MILLION DOLLAR

HABITS
Proven Power Practices to
Double and Triple Your Income
BRIAN TRACY

BRIAN TRACY is one of the world’s foremost professional speakers. During his career, he has started or
managed 22 different businesses, worked with more than 500 corporations in a consultancy role, given more
than 2,000 talks and addressed over 2 million people in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australasia and
Asia. Mr. Tracy has also developed more than 300 audio and video training programs and written 36 books
including Eat That Frog!, Goals, The Psychology of Selling, Victory and others.
Brian Tracy’s personal Web site is at www.briantracy.com.
 Million Dollar Habits - Page 1

MAIN IDEA
There is a direct correlation between the habits you choose and the results you achieve in all areas of your life. To take control of your
destiny and change the results you’re realizing, deliberately choose different and better habits. Create your own future by taking
conscious action to integrate into your own life the habits of successful people.
Many people get this principle backwards. They try and change the
results they are achieving at Point B when instead they should be A B
attempting to make better choices at Point A. To put this principle
another way, if you concentrate on making better decisions, you’ll
automatically develop the habits of successful people which will Personal Decisions Your Habits Results
inevitably lead to health, happiness and true prosperity. Focus,
therefore, on developing good habits by taking complete control of
your thoughts, words and actions.
“Everything that you are or ever will be is up to you. And the only real limit on what you can be, do, and have is the limit you place on
your own imagination. You can take complete control of your destiny by taking complete control of your thoughts, words and actions
from this day forward.”
– Brian Tracy
“Successful people have ‘success habits’, and unsuccessful people do not. Successful, happy, healthy, prosperous men and women
easily, automatically and consistently do and say the right things in the right way at the right time. As a result, they accomplish 10 and
20 times more than average people who have not yet learned these habits or practiced these behaviors. The good news about habits
is that all habits are learned as the result of practice and repetition. You can learn any habit you consider either necessary or
desirable. By using your willpower and discipline, you can shape your personality and character in almost any way you desire. You
can write the script of your own life, and if you are not happy with the current script, you can rip it up and write it again. Just as your
good habits are responsible for most of your success and happiness today, your bad habits are responsible for most of your problems
and frustrations. But because bad habits are learned as well, they can be unlearned and replaced with good habits by the same
process of practice and repetition.”
– Brian Tracy

1. The basic principles of habit formation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 2 - 3

Good habits are learned rather than ingrained automatically in your personality. You can integrate any
habit you choose into your own life through practice and repetition. In this way, you are what you do. By
controlling the habits you form, you set the direction of your own personal destiny.

How To 1 Understand the power and necessity of forming good habits

Form
Better 2 Learn where habits begin and use that constructively
Habits 3 Develop your own personalized program of success
4 Implement the seven steps to the formation of a new habit

2. The million dollar habits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 4 - 8

Successful people achieve their dreams as a direct result of the productive and worthwhile habits they
consciously form. To reach the same destination in terms of your own life, follow the same principle. Fill
your life with good habits and everything else will follow automatically.

The 1 Learn how to set and achieve great goals

Million
Dollar 2 Have the discipline to save money and get rich slowly
Habits 3 Learn how to excel at the career of your choice
4 Become a successful business builder

5 Apply the key principles of successful marketing

6 Increase your personal effectiveness and productivity level

7 Learn how to build relationships and get along with others

8 Don’t neglect to take care of your own health and well-being

9 Constantly build your own character and leadership skills

 Million Dollar Habits - Page 2

1. The basic principles of habit formation How To Form Learn where habits begin and use
2
Better Habits that knowledge constructively

Good habits are learned rather than ingrained automatically in You always end up becoming what you think about most of the
your personality. You can integrate any habit you choose into
time. Therefore, the key to developing the habits of success is to
your own life through practice and repetition. In this way, you are
control what you think about. By doing this, you dictate what
what you do. By controlling the habits you form, you set the
habits you will develop thereby shaping your own future.
direction of your own personal destiny.

