The Ten Times Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure Read online

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Introduction

  Chapter 1: What Is the 10X Rule?

  Chapter 2: Why the 10X Rule Is Vital

  Chapter 3: What Is Success?

  Success Is Important

  Chapter 4: Success Is Your Duty

  Quit Lying to Yourself

  Chapter 5: There Is No Shortage of Success

  Chapter 6: Assume Control for Everything

  Chapter 7: Four Degrees of Action

  The First Degree of Action

  The Second Degree of Action

  The Third Degree of Action

  The Fourth Degree: Massive Action

  Chapter 8: Average Is a Failing Formula

  Chapter 9: 10X Goals

  Chapter 10: Competition Is for Sissies

  Chapter 11: Breaking Out of the Middle Class

  The Incomes of the Middle Class

  Chapter 12: Obsession Isn't a Disease; It's a Gift

  Chapter 13: Go “All In” and Overcommit

  Chapter 14: Expand—Never Contract

  Chapter 15: Burn the Place Down

  Chapter 16: Fear Is the Great Indicator

  Chapter 17: The Myth of Time Management

  Chapter 18: Criticism Is a Sign of Success

  Chapter 19: Customer Satisfaction Is the Wrong Target

  Chapter 20: Omnipresence

  Chapter 21: Excuses

  Chapter 22: Successful or Unsuccessful?

  1. Have a “Can Do” Attitude

  2. Believe That “I Will Figure It Out”

  3. Focus on Opportunity

  4. Love Challenges

  5. Seek to Solve Problems

  6. Persist until Successful

  7. Take Risks

  8. Be Unreasonable

  9. Be Dangerous

  10. Create Wealth

  11. Readily Take Action

  12. Always Say “Yes”

  13. Habitually Commit

  14. Go All the Way

  15. Focus on “Now”

  16. Demonstrate Courage

  17. Embrace Change

  18. Determine and Take the Right Approach

  19. Break Traditional Ideas

  20. Be Goal-Oriented

  21. Be on a Mission

  22. Have a High Level of Motivation

  23. Be Interested in Results

  24. Have Big Goals and Dreams

  25. Create Your Own Reality

  26. Commit First—Figure Out Later

  27. Be Highly Ethical

  28. Be Interested in the Group

  29. Be Dedicated to Continuous Learning

  30. Be Uncomfortable

  31. “Reach Up” in Relationships

  32. Be Disciplined

  Chapter 23: Getting Started with 10X

  Glossary

  About the Author

  Index

  Copyright © 2011 by Grant Cardone. All rights reserved.

  Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

  Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

  Cardone, Grant.

  The ten times rule: the only difference between success and failure / Grant Cardone.

  p. cm.

  Includes index.

  ISBN 978-0-470-62760-0 (cloth)

  ISBN 978-1-118-06406-1 (ebk)

  ISBN 978-1-118-06407-8 (ebk)

  ISBN 978-1-118-06408-5 (ebk)

  1. Success in business. 2. Success. I. Title. HF5386.C2543 2011 650.1—dc22

  2010052153

  “Anyone that suggests to me to do less is either not a real friend or very confused!”

  —Grant Cardone

  Introduction

  You've probably picked up this book and wondered, what exactly is this 10X Rule? And how will it help me?

  The 10X Rule is the Holy Grail for those who desire success. Seriously, if there is an end all, be all—then this is it! The 10X Rule establishes right levels of actions and thinking that guarantee success and ensure that you'll continue operating at these levels throughout your life and career. The 10X Rule will even dissolve fears, increase your courage and belief in yourself, eliminate procrastination and insecurities, and provide you with a sense of purpose that will revitalize your life, dreams, and goals.

