ii

Winning Now
Turn Your Job
Into Your Joy
and NeverWork Again.
By

Dave VanHoose
Americas Favorite Business Builder

ii

Winning Now
Copyright 2012 by Dave VanHoose
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in
any manner whatsoever without written permission fromDave VanHoose,
except as provided by the United States of America copyright law or in
the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.
The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or
via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and
punishable by law.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate
in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support
of the authors rights is sincerely appreciated.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: 2012

iii

Dedication
This book is dedicated to my beautiful wife,Rachael, and our
adorable daughter,Victoria, who inspire and awaken the passion in me
every day.

ii

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my folks, who taught me the most important
lessons in life.
I would also like to acknowledge the mentors, leaders and teachers
who have been in my life and shared their wisdom with me.
And, of course, Ann McIndoo, my Authors Coach, who got this book
out of my head.

iv

Table of Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................... 9
Preface .............................................................................................. 11
Chapter One: Life Is a Game: Pre-game Strategies .......................... 19
Chapter Two: Preparing To Succeed ................................................ 35
Chapter Three: Personal Power ......................................................... 49
Chapter Four: What is Your Passion?.............................................. 55
Chapter Five: Relationships ............................................................. 73
Chapter Six: The Time of Your Life: Being Present ......................... 79
Chapter Seven: Scheduling Your Wins ............................................ 89
Chapter Eight: Financial Freedom ................................................... 99
Chapter Nine:Wealth ...................................................................... 103
Chapter Ten:Increase Your Money Consciousness .......................... 107

Introduction
This book is about winning. Whether its a race, a new career, or
someones heart, this book will teach you how to get in and stay in the
game until you achieve your goals and win!
Just like any great success, there are ingredients to creating the
perfect mix to achieve your goals. Knowing what to do is very different
from doing what you need to do. I am constantly thinking about winning
and the next step toward winning. What would be a winning edge? How
can I create a winning advantage? All I think about is winning.
I share my own success strategies with you in the pages that follow
to inspire, motivate and help you turn your ideas into a firestorm of
passion and make your own dreams come true.
I tell myself everyday, and I say the same to you: Create the
Results you want NOW!

Dave VanHoose

Preface
For eight years, I was a professional football trainer and the day I
won my world championship ring was a dream come true. The reason I
wear this ring everyday, is to it remind me of the journey I traveled to
become a champion.
As a professional football trainer, our team received lots of media
and was on national television. We played in the Arena Football League
and in my first year, we had the best team ever. We knew we were going to
win the Arena Bowl National Championship we were ready and there
was nothing stopping us.
Game day arrived. We were pumped and excited to win.
Television crews followed us, interviewers jostled to talk to us. We were
supposed to win, I could already feel my championship ring on my finger
and celebrating with my buddies drinking champagne.
We lost.It was devastating. It hurt the entire team and hurt me
badly.
The next year, we had our best winning record ever, went to the
playoffs and then lost the first round.
The third year I came back expecting to win the ring, this time for
sure, and we lost again.
5

The fourth year, the same, and so it went. Getting so close to the
win, I could taste it, but never brought it home.
Finally, eight years later, we won it all.It was the most magnificent
win of all.
And that is why I wear my championship ring every single day.
It reminds me that persistence kills whatever is stopping you. If you
continue to follow your goals and dreams, persist and push through the
roadblocks that come up, you will achieve your goals and make your
dreams come true.
All I have to do is touch my ring and it triggers me to stretch, to
push, to do better and excel.
During my last year as a football trainer, I played a lot of sports. I
had injured myself and knew something was wrong because the pain in
my back would not go away.
I remember going to the doctor andlearning about my injury. I had
fractured my back; I had a par fracture, spondylolysis and a herniated
disc.I had to have surgery.I was in shock, and I was scared. I had a million
questions in my head about what was going to happen to me as I drove
home to share the news with my wife.
When I told her about my injuries and the need to have surgery,
the sympathy and consolation I expected was not what I got. She looked at
6

