The Million Dollar Mindset: How To Attract The Life You Deserve

I LOVE This Economy!

2008-11-14T20:18:00.001-08:00

What's REALLY going on with the economy? Watch this video to find out!

Tony Rush
334-655-8194
http://www.tonyrush.com

A message from the Bahamas

2008-10-25T07:36:00.001-07:00

It's 9:30am on a Tuesday. Look around you.

Now, watch this video.

Tony Rush
http://www.tonyrush.com

Be A Contrarian

2008-08-27T12:48:00.001-07:00

I hate to be the one to break this to you.

Actually I don't. I LOVE being the one to break this to you:

If you want to be successful, wealthy, prosperous and abundant, you're going to have to become different from most of the people you know, see and meet.

Think about it: does it look to you like "most" people are doing well?

No? Then, doesn't it stand to reason that -- if you don't want to have their kind of life -- you'd better have different thoughts and decisions?

While this might sound a bit cynical, the truth is that most people are NOT doing well.
They're sick.
They're broke.
They're struggling.
They're frustrated.

And the reason they're sick, broke, struggling and frustrated is because they have not yet figured out that their thoughts and mindset are creating their circumstances.

But you have. So, prepare to become a contrarian. When you encounter ideas and concepts that you don't agree with, ask yourself, "If this person is happy and successful, maybe I should consider that there's something for me to learn here."

You may wind up adopting the powerful ideas of a relatively small group of people who are healthy, happy, prosperous, abundant and wealthy!

Cool, huh?

Tony Rush

Success Lessons From A Vampire??

2008-08-20T17:34:00.001-07:00

Wow...talk about an unlikely place to find a powerful concept.

The other morning, Easton (my two-year-old) and I were the only ones awake and -- while he was pondering the joys of Thomas the Tank Engine -- I decided to flip through the channels to see if anything interesting was on.

And I happened upon a show called "Angel". If you've never heard of this show or what it is, I hesitate to even tell you because of how crazy it sounds.

But it's basically a show about a vampire who's given a soul to feel remorse for what he's done...and he spends his time in L.A. as a detective "helping the helpless".

Yeah, I know. And it went for 6 seasons.

As it turns out, this particular episode had some interesting characters and some good writing. And as I was watching, I heard something that made me bolt upright, look at the screen and say, "Yeah! That's RIGHT!"

The gist was that the main character (the vampire Angel) is telling another character about his perspective on the world. And he said

Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. - It's harsh, and cruel. - But that's why there's us. Champions.

It doesn't matter where we come from, what we've done or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world was what it should be, to show it what it can be.

Wow. I love that language.

"Living as though the world is what is SHOULD be....to show it what it CAN be."

Mahatma Gandhi said it a little differently: "Be the change you want to see in the world."

There's a powerful success lesson in these words and it's simply this: change starts with understanding that you are a cause, not an effect.

A lot of people get bogged down when they look a their bank account. But that's not who you ARE....that's the result of who you were being over the last few weeks or months. The same is true of your relationships. And your physical health. And your spirituality.

YOU are the cause of your life...

And if you want to start living successfully, take the advice of a vampire: "Live as though the world was what it SHOULD be...."

Be the leader. Followers are a dime a dozen.

Tony Rush

There Are Four Ways To Make Money

2008-08-14T18:29:00.001-07:00

There are only four ways to make money. Understanding each of them will give you an idea of what you should do to start creating profits for your life (instead of just working for wages). Here they are:

A. Investing. No question about it. Real estate, gold, stocks, etc. are proven ways to make money. The obvious challenge is that you have to already have acquired some money and it's a highly intensive route. The investment-graveyard is full of people who operated on too little information. Most people add this as a 2nd or 3rd income stream which is highly recommended.

B. Sell A Skill. To me, this seems the least attractive although quite a lot of people do it. The biggest issue is that you usually have to be the one to roll up and do the job yourself. And when you're selling your time....well, there's always a limit to how much money you can earn because you've only got 24 hours in a day.

The upside is that most people do such shoddy work that -- if you're good at what you do and you come from a place of "excellence" -- then you can charge a heck of a lot of money to do something someone else doesn't want to do. This is why I've given my lawn man three raises in the last year and he deserves every penny of it.

But, in the end, the 24-hour day is the Great Equalizer. So if you're going to sell your time, charge a lot for it. You can't get it back.

C. Sell information. Ah, this is my favorite. We live in an information age. Pick any topic under the sun and there's no shortage of people who want to know how to do it. So, if you know how to do something, then you can share that information with others.

The great part about selling information is that it can be imparted in so many ways. You can offer CDs, DVDs, MP3s, study guides, workbooks, ebooks, hardback books, paperback books, personal coaching, tutoring, video clips, seminars, workshops, consulting....you name it.

And the REAL beauty here is that you don't get paid for how hard you work; you're getting paid for how much profit margin you build into your pricing. And since your pricing is always based on "value", there's no limit to how much you can earn.

And knowledge is incredibly valuable.

If I know how to show someone how to earn $250,000 in the next 12 months even if they have no experience in business.....well, that's something valuable to know.

And when I offer to teach that for a tiny fraction of what they can earn, there's no shortage of people who are lined up to work with me.

Why? Because I'm the guy who "knows how".

So, selling information is powerful. And it's my favorite way to earn money. All it takes is the confidence in yourself to realize that you know SOMETHING that someone else wants to know. I know one lady who has made a fortune as a knitter! You read that right: knitting! She's a world-class knitter and she's produced tons of books and resources to show other people how to knit beautiful designs. She turned a hobby into an enterprise. Cha-ching!

D. Sell A Product. This is the old standby. The cool thing about selling a product is that there's no limit to how many you can sell. Once you've got a successful product in the marketplace, you can just keep selling it over and over to whoever shows up. And, just like with information, your earnings are based on profit margin...not on how "hard" you work.

The trick to becoming wealthy with a product is that it depends on being UNIQUE. If you're selling the same doo-dad that everyone else is selling, then it's going to boil down to who's closest to the customer and who's got a unique selling proposition. If you're like everyone else, it'll be tricky.

But, it's not that hard to market something unique. One of the most common ways is to get involved in a business where someone else takes care of product development and let them pay you for finding customers. I got involved in a drop-ship business 3 1/2 years ago where I could sell high-profit-margin products to people who wanted them....and I didn't have to stock the products or warehouse them.

Best of all the customers pay me directly and I just place a wholesale order with the fulfillment house. Think about that! I don't even place the order with the fulfillment house until I've already received the customer's money. They send me X amount of dollars....I keep 67% of the money and place an order with the company and they take care of the rest.

Heck, they even do the customer service. I'm just the guy who makes the product available to the public.

Conclusion: Making money is a piece of cake. It's a game. And you can get in the game at any time. There's plenty of room for new players.

Wanna play?

Contact me if you'd like to see how I've combined selling "information" and "drop-shipped products" in a way that allows me to pocket a few hundred-thousand dollars extra each year without having to touch anything.

Well....other than the deposit slips. :)

Tony Rush

So, why aren't you already rich?

