Rule Number 2: Practise Self-belief
Wednesday, January 4 2006Dear friend,
Happy New Year! I hope that 2006 is filled with happiness and good health for you. Many thanks to everyone who emailed festive greetings and Congratulations on my new book, The 7 Rules of Success. Today I wanted to explain my thinking behind Rule No 2, Practise Self-belief.
As you know, I've interviewed many successful individuals for the book over the past three years to demystify the secrets of success and one thing every single one of them had in common was this: they saw themselves as products of their own making, as distinct from products of their backgrounds.
They instinctively knew that it really was all down to them and blamed nothing and no-one for their start or situation in life. This self-definition has nothing to do with poverty or wealth, north or south.
This self-definition is at the heart of mature personal responsibility, moving oneself on from one's parents and peers, authority figures and teachers, to establish an independent identity and future. This is the sort of self-belief that allows a poor kid from a single parent home in Arkansas to become one of the most powerful men on the planet – as Bill Clinton did when he became President of the US.
It's all too easy to settle for the "what-ifs" and "if only" resignation and blame approach so prevalent in our culture. Don't. You owe it to yourself to go beyond this. I sincerely hope that chapter 2 of The 7 Rules of Success will encourage you and keep you on the right tracks. I felt incredibly inspired by the people I interviewed for it.
In this chapter you'll read about how a waitress ended up as the most powerful property tycoon in New York – Barbara Corcoran: a chap who was fostered by three different families by the time he was 12, left school at 15 and went on to set up one of the largest financial services companies in the UK and recently starred in Channel 4's Make me a Million – Ivan Massow: a 40 year-old who never gave up on himself until one of his bright ideas took off, star of BBC 2's Dragon's Den – Simon Woodroffe and Yo!Sushi founder: an heiress who had to find her own identity and make her own mark in life regardless of wealth – that's eco-warrior and Independent columnist Julia Stephenson.
I'll be working through all the Rules and coaching you to apply them to your own life for your own success in London in February. Look forward to meeting you there - you can book online now by going here or read more below.