me and said she didnt want to deal with this stress and anxiety. She left
me.
A week later I had my surgery, which took 10 hours and two
orthopedic surgeons. They cut me in the anterior part of my stomach,
moved all my organs out of the way and then reconstructed my back.
I woke up from surgery in excruciating pain. They had me on
morphine and I was numb. I couldnt feel my legs. Now I was really
scared, I didnt know if I would walk again, function normally or ever be
with a woman again.
I remember laying there in the hospital as I realized my career was
gone, my wife had left me, and I asked myself, What am I going to do?I
wondered if the pain would ever go away.
My mom came to the hospital to visit me. She looked at me and
said,What can I do for you?All I could say was, Help.
I had a lot of passion to come back and win again.My parents
picked me up from the hospital.I left in a wheelchair in a full body cast. I
stayed at my parents house where they took care of me; they even had a
hospital bed at the house for me.
I remember waking up at my parents house and looking at their
screened in pool, I thought to myself, If I could walk around that pool
just one time, then I could learn how to walk again. So I got up that day,
7

put on my full body cast, and with my walker, slowly started to walk
around the pool. It took me 30 minutes to get around the pool the first day.
The next day I got up at 6:00 a.m., walked out to the pool and walked
around it twice. After that, I started walking more and more around the
pool, getting a little better each day, even though I was still on a lot of
medication.
Next, I started walking around the neighborhood. Being a physical
therapist and trainer, I knew the more I could walk and move my body, the
better I would heal and bring oxygen and nutrition to the injury.I was in
so much pain, thats all I could really do anyway.
As I walked, I asked myself, What am I going to do now? What
kind of career path am I going to take? I could not sit or stand for more
than 20 or 30 minutes without being in excruciating pain, so what could I
possibly do to survive?
During my walks, I noticed the houses that were for sale and I first
got my idea about becoming a real estate investor. I figured real estate
could be the way to recoup my fortune and get everything back.
I heard about a foreclosure auction down at the courthouse, so I
went to the auction in my full body cast, with my cane, and saw them
auctioning off properties on the courthouse steps. From the moment I saw

them bidding on properties, I knew I wanted to become a real estate

investor. I knew this was the solution for me to become financially free.
I met my Operations Manager, Debbie, at the courthouse getting
the pre-foreclosure list. I found a foreclosure property from the list, bought
the property with no money down, arranged for a handyman to fix it up
while I was in my full body cast, flipped it and made $42,000 in my very
first real estate deal. Bodycast or not, I was on my way.
In addition to the excellent profit I made on my first deal, I learned
a very important lesson that I turned into a multi-million dollar business.
I realized that the foreclosure information I got from the courthouse was
very important. So, I got together with Debbie, and a friend of mine, and
we created a company called ForeclosuresDaily.com.
We supplied people with a foreclosure list so they could buy and
sell properties. We went to Starbucks in downtown Clearwater, Florida,
envisioned the business and signed the paperwork to begin the foreclosure
company. I paid a technology company by credit card to design the
software and we started the company.
I also went back to football that year, four months after the
surgery,for one last season. Although I was in excruciating pain, while
recovering from the surgery, I took care of the players injuries and helped
with their training.
9

I went back because I didnt want to let the team down. Working
on the team helped me pay the bills while I was building the foreclosure
business.
At the beginning, Foreclosures Daily wasnt very profitable and
we lost money for the first six months. I remember waking up every
morning in agonizingpain and thinking to myself, I dont think I can go
another day.But it was my passion and enthusiasm that kept me going.If
you want something bad enough, and continue to work at it with passion;
eventually you will get your reward.
After being injured so badly, another motivating factor was that I
wanted to get my life back to where I had been. I knew I had to win
and I would do whatever it took to succeed.It was this commitment
to myself, dedication to my outcome and a strong mindset that I would not
lose that carried me through each day.
After the first six months of losing money, things started turning
around and soon our foreclosure company was doing very well.We went
full-time, started paying ourselves and the business started to grow and
expand.
We grew to having 80 contractors working for us. We did $14
million dollars and also made Inc. 500 as the 35th fastest growing private
company in the United States. Our success was pretty awesome! We were
10

