Think and Grow Rich

Chapter 18 Careful Planning: The Specific Process of Turning Desires into Actions (3)
We all remember the days when the guy checking the gas meter would knock on the door with enough force that it could almost shatter glass.The moment the door was opened, he would go straight in, with a stern face as if to say, "Why did you make me wait so long to open the door?" Everything was changing.Now, the meter checker has become a "willing to help you" gentleman.Before the gas company realizes that its stern-faced meter-checker is accumulating debts that will never be paid off, the polite salesman of the oil plant has appeared to customers and made the company prosper.

During the Depression, I lived in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania for several months, mainly researching the causes of the decline of the coal industry.Among many important findings, the greed of operators and their employees is the main reason for the decline of business and the main reason for the unemployment of miners.Under the pressure of the overzealous labor leaders who represented all the employed, and the greed of the operators for profit, the anthracite business declined rapidly.Coal operators and their employees bargained with each other in order to protect their own interests, which eventually led to driving up coal prices.Eventually, however, they found themselves providing lucrative business to manufacturers of fuel oil equipment and producers and marketers of crude oil.

Many people have read the sentence "the retribution of sin is death" in the "Bible", but few people can find the meaning in it.The whole world has been subject to force for several years so far, but in evangelical terms this might be called karma, "Whatever cause a man sows, he reaps the fruit."

Nothing was more widespread and effective than the Great Depression, and it couldn't have been more of a "coincidence."There must be hidden reasons behind the recession.More importantly, the cause of the economic depression is directly derived from the habit of people all over the world to try to "get something for nothing".

This should not be misunderstood to mean that the Great Depression represented the result of a world forced by force to get something for nothing.The real problem is that the wrong seeds are being sown all over the world.Any old man knows that he cannot reap grain by sowing thistles.At the outbreak of World War I, people all over the world began to sow the seeds of services that were inadequate in quantity and quality.Almost everyone throws themselves into the fun of trying to get something for nothing.

The purpose of raising these phenomena is to draw attention to those who intend to sell personal services. The reason why we are in the current environment, and the reason we are still trapped in the current identity, is solely because of our own behavior!If causal principles do exist, the same laws of causality that govern commerce, finance, and transportation govern individuals and determine their economic status.

Your "QQS" level

We have clearly described the reasons for the success of selling self-service efficiently and durably.No one can effectively and permanently market personal services without studying, analyzing, understanding and applying those reasons.Everyone has to do a good job of self-promotion, the quality, quantity and spirit of service you provide will largely determine the salary and length of employment you get.In order to effectively promote personal services (that is, stable and long-term work in a pleasant working environment and satisfactory remuneration), it is necessary to adopt and follow the "QQS" formula-that is, quality (Quality), quantity (Quantity), plus appropriate The spirit of cooperation (Spirit), together is the perfect service sales model.Keep this QQS formula in mind and take it one step further until it becomes a habit!
In order to ensure that the meaning of this formula is fully understood, let's analyze it in detail:
1. Service quality should be understood as, with the goal of always pursuing higher efficiency, completing various details related to your position in the most effective way.

2. The number of services should be understood as a habit of providing as much service as possible at any time, with the purpose of cultivating more advanced skills through practice and experience to increase the number of services.Here again the importance of habit is emphasized.

3. The spirit of service should be understood as a pleasant and harmonious behavior habit, which can promote cooperation among colleagues and between superiors and subordinates.

Sufficient service quality and quantity are not enough to maintain a long-term sales service market for you.The act or spirit of your service is what determines the longevity of your paycheck and job.

Andrew Carnegie emphasized this point in his account of the elements of successful self-serving sales.He repeatedly emphasized the importance of living in harmony.He emphasized the fact that if an employee does not bring a harmonious spirit to his work, no matter how efficient his work may be and how large his workload may be, he will not be employed for long.Mr. Carnegie insisted that everyone be "nice and friendly."To demonstrate how much he valued this excellent quality, he has made many people rich who will live up to the requirements of this standard.And those who cannot do things according to this requirement can only give way to others.

We have already emphasized the importance of the pleasantness of personality, because this factor enables people to engage in service to others with the right spirit.If a person has a pleasant personality and serves the public with a harmonious spirit, these virtues often make up for the deficiencies in the quality and quantity of his service.Still, there's no substitute for pleasurable behavior.

