Champions are Optimists
A family had twin boys whose only resemblance to each other was in their looks. They were opposites in every other way. If one felt it was too hot, the other thought it was too cold. If one said the TV was too loud, the other claimed the volume needed to be turned up. While one was an eternal optimist, the other a doom and gloom pessimist. Just to see what would happen on the twins’ birthday their father loaded the pessimist’s room with every imaginable toy and game.
The optimist’s room he loaded with horse manure. That night the father passed by the pessimist’s room and found him sitting among his new gifts crying bitterly. “Why are you crying?” the father asked. “Because my friends will be jealous, I’ll have to read all these instructions before I can do anything with this stuff, I’ll constantly need new batteries, and my toys will eventually get broken,” replied the pessimistic child. Passing the optimist fellow’s room, the father found him dancing with joy in the pile of manure. “What are you so happy about?” he asked. To which his optimistic son replied, “There’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”
This is the basic difference between ordinary people and champions. Millionaires, who are champions in the game of money, always see the brighter side and the possibility for growth in a situation, while ordinary men, who never really grow, can see only the difficulties. Of course in life we always face hurdles and obstacles, but it is the winners who never see the obstacles first. They see potential and all the possibilities which may unfold.
Winners and millionaires go ahead and take calculated risks. Losers shrink away from risks. Moreover, losers think they know everything. From childhood they have been programmed in such a way that something stops them whenever they face a situation that involves taking a risk. “Start a big business? Take a large loan? Oops! That’s so risky! Let me first try it with a small sum. If it succeeds, then I’ll try to think with a bigger amount.” This is the mentality of 90% of the people. They prefer to remain small. Of course taking a risk does not mean taking a plunge in the dark. By risks, I mean calculated risks. There are scientifically prepared project reports which can tell you exactly how much risk you would be taking for a particular new venture.
Opportunities in life knock on our door only once. If you do not respond, it goes over to the next door and knocks there. Whoever opens the door first will be greeted by good fortune. This means you have to be prompt in taking advantage of an opportunity. If you delay, someone else will take advantage of it and become the winner. If you try and think back, you will be able to remember many situations where you have missed good opportunities because you didn’t act fast enough. Why did you miss them? A number of them were probably missed because you were hesitant to take the risk. Your hesitation delayed you, so you missed the bus. Your hesitation is a result of your lack of optimism. You had been trying to figure out in advance the problems might face if you went ahead. Seeing the same piece of vast barren land, an optimist with a winning spirit will dream of turning it into heaven on earth, while a pessimist with a loser’s line of thought will think, “What will I do with this enormous piece of waste?” All the difficulties of developing and promoting it will flash in his mind first.
Why do difficulties discourage most ordinary men? Simple – because of the fear associated with them. Champions are able to overcome this fear. But the majority of ordinary men are overwhelmed by fear. One thing is sure – getting rich is not a piece of cake. If you choose to take the easy path, it will be more difficult to reach your goal of being rich. But the harder you work and the more challenges you face, the quicker will be your climb towards the millionaire’s hot seat. This is an eternal rule in life. It is similar to the rules of most computer and video games. If you choose to play at easier levels, challenges will be simpler and the scoring slower. But if you have the spirit of a champion and are optimistic about facing challenges, you will probably choose a harder level, where scoring is faster. If you compare your actual earnings to the scoring pattern of computer and video games, you can understand in a flash that the easier level you choose, the slower you earn. The more difficult the levels you opt for, the quicker you earn.
Everyone wants to be rich but is afraid to put in the effort to reach the destination. As I mentioned earlier, these fears originate from the difficulties and obstacles that might be faced. What people really look forward to is a comfortable lifestyle. Now if you ask me I’d say there is a lot of difference between being financially comfortable and being rich. Being comfortable is no doubt better than leading a life of poverty, which is mainly struggles, quarrels over money matters and lack of financial freedom. But being rich is absolutely different. Eating half a meal is better than starving, but then why should you be happy with half a meal when you have the potential to earn and eat a full meal? What really happens is that when you are starving, you crave for a full meal. But once you get the taste of half a meal, you feel ‘comfortable’ and your desire to eat a full meal dies out. Comfort is wicked. It kills your aspirations to grow really big. Once you rise to the level of a comfortable lifestyle and are able to go out on a holiday or two, you get into the comfort zone and your dreams of being a millionaire change. You cut your dreams short and size them to fit your comfortable lifestyle, and console yourself by saying, “This was the life I had dreams of and I have now achieved my dream.” Needless to say, you will grow no more. Human beings are lazy by nature, and laziness turns ordinary men away from challenges. Thus when people have able to achieve comfort, they stop their race there. They think it is the finishing line, while the reality is that it is only the halfway mark. Comfort is like a mirage in the desert. You believe you have reached your goal, but the real goal is still further away. But before you shrink away from the discomfort of challenges and difficulties, ponder over this – Discomfort becomes comfortable if you get used to it. Facing obstacles is a part of life and should not discomfort you anymore. So, pull up your socks!