The key laws of the universe are:

How To Form 1 Understand the power and 1. The Law of Cause and Effect – For every cause, there is an
Better Habits necessity of forming good habits effect. Therefore, if you emulate what other successful
people do, you must eventually achieve the same results
Everything you ever achieve in life is up to you. The only limits they do.
you actually have are those placed by your own imagination. 2. The Law of Control – You always feel happy to the degree to
Therefore, take complete control of your life by consciously which you feel you are in control of your own life. And
choosing the habits you develop. conversely, you will always feel unhappy to the degree to
which you feel you don’t have control of your own life.
In a wider sense, there are four general goals most people have 3. The Law of Belief – Whatever you believe, with heartfelt
in common: conviction, becomes your own reality. If you develop your
mind to the point at which you believe you can do anything
1. To be healthy and fit – so that you have high levels of energy
you set your mind to, you’ll find a way to make that belief
and a long life span to do whatever you want.
become a reality.
2. To enjoy excellent relationships – with the people you like,
4. The Law of Expectations – Whatever you expect, with
respect or love.
confidence, will become your own self-fulfilling prophecy.
3. To be well paid for doing work that you enjoy – and where Therefore, upgrade your expectations and expect the best
your input makes a meaningful contribution. going into every situation. Just that enhancement of your
4. To achieve financial independence – where you have expectations may have a dramatic impact on the results you
enough money put aside so you never have to worry about ultimately achieve.
money again. 5. The Law of Attraction – You invariably attract into your life
To achieve these goals, you have to work on building your whatever people, ideas and circumstances harmonize with
character, so you can achieve excellence in each part of your life. your most dominant thoughts. Therefore, if you think
The decisive factor in developing a great character is to learn positively, you will attract the people and circumstances
good habits through practice and repetition. By carefully and which will be of most benefit to you.
deliberately deciding which habits you acquire, you shape your 6. The Law of Correspondence – Your outer world will always
personality and character. Habits also dictate the script your life be a mirror image and reflection of your inner thoughts. You
will follow to a great degree. become whatever you think about most of the time.
Therefore, control and channel what you think about, and
“The fact is that good habits are hard to form but easy to live with.
your outer circumstances will start to become aligned with
Bad habits, on the other hand, are easy to form, but hard to live
your new way of thinking. By controlling what you think about,
with. In either case, you develop either good or bad habits as the
you can control the direction of your life.
result of your choices, decisions and behaviors.”
– Brian Tracy “Any act oft repeated soon forms a habit; and habit, allowed,
“Habits are like a cable. We weave a strand of it every day and steadily gains in strength. At first it may be as a spider’s web,
soon it cannot be broken.” easily broken through, but if not resisted, it soon binds us with
– Horace Mann, writer chains of steel.”
– Tryon Edwards
“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.”
– John Dryden “You can do anything you think you can. This knowledge is
literally the gift of the gods, for through it you can solve every
“Habit, my friend, is practice long pursued, that at last becomes human problem. It should make of you an incurable optimist. It is
the man himself.” the open door to unlimited possibilities.”
– Evenus – Robert Collier

“You are where you are and what you are because of yourself. “Just think! You become what you think about most of the time.
Everything you are today – or ever will be in the future – is up to You always move in the direction of your dominant thoughts.
you. Your life today is the sum total of your choices, decision, and Everything in your outer world is controlled and dominated by
actions up to this point. You can create your own future by what you are thinking in your inner world. Only you can decide
changing your behaviors. You can make new choices and what you think about most of the time. And fortunately, this is all
decisions that are more consistent with the person you want to the control you need to shape your own life and determine your
be and the things you want to accomplish with your life.” own future. By taking control, you will feel happy, powerful,
– Brian Tracy confident and free. Your life will become unstoppable.”
– Brian Tracy
 Million Dollar Habits - Page 3

How To Form 4 Implement the seven steps

How To Form 3 Develop your own
Better Habits to the formation of a new habit
Better Habits personalized program of success

