This burning desire will drive you day and night. You see, kiddo, if you’re not passionate about what you do, it gets old. And then it becomes work. And then you are done.

⓷ Trust your passion

When your passion calls, you need to answer. Like a ringing phone has to be answered, right?

Then, you need to form, or join, a Master Mind group with like-minded people who share the same goal and have vision, courage, and initiative to create a sound plan to achieve your goal (we’ll go over the Master Mind principle later on).

When you have a clear goal — and a clear plan — it becomes easier to achieve any goal with as much effort as those who are failing (crazy, right?).

⓸ Keep a positive mental attitude

As mentioned earlier, the job you hold — and the amount of pay you receive — is directly related not only to the quality and quantity of your service. But also, to the mental attitude (mood) with which you provide your service.

Mental attitude powers your thoughts and plans. A positive mental attitude can help you (through a natural law) reach your goals.

But to do so, you need to keep your mind free from all negative thoughts. This will leave it open for the influx and guidance of Infinite Intelligence (more on this later). 

The size of your goal determines the time it takes to reach your goal. For example, you can make $10,000 much faster than $1,000,000. And similarly, you can lose 2 pounds (about 1kg) much faster than 20 pounds. And so forth. Pretty simple, right?

⓹ Be prepared to give your money away

The reason I suggest giving all your money away — when the time is right and where it will do more good than harm — is to take away the fear of losing it. Because if you’re prepared to give it all away then you’re no longer worried that it only belongs to you. Since it’s not yours to keep anyway. 

We are only here as travelers. We are not the only ones who came here. And we won’t be the last ones either. Our purpose in life is to pass down knowledge. Because without knowledge we are nothing. Without knowledge, we are just animals. 

⓺ Grow a pair

So, if everybody has the training, talent, and knowledge to succeed, why do so many people fail? Because most lack the fortitude to fail. And hence they don’t even try. 

Humans are more concerned with having than being. You can never reach your full potential if you are worried about what you have. You see, the things you own end up owning you. 

If you simply love money, you’ll most definitely fail. If you love the game, success is inevitable. Never forget this. 

The time necessary to reach our goal is directly related to the amount of time it takes to deliver a service (or the equivalent in value) that you intend to give in return for the object of your goal.

For example, if you wish to lose 10 pounds (about 5kg) then you need to lose 35,000 calories (3,500 per pound). You can choose to lose 350 calories per day for 100 days or 175 calories per day for 200 days. Of course, this is not linear, but you get the point.

On the other hand, if you wish to earn $10,000 then you need to deliver a predetermined service worth $10,000 or become useful enough to your employer (or to anyone else) to justify your $10,000 salary.

⓻ Ask for help when needed

If you wish to reach your goal faster, you can choose to take on added jobs. And if you don’t have the time to do it all by yourself then you seek out additional help. For example, a painter can choose to employ other painters to assist him in delivering the agreed service faster.

You see, kiddo, there is a clear connection between giving and getting. There’s no such thing as something for nothing. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Now, I’m not saying that you should gain your fortune at the expense of those who work for you. If you choose to employ other people, then you should pay and treat them fairly. And always offer them the option to assume greater responsibilities so that they can grow as much as they want to.

⓼ Seek and embrace change

Some people will never accept a role greater than the one they currently hold. Why? You may ask. That is simply because most choose comfort over growth. Because growth is change. And change is not easy. 

And this is why those who become indispensable to their employers (or to anyone else) by assuming responsibilities and making sure they deliver — on time — with a positive mental attitude quality and quantity, end up fixing their own incomes.  

You, too, can set your own income by the quality, quantity, and mental attitude in which you provide your service. This is the truth. And this is why you’ll know (once you understand this truth) that there is no injustice regarding the difference between the fortunes accumulated in the free world.

⓽ Get comfortable making mistakes 

Get out of your comfort zone. 

You’ll soon discover that most people just aim to hold the jobs they have. And that’s it. They have their jobs, and they receive their allocated pay simply because of the limitations they have set up in their own minds.

There’s nothing that you and I can do to change this. Only people themselves can change it. And that’s by believing in themselves first.

You see, you can’t really teach anyone anything. You can only help them find it within them. We live in a free world, where you are only limited by your own mental attitude and your own desires.

⓾ Use cause and effect

Nature and natural laws are based on cause and effect. Before you can set your own salary, you need to provide a useful service. If you remember, the time it takes to realize your goal is directly proportional to the time it takes to deliver some form of clear value to the world. And you won’t reach your goals until you do so.

All success begins by having a clear goal. But that’s not enough. You also need to establish a cause before the forces of natural law start bringing you closer to your goals. 

❖ How do you establish a cause?

Let’s say you wish to promote yourself to a higher-paying position with more responsibilities. You don’t just go asking for one because you decided you want one. Oh no. First, you need to deserve the role. 

And how do you deserve one, you ask? 

By willingly taking on more responsibilities on top of your existing role. Yes, even before you ask for the role. So, when the time comes to knock on your boss’s door, you can prove that you are capable of the role since you’ve already been doing most of it. 

You deserve more by becoming more. Increase your skills. Become better. Change your inside and the outside will change too. So, you attract by becoming. And not just by asking. 

⑪ Just do it

If you can get the job done without excuses, then you’ll be on the highway to self-advancement in no time. And never waste time by trying to find the perfect way of doing something (hint: there isn’t one). Just get going.

If you start the process today — and make yourself more valuable — you can start increasing your income. And much more.