2008-04-30T08:25:00.001-07:00

Chances are good that you probably aren't rich yet. Do you want to know why? There is an answer. And I'll share it with you. But, first, let me offer you some related questions:

1. Why do people NOT drink 8 glasses of water a day when they know it's good for them?
2. Why do people eat at McDonald's when they know it's bad food?
3. Why do people smoke cigarettes even though they know it causes disease and death?
4. Why do people NOT set aside some of their money for investing even though they know all wealthy people do?

The answer: small errors in judgment compounded over time. Or, to put it another way, they know that the short-term payoff is going to be small so they're not motivated to do it.

But, try this on:

What if you knew the next cigarette you smoked would kill you instantly?
Answer: the tobacco industry would bankrupt overnight - snap - just like that.

See, no one plans on getting cancer and dying. They just figure that quitting smoking tomorrow will be just as good as doing it today. After all, what difference does a day make? Or another Big Mac? Or another day of not investing money?

You're smart. You see the point.

And it's the same way with choosing to be wealthy. One of the differences between wealthy people and broke people is that wealthy people choose to be wealthy today. We make decisions today based on the results we want to have.

It's an easy thing to do. But, as with most things, if it's easy to do....it's easier not to do.

Coaching question: What decisions and actions can you make today that would reflect those of a wealthy person?

Tony Rush

Your Ability To "Know"

2008-04-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

If someone walked up to you and said, "Hey, did you know the sky was purple with pink polka dots?"......would you really need to go outside to check?

Probably not.

Why? Because you have the ability to know something. In fact, you have the ability to "know" something so strongly that what you will "know" will stand in the face of some kind of counter-information. You don't even waver on it.

So, what does this have to do with cultivating a Million Dollar Mindset? Simply this: most people constantly struggle between their ANALYTICAL mind and their REACTIVE mind.

The analytical mind is the part of your mind that is very good at sifting through information and coming to a conclusion. But the reactive part of the mind is where you entertain all the "self-talk" that often stems from the programming you've received from outside yourself.

Example: A guy wants to start a business. He looks at a business and can clearly see what is involved. He likes the concept. The products are something he's interested in. The compensation plan makes sense to him. He says, "This is in line with what I'm looking for. I'm going to do it."

That's when his reactive mind usually says, "Are you nuts? Don't you know how many people fail in business? Do you want to wind up a statistic?? Don't you remember when your brother-in-law started in a business like this and he quit after two weeks?"

A lot of people observe that inner self-talk and say "that person is analytical. He needs a lot of time to sort things out before making a decision."

Truthfully, the analytical mind is AMAZINGLY fast at knowing what it knows. All the delay comes from the above dialogue which is NOT the analytical mind; it's the analytical mind at war with the reactive mind.

Part of the solution is to simply realize and understand that you DO have the ability to know something on your own. And whenever you form your own conclusion and then go "outside" to learn more, you will usually only see the data that matches what you've already decided.

Example: three of your close friends tell you that the new restaurant that just opened has lousy service. If you bother to eat there at all, you will be "primed" to notice all the times that your glass was empty for too long, or that you had to ask for chopsticks twice before you got them.

Conversely, if three of your close friends tell you that the new restaurant is incredible and you should definitely try it, you might have the same experience but will be far less likely to notice the service problems.

So, how can you use this knowledge to move forward in life?

Have confidence that you really DO have the ability to know if something makes sense to you or not. Be open for outside information, but think for yourself.
If you have a lot of "mind noise" that is swirling around and keeping you from making a decision on information that you know is valid....that's your reactive mind. It's where all the hesitation and fear comes from. See it for what it is. Trust your instincts.
Practice holding an opinion that is counter to the masses. (If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you already know that the masses are frequently wrong about a lot of things.) Consider a social experiment where you can have a conversation with someone and express a differing opinion and then notice what goes on internally. Do you find yourself wanting to change your opinion because it's uncomfortable to be in the minority? Do you find that your ability to "know" is unchanged? Derive your own conclusions.

But most of all, understand that the only time you have fear, hesitation and uncertainty is when your analytical mind is at war with your reactive mind. By choosing to exercise the one instead of the other, you really CAN achieve a state where decision-making is easy and your path is clear.

How can you apply this to your business and your life today?

A Recipe For Failure

2007-12-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

If you actually were to assign some "language" to the way most people think, here's what it would look like. And it's a recipe for failure:

I am fed up with this situation I'm in. I'm serious about making a ton of money. I want to start living the life I deserve. I want to get into my dream home. I want to get out of this job and get home with my family. My kids deserve for me to be there. And I want to finally start earning the kind of money I see other people earning. So, I found this great business where people are really earning multiple six-figure incomes and they really look like they're having fun....

...so I think I'll go talk to all my broke friends about it and ask what they think. Then I think I'll get on the Internet and find a discussion forum and ask those people what they think about it even though I don't know them and I have no idea if they've ever been successful in a home business.

Wow. They were really close there for a moment, weren't they? They had the resolve and they had the decision. And then they made the mistake of listening to people who weren't qualified to advise them.

As crazy as that sounds, that is EXACTLY the kind of process that keeps most people stuck in their lives and frustrated with their situations. They cultivate the belief that making money is "hard" simply because they spend their time polling people who aren't any more successful than they are.

The key to success is simple: make decisions and take actions every day that take you closer to your goals, not further away. And the example above is a guaranteed way to stay stuck and frustrated.

Tony Rush

Making A Run For It

2007-11-16T07:48:00.000-08:00

I was reading a blog this morning and ran across an interesting sentence:

If you live in a world where most people are deaf, and you gradually begin to hear sounds, how will you explain your new perceptions to others? Good luck!

It seems to me that the main ingredient in "breaking away from the herd" (whichever herd that might be; there's more than one.) is that -- sooner or later -- you have to ditch the need for the approval of others.

Because, the truth is that you are creating your own life.....and sometimes that means being unreasonable, radical, illogical and doing things that make complete sense to you and none to the herd.

And the herd doesn't like that.

Cows like all other cows to stay in the pasture and act like cows. And they worry about the ones out on the fringe. You never know when one of them might make a run for it. That's not good for the herd for several reasons. The main one is that it forces them to confront their own mediocrity.

And here's the funny part. If someone makes a run for it, it's almost impossible for them to make sense to those who are determined to stay in the herd.

It's like trying to explain music to a person who's hearing-impaired.

Tony Rush

What's

2007-10-09T05:15:00.000-07:00

What's better than flying first class? Watch the video here to find out more about the lifestyle YOU deserve.

Tony Rush
http://www.tonyrush.com

What's Your "Game"?

2007-09-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Making money is a GAME. It's a fun game that benefits everyone involved. But it IS still a game.

And here's the thing: human being are natural problem-solvers. And if you don't create your games deliberately and consciously....then Life will usually create one for you. And it might not be a game you want to play.

For example, when I understood that I could create a game of "How can I earn $50,000 in personal net profit in ONE month"......well, that's a much more fun game to play than the one I used to play about "how am I going to be able to pay my light bill AND my telephone bill without getting either one disconnected?"

So, it really becomes a matter of choice. What games do you want to play? And how soon are you willing to start?

Tony Rush

An Accidental Life

2007-09-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

Was in a chat room today and someone was asking about insurance. They said, "What is 'accidental life'."

It occurs to me that's a term that doesn't just apply to some types of insurance...it's a description of how most people spend their time here on the planet Earth.