Your self-concept determines your personal level of Habits are not automatic responses but can be shaped and
effectiveness in all areas of life. To achieve more, reprogram learned deliberately. To increase your own personal worth, learn
yourself by controlling and shaping your self-concept. This and ingrain the habits of success into your life.
requires that you spend more time thinking about what you want
and less time worrying about whether it will happen.
There are seven steps to forming new and better habits:
1. Make a decision – that you will act in a new and specific way
Successful people don’t dwell on their problems. They’re too 100-percent of the time.
busy focusing on what they’re trying to achieve and looking for
ways to get there. They have a strong self-concept which guides 2. Never allow an exception to your new habit during the
formative stages – but force yourself to do what you say until
their achievements and marks the way forward.
it becomes automatic.
Your self-concept has three key parts:
3. Tell others what you’re going to do – so you’ll know they’ll be
1. Your self-ideal – the mental picture you have of yourself at watching to see if you follow through.
some point in the future when you’re living your ideal life.
4. Visualize yourself acting in the specified way – because this
2. Your self-image – the way you see yourself at the present act of visualization will help cement your new behavior into
moment in time. your subconscious.
3. Your self-esteem – how much you like yourself as reflected in 5. Write down a positive affirmation – and repeat this affirmation
the distance between your self-ideal and your self-image. to yourself again and again, especially right before you go to
The key to achieving more in life is to constantly enhance and sleep and first thing in the morning as you get up and get
program your self-concept. To shape your self-concept: going for the day.
■ Talk to yourself positively – by repeating continually an 6. Resolve to persist – to keep consciously practicing the new
affirmation which might be as simple as: “I like myself.” behavior until it becomes automatic.
■ Become absolutely clear about the virtues, qualities and 7. Reward yourself – with some kind of treat for practicing the
attributes you’d most like to make part of your personality. new behavior. This will reinforce the feeling that you’re
■ Become totally unafraid of trying something new and match making progress and moving forward in your life.
that by acting spontaneously. Most people find it best to work on developing one new habit at a
■ Forget trying to fill the expectations of others and instead do time rather than attempting to develop several simultaneously.
more of what you value and like. Instead of dwelling on what happened in the past, focus firmly on
what you need to do to succeed in the future. Create
■ Make it your habit to think and talk about where you’re going
expectations that your new habits will provide the foundation for
with your life and how to get there.
some genuinely impressive accomplishments in the future and
In building a more powerful self-image, there are four mental staying motivated won’t be a problem.
laws which will apply:
The length of time it will take to develop a new habit varies widely.
1. The Law of Habit – Whatever you do repeatedly will Sometimes, new habits can be created in an instant when
eventually become a habit. Therefore, to develop a new something intense happens. In other situations, developing a
habit, just keep doing it often enough and long enough. new habit may take years. In the majority of cases, however,
2. The Law of Emotion – Every action that you take has a forming a new habit pattern takes about 21-days of consistent
positive or negative emotion behind it. Therefore, to achieve performance of the new habit. Any time you are attempting to
more of your goals, keep thinking those thoughts which will develop a new habit, plan on spending at least three weeks
generate positive emotions for you. forcing yourself to act the new way until the habit has become
embedded.
3. The Law of Concentration – Whatever you dwell upon most
of the time will grow and expand in your life. Thus, the more “Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action;
you think about your dreams, the faster you’ll move towards actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes
achieving them. our destiny.”
4. The Law of Subconscious Activity – Your subconscious mind – Tryon Edwards
will accept any thought placed there by your conscious mind
“What happen to a man is less significant than what happens
and start figuring out ways to accomplish that. Choose
within him.”
carefully what you think about, because your subconscious
– Louis Mann
mind will automatically be figuring out ways to accomplish
whatever you have visualized. “Almost everything you are or will become will be determined by
your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Most psychologists
“Man becomes a slave to his constantly repeated acts. What he
agree that fully 95-percent of everything you think, feel and do
at first chooses, at last compels.”
will be determined by your habits. The key to becoming a great
– Orison Swett Marden
person, and living a great life, is for you to develop the habits of
“The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what it is one’s success that lead inevitably to your achieving everything that is
destiny to do, and then do it.” possible for you.”
– Henry Ford – Brian Tracy
 Million Dollar Habits - Page 4

2. The million dollar habits The Million Have the discipline to save
2
Dollar Habits money and get rich slowly
Successful people achieve their dreams as a direct result of the The starting point for moving ahead in your life financially is to
productive and worthwhile habits they consciously form. To
develop the willingness to spend less than you earn. Until you
reach the same destination in terms of your own life, follow the can save money and invest for the future, you’re never going to
same principle. Fill your life with good habits and everything else
be able to move towards financial independence.
will follow automatically.

