A goal of mine in 2008 was to write my first book by the end of the year. Well the date went from 12/31/08 to 1/1/09 and I still had not written my book yet. Then today I received a text message from one of my friends whom I had not had the chance to spend time with for a good while now. He invited me to spend the day with him at Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA.

Now normally I would have jumped at that opportunity and we would have had a great time, but then I think about the unfinished book, and I had to turn him down.

You see I could have gone, and put my book aside one more day, and had a lot of fun instead, but it is that kind of thinking that lead to the book not being finished in the first place. One of my most important goals in my eyes went unfinished because I would not sacrifice for it in the past, and that is a mistake that I will not make again.

We all have goals, and for the majority of the people, they are set around the new year and then not thought of again. One of the major reasons why so few people are able to accomplish their dreams is because they never sacrifice one part of their lives for the goal. Here are some examples of sacrifices in terms of goals:

• GOAL: Lose Weight
• SACRIFICE: Exercise and change diet
  
• GOAL: Make more money
• SACRIFICE: Spend less, create a plan
  
• GOAL: Fall in love
• SACRIFICE: Stop watching TV and leave the house

Do you see where I am going with this? If you want to change something in your life, you need to make room for it. Most people will say that they want to lose weight, yet their habits show otherwise. People want to make more money, yet continue to spend $5 a day at Starbucks.

So next time you have a goal that you want to accomplish, know that it will take a small sacrifice. But then again, if it’s not worth a little sacrifice, is it worth doing it in the first place?

Now even though I do not know how I will accomplish that goal, doesn’t mean that I haven’t been trying everything I know to get me there. Here are a few different avenues that I am exploring:

• This website (www.RohitRohila.com)
• Writing a book
• I am learning how to coach by working with my friends
• Sharing my goals/dreams with EVERYONE I meet
• Network Marketing
• Personal and Professional Networking
• much more

No one whom I’ve ever shared that dream with has questioned my passion. I bring this up for a very good reason, passion, strangely enough, maybe preventing you from accomplishing your dream.

When we are passionate about something, we become emotionally invested, and when this happens, our subconscious will do everything in its power, even if it means preventing you from ever starting the dream, to make certain that we do not fail at dreaming. Does that make sense?

If I say that “someday I will” or anything along those lines, then the possibility of me being able to accomplish those dreams will always exist, even if I never start. But if I do start, and I can’t do it, then that means that I failed. So most people, instead of ever trying, hold onto the hope that someday that may, even though someday will never come.

Passion can be a terrific igniter, or it can be the excuse that will always hold you back. Take control of your passion and imagine the feeling that you will get knowing that you tried, where most would not.

Starting Line

2009 is just a little over a month away and brings with a lot of excitement and opportunities. Some people will take advantage of these opportunities, while others, who believe that things “too good to be true” will let them simply pass by. Thousands of resolutions will be made to lose weight, stop smoking, etc and some will make those changes and discover their inner strengths, while others will soon forget about those resolutions in the first place. I am hoping to be among the few who see their promises through. I will soon be outlining the steps that I am taking to make certain that my goal of helping 10,000 people a month comes true.

So why wait, lets start working towards those goals right now. The following posts are a terrific starting point because these are amongst the most popular posts on this site:

• 8 Points to a Great Voicemail Greeting
• 6 Steps to Being the Life of the Party
• 3 Reasons You DON’T Set Goals
• 6 Effective Ways to Introduce People
• How to Breathe Properly

The Secret

So you have watched The Secret and figured, “Hey, why not give it a try and see if this stuff really works”. You try it for a few weeks, maybe even a month, and nothing happens. Your conclusion: “This stuff doesn’t work.”

So let’s take a look at some of the top 6 reasons that The Secret did not work for you:

