KING OF SALES, The author of seventeen best-selling books including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His live coaching program, Sales Mastery, is available at gitomer.me.

The Secret Formula for Personal Achievement is Yours.

“Going for the gold” is wrong. Being the best you can be in order to earn the gold, or get the gold is a surer path to success. What path are you on?

Are you the best at what you do?

Everyone wants success, but very few achieve the success they dream about. I’m on my journey just like you. In the process of studying, I came to a realization about personal achievement.

Last week and this, I’m sharing a personal achievement (secret) formula I accidentally uncovered. Discovering the formula was an accident but there are very few accidentally fulfilled people. Success, achievement, and fulfillment are on purpose. The principles successful people execute and live by are the basis (foundation) for their success. I’m presenting the elements I discovered so that you may compare them to ones you execute on your own journey.

It’s most interesting to me that the people who have “big money” as their ultimate goal, rarely attain it. And those who have “being the best at what they do” or “love what they do,” almost always attain financial security. Why? They execute the elements of personal achievement.

The six elements are:

1. Vision.
2. Love.
3. Best.
4. Attitude.
5. Personal.
6. Student.

Having a personal vision, loving what you do, and striving to be your best were discussed last week, and then I ran out of room. Striving to be the best was revealed as the most powerful element, but unless you couple it with a personal vision to see the big picture, and a love of what you do, you will never achieve best.

The rest of the elements are:

• Attitude. Many people cheat themselves out of achievement and success by having the wrong attitude (element four). Ever hear anyone say, “they don’t pay me enough to…” Ever think it or say it yourself? Those are six words that will keep you mediocre. Don’t make the mistake of failing to be your best or do your best because someone isn’t paying you. Who are you cheating? Achievement is not about money achievement is about best. If you don’t think they pay you enough, ask yourself what you’re worth.Having the right attitude about money will make it happen faster than wanting lots of it.
• Personal. So much has been written about goals that it has caused those dedicated to personal achievement to moan at the thought of another seminar on “Goal Setting and Achievement”. It’s not a matter of goals or no goals. Goals are a prerequisite for success the question is what kind of goals? The secret of goals is to make them personal (element five) not material. Make goals about you, not about it.Which is a more powerful driving force to make your monthly quota, or be the best at sales? If you goal yourself to be the best the quota automatically is achieved.The other aspect of personal is athletic based. Athletes are always striving to achieve personal best. Not to beat everyone else (although that’s a great accomplishment), just to beat their previous personal best. That keeps them going. It can keep you going to.
• Student. I got clear vision in a Jim Rohn seminar. He said, “whatever you want, study it first. If you want to be a doctor, study medicine, if you want to be a success, hang around successful people and study success.” Rohn says, “Be a student (element six) first. And always be a student. Not just a father, a student father. Not a teacher, a student teacher.” Wow, what a powerful piece of advice.

From the day I learned my first sales technique (January, 1972) I wanted to be the best at sales. I’ve been studying sales for 25 years. That’s why it’s working for me. I’m not saying that’s how it works. I am saying that’s how it works for me. Follow the advice of Jim Rohn be a student first. With all my heart, that’s how I believe it will work for you.

In the seminars I do, the best audience comment I get is, “Jeffrey loves what he does, and it shows.” If you love what you do, people will say it’s in your blood. And that blood of toil begins to manifest itself in your bank account.

Last week I was watching the musician Kenny G being interviewed on CNN. They asked him what drove him to his phenomenal success. He said, “I never wished for fame and fortune. When I found out I liked to play the saxophone, I just wanted to be the best. The rest just showed up.” Cool.

And the real cool part is if you think that being your best and doing your best is just a bunch of baloney, don’t worry, this information doesn’t apply to you. It only applies to those who will pass you.