When you discipline yourself to save money and avoid incurring

The Million Learn how to set and new debts, you’re starting to take control of your financial life.
1
Dollar Habits achieve great goals You also activate the Law of Attraction as opportunities to invest
in new projects will start to become available to you. People who
High achievers are intensely goal oriented. They’re optimistic are focused on spending everything they earn each week just
about what the future holds and orient themselves around don’t get to experience the energy that can come from saving
executing well. This is why they actively seek to master the key and investing money.
skills of their professions. The key financial habits of the wealthy and successful which you
should emulate are:
One of the most important habits you can acquire is to set goals ■ Always think long-term – and try to increase your net worth by
each day for what you need to accomplish. This doesn’t need to 8- to 10-percent a year rather than looking for get-rich-quick
be a complex process, but involves seven basic steps: schemes or easy money.
1. Decide what you want in anarea of your life and write it down ■ Be frugal in your lifestyle – and spend more time focusing on
in a specific and measurable way. your investments and less time worrying about your toys. Get
more pleasure from investing your money than you do from
2. Set a deadline. For larger goals, break it down into smaller
spending it on items that will diminish in value.
chunks, each with its own deadline.
■ Be prepared to get rich slowly – by committing to save and
3. Make a list of everything you’ll need to do to actually achieve
invest at least 50-percent of every salary increase from today
your goal. Add to the list as you think of new items.
onwards. That way as you focus on doing more and getting
4. Organize your list of items into an action plan which is paid more, you’ll also be expanding your long-term
prioritized (by the 80/20 rule) and sequenced intelligently. investment program. Most great fortunes are built slowly
5. Identify potential obstacles or constraints and focus on what rather than as a result of one single success.
you can do to remove these constraints. ■ Before acting, always seek out the best financial advice which
6. Every day, do something tangible towards attaining your one is available – and make financial decisions slowly,
or two most important goals. deliberately and with analysis of the background of each.
Then, to further enhance your effectiveness: ■ Never trust luck – but insure items adequately against any risk
■ Have an excellence orientation – attempt to achieve great you cannot afford. Remember, hope is not a strategy.
things and master new skills that will position you well for the ■ Plan your wealth accumulation program carefully – using the
demands of the future. services of a lawyer who specializes in wills and estate
■ Master the key skills of your profession – the five or seven planning. Don’t leave these things to chance.
skills which produce the majority of your results. Sometimes, if ■ Do your homework. Carefully consider every item of
you build up one weak skill area, you may find that it becomes expenditure before you act. In financial matters, whoever has
possible to use all your other skills at a higher level as well. the most information always wins. Develop the habit of always
Join the top performers in your field. asking for a higher price when you’re selling and a lower price
■ Commit to lifelong learning – because unless you are growing when you’re buying. Nobody will begrudge you for asking
professionally and personally, your productivity will be moving pleasantly and courteously.
backwards by comparison with your competitors. “The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time
■ Do the three things the highest paid and most successful we repeat the act, we strengthen the strand, add to is another
people in your field already do: filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably
1. Read about your industry for 30- to 60-minutes each day. in thought and act.”
2. Attend every seminar and training course you can. – Orison Swett Marden
3. Listen to audio programs while driving or exercising.
“Becoming a millionaire is not that difficult, but it is not the most
■ Resolve to be a self-made person – that is, take responsibility
important thing. The most important part of becoming a
for determining your own destiny. You do this in effect by
millionaire is the person that you have to become to accumulate
focusing what you think about, by choosing to be optimistic
a million dollars in the first place.”
and by visualizing great outcomes for everything you attempt.
– Jim Rohn, business philosopher
■ Feed your mind with positive mental protein – by mixing with
the right people, by choosing carefully what information you “Go out and buy yourself a five-cent pencil and a ten-cent
absorb each day, and by being action oriented rather than notebook and begin to write down some million dollar ideas for
talking endlessly about what you should do in the future if your yourself.”
cards fall the right way. – Bob Grinde
 Million Dollar Habits - Page 5

The Million 3 Learn how to excel at the The Million Become a successful
4
Dollar Habits career of your choice Dollar Habits business builder

The most successful entrepreneurs are often the best By learning the key principles by which successful businesses
employees on their way up. They learn how to make a greater are built, you increase your own chances of becoming a
contribution to the organization they work for. As a result, they self-made millionaire. Adopt the habits of successful
get paid more. This should be your goal as well. businesspeople if you aspire to emulate their accomplishments.

