THE 21 SUCCESS SECRETS OF $ELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE$ BOOKS BY BRIAN TRACY Advanced Selling Strategies Effective Leadership The Gift of Self-Confidence The Great Big Book of Wisdom Little Silver Book of Prosperity Mastering Your Time Maximum Achievement The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success The Peak Performance Woman Personal Achievement Success Is a Journey Successful Selling A Treasury of Personal Achievement Universal Laws of Success COAUTHORED BY BRIAN TRACY Speaking Secrets of the Masters Insights into Excellence THE 21 SUCCESS SECRETS OF $ELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE$ HOW TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE FASTER AND EASIER THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE BRIAN TRACY The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires Copyright © 2001 by Brian Tracy All rights reserved. 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Contents Preface vii Introduction: The Law of Cause and Effect 1 Success Secrets 1 Dream Big Dreams 5 2 Develop a Clear Sense of Direction 9 3 See Yourself as Self-Employed 13 4 Do What You Love to Do 16 5 Commit to Excellence 19 6 Work Longer and Harder 22 7 Dedicate Yourself to Lifelong Learning 25 8 Pay Yourself First 29 9 Learn Every Detail of Your Business 33 10 Dedicate Yourself to Serving Others 36 11 Be Absolutely Honest with Yourself and Others 39 12 Determine Your Highest Priorities and Concentrate on Them Single-Mindedly 42 v vi The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires 13 Develop a Reputation for Speed and Dependability 45 14 Be Prepared to Climb from Peak to Peak 48 15 Practice Self-Discipline in All Things 50 16 Unlock Your Inborn Creativity 54 17 Get around the Right People 57 18 Take Excellent Care of Your Physical Health 61 19 Be Decisive and Action Oriented 64 20 Never Allow Failure to Be an Option 66 21 Pass the “Persistence Test” 69 Conclusion: Success Is Predictable 73 About the Author 75 Index 79 The Millionaire-Maker Seminar 81 Brian Tracy,Speaker,Trainer,SeminarLeader 82 Brian TracyAudio Learning Programs 83 Preface T his book is the culmination of 15 years of re- search, teaching, and personal experience on the subject of self-made millionaires. These pages contain the key ideas and strategies I have discovered in read- ing hundreds of books and thousands of articles on the subject of wealth accumulation. The ideas and strate- gies are presented in a simple, tested, proven, easy-to- use format so that you can learn and apply them immediately. When I was a teenager growing up in Pomona, California, in a home where we never had very much money, my dream, my fantasy, was to be a millionaire by the time I was 30. Lots of people have the same dream, I’m sure. However, when I reached the age of 30, I was still just as broke as when I was 20. Then I did something that changed my life. I began asking, Why are some people more successful than others? I especially wanted to know, How is it that some people start off with nothing and eventually become millionaires? vii viii The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires This question set me off on a search for the answers, which has led to this book. I chose self-made millionaires as my focal point be- cause these people had demonstrated special qualities and behaviors that were both observable and measura- ble. They had started with nothing and passed the magic million-dollar mark as the result of doing certain things in a certain way, over and over. What I learned was that in order to achieve great success in life, you must become a special kind of per- son. To rise above the majority, you must develop qualities and disciplines that the average person lacks. The most important factor in achieving great fi- nancial success is not the money. It is the kind of per- son you have to become to earn that money and then hold on to it. These 21 “success secrets” are the keys to great success in every area of life, whether or not you make a lot of money. The good news is that these principles are so powerful that you can apply them to accom- plish almost anything you really want. Many of these methods and techniques will seem familiar to you. This is because they have been discovered and redis- covered for hundreds of years. I see myself more as a student of success—a reader, a researcher, a synthe- sizer, and a teacher of great ideas—than as an origina- tor or creator of brand new concepts. I believe, as it says in Ecclesiastes, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Preface ix Since you are reading this book, I know that one of your great goals in life is to become an extraordinary person, to realize more and more of your true poten- tial. Each of these success secrets will help you to move ahead more rapidly toward the wonderful life that is possible for you. Enjoy the journey! BRIAN TRACY August 2000