WEALTH: SIMPLE, BUT NOT EASY

WEALTH: SIMPLE, BUT NOT EASY

The basics of accumulating vast amounts of wealth are simple, but not easy. You simply have to shut out the world and focus on the essence of compounding, which is often called the eighth wonder of the world. It takes independence of mind and incredible hard work to become comfortable, buying good businesses, that you believe in, at a discount to intrinsic value over a long period of time. It takes amazing patience, because nobody really knows in advance the ‘perfect’ timing of any purchase. But if you finally have built up the confidence in a particular business, after painstaking due diligence, and if you have truly done your homework, then you are ready to buy and buy more at any price, especially if it goes lower. You are investing, based on your conviction.This also means, that you take the volatility of markets in stride. The unpredictable bigger picture does not concern you as much. Your primary concern is the viability and the potential of your business over the longer term. If you are worried about the possible madness of crowds, which may affect global markets from time to time, which could temporarily shrink your Net Worth by half, then maybe you should not be investing in the first place.

Alas, life remains a struggle. The vast majority of companies in existence today, are destined to disappear in the long term due to a variety of reasons. Therefore, it’s unwise to put all your eggs in one basket. Spreading your investments and mitigating risk, will be especially challenging in the beginning, but those attempts have to be made. Before you may hit the jackpot, there will be times, when you wonder if you’ll make it. But that is precisely how you’ll become a great investor. ‘Stuff happens’ (Rumsfeld) all the time. As long as you manage to survive, you can move on. Another chance, another opportunity! But a ‘killer instinct’ you can’t do without. Right!

All it takes to start a fortune is: Save and Invest. This is powerful information, but how many actually do it? It requires constant discipline. Do you realize the future value of whatever is being spent today? How much future wealth is missed out that way? It’s huge! It would make you instantly FRUGAL. That’s how great fortunes are made. You don’t actually have to be smart at all. Extravagant speculators may hit the headlines, making and losing fortunes, but history does not judge them kindly.

Maybe you are hungry and motivated enough to start your own business. Many entrepreneurs had no choice. Failure was not an option. With drive, determination and ambition, any temporary setbacks can be overcome. It’s the greatest adventure of all time, if you feel it’s in your blood.

RICK SCHMULL

August 9th, 2014

WESTCLIFF-On-SEA, Essex, U.K.

=

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

‘You’re just too good to be true

can’t take my eyes off of you

you’d be like heaven to touch

I wanna hold you so much

at long last love has arrived

and I thank God I’m alive’ (Lauryn Hill)

So good as to be unbelievable? Hold it! There are times, that you are at the right place at the right time as if luck would have it. It’s so good and it’s actually true, after all! You may never have imagined, how lucky you got with your partner, with your kids or with your job. But does Lady Luck really knock on your door? Why not sit on the sidelines and complain, that life is unfair, if that just doesn’t seem to happen. However, when you got lucky at times, you actually attracted, what you had focused on. You made it happen.

Sometimes you may find yourself in such a bind, that nothing short of a miracle may do. You will have no choice, but to create your own luck. ‘The harder you work, the luckier you get’ (Gary Player). Overnight success is rare. Don’t let that put you off! If you really, really want it and you hope and pray for it, then things seem to fall into place, as if by remote control.

Blood, sweat and tears always pay off in the end, as long as you keep the faith, that Lady Luck is getting curious. She may warm to your enthusiasm! You may have the last laugh, if all your efforts prove to be a hit and life indeed becomes too good to be true.

RICK SCHMULL

August 7th, 2014

WESTCLIFF-On-SEA, Essex, U.K.

SABOTAGING YOUR OWN SUCCESS?

SABOTAGING YOUR OWN SUCCESS?

In order to become successful, you just have to go out and do, whatever it takes. Chances are, that you will fail most of the time, before you are finally successful. Over time, you will figure out, what works and what doesn’t. So even if you try and do it seemingly against the odds, you should ask yourself: what if I don’t do it? The answer may well be, that failure to do something that should be done, could be much worse. It could be a choice you’ll regret for the rest of your life. So, let there be no excuses for putting things off!

Also, if you are your own person, you are your own master. The whole world is your oyster. You cannot dare ‘too much’. You are truly self-reliant and often a non-conformist. You have a shot at real freedom and opportunity. But if you dare not to look beyond your little worlds, you do not know, what you are missing. It’s really up to yourself to break away from those limitations. Don’t become a hostage to comfortable conformity: that is not ‘you’! Give yourself wings and you may become free as a bird. But above all, you will become less insecure. You have overcome fear and ignited self-confidence. Now you can show the world, what you are really worth. You are truly off to the races!

The world couldn’t care less about your thoughts or about whether you will remain a ‘passenger’ in life. Life is being judged by its results. That’s why you have to act. Life rewards action. Stop doing, what obviously is not working! Stop being a ‘victim’. Take responsibility for the life you are leading. Be realistic. Identify the payoff you absolutely need and then you will gain control of whatever further action you will take.

You can wish for anything you want, but if you don’t know where you are going, you are not even in the race! You better know, how the ‘system’ works. Otherwise you will have to be prepared for rejection, which is exactly what you want to avoid. It’s up to yourself to make sure, that life unfolds the way you would really like it to. Success is no big mystery as long as your strategy remains smart.

RICK SCHMULL

August 2nd, 2014

WESTCLIFF-On-SEA, Essex, U.K.