To succeed at your career, learn how to make yourself first Successful businesses have a wonderful clarity. They realize
invaluable and ultimately indispensable to your employer. Then, their key challenge is to create happy customers and retain them
your choices will become unlimited. You’ll be able to choose who long-term. They set clear goals and objectives, and then
to work for and what to do on the strength of your own talents and measure their success statistically and regularly to track
abilities. progress.
To work towards reaching this state: There are in total seven basic habits for business success:
■ Always choose opportunity over security – by looking for jobs 1. Get into the habit of planning thoroughly before attempting
in sectors of the economy that are expanding. anything – since the more you plan in advance, the easier it
■ Practice “zero-based thinking” on a regular basis – by asking becomes to achieve the results you need.
yourself: “Is there anything I am currently doing which, 2. Organize the people and the resources you need before
knowing what I now know, I wouldn’t get into today?” Have the embarking on a project – so you have everything in place. In
courage to ask this question honestly and get out of any areas many business projects, just missing one key ingredient will
that you are in solely as a result of your previous decisions. mean the entire project fails. Avoid that.
■ Remember that normal hours of work are for average 3. Hire the people you need to achieve your goals – and provide
employees – and plan on starting earlier and staying later to them with whatever they need to stay loyal and fully engaged
get more done. As a rule-of-thumb, most high achievers in your business.
consider 60 hours a week to be their minimum work week. 4. Delegate intelligently – so that rather than attempting to do it
■ As soon as you feel on top of your work assignments, go to all yourself, you can take advantage of the talents and input
your boss and ask for more responsibility. of others to build the business.
■ Get into the habit of working all the time you’re at work – rather 5. Monitor and inspect what you expect to happen within your
than finding ways to spend your time on other distractions. business – to ensure things are being done on time and to a
Whether you realize it or not, there will always be a direct sufficient level of quality. The more important the job is, the
correlation between how hard you work and how much you more frequently you should be checking it.
get paid. 6. Measure what gets done – so you can gauge whether or not
■ Look like a winner. Dress like someone who is going places new ideas are enhancing your business over time.
with their career rather than a homeless person. In personal 7. Keep your key people informed – since others won’t be able
grooming, everything counts – your weight, your hair, your to make a meaningful contribution unless they have all the
clothes, your accessories, even your shoes. Dress so your information at hand.
boss and others view you as efficient, competent and
professional. In addition to these habits, self-made millionaires also:
Be a good team player – which means you work well with other ■ Have an intense determination to do whatever it takes to
■
people. Learn how to get on with the people you work with and succeed.
team up to achieve even more. ■ Question assumptions and stay open to new information.
■ See everyone around you as a customer of some kind – and ■ Learn to think things through before acting to avoid costly
focus on providing them with superior customer service. This mistakes.
applies both externally and within your organization. Begin by ■ Learn how to network with others.
viewing your boss as your best customer, and help the people
■ View brainpower as a key competitive advantage.
you work with to succeed. If they are confident in your abilities
as a go-to person, they will want you to be involved in every So how do you actually measure success in business? There are
major project they undertake. seven key results areas you should monitor regularly and track
your results over time:
■ Always view yourself as being the president of your own
1. Productivity – whether this is increasing or decreasing.
company – and take complete responsibility for your own
2. Customer satisfaction – whether they keep coming back.
career development. Don’t expect others to push you forward.
3. Profitability – where you’re actually making money.
Instead, seize every door of opportunity which opens to your
4. Quality – from the customer’s perspective.
view with enthusiasm.
5. Employees – whether they are increasing in value.
■ Develop the habit of being pleasant and positive – and refuse 6. Organizational development – becoming more efficient.
to complain, condemn or criticize. Work on the basis that 7. Innovation – whether you’re thinking creatively.
everything you say and do should be able to be published in
the daily newspaper without causing you embarrassment. “Continuous, unflagging effort, persistence and determination
Look for the good in your co-workers and always deal with will win. Let not the man be discouraged who has these.”
people openly and candidly. – James Whitcomb Riley
 Million Dollar Habits - Page 6

The Million 5 Apply the key principles The Million Increase your personal
6
Dollar Habits of successful marketing Dollar Habits effectiveness and productivity level

In business, sales are everything. Sales generate cash flow, Self-made millionaires accomplish more than the average
funds for expansion and sustainability. To become more person because they learn the habits of personal effectiveness.
valuable to your business, become intensely sales and They invest the time and effort required to perform well in every
marketing focused. area of their life.