If you want to be wealthy, you'll have to live your life on purpose. Being the cause for things in your life....not just being someone who deals with the effects.

There's no joy, pleasure or abundance in going through life just careening from wall to wall like a car out of control. In fact, it sucks. And that's where most people are.

--TR

Have You Been To Hogwarts?

2007-07-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

The new "Harry Potter" movie "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" was released this week. Jessica and I both enjoy the books and the movies. We're going to Atlanta this weekend and will probably catch it there.

As I was thinking about the story, I realized that most of us are a little like Harry Potter.

In the first book/movie "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", we find out that Harry has spent most of his early years in trouble for the strange things happening in his life. He doesn't know that he's got magical abilities....and so he often gets punished for things that happen....and he doesn't know he's the one causing them.

At one point he gets upset by his cousin at the zoo and -- without realizing he does it -- the glass in front of a snake exhibit disappears and his cousin falls in with the snake. He gets punished by being sent to his room with no meals.

So, Harry's problem is that his magic works to cause all kinds of trouble but -- because he doesn't know he's a wizard -- he sees himself as an innocent victim of those happenings.

And guess what....that's how it works in real life, too.

Most people go through their entire lives without understanding that THEY are creating all their struggles....all their adversity...all their financial difficulties....all their relationship issues.

They may blame their boss.
Their parents.
Their negative relatives.
The economy.
The Democrats.
The Republicans.
Their boss.
Their company.
Or any one of dozens of other factors.

But the truth is that you are where you are because this is the situation you've CHOSEN for yourself.

Now, when I was dead broke and struggling to make ends meet.....would I have agreed that I was "choosing" to live that way? Of course not! But, I was. Because while it's true that I didn't consciously choose to struggle....it is 100% true that I was making choices every day that led me to a life where struggle was inevitable.

And choosing to succeed is the same way. When you choose to develop a Million Dollar mindset by taking responsibility for your own quality of life....you can begin making daily decisions and actions that will lead you to a life where wealth, abundance and wads of money are a natural way of life.

It's all about choice.

So, which "Harry Potter" are you being? Are you the confused one who doesn't understand why things keep happening? Or are you the one who understands that he's in control of his own power and has the ability to make things happen deliberately?

Life is a choice -- choose well!

Tony Rush

Wisdom from Alice In Wonderland

2007-06-09T17:02:00.000-07:00

A great passage from Lewis Carroll's "Alice In Wonderland:

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
''That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where," said Alice.
Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.

Clever but true. The modern day "Alice" is often someone who wants to start their own business but has no idea what their goal is.

Shopping for a business -- especially a home business -- without knowing your goal is that it's a bit like choosing a vehicle before knowing where you want to go.

You run the risk of choosing Hawaii as your destination only to find out too late that you've got a skateboard for the trip.

The correct order is: know your goal first. And then find the business that will get you where you want to go in the timeframe you select. You can get to the Cayman Islands by luxury yacht in a few hours. A cruise ship will take a day. A bicycle won't go at all.

Know your goal before you choose your business.

Tony Rush

The Number or, "How To Know What You're Worth"

2007-06-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Want to know what you're worth from a financial standpoint? Really. Do you?

It's very simple.

Grab a pencil. And some paper.

And on that piece of paper, write down how much money you want to earn this year.

Go ahead. I'll be here when you get finished.

Got it? Great.

Look at that number. That number -- to the penny -- represents EXACTLY what you believe you're worth. Not a penny more and not a penny less.

Now, someone might argue, "Tony, that's not what I'm worth. I'm worth a lot more than that. That's just the number that I think is realistic based on what I do and what I can reasonably expect in the next 12 months."

And your way of thinking is valid to an extent. But, here's what many people don't understand: it's actually that way of thinking that is creating your present results.

In other words, until you are willing to see yourself as earning, say, a multiple six-figure income....then you won't be able to see the opportunities that will allow you to achieve that.

I'll give you an example. Today I spoke with a gentleman who was looking to start a business that he said would pay him about $150 a day . So, when I told him that he views himself as worth $150 a day....he was offended. It made him uncomfortable.

But it's still true. This person is capable of earning thousands of dollars a day. I can see that. But he can't see that of himself. And until he does....then the most he will be able to earn is $150 a day.

On the other hand, if he could adopt the Million Dollar Mindset that this blog is devoted to....then he could very easily start creating opportunities that would pay him far more. But until then....God Himself cannot give him more than he's willing to accept.

Incidentally, I regularly partner with individuals and partners to show them how to create a multiple six-figure income in 6-12 months. But, I'm very selective about who I work with.

So, when this gentleman told me that he wanted only $150 a day...he disqualified himself. He knows better than I what he's worth. He sees himself as worth $55,000 a year. And I want to work with people who see themselves worth a minimum of three times that. So, without even realizing it, his mindset cost him $100,000 today.

And let me be clear: this is not a judgment of someone being good, bad, right or wrong. There are plenty of wonderful husbands, fathers, mothers, wives, sons, daughters, etc. who are wonderful people. And they are wonderful people no matter what their financial thermostat is set for.

But in terms of MONEY....their sense of self-worth is tied directly to what they are willing to settle for. And until they are willing to raise the bar for what they will settle for....then they will only get what they believe they're worth.

Bottom line: if a person with a $50,000 mindset takes an opportunity that will pay $1,000,000......that person will take that million-dollar opportunity and go make $50,000 with it. They will literally leave $950,000 on the table simply because they cannot accept it mentally. And until they accept it mentally, they cannot accept it in reality.

But here's the best part: whatever number you've got on your paper right now, you can change it. You can erase it or scratch it out and raise your bar right now....by simply choosing to see yourself as worth what you really deserve.

Questions to consider:

What number is on your paper right now?
What do you really see yourself worth?
What are you willing to settle for?
What would it take for you to see yourself worth ten times more?

Life is a choice -- choose well.

Tony Rush

The Box, or "Why You're Not Already Wealthy"

2007-06-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Everyone lives in a box. Your perception of "how things are" is your box.

Own a house? It's in your box. Got kids? They're in your box. Earning $43,565 at a job you don't like? That job is in the box. So is the $43,565.

Here's what else: if you believe you have to work hard to be successful...that hard work is in your box, too. If you think that you're not wealthy because of your lack of education...that lack of wealth is in the box. Along with your lack of a college degree.

It's all in there. Everything you have and accept as "how things are" is in the box.

Now, here's what's also true...

Everything you want from life that you don't already have...is outside your box. And the "odds" -- in terms of the percentage of people who make the choice -- the "odds" are that you will never get to have what you want simply because your wants aren't powerful enough to overcome your insecurity of being outside the box.

Get that. Because that's the only thing keeping you from getting what you want: the insecurity, the fear or the anxiety of doing the things that will bring those goals INTO your box. Thus, success is simply a choice.

So, why aren't you wealthy already? Simple: because you haven't chosen to BE that person. You're busy staying in your box.

In fact, maybe you've decided not to be wealthy. You might think, "Tony who would decide not to be wealthy?" Well, you probably didn't say "I've decided not to be wealthy"....but if you're not wealthy it's because you have made the choices that do NOT lead to wealth. And it's really the same thing.

