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

21. Be on a Mission
Whereas the unsuccessful spend their lives thinking in terms of a job, successful
people approach their activities as though they are on a religious mission—not as
work or merely “a job.” Successful employees, employers, entrepreneurs, and
market changers consider their daily activities to be part of a more important
mission that will change things significantly. They are always thinking bigger
and homing in on some massive target to achieve. Until you start approaching
your job as though you are on a mission, it will always be reduced to “just a
job.” You must undertake every activity with the zealous attitude that this
endeavor could forever change the world. Approach every phone call, e-mail,
sales visit, meeting, presentation, and day you spend at the office not as a job but
as a calling for which you will forever be known. Until you adopt this attitude,
you will forever be stuck in a job—and probably one that isn't very fulfilling.
22. Have a High Level of Motivation
Motivation refers to the act or state of being stimulated toward action. To
succeed, it is critical that you be stimulated, excited, and driven to some action
or actions. Although the definition of motivation suggests that there's a reason
behind the action, the study of successful people also makes it apparent that their
high levels of activity are fueled by being goal-focused and mission-driven. The
unsuccessful demonstrate low levels of motivation, wandering, and lack of
clarity or purpose. Elevated motivation is obviously critical to 10X actions and
persistence. This isn't the kind of enthusiasm that lasts for a few hours, a day, or
a week; it's based on what you do 
each day
to stimulate yourself toward actions
and inspire yourself to keep going. Highly successful people continually seek
and uncover reasons to stay perpetually provoked to new levels of success. This
may be why successful people are never satisfied. As they continue to be
compelled by new reasons to move forward, they achieve these new goals and
then regenerate for the next round. They are constantly stimulated to higher
levels of action and achievements.
There's one question I get in my seminars more than any other: “How do you
stay motivated?” The answer? I create new reasons to keep showing up. The
unsuccessful unceasingly suggest, “If I had what [that person] had, I would
retire.” But I don't believe this claim for a second. First of all, they don't know if
that's true, since they can't tell how they'd respond to success. It is possible—and
highly probable—that the success they'd create would also include some

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responsibilities and obligation to continue to produce in order to keep things
going. Motivation is an inside job. I can't motivate you, and you can't motivate
anyone else. You can encourage, you can challenge, and you can inspire, but true
motivation—the underlying reason for doing something—must come from
within. I do it by setting goals daily to keep myself enthused. I look at things that
seem to be out of reach for me—not just material things but other people's
accomplishments and achievements—to keep my attention on the possibilities.
Anything you can do to stay highly motivated will be critical to your 10X
commitment.