supplying investors with the pre-foreclosure list and after that we began
doing workshops and seminars teaching real estate investors the
principles, tools and strategies to make money in real estate with no
money down.
At the time, 2003-2005, the real estate market in Florida and
across the country was heating up, so a lot of people ran toward real estate
when it was on the rise. People were anxious to be trained in how to buy
and sell real estate, and we were sitting in the midst of it. We supplied
people with great tools and services to help them with their businesses. It
was very exciting and my success was back! It was an extraordinary
success and inspired me to continue creating, achieving, succeeding and
helping others do so as well.
My entire life, it has always been my passion to help people by
giving them an edge to achieve their goals. That is why I initially became a
sports medicine major. I truly enjoyed helping people prepare for the
season and recover from injuries.
I used that same passion and knowledge to help real estate
investors. I wanted to give them every advantage so they would be able to
succeed and win!
Dave VanHoose
2012

11

Passion: To Sacrifice;
Example: When you are passionate
about something, you are willing to do
what it takes to make progress.

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Chapter One

Life Is a Game: Pre-game Strategies

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
~Winston Churchill

Life is a game, so play to win! We come into the world to play a

game, have fun, enjoy life, experience life and learn lessons. I
believe life can be everything you want because of one thing: JOY.
When you make life a game, it is something you can win,
learn from and be better.
If you follow your internal guidance system and discover
what brings you joy, happiness and passion; youll be on the right
track to discovering what you were meant to do.
For me, life is a game and you need to know the rules, which
at times, can be tricky. Radio ads, television commercials,
billboards on the side of the road, media of all types, bombards us
with messages and rules they invent to sell their customers
products. Many people have been taught, and programmed that to
be happy you must drive a certain kind of car, drink a specific
coffee or vacation at the resort they are promoting.

13

Happiness comes from the inside and is generated by you,

based on your thoughts, language and actions. None of what
brings you true happiness comes from the outside. That is why it is
critical that you determine what is important to you, what you are
passionate about and what gives you joy and happiness.
When I coach my clients, many of whom are successful
entrepreneurs, professional athletes, business owners, professional
speakers and authors, I ask them:
What are you passionate about?
What do you love?
Many times there was a long
pause because my client had not

What game are you

playing?

thought about it or, more sadly, not doing something they loved
and were passionate about.
I find it amazing that most people dont know what theyre
passionate about or what they love. Its very important to identify
your passion and love. If you are not doing what youre passionate
about, what you enjoy and brings you love; your life can be
incomplete.
Why even bother to play?

14

In the game of life, I have another standard.I always tell

myself, Play the game to win or dont play at all.
What do I mean by that? Being a coach and trainer, I saw
how the athletes worked so hard in their games. We were
supposed to win the championship. We lost. However, through
persistence, and hard work, we won, eight years later.
Rules of the Game.
It is of paramount importance to understand that, like in
sports, there are rules. You have to know the rules so you can play
the game to win. In todays world, there are some rules which
many of us are confused about. Weve been told that we have to
work harder to make more money and we have to go to college to
become successful. But these are not the rules of winning.
For me, every day is a new game and I thank my Creator for
giving me another day to play to be able to go out, have fun and
play. Shouldnt every day be an opportunity to do what you enjoy
most and create what you want?
Just like in any game, there are rules. If you follow the rules,
practice, have a great coach, and a team that supports you, you can
win. Its the same with the game of life.
Here are the rules:
15

Rule #1: Take Responsibility.

You must take responsibility for your decisions, choices and
actions in your life. In my life today, I take 100% responsibility for
my life. Everything that happens in my life and every person that is
brought into my life is because of my decisions and choices. I hold
myself 100% responsible for

You must take personal

responsibility. You cannot
change the circumstances,
the seasons or the wind.
-Jim Rohn

everything that happens. I dont

blame anybody; I take full
responsibility to win in this
game of life.

Many people let life control them instead of them controlling

their life. One way to control your life is to take 100%
responsibility. You cant blame your parents, your boss, the
economy, your ex-spouse or partner.
Remember, a decision you made created the situation that
you are in and brought the people you are surrounded by into your
life. What you choose determines where you are in your life, in
your career, and the relationships in your life. Good or bad, you
made the decision that brought that boss, business partner or
circumstance into your life. You must do your due diligence when
choosing what you want and do in your life.
16

Rule #2: Give Up Your Excuses!

