A great book to read if you are struggling to reach your goals, and you want to learn what the most successful people do.
These are my notes and highlights from the book 6 Months to 6 Figures by Peter Voogd.
This book is about setting yourself up to achieve your goals and make massive progress in the next 6 months.
Many of us have goals that we want to achieve but sometimes lack the motivation or the energy to actually achieve them. This book looks at what separates those that manage to reach their goals and those that donât.
If you arenât making progress towards your big goals in life whether that be to start a business, become financially independent, or get a six-pack, there are definitely some tips in this book that will help you.
Youâre either building your dreams, or helping someone else build theirs.
I once heard the acronym JOB stands for Just Over Broke, and realized most people I was around who had typical jobsâ always complained about their boss, money, time off, being tired, or not wanting to work, and I was convinced I didnât want to live like that. I wanted a lifestyle I was proud to live. I didnât want my potential in somebody elseâs hands, and I definitely didnât want somebody else to tell me what I was worth.
âInstead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you donât need to escape from.â - Seth Godin
âWhen we are no longer able to change the situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. - Victor Frankl
âYou get paid for bringing value to the marketplace, and if youâre not very valuable you donât make much money.â - Jim Rohn
You should only try and be better than who you were the day before.
You often hear people say âI have 20 years of experience, I should get paid more,â but in actuality, that person has 1 year of experience repeated 20 times.
Your job doesnât get more valuable the longer you do it.
You need to work on yourself, you are the only constant.
âLearn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. If you work hard on your job you can make a living, but if you work hard on yourself youâll make a fortune.â - Jim Rohn
âTime is more valuable than money. You can always get more money, but you can never get more time.â
People around you will only notice 10% of every 100% change you make.
Be more intentional with what you read and make sure it is in line with your weekly, monthly, and yearly goals.
âMoney isnât everything, but itâs right up there with oxygen.â - Zig Ziglar
Michael Materson - 4 Wâs to lifestyle satisfaction
Use the Pareto Principle (the 80/20 rule) to work on income-producing activities.
You must first realize itâs not the money that will solve your problems. If people think money solves problems, I am afraid those people will have a rough ride. Intelligence solves problems and produces money. Personal growth solves problems. Money without financial intelligence is money soon gone.
Start placing a higher value on your time: Time is more valuable than money. You can always get more money, but you can never get more time.
âThe moment you take responsibility for everything in your life, is the moment you can change anything in your life.â - Hal Elrod
I realized a smart person learns from their mistakes, as all successful people do, but those who operate at a world-class level learn from other peopleâs mistakes so they can shorten their learning curve by learning from them and not wasting as much time making the same ones.
6 must to your first 6 figures
Get crystal clear on what you want. Adapt minimalism - get rid of the noise.
I saw other entrepreneurs get pumped about new goals and achievements, and they would charge out of the gate with excitement, but they they never stayed consistent. I made a commitment to consistency and that gave me a competitive edge.
Lack of consistency is the subtle, but great stealer of dreams and desires. You must consistently improve your mindset, emotional intelligence, perspective, philosophy on how success is achieved, and how you view yourself. Not just when you feel like it, but consistently. This will bring the most powerful force in business, momentum, to your side. Once I saw progress and felt my mind growing, I started feeling more Consistent Energy and Motivation. There is nothing that brings you energy and confidence like progressing towards your goals.
They are the words, âI already know that,â or, âYeah, Iâve heard that.â Those words have killed so many business goals, dreams, and income opportunities.
The questions you need to ask are:
- Am I doing that? Have I mastered it?
- Does my waistline prove I have mastered that?
- Does my wallet prove that I have mastered that?
- Does business success currently prove Iâve mastered it?
- Do my relationships prove I have mastered that?
- Does my daily attitude and perspective prove I have mastered all of these principles?
âThere is NOBODY like you, and once you realize that your entire future changes.â
âIf you really want success, and you donât have any mentors or guidance, you can get a head start by looking at what everybody else is doing and do the opposite.â
One way to be outstanding and become more valuable is to do what others are unwilling to do.
Iâd rather go broke building my dreams than just get by living somebody elseâs.
Here is an insert from the bestselling book, The Millionaire Fast Lane, by MJ Demarco, that explains normal perfectly:
âNormal is waking at 6 a.m., fighting traffic, and working eight hours. Normal is to slave at a job Monday through Friday, save 10%, and repeat for 50 years. Normal is to buy everything on credit. Normal is to believe the illusion that the stock market will make you rich. Normal is to believe that a faster car and a bigger house will make you happy. Youâre conditioned to accept normal based on societyâs already corrupted definition of wealth, and because of it, normal itself is corrupted. Normal is modern-day slavery. Donât be normal.â
Most people donât know where theyâre going, and if you ask them what they want, they are vague and not clear enough. With fuzzy vision comes fuzzy motivation. Have you ever wondered why youâre not always motivated or consistent? Part of the reason is you arenât clear on why youâre doing what youâre doing. If you donât know where you are going, then I can guarantee youâll end up somewhere other than where you want to be.
This reminds me of the book Start With Why.
Only 5% of society have their goals written on paper, and that 5% make more than the other 95% combined.
Your most important account is not your bank account but your confidence account. You need to have confidence in what you are doing to succeed and the best way to gain that is by doing it.
So where does confidence=come from? It comes from self-esteem and self-esteem comes from doing the things you know you should do when you know you should do them whether you feel like it or not.