  The 10X Rule is the single principle that all top achievers are using in the most flourishing areas of their lives. Regardless of how you define success, this book will show you how to guarantee the attainment of it—with any dream and in any economy. The first thing that has to happen is for you to adjust your thinking to 10X levels and your actions to 10X quantities. I will show you how 10X thoughts and actions will make life easier and more fun and will provide you with more time. After spending a lifetime studying success, I believe the 10X Rule to be the one ingredient that all successful people know and use in order to create the lives they desire.

  The 10X Rule will show you how to define the correct goals, accurately estimate the effort needed, discern how to approach your projects with the right frame of mind, and then determine exactly how much action to take. You will see why success is guaranteed when you operate within the parameters of the 10X Rule, and you will finally understand the single reason why most people never achieve success. You will discover for the first time the mistake people make when setting goals that, when done, single-handedly destroys any chance of those goals becoming reality. You will also learn how to figure out the precise right amount of effort necessary to accomplish any goal—of any size. Finally, I will show you how to make it a habit and a discipline to operate at 10X levels. And
trust me—once you are doing so, success won't just be guaranteed; it will continue to perpetuate itself, literally producing more—and virtually unstoppable—triumphs.

  The 10X Rule is a discipline—not an education, gift, talent, or good fortune. It doesn't require some special personality trait; it's available to anyone who wants to employ it. The 10X Rule will cost you nothing and gain you everything you have ever wanted. It is the way that individuals and organizations should approach the creation and attainment of all goals. I will show you how to make the 10X Rule a way of life and the only way to handle projects. It will allow you to stand out among your peers and the industry in which you work. It will cause others to see you as almost superhuman and extraordinary in your actions and your commitment to success. They will recognize your status as a role model—not just in terms of professional achievement but how to live life to its fullest.

  The 10X Rule simplifies and demystifies the phenomenon of what success is and what it takes to be successful. Personally, the biggest mistake I've made is failing to set my targets high enough—in both personal and professional aspects of my life. It takes the same amount of energy to have a great marriage as it does an average one, just as it takes the same amount of energy and effort to make $10 million as it does $10,000. Sound crazy? It's not—and you'll see this when you start operating at 10X levels. Your goals will change, and the actions you take will finally start to match who you really are and what you are really capable of doing. You will start taking action(s), follow by more action(s)—and will achieve what you've set out to do, regardless of the conditions and situations you face. The single most important contributor to the success I have created in my own life came as a result of operating with the 10X Rule.

  These concepts of goal setting, target attainment, and taking action are not taught in schools, management classes, leadership training, or a weekend conference at the Four Seasons. No formula exists—at least that I could find in any book—that determines the correct estimation of effort. Talk to any CEO or business owner and he or she will tell you that sufficient levels of motivation, work ethic, and follow-up are clearly in shortage today.

  Whether your goal is to improve the planet's social conditions or to build the most profitable company in the world, you will be required to use 10X think and actions to get there. It isn't a matter of education, talent, connections, personality, lucky breaks, money, technology, being in the right industry, or even being in the right place at the right time. In every case in which someone has created massive levels of success—be it a philanthropist, entrepreneur, politician, change-agent, athlete, or movie producer—I guarantee that he or she was operating using the 10X Rule during his or her ascent and attainment of success.

  Another component that's required for success is the ability to estimate the right amount of effort necessary for you—and your team—to achieve a goal. By using the exact level of effort necessary, you will guarantee achievement of these objectives. Everyone knows how important it is to set goals; however, most people fail to do so because they underestimate the amount of action necessary to accomplish that goal. Setting the right targets, estimating the mandatory effort, and operating at the right level of action(s) are the only things that will guarantee success—and that will allow you to blast through business clichés, competition, client resistance, economic challenges, risk aversion, and even fear of failure while taking concrete steps to reach your dreams.

  The 10X Rule will ensure your success regardless of your talent, education, financial situation, organizational skills, time management, the industry you are in, or the amount of luck you have. Use this book as though your life and your dreams depend on it, and you will learn to operate at new and higher levels than you ever thought possible!

  Chapter 1

  What Is the 10X Rule?