Part of taking responsibility is giving up all your excuses for
why things dont work, the success you desire has eluded you, the
job you applied for that didnt come through, etc. It is time to let go
of all the complaints, blame, and excuses for not having what you
want or being where you want to be.
Beginning today, no more excuses. It is what it is. Accept
what is and take responsibility.
Right now, put your hand on your heart and say: I give up
all complaining, blaming others and creating fault. I take 100%
responsibility of my life.
From this moment on, it is what it is.

Give up your
excuses!

17

Rule #3: Understand the Game.

To play the game, you must understand the rules and how
they work. We understand how gravity works so we can use it to
our advantage. Its the same thing with success.You need to know
the rules so you can succeed.
Many people think that to be successful, you need to work
hard and make a lot of money. I was always told to go to college,
work hard for 30 or 40 years, and you would be successful. I have
found that is not necessarily true.
So what is success? How do you know when you have
achieved success? How do you measure success? Ill get to that in
a few minutes, first, lets understand the game.
You can actually use many different winning principles and
strategies to win. Some of the most valuable principles I have
learned include:

Leveraging other peoples money, time and talent

Knowing what our core genius is

Having total clarity about what we want to accomplish

Using our mind and thoughts, and

Taking Massive Action!

18

I struggled in high school to get good grades. Studying was

hard for me. Right before graduation I saw a guidance counselor to
help me choose a career as I did not want to work in a factory like
my father and grandfather.
My counselor looked at my grades and told me I would
never make it and that the best thing for me to do was to be a
laborer. This was not in my plans, I could not see myself working
in a factory for the rest of my life, so I took action.
I applied at the local junior college and convinced the
admissions counselor to give me a shot. I was persistent and they
let me in. That started the process of creating my career. It was a
great lesson for me to pursue my dream, no matter what someone
else said.
Ive found that most of the time we become what we think
about.Most successful people understand that the thoughts you
think and what you continually bring to your life contributes to
what is going to happen.We must understand that to win the game,
you must be able to control your thoughts and what you bring into
your mind.
Secondly, you have to understand the law From
Within,From Without. Everything that happens to us, happens in
19

our subconscious mind first and then materializes in the physical

world.
If you want to change your life and win, you have to
understand that everything comes from the inside out. Start first
with the thoughts youre thinking. Start by creating different
thoughts,so you can change your game.To understand the game is
to understand that everything comes from the inside out.
Start thinking differently about everything you want in your
life and how you want it. Write it down and include:

The black book and how you used it

o Hopes, dreams, desires,
o Actions
o Plans
o Affirmations
o Self limiting beliefs
o Goals
o Gratitude
o To do list
I write everything down, everything that comes from within.

I have always wanted a house on the water and a boat. I took out
my black book and wrote it down: I want a cigarette boat that I can
20

have outside my house and drive. I decided that I would get that
boat on December 1, 2008. I kept thinking about it, I kept writing it
down. Everyone told me I could never get the boat, but I didnt
listen to them, I writing and planning and persistent in searching
for my boat.
A few months later, while I was at a conference, I received a
call from a yacht broker that told me he found the perfect boat for
me and that he could get me a really great deal on it.
I went to see him a few days later, and he was right. It was
the perfect boat. I bought it. As I was signing the papers, I noticed
the date: December 1, 2008!
Rule #4: Know EXACTLY what you want.
You need to get very clear on what you want. Once you
know what you want, you mustdecide, commit and resolve to
achieve that goal.
What do you want? What is your outcome?
As I think back, we had some old myths growing up.We
believed that if you went to college,
got a job, worked for somebody,
saved and got a pension; life would

21

What do you want?

What is your
outcome?

be good. The days of the old myths are over.