The four key strategies of marketing success are: Highly effective people get into the habit of asking themselves
1. Specialization – become very good at doing something five key questions over and over:
specific rather than being average at a number of activities. ■ “Why am I on the payroll?”
2. Differentiation – stand out from all your competitors by ■ “What are the highest value activities and most important
exploiting an area of excellence or superiority. things I can do today?”
3. Segmentation – find your most profitable customers and ■ “What unique contribution can I make to the business today
serve them. that will make a genuine difference?”
4. Concentration – focus on what you do best. ■ “If I could only do one thing all day long, how could I best
Once you have a marketing strategy in place, you then use the contribute to the success of the business?”
seven P formula to develop your marketing tactics: ■ “What is the most valuable use of my time right now?”
• Product – offer the right products and services. They then organize themselves to stop doing things of low value
• Price – set prices that are appropriate for the market. so they can spend more time doing things of higher value. There
• Promotion – how you tell your customers about offerings. are several ways to do this, like using an ABCDE ranking method
• Place – where products and services are sold. or the 80/20 principle.
• Packaging – making the optimum first impression.
The seven key habits of personal productivity are:
• Positioning – where you are in the minds of customers.
• People – who will actually talk to the customer. 1. Work harder and longer than other people – by avoiding
To put it all together effectively, there are seven habits top distractions and staying focused on getting things done.
salespeople develop and continually use: 2. Work fast – and get the current task finished completely so
you can then start focusing on something else.
1. Prospecting – the more time you spend with people who can
buy, the greater your chances of success. 3. Work smart – do the most important things and leave the less
important items to others.
2. Establish rapport – build a relationship of trust and credibility
with prospective customers. 4. Work on those things you’re good at – and organize yourself
so you can spend as much times as possible on the tasks and
3. Identify customer needs – ask questions about the
activities where you have unique talents.
customer’s situation and problems.
5. Do your tasks in batches of similar items – so you can take
4. Present solutions – well thought out presentations built
advantage of the learning curve.
around product features and benefits.
5. Answer objections – and helping customers reconcile any 6. Aim to continuously improve and get better at your key tasks
– so you can progressively and systematically increase your
issues which would prevent them from buying.
productivity as time goes by.
6. Close the sale – ask the customer to make a buying decision
confidently and professionally. 7. Prepare thoroughly – so that when you have meetings or
interviews or other key events, you can perform at your best.
7. Get resales and referrals – ask happy customers to suggest
friends who may also be interested in buying. To supplement those personal habits of personal productivity,
there are also a few other key things you can do:
In short, great salespeople genuinely love their customers and
■ Get into the habit of being on time all the time – because this
work hard to delight them and amaze them. They understand
will help you stand out from the crowd.
definitively that in business, nothing happens unless and until a
sale is made. Self-made millionaires are great at sales and ■ Determine what your limiting factor is in achieving more and
marketing. focus on removing that constraint. Ask yourself: “What is
holding me back from achieving my goals?” Identify anything
“The business of America is business. No enterprise can exist for that holds you back and set a goal to improve in that area.
itself alone. It ministers to some great need, it performs some
■ Upgrade the quality of your time management system. Read
great service, not for itself, but for others; or failing therein, it
about what others are using, look at new technologies like
ceases to be profitable and ceases to exist.”
electronic organizers, attend seminars and make time
– Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States
management a personal priority. This will have flow-on
“One of the most important habits you can develop on your way benefits everywhere else in your life as well.
to becoming a self-made millionaire is the habit of sales
“Great success in whatever field you choose is simply a matter of
orientation. All successful entrepreneurs and business people
developing the habits that are consistent with the achievement of
are intensely customer and sales focused. They think about their
extraordinary results. And all habits are learnable. The only
customers and how to serve them all the time.”
difference between high and low performers is their habits.”
– Brian Tracy
– Brian Tracy
 Million Dollar Habits - Page 7

The Million 7 Learn how to build relationships The Million 8 Don’t neglect to take care of
Dollar Habits and get along with others Dollar Habits your own health and well-being

Your relationships with other people will determine around All the money in the world is of little use if you’re too sick to enjoy
85-percent of your happiness in life. Make being happy the it. Your challenge is to integrate good health habits into your life
central organizing principle of your life. The better you get along so you can have enough vitality to live long and thrive rather than
with others, the more you’ll actually end up achieving in life. fade away.

