properly established, some of these individuals didn't allow for
three months, or even three weeks, to give their business a
chance.
It is also significant to note, that prior to setting out on
their own, many of these people were those employees who
thought their boss was incompetent, or the owners of the
company which employed them didn't know what they were
doing. Obviously, everyone who fails to get a new business
going does not fall into this category, but there are certainly
many people who do.
Nevertheless, despite the woeful statistics, there certainly
are many individual risk-takers who have succeeded in
establishing businesses of their own. For example, just
consider the story of my good friend, Bob McCrary. Bob had
worked in the electronics industry for many years and,
although he had never earned what one might consider "big
money," he certainly earned a better than average income. He
owned his own home, he raised three beautiful daughters, and
accomplished all of this while working for someone else. But
despite his undisputed success, Bob harbored a desire to go
into business for himself and I suppose fear was the only thing
holding him back from doing so. The truth of the matter was,
that with all the things he had going for him, Bob couldn't
help but succeed. Unfortunately, however, he was unaware of
this because he had never been "out on his own" before.
Moreover, he had been raised to believe the "old idea": that a
person should "get a good steady job and then work for a
pension."
Still, the desire of Bob, and his wife Pat, to work in their
own business persisted. It eventually grew to the point where
they were actually able to visualize their business operating
successfully. Since it is impossible to hold an image in the
mind without also expressing it, the end result of Bob and
Pat's imaging, was the birth of their own company, "Pensacola
Electronics."
That happy event occurred just a few short years ago
and, although both Bob and Pat have worked many hard
hours, and still do today, they have the satisfaction of looking
at what they have created together. They gainfully employ
numerous people and they properly service hundreds of clients
located in various American states. They have both earned a
sizeable income and the net value of their company today-if
they were to sell it-is greater than all of the money Bob had
earned working for the other company, for all those years.
Did Bob and Pat make the right decision? Just ask them!
Would they make it again? You know what their answer would
be! Are they Risk-Takers? I don't think there is any question
about that!
Bob and Pat McCrary left their jobs and invested many
thousands of dollars to do something which they had never
done before. They had no written guarantee they would
succeed in their venture, but they were not irresponsible, nor
were they acting imprudently. Were they afraid? Well, I have
never asked them directly, but after studying human nature
for the greater part of twenty years, I feel quite confident in
asserting they were. The salient point for our purposes is,
despite their trepidation, they had the courage to act in the
face of their fear. For the person who analyzes a situation
carefully, prepares himself accordingly and then proceeds in
the face of fear with the image of success in mind, is a genuine
risk-taker. Furthermore, as you are already aware, risk-takers
very rarely lose; and even when they do, they usually bounce
right back to try again. In other words, risk-takers live
exciting, creative lives, because they are living the kind of life
that we are all intended to live.
So put a smile on your face, because as of this moment,
you too can become a bona fide risk-taker! How? Simply by
doing the thing you have dreamed about-off and on-for
months, or possibly even years.
In the great musical South Pacific, Mary Martin sang, "If
you don't have a dream, if I don't have a dream, how are we
going to make a dream come true?" It is my belief that
everyone of us has our own dream. We all have a vision, an
idea or a picture of some great or grand thing or
accomplishment, which will float to the surface of our
consciousness from time to time. Moreover, for a few brief
moments, we permit ourselves the luxury of enjoying ourselves
doing, being or having, whatever that dream might be. There is
no doubt in my mind that you too "hold" a picture of
something which floats to the surface of your consciousness
periodically, and if the truth were to be known, you would
dearly love to execute that dream.
Well, the simple truth is you can. But in all likelihood, it
is going to require a considerable amount of courage on your
part. Remember, it makes no difference, at this moment, how
bizarre your idea may appear. In fact, you might even regard it
yourself as being sheer fantasy. Nevertheless, you can begin to
turn it into a reality, by making a written description of
whatever it is you would like to do, have, or be. Write out your
ambition in as much detail as possible and in the present
tense. Do not write it out as something that you are "planning"
to do; rather, write it out as if it were something you are doing
currently. In big bold letters write, "I can" and then yell it, say
it, sing it-drill the idea that you are now going to do this thing,
into your subconscious mind. Then, choose a friend who has a
lot of confidence in you-someone whose thinking is compatible
with your own, not someone who will put you down and laugh
at your idea-to share your idea with. Select someone who will
build you up and help instill confidence in you, with respect to
your idea.
Remember, it makes no difference whether your goal is
starting a new business, buying or building a new home,
getting a new automobile, a new position at work, setting a
sales record, or getting an honors mark in school. Whatever it
may be, you must step out and boldly pursue it. Keep
reminding yourself that you have tremendous reservoirs of
potential within you, and therefore, you are quite capable of
doing almost anything you "set your mind to." All you must do
is figure out how you can do it, not whether or not you can.
Begin to visualize yourself as a risk-taker and then start
telling yourself you are one. Become fully aware of the "good
vibrations" you get simply by virtue of practising these simple
mental exercises.
But before you proceed any further with your quest, find
yourself a pad and a pen. Then, prepare a balance sheet by
taking an 8-1/2" x 11" sheet of paper, and drawing a straight
line down the centre of the page.