You cannot rely on a J.O.B. (just over broke), so why would
we have a job? To win in life, you cant have a job and work 30-40
hours a week for someone else.You need to begin creating the
wealth that you want for you and your family.
You may want to consider becoming an entrepreneur and
creating your dreams and future. Entrepreneurship is a winning
strategy proven by many people, like Bill Gates, Oprah, and
Richard Branson. Every one of these individuals pushed their
limitations to the side and persisted to making their dreams come
true, creating a difference in the world.
They knew what they wanted and went after it, never
wavering in their resolve or giving up.
After I had my back surgery, even though I was in a cast,
had no home of my own, I was staying in my 98 year old
grandfathers retirement home, doing therapy by walking around
the pool, I decided to start my own business.
I had no idea how to start or run a business. I had no capital
or expertise. But I didnt let that stop me. I was persistent. I
decided, commited and resolved to create something.

22

My grampa lived by the courthouse so I went their and

observed a foreclose auction. I went and watched and learned, and
I got an idea.
I envisioned creating a foreclosure business where I provide
foreclosure information to investors.
Rule #5: Whats Your Why?
One of the most important principles for winning is to know
why youre playing the game. The why is the foundation and
motivation behind the game. When you break it down, the reason
youre playing the game is to experience emotion and to have joy
and happiness. You might want to become a multi-millionaire, but
whats the reason why? Whats going to get you up in the morning?
What is the compelling reason?
You have to have a big enough why to consistently
motivate you to win. Successful people understand this. One of the
things I do at my seminars is to have entrepreneurs create a why
video, which helps them express why they want to succeed and
clarify what is important to them.
I taught real estate investors to become wealthy buying real
estate and I told them its not about the real estate, its about why
you want to become wealthy. When they broke it down, it was
23

about their family, freedom, travel, the cars and foods they wanted
to experience, which is the reason why they wanted to become real
estate investors.
The real estate was just the vehicle to make that
happen.Therefore, its very important to understand why you want
to win.
Rule # 6: What is your Vehicle?
Now it is time to write down whatever game you have
decided to play. Take out your Winning Journal, which you can
download from WinningNow.com or receive in the mail, but write
down the why for why you want to make this change, because if
the why is big enough, you will consistently have the motivation to
make it happen.
Rule #7: What is your Outcome?
What is your ideal outcome? What results are you seeking?
Do you want to make a million dollars? Do you want to lose 10
pounds? Do you want to be the best mom? You must know what
you want.
Rule #8: Measure Your Results.

24

When pursuing your dream, achieving a desired goal,

attaining success, how do you know you have completed what you
set out to do? How do you do that?
You have to measure your results, so you can consistently
check and see where youre at in your journey to your goal.
How do you know when you have accomplished your goal?
How do you measure your success?
In my business, we track revenue as well as how many
clients we have helped, inspired and led to success. It is important
to know what you want to get out of it as well as what you have
accomplished.
One of the most important things Ive learned is that results
never lie. In life, you either win or you dont. Youre either thin or
youre heavy. Youre either financially free or working. In life, its
very easy to figure out if youre on track, again, results never lie.
Look at your results. Are you winning, yes or no? A lot of
people get confused and think they are in between. The worst
thing you can be is in between. You need to ask yourself, Are the
actions Im taking today going to increase my results? If they are
not going to make a difference, then you are taking the wrong
actions, and going in the wrong direction.
25

One of the consistent things I do is record my results in my

journal. For me, its important to stay healthy and in my journal I
look at what my results are. How much do I weigh? What are my
results in the gym? I write them down and keep track of how I am
making progress on my goals.
One of the most important things you can do as a business
owner is look at the results of your business. What are your P&Ls?
How much is your revenue? What are your expenses? How many
new prospects or leads are coming in? You need to look at the
results, because results never lie.
The results you are getting are in direct correlation with the
pictures in your mind. Therefore, if you want to change your
results, you need to change whats going on inside of you. The
greatest thing is that were working on ourselves from the inside
out. The best thing about journaling is that you will begin thinking
about and taking new actions to create new behaviors in order to
achieve the results you desire.
If you want to change your results, here are three success
strategies to do it:
1. Change the pictures in your mind
2. Change your self-talk and how you talk to others
26