If you do that, then problems start to disappear. Becoming more valuable to a company? More money? No problem. Better future? No problem. You just need to work on the right things.

You see, kiddo, nobody hands out a free meal. You need to prove to people that you are worthy of their time and money.

⑫ How can you get ahead in life?

There are only 3 ways to get ahead in life. Here they are:

1. By being lucky (good luck with that)
2. By being supersmart (only a handful of people truly are)
3. By being persistent 

Yes, you guessed it correctly. This book is focused only on No.3 (being persistent). Because it’s the only one we can control. And by being persistent you’ll get far ahead of those who rely on the other two.

❖ Create a clear plan

Because success is not achieved just by those who have a clear goal in mind. Oh no. Success only comes to those who say they want to become this (or that) and start working towards their goal. You need to have a clear plan to achieve your goal. 

Always remember cause and effect. You can’t have an effect without a cause. You need to establish a cause through a useful service carried out with a positive mental attitude. 

⑬ Success is a byproduct

Success is doing a predetermined job because that’s what you decided to do. Therefore, success isn’t the same for everyone. Not everybody wants to achieve the same goals. And that’s why you should never judge people by your own goals. 

Sometimes, it might not be enough to just hold your goal in your mind. You can write it down and read it aloud daily to help your subconscious pick it up.

However, if you have a disciplined mind, you won’t need to do that. Because a disciplined mind can hold and act upon any goal without any artificial help.

⑬ What’s a disciplined mind? 

A disciplined mind is the kind of mind that doesn’t act based on emotions. Put simply, a disciplined mind doesn’t get scared away by self-doubt. A disciplined mind is a great companion and a great servant. And this is why you need to train your mind.

❖ How do you train your mind?

By making choices. And sticking to them. Also, since there’s never an easy time to make a hard decision, you should train your mind by starting small. And work your way up. Baby steps is the answer.

Never believe that there is a lack of financial independence opportunities. Our only lack is a shortage of imagination, self-reliance, and initiative. Most people who complain are just unwilling to use their minds, assume responsibility, and be accountable so they can translate imagination into useful service.

⑭ Opportunities are everywhere

There are many opportunities for those willing to learn the rules of success, use them to play the game of money, and reach their goals. But you must be prepared to identify and take advantage of opportunities as they come along.

Here’s a thought that’s as old as the world itself. And will remain true for as long as civilization exists. If you focus on making yourself useful to others, you’ll (sooner or later) find yourself in the best possible position. Never forget this. 

The greatest asset you — and any young person — can possess is the desire for knowledge and the willingness to earn it. And I say earn because you need to give something back in return for the knowledge you desire.

As you know by now, all success begins with a clear goal. You — and every person seeking personal success in the free world — should understand and respect the rules of money.

⑮ Set your own price

Everyone has the right to individual liberty, freedom of thought, speech, and religion. But above all, you have the freedom of individual initiative to pursue your own profession and set your own price based on your knowledge, skills, and abilities.

However, the right to free speech doesn’t come with a license to talk badly or negatively about others. Stay away from negative people as they’ll always find a problem to every solution.

⑯ Grow your financial literacy

Take all the time in the world to grow up. But strive to grow your financial literacy as soon as possible. Focus on your mental attitude, and your imagination to mix experience and education to offer useful service to other people.

Never underestimate the power of thought. Everything starts with a simple thought. You see, our brain is a state-of-the-art computer. If you put good thoughts in, you’ll get a good output.

If you focus on negative thoughts, the more negative things you’ll attract. We always notice what we focus on. So be grateful and develop an attitude of gratitude. 

And remember, you need to believe you can achieve your goal before attempting to do so. And how do you increase your belief? Simple. By aiming for small, 1% achievements. If you can make $10 then, similarly, you can make $1,000. So, instead of focusing on the end goal, focus on the process.

Break down your goal into bite-size chunks so it’s easier to reach. Once you get some of those chunks down, the whole goal seems reasonable and achievable. 

Focus on your goals. Because without a goal (and a plan to achieve your goal) it’ll be like getting in a car without knowing where you are going. And remember: When you have high benchmarks and high expectations great things can happen. How high are yours? 

⑰ Embrace failure

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. Now let me say that again. Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. You shouldn’t be afraid of failure. You should embrace failure. Failures are the pillars of success. When you fail (yes, failure is inevitable), it’s better to fail as soon as possible. So, you’ll learn faster. Every failure brings you closer to your goals. 

Drifting is fatal to success too. Avoid drifting by adopting (and applying) the rules of success as a daily habit. Here’s a clear definition of success: Success is the power to get whatever you want out of life without violating the rights of others. 

No matter what people say, there is no element of luck about it. Yes, some fall into opportunities through plain luck — but they fall out as easily once the first challenge comes. 

You can fall into opportunities by pull (luck), but you can only stay by push (persistence). And this requires having a clear goal and a burning desire to achieve your goal.

⑱ Build your personal power

To succeed you need personal power. To build your personal power — without violating the rights of others — you need to develop the following 10 traits and habits (will go over them in detail later on):

1. Setting clear goals
2. Making decisions quickly
3. Being honest
4. Controlling your emotions
5. Being obsessed with helping others
6. Having expert knowledge in your chosen profession
7. Being tolerant and accepting on all subjects
8. Being loyal to your own family, friends, and Supreme Being
9. Having a never-ending thirst for knowledge
10. Being alert and conscious of your imagination

All clear so far? Good. 

Onwards. 

Further Reading

An Open Letter: Intro

An Open Letter: Step 2