You are where you are because -- either through action or inaction -- this is really where you wanted to be.

In fact, some of you are reading this right now and you're appalled that someone should say such a thing. That someone would suggest that your "not being wealthy" has been a choice on your part.

You might even have a lot of "monkey chatter" going in your head right now listing all the perfectly good reasons why not being wealthy is not your choosing.

And here's the catch: the reasons you give yourself for why you're not rich is the stand that you've taken against becoming wealthy. If you are not wealthy, you will be defending your decision to remain in your current state EVEN AS YOU READ THIS. If you don't believe it...stop right now and listen to your mind chatter.

Fortunately, the solution is quite simple. Understand that you cannot get to where you want to go with the same quality of thinking that created your present situation. Change your thinking and decisions and you change your life.

Get out of the box. Wonderful things are waiting.

Tony Rush

How To Have A Poverty Mentality

2007-06-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

Last night I was watching a DVR recording of a Travel Channel show called "Passport To Europe". The host, Samantha Brown does a pretty good job of reviewing destinations without sounding like a cheerleader.

So, as I watching, I heard her say a few things that were so surprising that I actually had to rewind and see if I heard her correctly.

Madame Tussaud's wax museum is one of the #1 attractions in London. It's remarkable. And, as Ms. Brown was talking about it, she pointed out that the line to get into the museum would take you about an hour and a half to get in. I thought, "Wow. Pretty popular".

She went on to say that the admission price was 22 pounds (roughly $43 US.) But that you could pay 25 pounds and get in right away.

Read that again.

For $43, you can wait 90 minutes to get in.
Or for $49, you can walk right in.

Six dollars difference. That's all.

This is classic lack consciousness at work. If the people in that line had any critical thinking skills, they would understand that time is more valuable than money. That it's far more preferable to spend the extra $6 than to spend 90 minutes of your life standing in a line.

You see this all the time.

Someone will park their car in the rain rather than spend $5 on the valet.

Ask the reservations clerk which side of the hotel fills up first: oceanside or city side. Why? Because city side is $20 a night cheaper. People will stare at the roof of an adjacent building to save $20 when they could be looking at a sunset over the ocean.

Flying is the same way. There's almost always a ton of extra seats in first-class simply because most people don't mind being treated like cattle and crammed into seats that were designed 50 years ago when the average height of a human was shorter. "Hey, I might feel like a sardine...I might not can use my laptop...I might have to beg for a refill...but at least I saved a few hundred dollars on this flight."

Sheesh.

Or do this: go into any clothing store in any major city and just watch people. They will walk up to a rack, pick up a piece of clothing and the FIRST thing they will look at is the price tag. Not whether they like it or not. Not whether it fits them or not. Not if they think it's the best-looking thing they've ever seen. But they'll look and see the price.

People don't buy what they want. They buy what they think they can afford. And what they don't understand is that you can afford anything you choose. You simply have to create a mindset of abundance and prosperity.

Now some of you are thinking, "Yeah, it's easy for you to do valet parking and fly first-class....you're making a massive income." That's true but I didn't always. I used to be the guy who made $6.25 an hour working as an assistant manager at Waldenbooks. I used to be the guy who went around the neighborhoods sucking the wet leaves out of the gutters.

What changed? Simply this: I decided to be excellent to myself. I decided that -- no matter what it took -- I was not going to live my life by "settling".

Being excellent to yourself is a choice. You can start from where you are today, right now. And you can make progress. Or you can simply throw up your hands, say "I can't do it" and stay stuck where you are.

Life is a choice. Choose well.

Tony Rush

Why the concept of "retirement" doesn't work

2007-05-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of talk in our country about the ability to "retire". That's the Holy Grail for a lot of people, isn't it? The ability to finally stop working...the finish line of a 40-50 year career so that now they can finally sit down and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Right?

Wrong.

The whole concept is flawed from the beginning. It's an outdated concept from the early Industrial Revolution when employers told laborers, "Hey, if you'll work for me for 40 hours a week for 40 years...then you can quit and get a gold watch and a pension."

That plan hasn't worked since the 1950's. It probably didn't work for your mom and dad and it's definitely not going to work for you, either.

Here's the good news: it doesn't have to. I'm not saying that you have to work 'til you die. I'm saying that the concept of deferring your life's pleasures until you're 60+ years old is STUPID.

Consider Timothy Nerriss' perspective from his wonderful book, "The Four Hour Workweek":

Retirement as a goal or final redemption is flawed for at least three solid reasons:

1. It is predicated on the assumption that you dislike what you're doing during the most physically capable years of your life. [Tony's comments: This is already an impossible situation. Nothing in the world can justify doing something you dislike for 50+ years.)

2. Most people will never be able to retire and maintain even a hotdogs-for-dinner standad of living. Even one million dollars is chump change in a world where traditional retirement could span 30 years and inflation lowers your purchasing power 2-4% per year. The math doesn't work. The golden years become a replay of lower-middle-class. That's a pretty bittersweet ending, isn't it?

3. And if the math DOES work, it means you are one ambitious, hardworking machine. If that's the case, guess what? One week into retirement, you'll be so damned bored that you'll want to stick bicycle spokes into your eyes. You'll probably look for a new job or start another company. Kinda defeats the purpose of waiting, doesn't it?

So, what am I (and Ferriss) saying? That you shouldn't aspire to have a life where you can relax and do as you please? Not at all!

On the contrary, my point is that you should begin living that life NOW. How much sense does it make to work hard for 40+ years so that -- when you're 60+ years old -- you can finally start doing the things you want to do.

Life is now. Don't postpone it.

Tony Rush

There are two kinds of people in the world....

2007-04-17T09:03:00.001-07:00

A great perspective from Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich"...

Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of people in the world: leaders and followers. Decide at the beginning whether you intend to be a leader or remain a follower. The difference in income is vast.

The follower cannot reasonably expect the compensation which a leader is entitled to...although may followers make the mistake of expecting such pay.

And it's no disgrace to be a follower. On the other hand, remaining a follower isn't a credit, either. Most great leaders began in the capacity as a follower. They become great leaders because they were intelligent followers.

With few exceptions, the person who cannot follow a leader cannot BECOME an efficient leader. The person who can follow a leader most efficiently is usually the person who develops their leadership abilities faster.

So...which group are you in? Which group are you committed to staying in?

Tony Rush

The Two Sentence Wealth Formula

2007-02-19T21:04:00.000-08:00

People ask me every week, "Tony, what would be the simplest advice you could give me for become wealthy?"

And, to sum it up in two sentences, I'd put it this way:

-- Find out what wealthy people are doing and do that
-- Find out what broke people do and -- whatever you do -- avoid doing that

While that may seem to be overly simple, the truth is that most people don't do either one. Ask yourself: have you ever actually sat down and studied the similarities between wealthy people? Did your parents teach you? Did you learn it in school? Do you see it on TV? Was it the topic of the last book you read?

Probably not.

And that is the #1 reason why the masses are struggling to make ends meet and are not experiencing the prosperity and abundance that is their birthright.

See you in the next issue!

Tony Rush

What the heck is an Astronaut Farmer?

2007-01-30T18:20:00.000-08:00

I was looking through some movie trailers today and found one called "The Astronaut Farmer".

