What most political pundits miss (or more likely choose to ignore) is that Donald Trump is not a cipher, he has documented his mindset and beliefs by authoring or co-authoring no less than 18 books!
To learn more about the man who may become the next president of the United States, I’ve read his Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life. It’s a gold mine of advice on developing a success mindset.
Wealth
“Wealth comes from big goals and sustained action toward those goals every day…To keep your goals alive you must take action every single day for at least two hours. No one should care about your money and success more than you do.”
Human beings are always looking to hack their way to an easier life. The reality though is that our greatest achievements will take hundreds or even thousands of hours to complete. That’s fine, but only if it’s work we’re passionate about.
It’s possible to make plenty of money doing work you’re indifferent towards, but if you just don’t care, what’s the point? If you have to work a job that you dislike at the beginning of your career, work on your own project/business on the side. In the “Personal Finances” segment of the Gorilla Mindest audio course (it’s free and awesome, check it out), Mike Cernovich talks about how he spent half an hour a day on his website while working full-time as a lawyer. Within about three years he was able to live completely off his website.
The more time you can dedicate every day, the faster you’ll reach your goals.
Momentum
“You can never rest, no matter how good things are going. Your current ‘good times’ are only a result of the hard work and dedication you have put forth. What you do today will produce results tomorrow. If you want to keep the good times rolling, you have to keep on planting those seeds every day! If you stop focusing even for one minute, you will start slipping backwards.”
Whenever I finish a big project I tend to go from a brief feeling of euphoria to malaise, ‘what’s next?’ I ask. Resting on your achievements quickly leads to stagnation. It’s fine to coast in between periods of intense creativity, but if we stop, we’re sabotaging ourselves.
If we’re stuck and don’t know what to do next, we must simply take action until we figure things out. If it’s something business-related it can be a matter of searching for information online, asking someone for help or experimenting to see what results we get and then adjust accordingly. As success begets success it’ll be lest likely that you won’t know what to do next, but that you’ll have too many possibilities to choose from. Just choose something and do it.
Instincts
“Go with your gut. Take chances. If you think you have the ingredients that you need, take chances, because your biggest successes will happen when you go against the tide; when you take a risk and it works.”
“We all have instincts. The important thing is to know how to use them. You may have superb academic credentials, but if you don’t use your instincts, you might have a hard time getting to and staying at the top. Too many people have stoppe trusting their instincts. They cut off a natural sense that we are all born with.”
Intelligent people have the bad habit of over-analyzing things rather than taking action. It’s the reason that so many academics are frustrated that they aren’t appreciated. Modern society has led to the elevation of knowledge and the devaluation of instincts, yet “going with your gut” can bring the greatest results. Mistakes are inevitable, but taking reasonable risks will lead you to success faster than cautious deliberation ever will.
Instincts are also useful when it comes to relationships, whether it’s romance, friendships or business. People can look good on paper, but using your intuition, guided by experience, can help you determine their true character.
As important as positive action is, sometimes you’ll have to take negative action to avoid a bad deal or person. Some people agonize for weeks, months, or longer, about things like their career, a large purchase or a relationship, when their instincts would likely lead to a better and quicker choice than accumulating any ammount of additional information.
Luck
“You can help create your own luck, you can make things happen through hard work and intelligence.”
“Luck does not come around often. So when it does, be sure to take full advantage of it, even if it means working very hard. When luck is on your side it is not the time to be modest or timid. It is the time to go for the biggest success you can possibly achieve. That is the true meaning of thinking big.”
Trump likes to quote legendary golfer, Gary Player, who said “the harder I work, the luckier I get.” I can’t remember a time that pure luck or coincidence led to something great for me. The situations that I’d consider lucky were a result of working hard, meeting hundreds of people, accepting most social invitations and taking advantage of opportunities.
Someone who thinks in terms of good luck and bad luck is essentially adopting the mindset of a loser. The things that happen in their life are like the weather, out of our control. Its much better to think of what I’d call “lucks”, billions of opportunities coursing throughout the world whose path need to step into and seize.
Mindset
“Worry, fear, and indecision destroy focus. To take charge of your life you must conquer fear. My advice is simply to zap every negative thought as soon as it shows its ugly face. Stop indecisive internal dialogue before it starts. That is your biggest enemy. You can have enemies at your door, deal with financial crises, fight legal battles, and face the biggest difficulties in life, and none of these things will have any effect on you if you control your mental dialogue.”
“The worst hell you will ever face is the hell you create with your own mind…”
If you think you’ll fail at something, you probably will. Simply thinking you’ll succeed doesn’t guarantee success, but it’s a habit that will help you overcome the inevitable failures that line the road to winning. Jay Cutler was the runner up to Ronnie Coleman for four straight years in the Mr. Olympia contest. He could have been “realistic” and conceded that he’ll probably never beat Ronnie, but his persistence paid off and he won four titles of his own.
Trumps also advises to refocus your anger and channel that energy into useful action. A practical way to do this is through a combination of posture and focus. Another attribute of a loser mindset is holding in anger and letting it rule your life. It’s crazy and sad, but some people live with resentment for their entire life. Don’t be one of them.
Attraction
“People take their cues from you as to how they should think about you. Your attitude about yourself is visible to everyone. Develop an attitude that you’re worth a lot, and others will value you. Walk briskly and purposefully, eyes looking straight ahead, like someone who he or she is going. Define yourself in a big way. We all have self-definitions; give yourself a big definition.”
“The Women I have dated over the years could have any man they want; they are the top models and most beautiful women in the world. I have been able to date (screw) them all because I have something that many men do not have. I don’t know what it is but women have always liked it. So guys, be cocky, confident, smart, and humorous and you will be able to get all the women you want.”
Being attractive to women is arguably the strongest force in a man’s life, it’s how our species has survived. Even though we’re no longer hunter-gatherers, and some men (Trump as a prime example) have accumulated tremendous wealth, money is a poor substitute for confidence. Being purposeful and deliberate will earn you the respect.
Donald Trump embodies confidence and determination. In less than nine months we could be watching the inauguration of President Trump. As someone who has achieved so damn much, it’s worth taking his advice seriously.