âUntil you value yourself, you wonât value your time. Until you value your time, you wonât do anything with it.â - Scott Peck
The 5% make decisions first, regardless of how they feel:
Most people follow their feelings and desires. I donât feel like working out, I want to eat ice cream and binge-watch Netflix. The top 5% make the decision to do something in advance and stick to it.
Hereâs the catch: They continue displaying that confidence even when nothing is going their way.
âIf you donât have confidence you will always find a way to lose.â
Having unshakable confidence will keep you level-headed when nothing is going your way. There is nothing more powerful than self-confidence in multiplying your income by two, by three, by five, and then by ten.
What choices can you start making today to increase your confidence account?
Once you gain clarity on your goals, who you are, and why youâre doing what youâre doing, your confidence instantly increases.
You must focus on the rewards on the other side of the tough decisions. Visualize how good itâs going to feel when you complete that activity you didnât feel like doing
In this society, consistency will give you a competitive edge and will keep momentum on your side. More importantly, consistency will continually increase your confidence.
âIf you have big goals and dreams donât expect others to follow you, because youâll represent the strength, courage and vision they donât yet have.â
âTrying to get everybody to like you is the most common chosen road to mediocrity.â - Will Smith
âYour only real competition will always be the person in the mirror.â
âThere comes a point in your life when you realize who really matters, who never did, and who always will.â - Unknown
Who are the top 3 people who are doing what you want to do?
Network with people who are doing what you want to do. They can not only help you get where you want faster but they can introduce you to their network too.
Biggest secret for improving results
âAlways give more than you think is reasonable. Most people hold back 5-10% because theyâre afraid they might be taken advantage of.
Theyâre afraid to go over the top, or set themselves apart with the fear of possibly looking foolish. Whether itâs giving gifts, taking somebody out to dinner, or something as simple as opening the door, go above and beyond what others expect. This philosophy holds true to every area of your life.â
If you arenât uncomfortable on a daily basis, you arenât making much progress. This is an important attribute as a business owner because your business growth is dependent on talking to people and making connections. If you arenât in business yet, building relationships before you start is just as important!
âHow do I motivate others? How do I motivate my mom, sister, brother, friends, or girlfriend to dream again?â The easiest answer is to live your best life and become the best version of yourself. You canât change people, but you can point them in the right direction and lead through your lifestyle, results, and action.
âIf youâre the smartest person in the room, youâre in the wrong room.â - Richard Tirendi
âThose who donât make time for exercise will eventually have to make time for illness.â - Edward Stanley
Create consistent energy and avoid negativity.
âItâs not about time management. Itâs about energy management. That is everything.â - Dr Oz
What you eat and when you eat greatly affect your energy levels.
Energy-boosting foods:
Cucumbers, mixed greens salad, walnuts, almonds, trail mix, parsley, raw spinach, broccoli, celery, garlic, green beans, lima beans, carrots, beets, and zucchini.
Exercise 6 times a week. Doesnât need to be 45 mins each day, even an intense 20mins can do the trick.
Fear is physical and it will lessen the more you strengthen your body. Exercise isnât just good for your outer appearance; it also affects your inner ambition.
Donât neglect working out and donât neglect your body because when you feel stronger physically, you feel stronger mentally.
Work on your emotional intelligence:
If you have high emotional intelligence, you are able to recognize your own emotional state and the emotional states of others.
Unfortunately, part of the reason people donât pursue their dreams, or go after opportunities with confidence is because they are tired. Are you starting to see how important energy is?
Be careful what you let enter your mind daily because what you think about starts everything.
You will always act based on what thoughts come first. Our mind is always being fed. Itâs important to stand guard to the door of your mind and be very selective with what information you collect.
Note: Another reason not to read the news.
Mental Energy:
Give yourself a morning routine
Never start a day without writing down your priorities. Ruthlessly hold yourself accountable.
Hal Elrodâs book, The Miracle Morning:
âYou close your eyes, or you look at your vision board, and you visualize.
Your visualization could include your goals and what it will look and feel like when you reach them. You could visualize the day going perfectly, see yourself enjoying your work, smiling and laughing with your family, or your significant other, and easily accomplishing all that you intend to accomplish for that day. You see what it will look like, you feel what it will feel like, and you experience the joy of what you will createâ
âIf you have more than 3 priorities, you donât have any.â
- Jim Collins
A task will become bigger in importance and complexity in relation to the time you have to do it.
Give yourself a deadline.
âObsessive consistency sends a signal to my mind to focus and deliver serious results.â
Stephen King
The most productive people (Stephen King, Oprah etc) follow strict routines and schedules.
Habits will always trump inspiration. Inspiration is needed to create consistent action, but your habits are ultimately going to define your success or failure.
Each Month:
What are your non-negotiables?
âStay humble, but never lose your hunger.â
What the successful do:
âSuccess is something you attract by the person you become.â - Jim Rohn
What could you do for the rest of your life that would keep you fascinated and engaged?
Most people spend the first half of their life saying theyâre too young and the second half saying theyâre too old.
Do you want to be living an exceptional life on your terms with flexibility and freedom, or do you want to build somebody elseâs dream instead?
Become the best version of yourself
Make a concrete decision that youâre going to be the best person you possibly can be for those around you, and for yourself.
There are two types of people in this world. Those who will do whatever it takes to create the life of their dreams ⌠and everybody else. Choose who you want to become wisely.
âSometimes not getting what you want is the best thing that could ever happen to you. - Peter Voogd
âInstead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a lifestyle you donât need to escape from.â - Seth Godin
âYour time is limited, so donât waste it living someone elseâs life.â - Steve Jobs