The Astronaut Farmer?? What the heck is that?

Turns out it's a new film from Billy Bob Thornton. And it looks pretty empowering. It's about a guy in Texas who has dreamed of going to space so badly that he finally decides to do something about it.

He builds a rocket. And despite threats from NASA, the government and everyone in between...he's made the decision to live his dream.

The movie isn't out yet but the language in the trailer is POWERFUL. Adjust your speakers and listen to this 30-second clip:

If you're not where you can listen right now, here's the quote:

Somewhere along the line, we stopped believing that we could do anything. You'd better know what you want to do. Before someone knows it for you.

Man, that's powerful. Most people go through their entire lives with no plan of their own. They're just fitting into someone else's plan. An employer. A supervisor. A boss.

And guess what they've got planned for you?

Not much.

And that's why you've got so many people driving what they don't want to drive, living where they don't want to live and doing what they don't want to do.

Have you figured out what YOU want in life? Are you doing anything about it? Or are you just going along with someone else's plan?

Here's the truth: you're either living your dreams or you're working for someone who's living theirs.

The ONLY people creating success in their lives are the people who are living their life "on purpose".

What's YOUR plan?

Tony Rush

You always get what you settle for...

2007-01-15T12:35:00.000-08:00

You always get what you settle for. Did you know that?

It's true. Maxwell Maltz wrote a book called "Psychocybernetics" in which he referred to the mind as a "goal-seeking mechanism". It's like a heat-seeking missile. It will "home in" on whatever goal you give it. And provided you're using the right principles, it will ALWAYS deliver to you what you want.

In fact, you're already doing it.

Think about it.

Everything that you've ever TRULY wanted and decided that you would NOT do without...you got.

You want a new iPod and you get it.
You want a new job and you get it.
You want a new refrigerator and you get it.

And what most people don't understand that it's a system. And it will work with ANYTHING, large or small.

It's not the "wanting" that does it (although that's part of it). It's the fact that you are putting yourself in a mindset that says, "I will NO LONGER SETTLE for not having this in my life."

And when you do that...magic happens.

And it's the same thing with wealth. You get what you settle for.

Do you want to know what you're settling for? Simple: look around and see what results you're geting. That's what you're settling for.

And, as soon as you commit to settling for something different...your "goal-seeking mechanism" will go into action to make that your NEW reality.

If you settle for luxury, you get luxury.
If you settle for prosperity, you get prosperity.
If you settle for abundance, you get abundance.

So....what are you settling for today?

Tony Rush

Being broke is the most selfish thing you can do

2007-01-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

I talked to a lady this morning who has lost the ability to dream. She'd responded to a marketing campaign I'm running which is basically announcing my intention to work with 6 people to mentor them to a multiple six-figure income in the next 12 months.

Obviously I'm having to be selective about who I work with. But, as I was talking to this particular lady, it became obvious that she wasn't going to make the cut. When I asked her to describe her ideal income if she had no limitations at all....she said she wanted to earn $30,000 a year.

I confess. I laughed. She said, "What are you laughing at?" I said, "I'm laughing because I've just asked you what number you'd put on a blank check and you're telling me you want to make less than the average American."

But, it wasn't funny. Not really. It was sad. Here's a grown woman who's become so used to living in a box that the most she can envision for herself is $2,500 per month.

That's barely enough to live indoors.

So, here's the most controversial statement you'll probably hear this week: Being broke is the most selfish thing you can do.

It's true.

Because, when someone chooses to only earn $30,000 when -- with some simple decision making, following a proven system, focusing on their goals and taking action -- they could be earning that much in a MONTH....

....well, they're missing the mark. They're wasting potential. They're choosing to live smaller than they can. And that's a violation of natural law. Everything in the universe has a built-in goal to reach its fullest potential. It's only the human being who chooses to stop growing before they reach their peak.

So, why is it selfish to be broke? Simple: because when you're broke you only think of yourself. You can only feed yourself. You can only clothe yourself. You are so focused on trying to take care of yourself that you have no time, money, energy or ability to assist anyone else.

And that's selfish.

So, if you want a Milion Dollar Mindset, here's one step in the right direction: understand that poverty is a DISEASE. It's a dirty, degrading, humiliating and disgusting condition that everyone should avoid at all costs. If you're not disgusted at the idea that you can't have the life that you want...then you'll never achieve your full potential.

So, there you go: It's selfish to be broke. Go make some money and be of service to everyone around you.

Tony Rush

Do you ACT? Or REACT?

2007-01-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

Wow -- can you believe that 2006 went by so fast? It gets faster every year, doesn't it?

By the way, that's cause for alarm. I and the other people I know who earn multiple six- and seven-figure incomes know that the clock is ticking. Life moves quickly. The time for action and decision is NOW.

Most Americans don't get this. They wind up getting into a frustrating cycle of just "maintaing their existence". They don't really choose to live their lives on purpose. They're just constantly reacting to what's going on around them.

They get laid off...so they go find any job that will hire them.
The gas prices go up...so they stop eating out as often.
They get passed over for a promotion...so they just 'suck it up' and keep plodding away in a position they don't love.

In other words, they're not taking ACTION....they're taking REACTION.

And this is how millions of Americans wind up living where they don't want to live...driving what they don't want to drive....wearing what they don't want to wear....and doing what they don't want to do.

You hear these people say, "Life sucks". Well, yes...I expect it does.

On the other hand, if people would realize the power they have to get in the driver's seat of their own life and actually CHOOSE what they want to experience, then they would never be satisfied living any other way.

So, it's 2007. And here's my question for creating a Million Dollar Mindset today:

What would you DO, BE or HAVE if you had absolutely no limitations on your time, money or energy?

Think about that for about 10 minutes today. Get clear on what you want your life to look like. And then make it happen.

It's all up to you. You're in the driver's seat!

Happy New Year!

Tony Rush

If James Bond had a wedding band...

2006-12-21T18:06:00.000-08:00

If you read my blog entry about The $8,000 Watch then you already know that I recently bought a hard-to-get Rolex Daytona. It's gorgeous and I'm enjoying it.

Well, one thing leads to another...

The Rolex Daytona is white so I was considering how it would look with my gold wedding band. And my jeweler, Ken, said....well, let Jessica get you another wedding band.

It never occurred to me that I could have more than one wedding band. He said, "Absolutely. I have three wedding bands. Which one I wear depends on what I'm doing and which watch I wear".

Made sense to me. So, I asked him what he recommended. We looked at platinum and titanium....and then he told me about one I'd never heard of.

It matches my new watch....and it's the Ultimate Wedding Band. If James Bond were going to have a wedding band, he would choose this one.

It's unscratchable.
Literally.
It's made out of tungsten carbide. I had to special order it. And when it arrived, Ken took a steel file and start filing away on it like a madman. Then he handed it to me.

Not a scratch.

It looks brand new. All the time. It never needs polishing.

If James Bond finds out about it, he'll want to get married just to have a ring like mine.

Tony Rush

Free book for you: The New Jet Set

2006-12-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

Hannah Worth, leading expert on the mindset, preferences and finances of the ultra-wealthy has released "The New Jet Set" -- the first-ever comprehensive report on the spending details of the super-rich spenders.

