A recent article by CNBC reported less than 20% of Americans feel like they’re living the “American Dream.”
The article outlines a laundry list of possible factors putting the American Dream out of reach for many Americans:
Friend, I am NOT going to show you have to become part of that 20% who thinks they are living the American dream.
Instead, I want you to rise to an elite 2% of the population and become someone who obliterates the excuses in that article, defines your OWN success and achieves wild, crazy, tailor-made-for-YOU dreams.
Sadly, I spent YEARS chasing someone else’s version of success. I was making millions of dollars. My husband and I had the big house with tons of rooms (six bathrooms – SIX). The pool and the tennis court. Four cars for two drivers. Fancy clothes.
You know what else we had? Crippling debt. A broken marriage. Bitterness. Resentment. Health problems. Stress. Pressure. Dissatisfaction.
Society tells us, bigger houses, nicer cars and more stuff lead to happiness. Been there. Done that. And in that fast and furious lifestyle, I sacrificed my marriage, time with my kids, my health, my relationship with my God.
All because I chased after a dream someone else told me I should have for my life.
But listen, we each have a specific, personalized calling for our life. So, rather than put on the appearance of success, decide what brings true meaning to YOUR life.
Think back to when you were a little kid. What did you want to be when you grew up? What things made your heart beat fast and stirred up all that excitement deep inside you?
When you were young, you had places you wanted to go, things you wanted to be and things you wanted to do. And you truly believed you would do them!
So, if I asked you TODAY, what would you do, if you KNEW you couldn’t fail, would that image match your childhood dreams?
Now, go ahead and picture YOUR dream life today. What does it look like? Who is there? What is your daily routine? How does it feel? What are your priorities?
Okay… got that vision for your life? Good. That’s Step One – and it’s massive!
The number one thing that sets true millionaires apart from that other 98% is their vision.
Put simply, they know what they want.
The majority of those Americans who feel they’re not living the American Dream, just have no idea what they actually want.
They may have a vague concept of a nice house, a great job making good money, and a happy family. But life is not “one-size-fits-all.” You get one shot at life, and YOU get to design it for yourself!
Now, here’s Step Two: Decide RIGHT NOW, starting today you will take action to move you in that direction. You WILL succeed, no matter what.
Behavior always follows BELIEF! Believe your dream life is not a fantasy. Walk, talk, act and live as though that dream life is already your reality. This opens the door to opportunities – and slams the door on any excuses.
Step Three: FOCUS. Whatever you focus on, you get good at. Create a strategy with achievable, milestone goals to reach your vision.
What areas in your life right now don’t match that vision you have for your life? Maybe it’s your money situation right now, or your career isn’t going the way you want. Maybe you struggle with relationships.
Here’s some of the obstacles many of the people I work with face:
Pull out your bank statement, then itemize everything on that list. Do you see places where you can cut your spending? Remember your goals, and be ruthless if necessary. (You CAN live without cable, I promise!)
Okay, all that stuff you can cut out, that’s called the “fat.” Add up all that fat in your monthly spending.
Now, here’s when it gets good… you can apply the fat to your smallest debt. When you pay off that debt, apply the amount you were paying to that creditor to your next debt, creating a “snowball” effect. This method will help you pay off debt faster.
Spend your money wisely – and become an expert at distinguishing “needs” from “wants.”
Our clients have paid off MILLIONS of dollars in debt, using the trainings right here on DaniJohnson.com. If you FOCUS, and commit to the process, you will become financially independent.
[RELATED: 78% Of Americans Are Drowning In Debt – You DON’T Have To Be One Of Them]
If your business is failing…
…you’ve probably lost sight of your vision. Where is your focus? Are you focused exclusively making money?
When you chase money, it runs from you. Instead, shift your focus to helping other people succeed. Help your prospects get what they want, and the money will follow.
If you work with a split-focus, you can’t get results. First, relieve yourself of the distractions and pressure possibly clouding your vision, such as:
Decide how you will help just ONE person succeed today, and allocate your time with that SINGLE priority.
Let me tell you a little secret. If you hate your job, you’ll never make more money in your job!
Your mindset determines what you have in your life. Shift your focus from complaining and whining about your job, to instead focusing on filling needs within your company or client base.
What skills can you provide or learn to add value to your organization? How can you relieve the stress from your boss? How can you help your business succeed today?
Again, shift your focus away from the negative, and take action. Even better, find something you like about your boss or a coworker, and write them a thank you note or letter of encouragement.
What you focus on, you find. When you focus on positives – guess what – you find MORE positives! Your mind has the power to cultivate gratitude and happiness.
[RELATED: Want to stop dreading Monday mornings? Check this out.]
Your vision for your life is a total change in your mindset. You’ve moved away from a 98%-er mindset and adopted the 2%-er mindset.
Everything you do, you will now process through a filter in your brain: “Will what I’m about to do bring me closer to my dreams… or moving me further away from the life I want?”
Most Americans out there chase some vague idea of “The American Dream.” But society SOLD you a vision of how your life “SHOULD” look. And too many of us run ourselves into the ground chasing that version of success.
But success should be tailor-made, personally, for each of us. So if you’re struggling right now, feeling frustrated and dissatisfied, wondering if there is more to life…there is hope!
What if you could actually make more money, spend less time stressed out about work, cultivate amazing relationships and have a ton of FUN? I’ve worked with thousands and thousands of people who prove it is possible, and I’m sharing all the strategies I’ve learned along the way in my free book, First Steps To Wealth.
You’ll get the exact formula I followed that took me from homeless to millionaire in two years. Every success- and every failure- is right here in this book to help you get on the fast track to living a life you design specifically for you. Get your free copy right here.
What do you see in your life…your family…your job? Do you see dark clouds…or silver linings? You’ve got to TRAIN your mind to look for the good – you may have to look HARD, but it IS there…and you WILL find it!
“Time” magazine reports 3/4 of Americans, after filing their taxes, will receive refunds averaging $3000…and while this may seem like a huge relief for some people, for others it just looks like an epic shopping spree!