1. You don’t really believe it will work: If you decide to “give it a try” you will fail because The Secret is not something you “try”, it is something that you have to believe with all of your heart to be true. This is perhaps the #1 reason why The Secret will not work for you. After watching the story about the man who always got an incredible parking spot because he believed he would, I decided it was time to do the same. I didn’t “hope” for a nice parking spot or “wish” for one or “see if I could” get one, I just knew that it would be there waiting for me. Now whenever I go shopping, I always park within the first 3 spots.
2. You expect immediate results: We live in a world of instant gratification where we want everything yesterday. That is why diets are so popular, because we want quick results. Say your goal is to weigh 10 pounds less. We do not want to hear that it will take consistent exercise, a regular healthy diet, and proper nutrition until it will work, we want to hear that we will be able to fit into those old jeans in a week. The Secret works the same way. You cannot just say you want to weigh 10 pounds less and be done with it; you have to imagine that you ALREADY are 10 pounds less. Look at pictures of yourself in which you are your ideal weight. Get so used to that picture that when you look into the mirror, it doesn’t look right, then go about fixing it. Sorry, no overnight success here.
3. Your expectations are not realistic- If your goal is to achieve an annual income of 1 million dollars within a year, it certainly is possible, but not so much if you are struggling to make $26,000 a year. Set goals that are realistic and achievable.
4. Your actions contradict your goals: You want to be able to run a mile, but sitting in front of your coach all day eating candy bars and soda will not help you get there. Your daily habits should reflect your goals, not contradict them.
5. Your goals are too generic: A perfect example of goals being too generic are the goals we call New Year’s Resolutions. We all want to lose weight, exercise more, stop smoking, but after a few weeks we are back to our old habits.  The problem lies in the breakdown of the goal, a step that most people never do. If your goal is to stop smoking, then break it down into smaller goals. Maybe you cut back a cigarette a week until your final cigarette in April. Goals need to be measurable.
6. You fail to realize an opportunity when it comes to you: Having your own business, being your own boss, setting your own hours, being in control of your life is something that we all dream of. A friend of yours has had some success in Network Marketing and invites you to an opportunity presentation, and without even giving it a thought, you politely decline, letting an incredibly chance to become an entrepreneur slip away. The failure to recognize and take advantage of an opportunity is worse than trying the opportunity and failing.

So if you have not had much luck with The Secret , check to see if maybe one of these 6 reasons are holding you back from the prosperity you deserve. For a complete breakdown on how to set goals, read an article I did earlier: How to Set SMART Goals.

Reaching for Goals

Since elementary school we are told that we should be setting goals, both Long-Term and Short-Term, and that is about the extent of the education that the majority of the population receives. Setting goals is the #1 way of achieving prosperity, yet 90% of the population doesn’t even set goals. So we have to wonder, if setting goals helps you become successful, why not set them?

There are 3 main reasons you justify not setting goals. Lets take a look at each of them:

1. You don’t know how: What is a short-term goal, or a long-term goal? What is a goal? So many questions, so many steps, if only there was an easy way to learn all this… like maybe using Google?!?!?!?
2. You are too lazy: You had to wake up early, work hard all day, you just want to come home and relax, maybe watch a little TV. Who needs to set goals, it just means more work, right?
3. You Sub-Conscious won’t let you: My favorite topic to write about, the sub-conscious. Your sub-conscious knows that you are lazy and so will try to talk you out of it by saying: “If I set this goal and I don’t accomplish it, we won’t feel too good, so lets just avoid it all together.”

Ok, so now you know why you are not setting goals, so there is only one thing to do now… SET A GOAL! There are two basic steps here they are:

Why You Should Write You Goals Down NOW!!!!
How To Set SMART Goals

An interesting thing happened to me this week. Earlier in the week I was telling one of my co-workers about my 10-year plan to become a multimillionaire. I told him how I was going to do it, the steps that I needed to take, the risks involved, everything. Sure there were a great many details I did not not, but when you have intention, the way will present itself.

A few days passed and as I was leaving, he was coming back from lunch with two other guys. One of the guys looks to me and says, “So Ro, I heard you are going to be a millionaire.” I looked him square in the eyes, and said “Within 10 years, yes I a millionaire.” All the guys looked at each other, smiled and said, “Alright, well good luck with that.” I said thank you for the support, and left.

Now I am no fool, I know that they were making fun of me, thinking that I’m crazy thinking that I’ll be able to live an abundant life, but that is exactly why I am happy. Lets take a look at some stats from Wikipedia about millionaires.:

Right off the bat, the likelihood of becoming a Millionaire is very slim. So what do the majority of the people in life do? They don’t even attempt it and give up hope of living an abundant life. Instead their lives are controlled by others who tell them how much money they can make, when they can go on vacation, how many kids they can have, what kind of car they will drive, and what type of house they will live in. They work hard for raises that will now let them afford a 50″ TV instead of a 46″.

The majority of the population never even gives any serious thought to the abundant life that they can have, that they deserve to have. So why would I want to be like that? Why, if I am given this incredible gift of life, would I not want to live in in the abundance that we all deserve. So if people do want to think that I am crazy for wanting to become a millionaire, then go right ahead, because by just thinking about it, I am already one step closer than the majority of the people out there.

