A message from the Bahamas

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

Now, watch this video.




Tony Rush
http://www.tonyrush.com

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

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

How To Have A Poverty Mentality

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

Do you ACT? Or REACT?

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...

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

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?

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

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?

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?

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:

1. 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.
   
   
2. 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...)
   
   
3. 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

Prosperity Tip #1 -- Subscribe to some magazines!

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

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

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)

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