The Ten Times Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure

19. Break Traditional Ideas
The most successful of the successful go beyond the concept of mere change and
challenge traditional thinking. Look at organizations like Google, Apple, and
Facebook, and you will see companies that challenge traditions and create new
ways of doing things. They break that which already works in order to get to a
better place. The most successful are looking to 
create
traditions—not follow

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already established ones. Do not be a prisoner of the thinking agreed upon by
others. Figure out ways to take advantage of the traditional thinking that holds
others back.
The successful are called “thought leaders” who design the future with forward
thinking. I built my first company on the notion of breaking traditional ideas that
one industry had long accepted by showing it a better way to take care of
customers. Highly successful individuals are not concerned with the way things
“have always been done”; they're interested in finding new and better ways.
They look at why automobiles, airplanes, newspapers, and homes have changed
so little over the past 50 years and try to determine ways to create new markets.
A word of warning: These people are also able to maintain their companies'
existing structures while disputing conventional concepts and bringing new
products to market. They don't suggest change for the sake of change; they do so
in order to design superior products, relationships, and environments. The
successful are willing to challenge tradition in order to discover new and better
ways to accomplish their goals and dreams.
20. Be Goal-Oriented
A goal is some desirable objective—typically something yet to be achieved—
that a person or company needs in order to move forward. Successful people are
highly goal-oriented and always pay more attention to the target than the
problem. They are seemingly able to bend bullets because of their commitment
and focus on the goal. Far too many folks spend more time planning what they
will get at the grocery store than they do setting the most important goals of their
lives. 
If you don't stay focused on your goals, you will spend your life achieving
the objectives of other people—particularly those who are goal-oriented.
Goals are incredibly important to me. I begin and finish each day by writing
them down and reviewing them. Any time I encounter failure or a challenge, I
take out a legal pad and write my goals down again. This helps keep my
attention on where I desire to go and the goals I want to achieve—instead of
letting me dwell on the difficulty of the moment. The ability to remain focused
on the goal and keep your orientation on that goal's achievement is 
vital
to
success. Although I try to stay focused on the present, I want to keep most of my
attention on the bigger picture of my goals rather than on just the task I'm
accomplishing at that moment.

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