You can download and read "The New Jet Set" here. (Adobe Acrobat file zipped 2.2mB)

If you've ever wondered what the ultra-wealthy spend on homes, automobiles, jewelry, travel, fine art, etc....this is the first time these spending habits have been made available.

But it's also more than that.

Did you know that less than 34% of them open their own mail? Or that only 19% pay their own bills? In fact, the New Jet Set may never even SEE their bills given their tendency to travel and the number of residences they own.

But, here's what's interesting: they're not necessarily snobs! They're just people who enjoy the wealth they've created and don't mind paying for services that make their lives easier.

Enjoy the free book. It'll give you a great insight to the life YOU deserve!

--TR

Is there any such thing as luck?

2006-12-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

Is there any such thing as luck?

Yes. It's what Earl Nightingale defines as "when preparedness meets opportunity".

Money Magazine addressed this question recently when it sent one of their star journalists out to interview wealthy people and ask them how they became wealthy. What did the wealthy say? You make your own luck.

British researcher Richard Wiseman talked about "lucky people" in a 2003 article called the The Luck Factor. Here's what he said:

"They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophecies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good."

In one experiment, Wiseman asked two groups of people - one who described themselves as generally lucky and one who said they were usually unlucky - to count the photographs in a newspaper.

The unluckies spent several minutes flipping through and counting the photos. The lucky people got it in a few seconds. How? On page 2, Wiseman had inserted a message in giant headline type: "Stop counting - There are 43 photographs in this newspaper."

The lucky people, always on the lookout for unexpected good fortune, spotted it right away. The unlucky people, whose minds are closed to such signs, missed it completely.

What clues do you find in this example about what YOU are looking for in life?

Expect things to go your way and they usually will!

-- TR

Prosperity Tip #2 -- Be excellent to yourself

2006-12-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

If someone asked me for one "prosperity tip" that I think can change your vibration quicker than anything, it's this one: be excellent to yourself.

Think about that phrase? What does it mean to you?

Here's what it means to me: treating myself with the same care and attention that I want to be treated. And you can do this in different ways. Here are some ways to start:

1. Always valet park. Never self-park if a valet is available. It's worth the extra $6 and the tip to pull up to the curb and let someone else take care of finding a place to put your car. Besides, even if you're not driving your dream car yet....you should go ahead and start behaving as if you are.

2. Buy fresh flowers. I don't know why but this is powerful. Buy yourself flowers for your home. Buy them for others for no reason (it doesn't have to be a birthday or an occasion.) Having fresh flowers delivered to your home every week is a great way to make your surroundings and your environment feel great. And that "runs off" on you.

3. Tidy up. Someone once shared this with me and I believe it's true: how you do anything is how you do everything. I used to never wash my car. I used to never make my bed. And guess what: I was broke! Because the same discipline and mindset it takes to make your bed or wash your car is the same kind of discipline and mindset it takes to become wealthy.

These will get you started. And look for other ways to be excellent to yourself! Because how you treat yourself is how life will treat you.

How do you want to be treated?

--TR

Did you see the Ellen Degeneres Show?

2006-12-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

Two of personal development's most-respected speakers were recently featured on the Ellen Degeneres Show: Bob Proctor and John Assaraf. These gentlemen are featured speakers on the movie, "The Secret" and have impacted thousands of lives.

The studio audience had watched "The Secret" before the show started recording and these two segments are based on some of the information that they shared in the movie.

Enjoy -- TR!

The Next Millionaires -- will you be one?

2006-12-06T19:14:00.000-08:00

Did you know that a new millionaire is created in the United States at a rate of about one per MINUTE?

According to Paul Zane Pilzer (author of "The Next Millionaires"), the number of U.S. millionaires has been more than doubling every ten years. He predicts that an additional 11,200,000 millionaires will be created in the next decade.

And here's what's amazing: most of them are doing it with far less effort than the millionsires of 10-30 years ago.

POOF -- someone else just became a millionaire while you've been reading this.

So, what does this mean? Well, it means a couple of things:

Firstly, it completely destroys the erroneous idea that there's not enough money in the world. The money creating these new millionaires is NEW money coming from new industries, new businesses and new spending. The pie is unlimited. You can have a big of a slice as you're willing to settle for.
It has completely eradicated the "class system" that once existed in the U.S. There was once a time when your chances of becoming wealthy depended on who you were related to, what ZIP code you lived in, and how much education you had.

Those days are over.

By the way -- POOF -- another millionaire was just created. Back to what I was saying...

Today, many of the new millionaires are people who have never seen the inside of a college and who created their wealth by being willing to be different from the masses. They were willing to break away from the status quo and it paid off. It almost always does. (There's a wealth tip for you...)
It opens the doors for you to take advantage of this economic momentum. These millionaires are NOT hoarding their money or hiding it under their mattresses. They are doing with it what money is designed for: spending it!

This means that there are BILLIONS of new consumer dollars that are swishing around the marketplace. And all you have to do is get in the game! By simply finding out where the money is going and then getting in front of it....you are uniquely positioned to increase your OWN wealth by offering value to the marketplace

Getting rich isn't difficult. It's actually pretty simple when you understand some very basic concepts.

POOF -- another person just became a millionaire...

So, what about it? You interested in being one of the "Next Millionaires"? You can. But it all starts with a decision.

Make your decision today.

Tony Rush

The Story of the Bum

2006-12-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard "The Story of the Bum"? It'll give you a clear understanding of the mindset required to move from one rung of the ladder of success to another...

Adjust your speakers and listen online here.

Let me know your thoughts by emailing me at tony@tonyrush.com

--TR

Free Video Magazine: The Wealth Theory

2006-12-06T09:50:00.000-08:00

One of the projects I've created for 2007 is a free online video magazine called "The Wealth Theory".

Get the details and your free subscription at The Wealth Theory Newsletter

--TR

Prosperity Tip #1 -- Subscribe to some magazines!

2006-12-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

Want a simple, easy and powerful prosperity tip?

Subscribe to the magazines that the wealthy read!

Now, at first glance, you might wonder, "How will reading some magazines change my bank account?" Great question. Here's how:

It's a law of the universe that you become what you think about. That doesn't mean that looking through the Robb Report will make a Bentley GT Continental appear in your driveway. But, here's what WILL happen....

As you begin to look at luxury, your mindset will gradually start to change so that you feel more comfortable looking at luxury than scarcity. You'll automatically elevate your thinking to the lifestyle that you want....instead of the one you've been settling for.

And when that happens, the law of attraction will start moving people, things, circumstances and opportunities into your life that are in alignment with the new person you've become.

Another thing that will happen is that you will prove to yourself that we live in an abundant universe. There is more than enough to go around. And you really CAN live the life you want.

So, get in the game! Start reading and looking at magazines like Robb Report.
Or Dupont Registry (for cars or homes).
Or Architectural Digest.
Or Millionaire.

And start familiarizing yourself with the life you DESERVE...not the one you've been settling for.

Final word: when you do this, go ahead and SUBSCRIBE to these magazines instead of just buying them off the bookshelf. If you have them coming to your house automatically, you'll look at them more regularly than if you have to remind yourself to go buy the latest copy.

Try it! You'll be amazed at the change!