3. Change your behaviors

By implementing these three strategies, you will certainly
get different results. Look at your current results and work
backwards to see what pictures you need to change in your mind,
how you talk with yourself and to others and what new behaviors
you should implement to change your results.
Rule #9: Mastermind.
In 2006, I began doing a lot of seminars and speaking on the
circuit. I wanted to become one of the best inspirational speakers in
the country. I was reading Napoleon Hills Think and Grow Rich,
where I learned about the 17 principles to become successful.
The second principle, which he said was most important,
was masterminding. Hill says nobody has ever become successful
without the alliance of a mastermind. So with that in mind and
wanting to become one of the best speakers in the country, I created
a mastermind for speakers. I contacted all the best speakers in the
country and put a mastermind group together. We were going to
mastermind three times a year and then once a year in Costa Rica.
The Mastermind was about helping each other, building our
businesses and determining how we could help our clients. We
made each other accountable and made sure everyone was playing
27

a big game. We put the mastermind together and within one year,
everyone in the group was making at least a million plus.
A Mastermind alliance can be very powerful. When you
bring the resources of 10 or more people together, it is as if a third
or fourth mind shows up;the principle of masterminding is
amazing.
If youre in a mastermind group and youre the most
successful person in it, youre in the wrong mastermind group. You
want to be in a mastermind group with people who have more
resources and are more successful than you.If you ever have a
challenge in your business, you can look to your mastermind group
and they will usually have the answers.
Masterminding is also important for reference points.If
youre seeing people succeeding and winning then your reference
points move up and you start winning at that bigger level because
the belief in your mind raises you up so you start to play a bigger
game. Its simply that you become who you surround yourself
with. Tony Robbins says, You become the five people you
surround yourself with most.Be sure to surround yourself with
high-powered people.

28

Take a moment now and get your Winning Now book.

Write down the names of the five people who you surround
yourself with most of the time. Put a plus sign next to the person if
they are positive, motivated, winning and have good morals and
values. Put a negative sign next to those who are toxic complainers
and not winning. We call them dream stealers.Now look and see
how many pluses and minuses you have.
For the next 30 days surround yourself with positive people,
limit the negative people in your life, and see what happens.
Rule #10: Enthusiasm and a Winning Attitude.
One of the most important ingredients for success and
winning the game is enthusiasm, attitude and mindset. It is
important to get up each morning excited, inspired and passionate
about what youre going after. It also creates great energy when
youre passionate because people want to be around you.People are
willing to show up in your life and help you on your journey to
achieve your goals.
Many people wake up in the morning with the attitude of,
its just another day and hoping nothing bad happens.Instead, get
up and say,Its a great day.I cant wait to see how many amazing
people are going to enter into my life and what wonderful things
29

will come about.People often look at the glass as half empty

instead of half full.
Make the mind shift of getting up and approaching each day
with a better attitude, asking how you can learn and grow from
your experiences and show great enthusiasm. Having that
enthusiasm will stretch a long way because no one wants to
surround themselves with somebody who is negative and bored in
life.Passion is the main ingredient, people are drawn to people that
are winning.Create a mind shift of excitement, being inspired and
having great energy.
Rule #11: Turn Unexpected Time into a Treasure.
My wife and I were out for a drive in our new car and in all
the excitement, I forgot to check the gas level and we ran out of gas.
We were sitting beside the road and for a split second I was mad
and disappointed, but I decided right then to make it a great
experience by spending quality time with my wife while my buddy
brought me some gas. We had the best hour long conversation and
connection of our lives.
Waiting in line at the bank? Are there 3 cars in front of you
at the gas pump? On the subway, in traffic, stuck at the airport?

30

Have a book, an audio or a project to work on?You need something

to feed your brain at those times.
Strive to have great energy and a winning attitude, no
matter what shows up in your life, always look at the positives.
Even though sometimes bad things happen, there is always a seed
of good that allows for a great learning experience.
Rule #12: Gratitude.
One of the most important things I focus on is gratitude.
Every morning when I wake up I focus on 10 things for which I
have gratitude and appreciation.Before bed I write down,in my
Winning Book, 10 things that happened that day that I appreciate.
Its amazing when you make that mind shift of appreciation
how your happiness goes up. Having appreciation and being
grateful is one of the keys to winning in life. Even if your current
situation isnt exactly what you want it to be, be grateful. I believe
the more gratitude you have and the more grateful you are about
things, the more things start to show up in your life like magic.
One of the things a winning personality has is to never give
up. In college I got my degree in sports medicine and my first job
was a professional football trainer working with an Arena football
team called The Tampa Bay Storm. I was 26 years old working
31

with the team, we were on national TV and it was very exciting.

