Isn’t it interesting that an underwhelming majority of the world’s population is the group which controls the majority of the world’s wealth? Isn’t even more interesting that an underwhelming majority of the world’s population is also the group who takes time to formulate and shoot for goals?

You better believe that those who achieve anything meaningful in life are also the ones to base their achievements on goal setting.

It is the person who is very specific and honest with themselves about what it is they wish to achieve who actually get it. Just as it is the person who drifts from day to day with no specific direction who will achieve very little – if anything – in life.

Most people cringe at the thought of goal setting and achievement. When in fact the entire process is a great deal easier than you might think. The reason most people don’t even bother with defining their goals is rooted in a false belief that it is simply too difficult to achieve the “big stuff”. And you know what? They’re right.

It is much too difficult to define a big goal and set the path to achieving it. For example, one of the goals I’ve just recently set for myself is to develop a local SEO marketing company which will have a value in the 7 figures within 5 years.

I did not start this new business expecting to chart a path directly to that 7 figure value. Had I done so I can tell you it would have been way too overwhelming, discouraging and I wouldn’t even have bothered to get started.
Instead, I’m starting off small. I’m setting goals for the weeks and months ahead in order to achieve a few small wins and to reach achievable milestones. I know full well that by setting small, achievable goals the small stuff will, over time, crescendo into the big stuff. And the big stuff will build into a marketing company worth 7 figures.

So rather than starting off at square one trying to figure out how to achieving everything you want all at once, start off by determining what you need to do right now to take yourself to the next level and then the next. In other words, go as far as you can reasonably see and when you get there you’ll always be able to see farther.

I hope this post on the importance of goal achievement has provided you with a bit of insight and inspiration and I’d love to hear your thoughts about it. Please feel free to email me directly at dan@danielherzner.com or visit the contact page on this blog.

Thank you and here’s to your massive success.

As you can probably already tell, I am a huge fan of books. I always tell my 4 year old son that the most important thing he can do in life is read. But, outside of telling him so, it’s important that I lead by example.

After all, what good is telling my son such a thing if I’m not a reader myself? And, I do love learning new things about the world around me, and about myself, and what better way is there than reading books?

Anyhow, in this week’s edition of The Tuesday Tip I thought I’d offer you some of the best books I’ve read over the years.

I’ll leave biographies and books on specific business topics out of this list. However, I highly recommend that you read both types of books. For example, being an entrepreneur, I’ve read books by Bill Gates, Martha Stewart and Donald Trump to name just a few.

And, I’m heavily involved with business and marketing and read lots of books on those topics. However, for this recommended reading list I’ll include only books which will help you to grow as a person regardless of your specific areas of interest. And, I couldn’t possibly include every title here so this is only a partial list of my favorites.

“Feelings Buried Alive Never Die…” by Karol K. Truman

“The Richest Man In Babylon” by George S. Clason

“Think And Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill

“The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and John David Mann

“Leadership Secrets of Atila The Hun” by Wess Roberts

“Giant Steps” by Anthony Robbins

“Unlimited Power” by Anthony Robbins

“The 5 Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die” by John Izzo

Again, this is just a partial list of some of the books I’ve read which have a major impact on me.

I would love to hear about some of your favorites. If you have a minute, why don’t you email me via the contact tab above and tell me about some of your favorite books. I’m always open to great book suggestions.

And, be sure to visit the personal and professional development library I’ve placed here on my blog. You’ll find over 100 books in the library and they’re all yours 100% free. Just click the tab above.

In this high tech world in which we live, communications are frequently conducted virtually. The tools we have at our disposal such as email, blogs, texting and yes, even the fax machine, enable us to communicate with people the world over with great ease.

All of these technically advanced methods of communication are still driven by the words we use. The words that you use and how you use them say a lot about the type of person you are. And rightly or wrongly, people do judge you on your use of words.

The words which flow from your mind be them written or spoken tell others immediately whether or not you are somebody they would want to, or should, listen to.

The use of a rich vocabulary let’s others know that you’re confident; it will cause others to take pause and pay attention to what you have to say. Additionally, the use of a rich vocabulary will enable you to convey your thoughts precisely and concisely.

Please note that I’m stressing the importance of having a rich vocabulary not a big one. There is nothing particularly virtuous about having a big vocabulary whereas there is every virtuous about having a rich vocabulary.

What’s the difference between the two?

A big vocabulary is dropping complex words throughout your written and verbal communications in an attempt to impress others. A rich vocabulary is coming across to others as articulate through the use of appropriate and carefully chosen words. There is a huge difference between these two.

Never underestimate the power of a rich vocabulary.

There are a number of things you can do to help you enhance your word power. One of my personal favorites is Word of the Day from Dictionary.com. It’s free and once you sign up you’ll receive a new word to your email inbox every day.

What I like to do is keep my Word of the Day email open and reference it from time to time throughout the day. By doing so, at the end of the day I would’ve added a new word to my vocabulary. It’s fun, easy and very beneficial.

Go ahead and try it out, I know you’ll love it. Just go and visit http://www.Dictionary.com and you’ll see the sign up box on the right hand side of the page.

This is a very important post so please take a few minutes to read it through to the end.

A very good friend’s father passed away last week, the wake was on Monday. I will refer to him in this post as Mr. P.

Throughout the funeral home there were about 15 photo collages set up which showed Mr. P surrounded by his family and friends. It was abundantly apparent that the man lived a loving and very fulfilling life. He was loved and adored by all those knew him…especially his family.