Capital Value of Services

A man who earns his entire income from the sale of personal services is exactly the same as a merchant who sells goods, and not only that, but also follows the same rules as a merchant who sells goods.

We stress this point again and again because most people who sell self-service for a living mistakenly believe that they don't have to follow the same code of conduct and responsibilities that a businessman who sells goods should.New ways of marketing personal services have virtually forced employers and employees into partnerships in which both of them take into account the rights of third parties—the public they serve together.

The era of "take it" sales is over, replaced by "give" sales.The high-pressure way of business will eventually dissipate with the wind, and it will never come back, because the future business model is based on the behavior mode that does not require any pressure.

The actual value of the brain is determined by how much income you generate (by promoting personal services).For sound assessment, one's annual income represents only 6% of the capital's value.So multiplying your annual income by 16.66 should represent a reasonable capital value for your services.Money only accounts for 6% per year, which is far less than the value of the brain, which is usually worth much less.

If you can sell your "brain" effectively, it represents a form of capital that is worth more than the capital created by selling a commodity.Because the brain will never lose value because of a bad economy, and this capital will never be stolen, much less squandered.Moreover, unless combined with an intelligent brain, the capital necessary to run a business is worth nothing like gravel.

31 main reasons for failure

The greatest tragedy of life is that people try hard and fail again and again!Compared with the very few successful people, the tragedy is that the losers are the majority.

I've analyzed thousands of different types of people, and 98% of them were "losers."At the end of the day, there is something fundamentally wrong with the level of civilization and the education system that has brought so many people to the same destination.However, the purpose of my writing this book is not to discuss right and wrong in today's world.To clarify this issue, it is estimated that it will take a long speech.

Numerous analyzes have shown that there are 31 reasons why most people fail in life, while another 13 principles can help people accumulate wealth.In this chapter, we will elaborate on the 31 main causes of failure.Read them carefully, and check against yourself one by one to find out the failure factors that hinder your success.

1. Undesirable genetics.If the brain is born with an intellectual deficit, there is little that can be done to remedy it.This kind of thinking provides the only way to make up for the shortcomings - with the help of "brain trust".On the plus side, however, this is the only flaw among the 31 reasons for failure that cannot be easily corrected.

2. Lack of clear goals in life.He who strives and strives without a central purpose or definite purpose has no hope of success.Of the people I have analyzed, 98% fall into this category, and perhaps this is the main reason for their failure.

3. Lack of ambition.We believe that those who do not want to get ahead and pay the price have no hope of success.

4. Insufficient education.This defect is relatively easy to remedy.Experience shows that the most educated people are usually those who are able to "self-reliant" or self-taught.A paper diploma is not enough to make a person educated.Any educated person knows how to get what he wants without violating the interests of others.Education requires not only acquiring knowledge, but also knowing how to apply knowledge sustainably and effectively.People are rewarded not just because they understand knowledge, but more importantly, they know everything through practical application of knowledge.

5. Lack of self-discipline.Discipline comes from self-control, which means that one must learn to control all negative thoughts.Only by controlling yourself first can you control everything around you.Self-control is the most difficult task faced by human beings.If you cannot conquer yourself, you will be conquered by yourself.Standing in front of a mirror, a person can see both his best friend and his worst enemy at the same time.

6. Illness.Without a healthy body, no one can enjoy the joy of success.Many causes of poor health can be controlled.Among them, the main reasons are:
(1) Consume too much unhealthy food

(2) Wrong thinking habits; expressing negative thoughts with a negative attitude
(3) Misuse or Abuse of Sex

(4) Lack of correct physical exercise
(5) Lack of fresh air supply due to improper breathing
7. The influence of adverse environment in childhood. "If the roots are not straight, the tree will be inclined."The wrong behaviors of most criminals are caused by the bad environment and careless friends in childhood.

8. Procrastination.This is one of the most common causes of failure.In the darkest corner of everyone's heart there is a "dragging old man", waiting to destroy any chance of success.Most of us live a mediocre life precisely because we've been waiting for the "right time" to do something worthwhile.Never wait, because the right moment will never come.Start now, using whatever tool is at your fingertips, and you'll come across better tools as you go.