Tony Rush

7 Surefire Ways To Stay Broke

2006-12-05T19:06:00.000-08:00

1) Take All the Free Cheese in the Mousetrap

Believe everything should come for free. Don't give the money back if the salesclerk gives you an extra $5 by mistake, find a way to wire your house for cable without paying for it, and help yourself to an extra newspaper when no one is looking. Always look for something for nothing and be happy when you get away with stealing the cheese.

2) Tell Yourself Daily How Broke You Are

Make sure the words you say are negative. I'm reminded of a friend, who daily runs through a list of bills he has to pay, and how he doesn't know how he will ever find the money to cover them, and how every time things really start going good for him, something always happens to set him back.

Well of course it does. So, then he CONTINUES to tell himself how bad things are. He's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Some people think it's polite or a good way to fit in by speaking of themselves in demeaning terms. Statements like, "I'm always a day late and a dollar short" may endear you to other broke people, but they will repel prosperity and become self-fulfilling prophecies.

So if you're going to make sure you stay completely unfulfilled and never reach a higher level of success, repeat the following negative affirmations on a daily basis to really anchor it in your mind:

* I never have any money.
* I just can't seem to get ahead in life.
* Bad things always happen to me.

3) Hang Around People Whose Lives are Desolate

Think about this . . . If you take the five people who are closest to you in your life, add up their yearly income and divide it by five you will have your annual salary.

Coincidental mathematics? Probably not.

So the third way to make sure you never break-free is to hang-on to relationships with people who are constantly complaining about their life, blaming others for their misfortunes, and whose lives are pathetic.

4) Never Have Any Expectations for Success

Make sure you become a “Negative Nancy or Ned” and anytime an opportunity arises, tell yourself a whole list of reasons why it won’t work. Here are a few examples to get you started . . .

* I’m not smart enough to do that.
* That just can’t be possible.
* That's "too good to be true".
* And the ever-popular one: "I can't afford that".

After all, anyone dead serious about changing their life would never let something as silly as "not having the money" get in their way. So make sure that you focus on ways that you CAN'T afford it. Otherwise, you might accidentally get started in something prosperous.

How you react to opportunity is determined almost ENTIRELY by your mindset. What you expect in life. Of all the tools you can use to stay broke, your mind is the most powerful.

In other words, you are where you are because of your best thinking. So, if you want to stay broke, keep doing what comes naturally and whatever your current level of thinking tells you.

5) Become Extremely Obsessive with “Getting a Deal”

Broke people rarely purchase things at a fair exchange of value and believe the world owes them. So make sure your sole basis for making a buying decision revolves around how much money you will save, rather than how it will add value and enhance your life. Make an extreme effort in your negotiating tactics looking for a one-sided advantage.

6) Think All Rich People are Evil and Mean.

Broke people usually have a negative energy and connotation surrounding money. Obsess about how you are unable to do things that require money and think those who have money are rich snobs, thieves, lucky – or just plain evil and mean. Having a negative association of money will completely repel it from you.

Say things like:

* It's stupid to fly first-class.
* It's a waste of money to use valet-parking
* $300 for a dinner for two? That's stupid.
* The Crowne Plaza isn't any better than the Holiday Inn

or anything else that demonstrates the attitude that has put your into your current lifestyle. It'll also have the side-effect of making you feel better about the fact that you can't afford to do any of those things.

7) Never Question Anything You Hear or Have Been Told

Take comfort in the fact that you are not alone, most of the masses are sick, broke and unhappy too. If living a life of quiet desperation is good enough for them, well it should be good enough for you, right?

So drudge through each day, doing what you’re told, and what’s expected of you to do. Forget how to think. The media, government, religion, and other people have been telling you WHAT to think for so long, that you really have no need to know HOW to think.

Just follow the herd.

If you want to succeed at staying where you are in life right now -- never question what you read and hear. Continue to always do and believe everything you've been told to. Remember, questioning things, thinking differently and trying new strategies is only for rich eccentric weirdo's, like me, Bill Gates, Ross Perot, and Donald Trump.

Staying broke is easy, and doesn't take any special skills or energy from you. By practicing these 7 Surefire Ways, you can continue being dissatisfied, unfulfilled and broke.

Have a less-than-prosperous day!

Tony Rush
tony@tonyrush.com
TonyRush.com

P.S. Now obviously, the above article was written very tongue-in-cheek. But the message is clear:

==> You are in control of your own life.

So you can choose to live life feeling unfulfilled, broke and helpless . . . . or your can take control and recognize what
is holding you back, and then take the necessary action steps to reach that level of success you desire.

If you're sick and tired of thinking like the masses and following the herd, then give me a call at 334-794-4442 and I'll show you how I turned my annual income into a monthly income.

It really IS up to you.

A prosperity truth from Alice and Wonderland

2006-12-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you a story. Your child may be familiar with this story although you may not. And you deserve to hear its message.

In Lewis Carroll’s famous masterpiece “Alice through the Looking Glass,” there is a dialogue between the main character and the Queen, who has just told something quite extraordinary.

"I can’t believe it!", says Alice

"Can’t believe it?", the Queen repeats with a sad look on her face. "Try again: take a deep breath, close your eyes, and believe".

Alice laughs, "It’s no good trying. Only fools believe that impossible things can happen."

"I think what you need is a little training," answers the Queen. "When I was your age I would practice at least half an hour a day, right after breakfast, I tried very hard to imagine five or six unbelievable things that could cross my path....

...and today I see that most of the things I imagined have turned real, I even became a Queen because of that."

Life constantly asks us to believe!

The simple truth is that life will give us whatever we choose to believe and expect for ourselves. If your expecations are that you're going to earn, say, $50,000 this year......well, you wouldn't be able to earn any more of that. You simply won't see the opportunities that come by.

On the other hand, if you operate with the belief that you can earn, say, $250,000 per year....then you'll automatically start seeing the opportunities that would make that possible for you.

It's all about belief.

Where's your belief today?

Tony Rush

You Can't Get Rich By Thinking Small

2006-12-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

Just read this on Donald Trump's blog...

Donald J. Trump, like many top achievers, stresses the importance of thinking big. He is absolutely right, because big thinking creates vastly more success than small thinking, every time.

Read more here...

Enjoy!

-TR

Have you seen "The Secret"?

2006-12-01T19:03:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the movie, "The Secret"?

(If you haven't....run -- don't walk -- the website and watch the preview online.)

The Secret is a full-length feature film that answers a simple and powerful question that most people are asking: "Is there a simple secret that -- if I understood it -- would allow me to reach my goals and create the kind of life I
want"?

And the answer is 'yes'. There is such a secret. Whether it's great health, a great income, a great lifestyle, time freedom....you name it.....EVERY person I know who's experiencing abundance and prosperity in their lives is using this Secret either consciously or unconsciously.

I don't make a dime for recommending this information to you. It's simply some powerful information that I've seen change thousands of lives. And it can do the same for you, too.

Enjoy -- http://www.WhatIsTheSecret.tv

Tony Rush

P.S. By the way, the guy in the picture with me above is Joe Vitale. He's one of the stars of the movie The Secret and is a super, down-to-earth guy. He was filming some additional resources recently in Austin, TX and I enjoyed hanging out with him for the weekend.