You can’t give others what you don’t have to give in the first The key habits for personal health and well-being are:
place. In practical terms, this means before you can make the 1. Achieve and then maintain your proper weight – because if
people in your life feel good, you’ve got to feel happy yourself. you’re overweight, you will find everything to be harder.
You should periodically ponder the answers to four questions: Simply put, maintaining your proper weight always involves
■ “If everyone in the world acted just like me, what kind of place eating less and exercising more.
would this be?” 2. Eat the right foods – that is, a balanced diet with more fruit,
■ “What would my country be like if everyone acted the same vegetables and whole grain products. Eliminate salt, sugar
way I do?” and white flour from your diet. Get into the habit of eating half
■ “What kind of company would I be building if every employee portions at each meal and you’ll be amazed how much better
did the same things I do?” you feel. Remember, you become what you eat.
■ “What would my family be like if each member of my family 3. Get loads of vigorous exercise – at least 30-minutes a day
acted exactly the same way I do?” every day. Choose exercises that will keep your muscles and
joints agile and flexible.
The five key habits for developing better relationships are:
4. Get enough sleep – seven to eight hours per night so you can
1. Accept other people just the way they are – unconditionally think clearly and feel brighter.
and without feeling the need to comment, criticize or make
suggestions. 5. Take regular vacations – weekends, public holidays and at
least four weeks solid each year. You’ll actually feel brighter if
2. Have an attitude of appreciation and gratitude – because the you take a break and do something different.
more appreciative and thankful you are, the more the good
things of life will multiply and increase. 6. Get to bed early and arise early – because an hour spent
planning, meditating and reflecting at 5:30 or 6:00 in the
3. Compliment people – when they are punctual, supportive, morning can be absolutely invaluable. Invest the first hour
successful, attentive, etc. The more you make other people each day in becoming the type of person you want to be.
feel good, the better you’ll feel yourself.
7. Drink lots of water – to detoxify your systems and wash away
4. Praise other people to build their self-esteem – so they will excess salt. It is physically impossible to drink too much
become motivated to do more of the same in the future. (This water for good health, but dehydration can cause many
type of public reinforcement works exceptionally well with problems.
children). Genuine praise is most effective:
• When given immediately. 8. Take vitamin and mineral supplements – to ensure that your
• If given specifically rather than generally. body has all the nutrients it requires to provide you with high
• When repeated every time the new behavior occurs. levels of energy. Vitamin and mineral supplements are much
more controllable than trying to organize your diet to daily
5. Learn how to be a good listener – because that demonstrates touch every single nutrient base.
to people that you value what they say. Good listeners never
jump to conclusions but pause before replying. They also 9. Practice excellent dental hygiene and preventative
paraphrase what they heard to check for accuracy. healthcare – which simply means getting regular dental and
medical checkups. Take advantage of the expertise of health
To build on these key personal habits, there are also some other professionals to pick up on warning signs before major
things you can do to build good relationships: problems arise.
■ Always focus on what’s really important rather than making
10. Practice moderation in everything you do – in the amount of
decisions on the emotions of the moment.
alcohol you consume, in the use of seatbelts while driving,
■ Maintain a good balance between your work life and your and in your personal grooming standards. Just the simple
personal life. Work while you’re at work, but be with your habit of wearing clean clothes every day will help you perform
family 100-percent when you’re not rather than mulling over better.
things from your work and being distracted.
11. Become an unshakeable optimist – and start each day with
■ Create chunks of quality time that you’ll spend with your family the belief you’ll do something great.
on a regular basis. You should treat your family members at
12. Reserve a daily period of solitude – where you can turn off the
least as well as you’re prepared to treat your best customer.
world and think about the decisions and choices you face.
■ Let go of your negative experiences of the past and move on. This will refresh you and provide peace of mind. It will also
Forgive people for the things they did in the past. Issue a sharpen your intuition and help you be more sensitive to the
blanket amnesty and live in the present. Doing this will opportunities which will arise.
automatically make you easier to live with. It will also energize
In short, invest in your own longevity. Plan on being alive for a
you and allow you to get on with building great relationships.
long time and have the health to enjoy every step of the way. This
is all a matter of balance rather than anything else.
 Million Dollar Habits - Page 8