9. Lack of perseverance.No matter what they do, most people start with confidence, but they can't finish well.In addition, people give up as soon as they encounter a signal of failure.There is no substitute for perseverance.People who regard perseverance and perseverance as alarm bells will find that the "failed old man" will eventually get tired and quit by himself.Failure can never compete with perseverance and perseverance.

10. Negative personality.Those who reject people thousands of miles away because of their negative personality will have no hope of success.Success comes from the exercise of power, and power is created through cooperation with others.A negative personality cannot facilitate this kind of cooperation.

11. Lack of control over sexual impulses.Of all the drives that drive human action, the sexual drive is the most powerful.Because it is one of the most powerful emotions, it should be well controlled so that it can be transformed into other forms of energy.

12. Unable to control the desire to "get something for nothing."This speculative instinct has driven thousands of people to failure. The Wall Street stock market crash of 1929 is a good example.

13. Lack of decisive decision-making power.Successful people generally make decisive decisions and then, if necessary, improve over time.Losers tend to take a long time to make decisions, but change quickly and easily, and often.Indecision and procrastination are twin brothers, if you find one, you will find the other.Therefore, they must be wiped out quickly, before they tie you to the wheel of failure.

14. Having one or more of the 6 basic fears.We will analyze these fears in detail in subsequent chapters.Before you can effectively sell self-services, you have to get them under control.

15. Picking the wrong spouse.This is also one of the common reasons for failure. The marriage relationship keeps two people in close contact.If the marriage is not harmonious, failure will follow.Moreover, the resulting failure will make the person more painful, unhappy, and even destroy all ambition.

16. Excessive caution.People who have no chance to choose can usually only pick the remaining opportunities of others.Excessive caution is as bad as insufficient caution, and both should be extremes we must guard against.Life is full of random elements.

17. Picking the wrong business partner.This is one of the main reasons for business failure.When it comes to selling yourself, you should choose your boss very carefully. A good boss inspires and embodies wisdom and success.We will emulate the people around us the most, so we should choose those employers who are worthy of emulation.As the saying goes, "the one who is close to vermilion is red, and the one who is close to ink is black".

18. Superstition and prejudice.Superstition is also a fear, and at the same time it is a manifestation of ignorance.Successful people are open-minded and fearless.

19. Wrong career choice.No one can succeed in a job they don't like.The most critical step in selling yourself is to choose a career that you like and devote yourself to it.

20. Lack of specific goals. A "jack of all trades" rarely has a specialty.Focus on your main goals.

21. The habit of spending money.A spendthrift is unlikely to succeed, chiefly because such a man is always in constant fear of poverty.To develop a good habit of frugality, regularly set aside a certain percentage of income from the income as savings for later use.Having money in the bank can give a person more leverage in negotiating to sell personal services.If you don't have the backing of money, you have to accept other people's arrangements, and you have to accept them gladly without complaints.

22. Lack of enthusiasm.People without enthusiasm are not persuasive.Moreover, enthusiasm has a kind of contagious power. People who have enthusiasm and can properly control their enthusiasm are usually the most popular people in the crowd.

23. Not tolerant enough.It is difficult for a narrow minded person to make any progress.Not being tolerant shows that one is not actively acquiring knowledge.Those forms of bigotry that have different ideas about politics, religion, race, etc. are the most harmful.

24. Indulgence.The most harmful forms of indulgence are overeating, overeating, and sexual indulgence.Any form of indulgence is a fatal factor that jeopardizes success.

25. Not good at cooperation.Most people who lose status and opportunities in life do so because of this shortcoming, and not for anything else.This is a shortcoming that no businessman or leader can tolerate.

26. Strength not obtained through one's own efforts (such as the children of Fu Jia and the heirs of property not obtained through one's own efforts).Strength that doesn't come easily through long-term hard work usually undermines success.Getting rich overnight is more terrifying than being poor.

27. Deliberate disloyalty.Honesty is an irreplaceable quality.A person may be temporarily unfaithful due to uncontrollable circumstances without causing permanent damage.However, if a person is willfully disloyal, there is no cure.Sooner or later, his actions will be discovered and the price will be lost forever, not even his freedom.

(End of this chapter)