This is the basic difference between ordinary people and champions. Millionaires, who are champions in the game of money, always see the brighter side and the possibility for growth in a situation, while ordinary men, who never really grow, can see only the difficulties. Of course in life we always face hurdles and obstacles, but it is the winners who never see the obstacles first. They see potential and all the possibilities which may unfold.
Winners and millionaires go ahead and take calculated risks. Losers shrink away from risks. Moreover, losers think they know everything. From childhood they have been programmed in such a way that something stops them whenever they face a situation that involves taking a risk. “Start a big business? Take a large loan? Oops! That’s so risky! Let me first try it with a small sum. If it succeeds, then I’ll try to think with a bigger amount.” This is the mentality of 90% of the people. They prefer to remain small. Of course taking a risk does not mean taking a plunge in the dark. By risks, I mean calculated risks. There are scientifically prepared project reports which can tell you exactly how much risk you would be taking for a particular new venture.
Opportunities in life knock on our door only once. If you do not respond, it goes over to the next door and knocks there. Whoever opens the door first will be greeted by good fortune. This means you have to be prompt in taking advantage of an opportunity. If you delay, someone else will take advantage of it and become the winner. If you try and think back, you will be able to remember many situations where you have missed good opportunities because you didn’t act fast enough. Why did you miss them? A number of them were probably missed because you were hesitant to take the risk. Your hesitation delayed you, so you missed the bus. Your hesitation is a result of your lack of optimism. You had been trying to figure out in advance the problems might face if you went ahead. Seeing the same piece of vast barren land, an optimist with a winning spirit will dream of turning it into heaven on earth, while a pessimist with a loser’s line of thought will think, “What will I do with this enormous piece of waste?” All the difficulties of developing and promoting it will flash in his mind first.
Why do difficulties discourage most ordinary men? Simple – because of the fear associated with them. Champions are able to overcome this fear. But the majority of ordinary men are overwhelmed by fear. One thing is sure – getting rich is not a piece of cake. If you choose to take the easy path, it will be more difficult to reach your goal of being rich. But the harder you work and the more challenges you face, the quicker will be your climb towards the millionaire’s hot seat. This is an eternal rule in life. It is similar to the rules of most computer and video games. If you choose to play at easier levels, challenges will be simpler and the scoring slower. But if you have the spirit of a champion and are optimistic about facing challenges, you will probably choose a harder level, where scoring is faster. If you compare your actual earnings to the scoring pattern of computer and video games, you can understand in a flash that the easier level you choose, the slower you earn. The more difficult the levels you opt for, the quicker you earn.
Everyone wants to be rich but is afraid to put in the effort to reach the destination. As I mentioned earlier, these fears originate from the difficulties and obstacles that might be faced. What people really look forward to is a comfortable lifestyle. Now if you ask me I’d say there is a lot of difference between being financially comfortable and being rich. Being comfortable is no doubt better than leading a life of poverty, which is mainly struggles, quarrels over money matters and lack of financial freedom. But being rich is absolutely different. Eating half a meal is better than starving, but then why should you be happy with half a meal when you have the potential to earn and eat a full meal? What really happens is that when you are starving, you crave for a full meal. But once you get the taste of half a meal, you feel ‘comfortable’ and your desire to eat a full meal dies out. Comfort is wicked. It kills your aspirations to grow really big. Once you rise to the level of a comfortable lifestyle and are able to go out on a holiday or two, you get into the comfort zone and your dreams of being a millionaire change. You cut your dreams short and size them to fit your comfortable lifestyle, and console yourself by saying, “This was the life I had dreams of and I have now achieved my dream.” Needless to say, you will grow no more. Human beings are lazy by nature, and laziness turns ordinary men away from challenges. Thus when people have able to achieve comfort, they stop their race there. They think it is the finishing line, while the reality is that it is only the halfway mark. Comfort is like a mirage in the desert. You believe you have reached your goal, but the real goal is still further away. But before you shrink away from the discomfort of challenges and difficulties, ponder over this – Discomfort becomes comfortable if you get used to it. Facing obstacles is a part of life and should not discomfort you anymore. So, pull up your socks!
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