LET'S MAKE OUR DREAMS COME TRUE

LET’S MAKE OUR DREAMS COME TRUE

You are not happy unless you achieve something. But achievements do not happen by accident. A guided missile can only hit its target via constant monitoring. Realizing that, is an important breakthrough, because achievement is a matter of choice, not a matter of a certain upbringing or of a particular education. Many high achievers have been school dropouts with less privileged backgrounds. But they did have a relentless drive, second to none.

That’s why dreaming about achievements is always the first step. Your brain may actually not be able to tell the difference between reality and imagination. That’s O.K., as long as you keep yourself under control.

Your ability to ‘live up’ to a desired self-image is uniquely human. A winning self- image can replace a negative one, against all odds. As you ‘live out’ all that is associated with a self-image, you don’t only have a goal, but you become one. You can create your own self-image, regardless of past experiences of success or failure and regardless of how others happen to see you. This is the key to changing your life for the better. Nevertheless, such a change will only occur if the deep image of yourself has become similar to your external image. Plastic surgery alone, will not change how you feel about yourself or how others see you.

You are not ‘a’ machine. Sometimes you may feel, that you are reduced to one. Nowadays, it seems, that machines may ‘think’ the way you do! In any case, you do have a ‘mechanism’ of setting and achieving goals. You are your own machine and your own computer, already. All that’s required, is that you become and remain the operator of your own success mechanism.

RICK SCHMULL

July 26th, 2014

WESTCLIFF-On-SEA, Essex, U.K.

PURSUING EXCELLENCE

PURSUING EXCELLENCE

Spend your time on what matters to you. The more you love doing something, the better you will be at it. Create your unique niche. Focus on what comes easily. No one does, what you do, quite like you do it. This will bring big rewards.

You will never be short of time, because you stop trying too hard at the wrong things. That’s why old-fashioned ‘time management’ and ‘prioritization’ is an abuse of your time. The new world demands specialization and an ability to be outstanding. ‘Keeping up’ is no longer enough. Mediocrity is no longer accepted and conformity is no longer rewarded. The way the current world works, is to do more of what you’re good at and the results will seem like magic.

The mentality of ‘working hard’ has driven society for generations, but the current information economy demands being yourself, pursuing excellence and becoming a star in your own way. The key point is, to create an exciting life with a well-defined purpose. You will also gain an abundance of time, as you focus on the right things, which will make you feel more relaxed. This has now become your life, nobody else’s.

Leave your former life behind. You cannot afford to go a day without thinking of how things should be, your new ‘reality’, just as you won’t go without breakfast. Pursuit of your daily dream becomes the norm. You get to the point, that you feel, that you can handle anything, including any doubts or fears. You’ve finally taken responsibility for the rest of your life!

RICK SCHMULL

July 21st, 2014

WESTCLIFF-On-SEA, Essex, U.K.

THE MAGIC OF BELIEVING

THE MAGIC OF BELIEVING

Don’t let reality stand in the way of your dreams. Dreaming about getting a job done or wherever you want to be, is key and keeps you going. All odds may be against you, but not in your thoughts. All obstacles are temporary issues, that have to be dealt with. Persistence always wins in the end. Progress may seem slow at first, but keep moving. It’s better than standing still.

Once an image of the desired future condition becomes part of you, magic indeed happens. The universe operates on the basis of conscious and unconscious visualization all the time. It brings a sense of confidence and control over your future. Imagination of the seemingly impossible clears the way to what you want in life. It is like sowing the seeds for the upcoming harvest!

But you have to be ready to accept the outcomes. You have to feel, that you are worthy of getting all you are visualizing. You have to be determined to reach your goal, because you are convinced, that you are the best. This will make you even more focused on completing the tasks ahead. You feel, that you deserve that carrot at the end of the stick!

Take deep breaths regularly, until you feel relatively calm. You will then bring about a highly focused state, which will minimize the number of distractions. Keep hoping and praying constantly. This will attract the future the way you want it.

RICK SCHMULL

July 5th, 2014

WESTCLIFF-On-SEA, ESSEX, U.K.

YOU WILL NOT REST

YOU WILL NOT REST

That’s right. You will not rest, until your mission is accomplished. But even then, there will be little time to enjoy the moment. Nothing is permanent. You will have to keep moving. ‘The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away’ (JOB 1:21). Therefore, all your hopes and prayers must continue, even after they seem to have been realised.

Once you have become aware of the basis of your existence, which is quite a feat , never look back. What does life expect of you? There is so much more to it than merely to survive. You have to try and fill the vacuum, if there is one. This is the path to the outstanding discovery of the purpose in life, unique to you specifically!

The will to live is part of human nature and it’s an absolute necessity to keep that alive by constantly working on mental images of how life could be, even in the most discouraging circumstances. It’s a terrible mistake to judge life. Life may not yet have delivered, what you have expected from it, but human beings possess the particular quality of free will. That comes with great responsibility! To control the urge for endless distractions, is a never-ending worry.

What a revelation it would be, if you could say: ‘This is me. This is what I am about’. Then you can appreciate the purpose of your OWN life, without being stuck in conformity. Comfort in boring conformity may do for awhile, but just imagine, what life could be like if you are BREAKING OUT! You could say: ‘we’ve got lift-off!’ (NASA - Houston). You could propel yourself into the orbit of the limitless universe with its endless opportunities.

RICK SCHMULL

July 4th, 2014

WESTCLIFF-On-SEA