Thats where I started understanding the winning principles. Being
around sports my whole life and being around athletes, I was able
to model and see what success was all about. I was able to take the
principles I saw from sports and implement them into my own life.
In 1998 we had one of the best teams and we were expected to win
the world championship in Arena football.
At 26 years old I wanted one of those rings to show I was on
a winning team. We went to the game and lost. The loss hurt so
badly and destroyed my hopes of winning a ring. We went back
the next season where we had the best record ever in the regular
season. Then we went to the playoffs and lost in the first round of
playoffs and my second chance to win the ring was gone. We
played another season and lost again. It was 8 years later that we
finally won the championship, we were on NBC TV and I got the
ring. It has been amazing wearing one of these rings because you
got the status, restaurants gave us free food, and everything about
it was very exciting.I wear the ring with pride showing that
persistence kills all.You will finally get there if you have a winning
attitude and are continually workingtoward your goals and whats
important to you.
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If I was in New York and wanted to go to LA and had to

walk, as long as I had a map and direction, taking one step at a time
I would eventually get to my destination. Thats what winners do.
They know there will be bumps in the road. They know there will
be blocks in their path, but they never give up. They consistently go
after their goals and continue to go after their goals, which is what
its all about.
Right now, write down some of the roadblocks that could
happen or have happened to you. By being aware of these in
advance, youll recognize them when they come up and you can
forge ahead through them.
Lou Holtz was a well-known football coach who was also a
legendary goal setter. His belief in goal setting began with a lesson
he learned in 1966 as an assistant coach at the University of South
Carolina, he was 28 years old.
His wife, Beth, was 8 months pregnant with their third child
and Lou had spent every dollar he had on a down payment for a
house. One month later, the head coach that hired Lou resigned, so
Lou found himself without a job.
In an attempt to lift his spirits his wife gave him a book
calledThe Magic of Thinking Big. The book said that you should
33

write down all the goals you want to achieve in your life, and thats
just what Lou did.
He sat down at the dinner table, turned to his imagination,
and before he knew it, he had listed 107 goals he wanted to achieve
before he died.These goals covered every area of his life including
having dinner at the White House, appearing on the Tonight Show
with Johnny Carson, meeting the Pope, coaching at Notre Dame,
leading his team to a national championship and shooting a hole in
one in golf.
So far, Lou has achieved 81 of these goals, including a hole
in one, not once but twice.

34

Rules for Winning the Game

Rule #1: Take Responsibility

Rule #2: Give Up Your Excuses!
Rule #3: Understand the Game
Rule #4:Know EXACTLY What You Want
Rule #5:What is your WHY?
Rule #6: What is your Vehicle?
Rule #7: What is Your Outcome?
Rule #8: Measure Your Results
Rule #9: Mastermind
Rule #10: Enthusiasm and Winning Attitude
Rule #11: Turn Unexpected Time into a Treasure
Rule #12: Gratitude

35

Winning Action Items

1) Start Your Winning Journal.

2) Write down your top 10 goals for this year.

3) Schedule your success: What are you going to do

first today? Tomorrow? Next Week? This Month?
4) What are your goals for this year? 5 Years from
now?
5) Create your Life List What do you desire,
want to achieve, see, be, do in your life?