Why am I telling you this? Well, amongst all of the photographs on display at the funeral home there was one collage of the thank you letters and testimonials Mr. P had received from his clientele over the years.

Mr. P was a landscaping contractor (his youngest son now carries on with the business). I stood there for at least a half an hour reading thank you note after thank you note that Mr. P had received from his many happy clients. It was plain as day that Mr. P loved his work, took pride in it and always delivered over and above the expectations of those who hired him.

One additional thing I took note of was the massive number of people who filtered through the funeral home to say goodbye to him. At one point the line of those who came to say goodbye to Mr. P wrapped around the block.

I’ve always been aware of the importance of living a life of service to others; of delivering value and delivering more than what’s expected of you. But this concept is easily lost on us as we go through our lives from day to day. Seeing the admiration of Mr. P after his passing – from his loved ones, friends and clients – really underscored this for me.

Anyhow, Mr. P’s career enabled him to live a life not many get to enjoy. He had a beautiful home in the NYC suburbs and a beach house on the New Jersey shore. I know that Mr. P didn’t want for anything. The great life he lived stands as a testament to his passion for his work and for those around him.

I do not want this message to be too long but I do want to say one last thing; sadly, so many people actually have a negative net worth by the time they hit age 65. Please – PLEASE – do not let that be you. We all only have one shot at being on this planet.

You can spend your life any way that you choose but you can only spend it once.

My calling is to help and work with others who want more from life. If there is anything I can do for you, to help you to get the most from this lifetime you’ve been given, please do not hesitate to let me know.

And, as always, I wish you a great deal of peace and prosperity in your life.

In my weekly Tuesday Tips newsletter I went and shared some terrific inspirational quotes with my readers. There were also a few funny ones mixed in.

There’s so much to be learned from others even by reading a simple, single sentence quote. Speaking for myself, sometimes a just quote can provide an Ah-HA moment or provide the inspiration to continue forward during difficult times.

Here are a few I wanted to share with you for now and I’m hoping you’ll take a moment to leave a comment and share your own favorite quotes with my readers.

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, either way you’re right.”

“Success comes in a can, failure comes in a can’t.”

“If you love what you do you’ll never work another day in your life.”

“It’s easy to get to the top after you get through the crowd at the bottom.”

“Everybody’s a self-made man; but only the successful ones are ever willing to admit it.”

“Success comes before work only in the dictionary.”

“Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.”

“When you were born you were crying and everybody around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you pass from this earth you’ll be smiling and everybody around you will be crying.”

“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

Here are a few humorous quotes:

“The only trouble with trouble is it starts off as fun.”

“If at first you DO succeed try not to look too surprised.”

“Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.”

“Whoever said money cannot buy happiness simply does not know where to shop.”

“The road to success is always under construction.”

There exists a quiz referred to as “The Charles Schultz Philosophy” although there is some debate as to whether or not Schultz actually came up with it. For those who may not know, Schultz created the popular “Peanuts” comic strip.

I’d originally read this philosophy years ago and just came across it again the other day. I wanted to pass this along to you because I really feel that this short philosophy is what success and life is all about.

It’s very easy for each of us to lose sight of the really important things in life. As we get all caught up in achieving and accumulating things we tend to forget what’s most important.

The following is a great reminder.

Here’s the quiz although you do not have to actually answer any of these questions to get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
3. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
4. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
5. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is; none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care and make a difference for others.

“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”

I’d like to remind you of the free resource library I’ve placed right here on my blog. Although I most likely do not know you personally I’d still like to make a positive difference in your life. This resource library is my way of doing it. Just click the “free resources” tab above.

A phenomenal series

Have you seen the series “Life” on the Discovery Channel being narrated by Oprah Winfrey? It’s an absolutely fascinating series about the animal kingdom.

I was watching one of the episodes the other day with my son when Oprah had said something which really struck a chord with me. She made a comment that much of the animal kingdom is engaged in a daily struggle to maintain survival.

What really struck me is that what she said is also true for most of humanity. Much of the human race is engaged in a day to day struggle just to maintain survival too. Isn’t that so sad? The question I have is why?

Why would anybody settle for a life of struggle? Struggle is a conscious choice just as much as success is a choice.

What separates the animal kingdom form humanity is that human beings have the ability and the opportunity to improve their existence. The resources to do so are readily available and the only force strong enough to keep you from improving your existence is yourself.

People have the ability to make something which the animal kingdom cannot make. Most of the animal kingdom has no choice but to struggle for survival. But, when people make this certain thing they are thrusting themselves into a life of struggle by choice.

This “thing’ I speak of are excuses; “I’m too old.” “I don’t have the time to make things better for myself.” “I’m not smart enough.” You get the point.

One other interesting point to note; go ahead and tally all of the creatures which make up the entire animal kingdom. If you were to count every species of land animal, fish, bird and insect you’ll have a number deep into the millions. Whatever that number might be it is finite. The excuses that a person is capable of telling themselves, on the other hand, is infinite. There is no limit to the excuses people use to keep themselves mired in struggle.

So take a good look at your life. Is it a life of fulfillment or a life of struggle? If yours is a life of struggle, why? Wouldn’t you rather live a life of fulfillment? Because you can, the choice is entirely yours.

End the struggle today. Click on the “Free Stuff” tab above where I’ve posted a library of well over 100 free personal and professional development eBooks and resources.

And, download my free home based business success report today – it could very well be the beginning of the end of your struggle for existence.