Dream big to grow rich

By Bayo Ogunmupe Great people are always optimistic, while optimistic people always succeed in accomplishing their goals in life. Positive minded people always see the glass half full, not half empty. They believe the whole universe is friendly toward them and helping them in achieving their dreams. Moreover, successful people tend to remain optimistic the whole of their journey towards their goal. But sadly for some, when they are about to reach the goal, they lose patience, become victims of criticism and turn their backs towards the goal while even the goal tries to pull them back but all in vain. This the reason we don't have a success story for every dreamer and rags to riches story for everyone who is poor. When Bill Gates was asked if he found a dollar bill on the ground, would he pick it? To this, he replied that he would be more than willing to pick it. Warren Buffett responded to this saying if Bill Gates would miss picking it, he wouldn't. It isn't like these billionaires are hungry for money, but it is the optimism by which their minds perceive things that lead them to be the richest persons in the world today. Millionaires of the early 20th century had so much optimism that many of the entrepreneurs of today regard them as their teachers, if even they might have never met them directly. Consequently, Clement Stone, a contemporary of Jean Paul Getty, is described as a paranoid, not the one you see in the asylum, but an inverse paranoid. While a paranoid may believe that the world was plotting to do him harm, Stone believed the world was plotting to do him good. He used to look for opportunities to empower him or advance his causes. Napoleon Hill mentioned this in one of his books thus: "Every adversity, every failure, and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." Similarly, John D Rockefeller always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity. Henry Ford of the Ford Motors fame also believed that if we think we can do a thing or we think we can't do a thing, either way, we're right. So, it isn't the obstacle in our way that matters; it is our attitude towards the obstacle that matters. That means it is our mindset that determines our success or failure in achieving our goals. Thus, according to Ford, if you believe you can't accomplish any task within a particular time, you simply won't. But if you response is yes, I can, then you are more likely to do the things necessary to make it happen. Finally, when you have a clear picture of your accomplishing your task via visualizing the goal as accomplished, you surely will find the path towards accomplishing your task even before your set deadline. Establish a goal for your life. Success is purpose-driven. Hence to become successful in the achievement of your dream you must have precise intentions. You may even make a career out of the subject of your dream. Your success is guaranteed if you are doing something you genuinely love. Visualize yourself a successful person. Imitate how engineers first envision the building before creating it. Picture what your success will look like vividly. If you are to succeed, you must set your own standard of success and not emulate other people's benchmarks. But make your ambition measurable, otherwise you may spend the rest of your life trying to achieve an indefinite goal. When it comes to business or career success, the axiom is, high confidence is a must to get things done. But being overconfident will make you dismissive of other people's opinions and critique. Lastly, respect begets respect, being less egotistic will lead you to better relationships. Fix a timeline for when you want to accomplish your goal. Without a specific deadline, you would not know whether you've succeeded or failed. Stay inquisitive about life. Millionaires have an unquenchable thirst for curiosity. As our case study, Elon Musk has proven himself to be both a visionary and a leader. This is evident from many interviews attributed to him. It is also quite evident that he is using his influence, the best that he can, to inspire others around him to aim for excellence. Having a vision keeps you on track, lessening diversions from the tasks and responsibilities at hand, especially when there are distractions that lurk along the way that may derail you from your aspirations in life.