What does the $8,000 watch mean? or Your Money Test (Part Two)

2006-11-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I told you about buying a new Rolex watch for $8,000. I asked you to think of how it made you feel. Now I want to tell you why I asked you to do that.

The weekend after I bought my Rolex watch, I was out to dinner with some friends. One of them made some comment about letting me pay for dinner since I'd "Just spent over $8,000 on a wristwatch". Needless to say, it became the topic of conversation. So, as a test, I thought I'd just ask them what they thought about me spending $8k on a watch.

Of those who expressed an opinion, they were not shy about it. One guy (that I've known since high school) said, "An $8,000 watch?? Are you nuts? That's just stupid I'll bet that thing doesn't tell time better than a Timex!"

I just smiled politely and said, "Hey, I appreciate your opinion". Someone else said, "Tony, if you want to spend your money that way, that's your choice....but that's money that have been given to charity, saved for a rainy day or invested."

One of my friends -- who is very much aware of what money is and how it works -- was a voice of minority. He said, "I know exactly why you bought that watch. Because you know that money is energy that flows in and out of your life. That there's an unlimited supply. And also that you've wanted that watch for YEARS....and now you have it. Everytime you look at that watch, you'll be reminded of how you achieve your goals and how jazzed you are that you can create whatever results you want in life. That's a brilliant investment. It's worth a hell of a lot more than $8,000."

One of the others at the table disagreed. "That's money you could've given to the poor", he said. I smiled and said, "I understand what you're saying. But that statement is based entirely on lack and limitation thinking. You have a belief that a person can EITHER buy a great watch OR give money to charity. I believe you can do both and so I do."

One of the other guys at the table is also a father of three like me. He mentioned that for the cost of the watch I could've taken my whole family on a Caribbean cruise for a week. I said, "Again, the thought stems from the 'either/or' mentality. They apparently have a belief that they can A.) Either buy nice things for themselves or B.) be a good husband and father. But, not both. And again, that's not true."

So, here's the reason I asked you to think about me spending $8k on a watch: it's a test of your Prosperity IQ. It was simply a way to hold up a mirror to your own beliefs about money.

Do you think that money is scarce?
That it's difficult to make money?
That you need to hoard it and "save for a rainy day"?
That you should only buy what you "need" and not what you "want"?

If those beliefs are giving you the life you want...keep them.
If they're not...consider changing them.

Friend, if you are NOT driving the car you want, wearing the watch you want, wearing the clothes you want, living in the house you want.....then you should consider that it is your BELIEFS about money, prosperity and abundance that is keeping you in whatever situation you're in.

And the best way to change them is to get involved in a serious personal development home study course that can teach you how to start attracting more of what you want in life and less of what you don't want.

What are YOUR beliefs about money flowing in your life?

Tony Rush

The $8,000 watch, or Your Money Test (Part One)

2006-11-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

When Jessica and I first got married, I couldn't afford an engagement ring. Jessica's mom gave me her engagement ring to giver her. (Isn't that amazing? She's so cool.)

Anyway, I bought Jessica a new diamond ring last year...the one I would've liked to have gotten her years ago. And she loves it.

The only thing is that her wedding band is yellow gold and the diamond "engagement ring" she selected is white gold. So she hasn't been wearing a band.

Last week, I called my jeweler (Ken Kirkland of Kirkland Jewelers) and told him we wanted to come in and look at a custom wedding band that would match Jessica's ring.

So, later that afternoon, we were sitting in the jewelry store and Ken helped us figure out the best way to make a custom band that would fit right next to Jessica's ring. It's going to look great...

But, before we left, I browsed over to the Rolex watch display and it occurred to me how long I've wanted to own one. (I wanted the white Rolex Daytona but Rolex intentionally limits production and you can never find one. Most dealers won't even sell one to strangers because they don't want them to wind up on Ebay the next day for thousands of dollars more than they cost.)

But, while I was standing there, I spotted a blue-faced Rolex Submariner. . . . absolutely stunning. I told Ken I wanted to try it on and did. It's magnificent. Not my first choice but wonderful.

Then, Ken did something totally unexpected...he looked at me and said, "Tony, would you like a once in a lifetime opportunity?"

I smiled and said 'yes'.

He said, "Are you familiar with the Rolex Daytona?"

I said, "Ken, don't tell me you've got one in this store!"

He said, "I sure do. But, we don't keep it in the display case."

As he walked to the back of the store to get it...I started laughing. How many times do we do that in life: disregard what we REALLY want and settle for what we think we can get?

He brought it out...it's magnificent. I tried it on and immediately knew it's what I wanted.

Then it occurred to me. What did this watch cost? They routinely sell on Ebay for $14,000. You just can't find them and they're in huge demand.

I turned the price tag over.

Eight thousand dollars.

Eight thousand dollars for a wrist watch.

I thought about it for a minute and said, "I'll take it".

And I did. I bought it and am wearing it as I type this.

And the cool thing is that -- if I wanted to (I don't) -- I could put this watch on Ebay right now, sell it for $14,000 and pocket $6,000 in a single afternoon.

And even if I decide to trade it in on another Rolex in a couple of years, I'll STILL get more for it than I paid. (Try doing that with a Seiko.)

Now, let me ask you this:

What do you think of me spending $8,000 on a wrist watch?

You don't have to tell me...but you do need to think about it.

How do you feel about it?

Because how you feel about it may say a LOT about where YOU are in your financial life.

In Part II of this, we'll go deeper in the story and how it relates to you and your Money Test...

--TR

A prosperity lesson from "Under A Tuscan Sun"

2006-10-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

Did you see the movie, "Under The Tuscan Sun" starring Diane Lane? If you haven't, it's a beautifully filmed, amazing movie of a woman who chose to live her life on purpose. (There's not much more "on purpose" than taking a trip to Tuscany and -- on a whim -- deciding to buy a villa!

There's a tiny bit of dialogue in the movie that is some pretty powerful wisdom about how to create your own life. Most moviegoers missed it:

Between Austria and Italy, there is a section of the Alps called the Semmering. It is an impossibly steep, very high part of the mountains. They built a train track over these Alps to connect Vienna and Venice. But, they built these tracks before there was a train in existence that could make the trip. They built it because they knew someday the train would come.

Do you want to live a magnificent life of excitement, wealth, prosperity, abundance and happiness? The simple secret of how to do that is found in these lines from the movie. In fact the secret is so simple that most people refuse to believe it: decide what you want and then live your life and choose your actions based entirely on the belief that what you want is on its way.

It's as simple as that.

Someone might be thinking, "Tony, if it's that simple, why don't more people do it?"

The answer to that is simple, too: fear. Think about it: do you know how much courage and faith it spend thousands of dollars to build a train track for a train that didn't exist? Most people are not acquainted with the part of themselves that can do these things. But it IS there. It's inside all of us...waiting...waiting for us to seize the day. To grab the bull by the horns. To choose to live life on purpose instead of playing the role of a victim of circumstance.

So, what "train tracks" do you need to build? Do you need to quit a job? Stop a dysfunctional relationship? Apologize to someone? Make an investment? Get started on a personal development program?

Whatever keeps you from moving forward right now is what's running your life.

Think about it.

Tony Rush