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#39 (**permalink**) 23-12-2009, 04:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salary.sg

My Paper interviews the co-creator of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" self-help books.

Mark Victor Hansen made his first million at age 35. He's now an accomplished wealth guru coaching people and giving seminars around the world (obviously making more money).

Like other self-help gurus, Mark has advice for people who aspire to be wealthy. Let me gloss over the standard stuff and highlight what I think is important.

Standard stuff (mostly vague):

- Have a vision
- Be a team player, work with people
- Have a system of generating wealth quickly (but how?)
- Have "tools"
- Save 10% of what you earn, donate 10%, and invest 10%

Here's what I think is useful: find a mentor. Yes, get someone who's been there and done that to coach you. (But I don't think this is the same as attending get-rich seminars, so please save your money.)

If you're lucky to find such a mentor - maybe a close relative or a good friend - ask him these questions politely:

- How did you make your first million?
- How long did you take?
- If you were to do it again in today's context, how much time do you need? Would you do it differently and how?
- If I want to be rich, what's your advice for me?
- What is the most important lesson you picked up in the process of getting rich?
- What do you think is the most important habit that helped you?
- Any missed opportunities? Can I make use of these opportunities?

I want to add one more question: Do you think luck plays a part?

The reason for asking this question is that luck is a very much underrated "quality" for getting rich. Too many people are saying it's just hard work, having a "system", perseverance, networking, etc. But you actually need to be lucky to have a good brain, to meet the right people, to be at the right place, to invest at the right time, and so on.

So, it helps if your mentor can give you an understanding of how luck plays a part in getting rich.

Luck do play a part in getting rich, just like some believe that leader are born. The fact is there are more Leaders make than born and there are more people who get rich by having a "system" than Luck.

I know of many great leaders and bosses who make more mistakes than anyone else in the street but the different is how they overcome it and better themselves from the experience learn. They dare to fail and focus on end result instead of temporary setback. Many successful people have more story to tell on their mistake learn than the luck that they have.

Conclusion is that Leader can be make and also getting rich can be without luck. Why I say so is because Lincoln is one of the most unlucky person I know and became a great leader! With born leadership and good luck just accelerate your success but not necessary sustain your success. To sustain success is almost always a result of a good "system" or believe system.

To improve the believe system is about an open mind and dare to fail attitude which is also commonly know as AQ - Adversity Quotient. Be humble to ask and read a lot to learn from others will help to shorten the learning curve.

Another good example is that having good brain in terms of IQ will not help in success if the EQ and AQ is low. With high AQ, EQ and IQ will definitely ensure success, but all the Q can be develop just need time. Some are faster learner, some are slower or some are not willing to learn. Success can happen in young age, in middle age, and even old age like the KFC story, and the key reason of happening at different stage is when you start learning that success is not a matter of Luck or IQ.

So break away from the myth that Luck is important and always envy others but not doing anything to improve.