“A strong, successful man is not the victim of his environment. He

The Million 9 Constantly build your own creates favorable conditions. His own inherent force and energy
Dollar Habits character and leadership skills compel things to turn out as he desires.”
– Orison Swett Marden
Your ultimate aim in life should be to develop character, to
become the type of person you respect in every regard. “Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wings,
Discipline yourself to do the right thing in every situation. those who cheer today will curse tomorrow; only one thing
endures – character.”
– Horace Greeley
In just the same way as habits can be learned, character traits
and virtues can also be acquired and expanded through practice “Men and women of great character are those who have
and repetition. If you set high standards for yourself, you can developed the habits of thinking and behaving that are
develop a well-rounded and memorable personality. consistent with the fine qualities they wish to be known for. They
discipline themselves to do the right thing in every situation. By
The way to do this is well-known:
working on themselves and by steady effort, great people in our
■ Imagine your ideal self – the type of person who has the world, living and dead, have behaved in certain ways whether
character traits you most admire and would like to incorporate they felt like it or not.”
in your own life. – Brian Tracy
■ Start acting as if you were already that person – as if you
already have those character traits in place. By acting in a way “Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.”
which will be consistent with those attributes, you’ll soon find – Napoeon Hill
you genuinely feel that way. This is hoy you project yourself “Decide today to become a ‘do-it-yourself’ project. Establish a
into the future. series of goals and a work schedule for the development of your
To become a person of character, the key habits are: own character and personality. Set high standards for yourself
1. Be visionary – be able to look into the future and be clear and resolve to develop the habits of excellent behavior practiced
about what needs to be accomplished and what form by the men and women you most admire. The greater clarity you
success will take. If you aspire to “be the best”, you need to have about the qualities you most admire and desire to
commit to excellence right from the outset. incorporate into your personality, the easier it is for you to
engage in behaviors consistent with those virtues and values.”
2. Be courageous and daring – be willing to step outside your
– Brian Tracy
comfort zone and do great things. Have the mindset that to
succeed faster, sometimes you have to double your rate of “Circumstances do not make the man; they merely reveal him to
failure until you understand what won’t work. himself.”
3. Accept responsibility – and refuse to make excuses. Make – Epicetus, Greek philosopher
good things happen rather than justifying why you were the
“The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with
victim of circumstances beyond your control. Take charge of
composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he
your emotions and act responsibly, even in difficult
does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic
circumstances.
temper.”
4. Have integrity – that is, always tell the truth, especially to – Aristotle
yourself. If you can’t be trusted, others will feel uncomfortable
around you. Decide what you stand for and then behave “The most important goal you could hope to accomplish in the
accordingly every single time. course of your life is to become an excellent person, in every
respect. Your purpose should be to develop the kind of
5. Become a role model – and exemplify the three character
traits most people admire: personality and character that earns you the respect, esteem
• Be prudent in your personal and business affairs. and affection of the important people in your world.”
• Treat people justly and even-handedly. – Brian Tracy
• Help others achieve their goals. “The greatest revolution of my generation is the discovery that
6. Have faith – and believe in a power greater than yourself. individuals, by changing the inner attitude of their minds, can
7. Always look for the lesson in every setback – and believe that change the outer aspects of their lives.”
every problem in your experience has been sent at exactly – William James
the right moment to teach you what you need to know for the “Perhaps the greatest breakthrough through in my life was the
future. The more you search for the benefit in each discovery that all of us are where we are, and what we are,
roadblock, the greater the chances are you’ll find it. because of ourselves. We are where we are and what we are
8. Be loyal – to your family, your friends, your community and because of our habitual thoughts and actions. When you go to
your company. Unfailingly follow through on all the work on yourself and practice the behaviors you wish to
commitments you’ve made, not just when it’s convenient. incorporate into your personality and character, you change the
9. Be persistent and never give up on your dreams. inner attitudes of your mind. As a result, you change the outer
aspects of your life. You become the very best person you can
10. Be grateful – for everything that you have, even your
imagine becoming. There are no limits.”
problems and challenges.
– Brian Tracy