Now 97% of the population follows a formula. My mentor Jerry “dRhino” Clark calls it the “Formula to Success” and I am more than positive everyone has heard of this formula before. In order to be success, simply follow these basic steps, and you too can retire rich and travel al over the world. Ready for the formula:

1. Go to College
2. Study Hard
3. Get a job
4. Work Hard
5. Become Middle Management
6. And retire at the age of 65

That sounds simple and we have all be taught that growing up, but why aren’t there more people who are living the dream? The answer is simple, it doesn’t work!

Now I want to be financially independent, and in order to get there, I am going to have to leave the Rat Race. And the number 1 way of doing that, do the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what everyone else is doing. When you hear the word “Risk”, what goes through your mind, heart, etc. I asked a few people working at a local retail store and these were the answers that I got back:

The thought of risk can only be based on assessing the situation and the gravity of the consequences.

I don’t take risks because you always gamble on loosing something. If I take a risk and it doesn’t work, I just lost.

The thought of taking a risk makes me nervous. Why risk losing something if I don’t have to.

I then asked a millionaire friend of mine who enjoys a 3-million dollar a year income the same question.

To live your life in abundance, you HAVE to take risks because that is the only way you are going to get ahead of everyone else. If everyone takes one step at a time, they move forward. Well what if instead of taking a step forward, I jump forward 2 spots? Anything can happen, I can fall down, I can lose my way. But I can also be ahead of everyone else. It’s by taking risks that got me and my wife out of the “Rat Race”.

I find it incredibly interesting that the average person associated Risk with Loss, while the successful person associated Risk with Gain. In all of my financial adventures when I am about to make an investment or start a new business, all of my friends have always discouraged me and tried to protect me from “taking a risk”. Well it has been through those risks that I have been able to enjoy a freer life than the same friends who did not want me to take the risk.

If you want to take a look at your financial forecast, take a look at your philosophies that are associated with the topic of Risk. This will give you great insight as to your future.

There is a phrase I always use about network marketing and it goes like this, “Anytime you aren’t where you want to be, hold up a mirror and there’s your blame.”

As a leader, you will hear many excuses as to why people can’t do the business or why they are struggling. They don’t have a strong upline, their downline isn’t doing anything, the company has too many products, the company doesn’t have enough products, the company’s business cards are the wrong color, the meetings start 10 minutes too late, etc.

When a member of my team tells me one of these reasons as to why they aren’t working towards their dreams, I always let them know that I can introduce them to 10 people who had worse circumstances than they do and they made it.

I have seen and heard of a lot of people making it in this business under tremendous circumstances. In a business centered around communication, I have seen deaf people make it. A person with no arms or legs. A homeless person. A single mom of 5 who owed over $1,000,000 to a hospital. The stories are out there and they are incredible. People, all over the world, are working very hard towards their dreams.

So the next time you are feeling low, you aren’t where you want to be, just hold up a mirror.

• How do I contact people?
• How do I advertise?
• Should I have a website?
• How do you follow-up?
• What do you say?
• How do you do things?

These are all great questions, but they are the wrong kinds of questions. All these questions do is get you used to asking how something is done… but not why. So why is it important to know why something is done instead of how? Have you ever been in a slump? A week or a month or two go by and you’ve made your Network Marketing business more of an afterthought? Holidays get in the way, vacations, etc.

When you stop working the business, it’s because you don’t understand what doing the business actually means. Say for example you ask a successful Cold Market Network Marketer (a Network Marketer who doing most of their business through cold market leads) how to approach people, well they won’t have the best advice because most of their contacts are people they’ve never met. Instead if you ask them how to gain trust over the phone with contacts, it changes everything. Now instead of having a simple few steps to follow, you understand the process.

Most people are afraid to ask for help because of their ego. If you do something all by yourself, without asking for any help, then you get all of the credit. You feel better about yourself and use that success to push yourself forward. Another reason is people feel weak when they have to ask for help. But do you think Bill Gates did it all by himself, or do you think he asked a few people for help along the way? Do you think Bill Gates is weak? See my point?

Another thing happens when you ask someone for help, they feel better about themselves. So not only do you gain knowledge about the process of why something works, but you help those around you. Most people will not ask for help. They would rather go down, fail, than to ask for help. Take the necessary steps right now to help your business by asking someone for help.

• Go to the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Visit the countryside in Italy
• Donate money to charities
• Start a scholarship in my family’s name
• Build a state of the art home theater

There were so many dreams that I had. But the thing is, I never really worked towards those dreams. I almost expected someone to drop these things in my lap just because I was a nice guy. After watching this video, after seeing the dreams that many people had, I realized I owe it to myself to work towards those dreams. I hope that you also have a moving moment after watching this video. I would love to hear your thoughts, please let me know.