Who is John Galt?
First things first:
Where am I?
Do we live in a universe that is run by?
A. Natural Law
B. Incomprehensible chaos
If a person believes that he live in a world of natural laws he believes that there are absolutes. That if he performs certain actions, certain results will follow. On the other hand if he believes in incomprehensible chaos, he believes that luck or miracles are the contributing factors that determine success or failure.
Can we achieve certainty (YES) or are we doomed to perpetual doubt?
Knowledge – How do you acquire it? The number one way to acquire it is through experience. You can either learn through your experience or others experience. However, if experience is not validated, there is no learning.
Decision making funnel – By getting to the cause of the problem you are more likely to solve the problem. The further out you get in the funnel the less likely it is that you actually are dealing with the cause. If you aren’t dealing with the cause, you will have to make another decision, using up valuable time and increasing frustration.
The three cardinal values:
Reason Purpose Self-Esteem
Their corresponding virtues:
Rationality Productiveness Pride
Rationality- independent judgment, reason is the only source of knowledge, never desire effects w/o causes.
Productiveness – creativeness, ambition, self assertiveness- wanting to reshape the earth in your own values.
Pride – never resign passively to any flaws in one’s character, never place any concern, wish, fear or mood of the moment above the reality of one’s self – esteem.
The most important guide in your life is your independent judgment.
What should you do?
What you do is decided by ethics. Everyone has ethics; they may not be conscious of them but they have them. The choice we all have is whether we want to be conscious of what dictates our choices or do we want to be unconscious of our ethics.
By changing attitudes and behaviors you can get incremental progress but once you understand your life and your role in it (a philosophy) you can make a quantum leap. (The Get IT)
Two questions to ask yourself – What can be done? How can things be improved?
Remember:
You create your own reality
You prove your beliefs to yourself
Behavior follows belief
Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.
Why you want to be conscious of your thoughts:
Thoughts are things/Your thoughts control your life
We become what we think about all day long
Your life is the result of your thoughts; you are the sum total of your thoughts to this point in your life.
Thoughts held in the mind produce results after their kind.
Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve
How it usually is:
1. Personal Growth
2. Mastery
3. Activity
How it should be:
1. Activity
2. Mastery
3. Personal Growth
Most people like to concentrate on the learning as opposed to the doing. This needs to be reversed in most cases. Another important thing to remember is that by concentrating on Activity you will usually obtain the other two.
A fundamental technique when dealing with people:
What vs. Why – The "what" is the particular attitude or behavior a person is exhibiting. By concentrating on the what you can only receive marginally better results. The why is their philosophy. By dealing with that you can get a quantum leap.
To handle complex issues you must categorize. Sorting and labeling is what our brain does first.
Always ask the divergent question. If you really care you will ask. Challenge people to a new way of doing things.
Principles in a business plan
1. Development of a definiteness of purpose:
a. Have no use for being life’s in-between
b. Have to have a burning desire
ii. Definiteness of purpose forces;
-Specialization
-Alerts you to opportunity
-Decision making process and capability
2.Establish a mastermind with like-minded people or a person.
3. Assemble a growth personality
a. Be optimistic
b. Flexibility
c. Have sincerity of purpose
d. Promptness of decision
e. Courtesy
f. Tact and word usage
g. Control your emotions
h. Develop the Habit of smiling, facial expressions, tone of voice
i. Tolerance
j. Frankness of speech
k. Sense of humor
l. Faith in intelligence
m. Sense of justice
n. Effective speech
o. Alert to interest
p. Versatility
q. Fondness for people
r. Humility
s. Love of life
t. Uncanny curiosity
4.Initiative
a. Take necessary action for definite purpose.
b. Discipline to act in consistent pursuit of that purpose- Continuous means there is no break in you pursuit.
c. Self – Reliance
d. Persistence
e. Imagination
f. Prompt decision making
g. Facts are basis for decisions
h. Go the extra mile
i. Capacity to generate enthusiasm and control it
j. Sense of detail – must have detail if you want to strategize
k. Capacity to listen to criticism
Thinking Accurately:
1. Separate facts from opinions, fiction, unproved hypotheses, and hearsay. Stay out of the gossip circles.
2. Separate facts into two categories:
i. Hearsay
ii. Facts – unsubstantiated, substantiated
What philosophy do I have in my business plan?
>>> A plan designed to push today beyond where yesterday ended<<<
Traits of the moneymakers:
Be an originator and innovator
What was good enough yesterday will not be good enough today!
Make and take your own chances
Set trends and take calculated risks – assuming full responsibility for those actions
Be committed to a maximum of effort everyday
Traits of Quantum Performers:
High level of trust in themselves
Eat mostly fruits and vegetables, little or no salt, sugar
Associates only with positive people
They avoid repetitious activity; they only do creative work that stretches them
Flexible work schedule
They take time to study, learn, and take classes and seminars
Personal goals that are written to keep them on target
They are early birds, they make early morning accomplishments
They have many psychological advisors and use them often
Quite often, they just sit and think.
Notes on Michael Milken
Extremely intense
Did the work of 40 people
Worked 18 hour days
Impeccable handwriting
Knew everything that was going on in his firm
Knew he was right
Had complete confidence in himself
All that mattered was the bottom line
He wanted to do something truly amazing
On being a leader
Questions to ask: What needs to be done?
What can and should I do to make a difference?
A belief in oneself: To step into the unknown and encourage others to do the same.
Passion for the job: provide energy and focus that drive the organization
Love of people
Hierarchy of needs:
1.Self Actualization-What a man or woman can be, he or she must be.
“A desire to be actualized”
2.Esteem- self-confidence, worth, strength, and adequacy
3.Social-love
4.Safety-void of physical harm
5.Physiological- life, food etc.
Have a clear idea of your outcome in any situation; know what you want.
Imagine the outcome as specifically as possible. Who, what, where, when and how