  The 10X Rule is the one thing that will guarantee that you will get what you want in amounts greater than you ever thought imaginable. It can work in every area of life—spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, familial, and financial. The 10X Rule is based on understanding how much effort and thought are required to get anything done successfully. Chances are that if you look back over your life, you'll see that you have wildly underestimated both the actions and reasoning necessary to accomplish any endeavor to the point where it could be labeled successful. Although I myself have done well in the first part of the 10X Rule—assessing the level of effort necessary to realize a goal—I failed the second part of the 10X Rule: adjusting my thinking so that I dare to dream at levels previously unimaginable. I will discuss both facets in detail.

  I have been studying success for the better part of three decades and have found that although there is much agreement about goal setting, discipline, persistence, focus, time management, leveraging through good people, and networking, I've never been clear on that one thing that really makes the difference. I have been asked hundreds of times in seminars and interviews, “What is that one quality/action/mind-set that will ensure a person creates extraordinary success?” This question has nagged me to understand if there was one thing in my own life that made a difference: “What one thing have I done that made the biggest difference?” I don't have some gene that others are missing, and I definitely haven't been lucky. I was not connected to the “right” people, and I didn't go to some blue-blood school. So what was it that made me successful?

  As I look back over my life, I see that the one thing that was most consistent with any success I've achieved was that I always put forth 10 times the amount of activity that others did. For every sales presentation, phone call, or appointment others made, I was making 10 of each. When I started buying real estate, I looked at 10 times more properties than I could buy and then made offers to ensure that I was able to buy what I wanted at the price I desired. I have approached all my business enterprises with massive action; that has been the single biggest determining factor in any success I have created. I was a complete unknown when I built my first company without a business plan. I had zero know-how or connections, and the only money I had was generated by new sales. However, I was able to build a sound, viable business just by utilizing and operating at activity levels far beyond what others considered reasonable. I made a name for myself—and literally changed an industry as a result.

  Let me be clear here: I do not think that I've created extraordinary levels of success, nor do I think I have tapped into my full potential. I am completely aware that there are many people who are many times more successful—at least financially—than me. Although I am not Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs, or one of the founders of Facebook or Google, I have created multiple companies from scratch that have allowed me to have an overall enjoyable lifestyle. The reason why I didn't create extraordinary levels of financial success is because I violated the second part of the 10X Rule: the 10X way of thinking. That would be my only regret: failing to approach my life with the right mind-set. I would have actually set targets that were 10 times what I had dreamed of in the beginning. But, like you, I am working on it now—and I still have a few years to correct this.

  I mention the notion of creating “extraordinary levels” of success time and again throughout this book. Extraordinary by definition means anything outside the realm of what most normal people can and do achieve. And of course that definition would then depend on with whom or what class of success you are comparing yourself. Before you say, “I don't need extraordinary levels of success” or “success is not everything” or “I just want to be happy” or whatever else you may be mumbling to yourself at this very moment, understand something: in order to get to the next level of whatever you're doing, you must think and act in a wildly different way than you previously have been. You cannot get to the next phase of a project without a grander mind-set, more acceleration, and extra horsepower. Your thoughts and actions are the reasons why you are where you are right now. So it would be reasonable to be suspect of both!

  Let's say you have a job but no saving
s and want to have another $1,000 a month coming in. Or perhaps you currently have $20,000 in the bank and want to save $1 million or that your company is doing $1 million a year in sales and you want to get to $100 million. Maybe you need to find a job, lose 40 pounds, or find the right partner. Although these scenarios cover different areas of your life, they all have one thing in common: the person who desires them is not there yet. Each of these goals is valuable, and each will require a different way of conceptualizing and acting upon them in order to attain them. All of them can be defined as extraordinary if they exceed what you have come to know as ordinary. While it might not be “exceptional” compared with what others are seeking, the goal you set should always move you to a better place—or toward an objective you've not yet achieved.