Dream Big Or Go Home

Part of the Rich and Happy formula involves ignoring most people. By that we don’t mean ignoring well intentioned and useful advice that can help you on your way to becoming Rich and Happy. After all, as we say in the book, we want you to ask for help and there’s precious little sense in doing that if you then ignore it.

I’m talking mainly about the kind of advice people can’t wait to offer when you’re telling them about your hopes and dreams. You know the type of person I mean,  the ones who are bursting with excitement to offer their feedback as you regale them with your life’s aspirations.

Unfortunately, they’re bursting with excitement to tell you why your idea is unrealistic, plain dumb or to offer you 101 ways in which it will fail by next Thursday.

The irony is those types of people are seldom rich and happy, but they seem to be experts on telling other people why they can’t be either.

As a Life Coach I’m not really in favor of negative motivation and by that I mean the desire to succeed solely to stick it to somebody else and prove your worth.

It’s ok for a short-term burst such as a football coach pinning a derogatory newspaper report on the locker room wall to inspire his players, but as a long-term source of motivation it’s draining and largely counter-productive.

In the least month two people have told me the Rich and Happy 1,000,000 giveaway is unrealistic and I need to scale it in. Really?

I’m not talking about friends or family members here either, I’m talking about people connected, albeit extremely loosely, with the project itself. People who know what’s involved and know it’s never been done before and can’t see past that.

They are looking to the past to predict the future.

Fortunately, the people that invented/developed TV, the combustion engine, open heart surgery, space travel, the Internet and any other amazing break through you care to consider, ignored most people. If they hadn’t we’d still by living in caves.

The FACT is, it’s not an unreasonable goal at all. It’s tough and it definitely fits into the BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) category, but so what?.

• It is possible to raise the $1m we need and it’s been done many times
• It is possible to print 1 million books
• It is possible to get the media support we need to pull it off
• It is possible to get charitable causes to approach us and ask for copies

None of those things are easy, but none of them are unrealistic either, so I’m choosing to ignore that advice and stay true to what I believe.

Believing in yourself doesn’t guarantee success, but not believing in yourself guarantees failure.

I bet you have some huge dreams. I bet if I told you that you could do or have whatever you wanted and there were no barriers to whatever it is, you’d aim really high.

So what’s holding you back?

Maybe you think they are just too big. Maybe you don’t share them with others for fear of ridicule. Maybe you think you’ll dare to dream big tomorrow once you have emptied your in-tray or that people like you don’t change the world.

Well guess what? They aren’t too big, it matters not a jot what others think, your in-tray will never be empty and people exactly like you change the world.

You change the world by going after what you want and what brings you alive. You set an example to others (especially kids by the way) that it’s ok to aim high, really high.

People think that by not having huge goals and dreams they will insulate themselves against the pain of failure. It doesn’t work like that because, the pain of a failed life is exponentially worse than the pain of a failed goal.

If we only give away 3,000 copies of How To Be Rich and Happy I will still consider it a success. Of course I want way more than that, but I’m having a shit load of fun by aiming high and I really don’t care what anybody else thinks, and neither should you.

“You have to think anyway, so why not think big?” – Donald Trump

1,000,000 Book Giveaway Update

The books are less than a month away from arriving and here’s what we have planned and if you can help us get this thing rolling we’d love to have you on board

How Can You Help?

Buy the book - Ok it’s a no-brainer I know, but from 26th April you will be able to pre-order a signed copy (or hopefully copies!) off the original print run. In the meantime the e-book version is still available, so no need to wait.

There are only going to be 4,000 in total and we’ll only have about 750 of those to to pre-sell and when they are gone that’s it.

In any event we will only run the pre-sale for a limited time, when that expires if there are any books left they will revert to what will be the normal retail of $25 and not be signed.

If you’re a friend or family member waiting to get your freebie, you’ll be waiting a long time. Get one bought, it’s only going to be $19.99 and that helps us buy another 15 or so books. I will be on your case!

Donate - If you don’t want the book but like what we are doing and want to support us, we’re happy to take donations via PayPal and every $1.40 or so helps us put the book in somebody’s hands.

Request books – We need great causes (initially only in the Orlando area until we get transport arranged) to give the books to. Ideally not in dribs and drabs and no less than about 100 at a time.

So if you work for such an organization or know somebody that does please spread the word and ask them to leave a comment here or contact me here.

Help with shipping – Do you know anybody that can help us ship the books for free or at a reduced rate. This is one cost we have to minimize or get sponsorship on. I’ve tried and got nowhere with FedEx, DHL and UPS, maybe you know somebody that knows somebody that can help?

That’s all I can think of for now, but if you think you can see areas where we are lacking please leave me a comment.