On the left-hand side, place a minus sign, and on the
right-hand side place a plus sign. Under the minus sign, write
out the very worst thing that could happen to you, if you were
to follow through with your idea. On the right-hand side, write
out all the good things-the very best things-that could happen
to you, if you were to go ahead with your plan. Clearly
understand, that so long as what you plan to do is honest and
honorable, whatever goes on the left-hand side of the page is
not going to be disastrous. On the other hand, however, what
goes on the right-hand side of the page could turn out to be
absolutely magnificent.
Therefore, by creating the balance sheet in this manner,
you are demonstrating to yourself, for your own edification,
the fact you actually have "nothing to lose." It has already
been brought to your attention numerous times in this book,
that simply "missing the mark," does not make you a failure; it
only means that your plan did not work out as you had
anticipated. So even if you should lose everything you own,
you still retain the capacity to bounce back, to try once again.
For several years now I have been in the habit of reading
the biographies and autobiographies, of men and women who
have truly accomplished "something of significance" in their
lifetime. I have found, moreover, that almost without
exception, these individuals had fallen short of their goals on
numerous occasions, but that never deterred them! Indeed, I
myself have experienced "failure to hit the mark," on a number
of occasions; and I will readily admit it hurts a little and it
even causes a certain amount of embarrassment. But be that
as it may, it has never stopped me from trying again and it
need not stop you either, because we all possess the ability to
get up and get going once again. Therefore, this very moment,
make up your mind that you are going to become the "Risk-
Taker" you truly wish to become.
The Razor's Edge
You are only one inch ... one step ...
one idea ... away from turning
onto the boulevard of beauty
in your own life.
It has often been said the line which separates winning
from losing is as fine as a razor's edge - and it is. (I am talking
about winning in a big way and in all areas of your life.)
W. Somerset Maugham wrote an entire book entitled The
Razor's Edge, and Daryl F. Zanuck spent four million dollars
producing a movie which had the same title. Both of these
great men-author and movie maker alike-knew there wasn't a
big difference among people; there was only a big difference in
the things they accomplished. (That was the theme of the
movie as well as the book.)
One person "just about" starts a project, the other person
starts it. One individual "almost" completes a task, the other
does complete it. One person sees an opportunity, the other
acts on it. One student "nearly" passes the exam, the other
does pass it-and although the difference in their marks may be
only one percentage point out of a hundred, it's that one point
that makes all the difference.
The annals of sport's history are rich with dramatic
illustrations of the Razor's Edge concept. For example, at the
1976 Olympic games in Montreal, Canada, there were eight
finalists competing in the one-hundred meter dash, but the
runner who won the Olympic gold medal was only one-tenth of
a second faster than the runner who finished in last place.
In 1947, ARMED -the first race horse in the history of
United States' racing to win over one million dollars in prize
money over the duration of his career-had earnings of
$761,500. But the horse which finished second in earnings
that same year-a horse which often lost races a mile long by
only "a nose"-won only $75,000. Now, if one were to look at
their winnings alone, it would appear that ARMED was
thirteen times better than his closest competitor. However,
when you compare "the times" that were actually registered by
those two horses in their races, you discover he really wasn't
even four percent superior!
Now, you may have grown up with the idea that some
people have it and some people don't. Or, because some people
are much better than others, they enjoy much more of the
abundance of life. But I want you to understand, right here
and now, this idea is absolutely false! For you are every bit as
good, or as powerful, as anyone you see, know, or even hear
about. Remember, since the difference between them and you
is only in the area of accomplishments, and since there is
something you can do that will vastly improve the results you
are achieving presently, you have the potential to become even
more successful than they are. You may already know how to
do what others are doing (if you don't, you can learn), and
since your potential power is unlimited, you can do even
greater things than they are now doing.
The "something" that you must do to become more
successful may not be what you think it is. But whatever it
may be, rest assured, you are quite capable of doing it. Always
bear in mind, however, that because each person's world is
just a little bit different, the something which you must do is
not necessarily the same thing the person you live with or
work with, must do. Nevertheless, there is no question that
you will eventually find out what it is that you must do. So
make up your mind-immediately-when you do figure out what
that Razor's Edge is for you, you will do it.
Heinz Daues' Story
As I was writing this chapter, a very dear friend of mine-
Heinz Daues-telephoned to thank me for an idea I had given
him. But before I let you in on what that idea was, permit me
to give you some background information. Heinz Daues works
for a large insurance company in Toronto and every October
his company holds a contest which is referred to as, "A
President's Month." All of the salespeople in the company
"gear" themselves up for this contest and they each perform at
their peak level of productivity. Their reward, if they should
win the contest, is both fame and fortune. (The company
always recognizes its proven leaders.)
As he does every year, Heinz had an exceptional
"President's Month." But, in keeping with his practice of
previous years, he was planning to "relax a bit" in November,
or at least to revert to what he considered to be "normal
production." As I was talking to him one afternoon, however, I
noticed that his usual high degree of enthusiasm had levelled
off considerably. I knew something was amiss, so I asked him
what was bothering him. He then explained he was
experiencing a "big let down," now that his "big month" had
come to an end. In an attempt to raise Heinz's spirits, I asked
him the following question: "Heinz, what would you do with