36

Chapter Two
Preparing to Succeed
Obstacles are those frightful things you see
when youtake your eyes off your goal.
~Henry Ford

One of the powerful tools you have, and the most important
thing you must understand, is your mindset. Everything we have
talked about so far is from the inside out.
In my home, the thermostat is set at 72 degrees and when
the environment becomes warmer, the thermostat automatically
kicks in to keep the temperature at 72 degrees.
Your mind is like a thermostat. If your internal Earnings
thermostat is set at making $40,000 to $50,000 a year, that is where
it is going to stay. If you make $100,000, and throw your internal
thermostat off, chances are the next year you will sabotage yourself
and earn less so your thermostat remains in the same place. To
increase your results, you have to change your settings.
Its been shown that 80% of people who win the lottery end
up filing bankruptcy in five years. It would seem with all the

37

money you have just won, you can set yourself up for life. Why
does this happen? The new life has the old settings. One of the
most important things you can do is to raise your thermostat on a
regular basis.
What is your internal thermostat set at? What are your
beliefs about your settings? Your thermostat, of course, was set at a
young age by your parents, your peers, your role models and other
people around you. We see it all the time. Many professional
athletes who grew up in poor areas and became very successful,
end up back where they started because their mindset and
thermostat wasnt set high enough. You need to determine where
your thermostat is set and decide where the best place is for it to be
set. Perhaps, you might need to raise it.
In preparing to win, I will be teaching you some affirmations
as well as how to change your beliefs. These are the key
components to getting your millionaire mindset and mindset to
succeed. Have you ever noticed that certain people seem to win in
life, whereas others dont? The winners win because their internal
mindset is set to Win!

38

What is your mindset? Is it set to win or set to lose? This is

something you need to know and constantly check in on as it drives
your decisions and the actions you take.
I want to share with you my story and about my own
limiting beliefs. I grew up in Michigan and had a rough childhood.
I was held back in school because I was told I was Dyslexic and that
I couldnt read or write; so I struggled through school.
My parents were divorced and left me home alone. I was
very depressed, I started drinking alcohol and doing drugs. I
barely made it through high school, graduated with a 1.2 grade
point average and was told I would never make it or survive. With
my parents divorced, we ended up on welfare, so I was one of the
poorest kids on the block.
I went to college barely able to read or write and went to
Florida where my first career was working as a professional
football trainer. I had a sports injury, not related to football,
fracturing my back and ended up having back surgery. In the
process, my wife left me with nothing. I was in the hospital and
my parents took me home at 29 years old, paralyzed, in a
wheelchair and with a walker. I lived with my 98 year old grandpa
who took care of me for a year.
39

It sounds like a rough road, and at times, it was. What kept

me going was determination, discipline and dedication. I set my
goals and focused on them.
I decided to start a business.
I started my business with a credit card, took it to Inc. 500
and became the 35th fastest growing company in the United States.
I recovered from back surgery and bought two limos, a yacht; I had
it all.
I was successful and living the life I had dreamed of.
And then I lost it all because of bad business decisions and
bad partnerships.
Today, Im back on top. I do not have Dyslexia and I am an
avid reader. I have my own business. Im financially free now.
And I keep fit through exercise and running on the beach, every
day.
How did I do this? Mindset. DECIDING to be successful,
raising my internal thermostat and taking action.
Thats the power of using my philosophy in this book. Ive
overcome nearly every obstacle anyone could have financial,
physical, emotional, so when Im working with clients or others
who say, Dave, I cant do it, Im injured, or I came from a
40

broken family, or I cant read its time to work on your

mindset.
Ive broken through nearly every limitation someone could
have and the truth is, they are all stories. Break through your
stories to create and win at any game you choose to play.
The Importance of Environment
Playing to win and succeeding has a lot to do with your
environment and surroundings.
What is your set point?
You become like those whom you surround yourself with
most often. Its amazing that when you are around other successful
people and start to see your reference point as being successful,
that you somehow, like magic, are drawn into being successful
yourself. Thats why a lot of successful people join mastermind
groups and go to seminars, so they can continue to surround
themselves with like-minded people and great environments. A
toxic environment can wreak havoc on your mindset, goals, plans
and dreams, which contribute to not winning.
Knowing and creating your winning environment is very
important.

41

You may need to change your environment and go to places

where successful people hang out. Perhaps join a mastermind
group with other successful people. Go to golf courses where
successful entrepreneurs play or join the country club because your
environment plays a major role in your success. Surround yourself
with a good environment. Maybe youre in a job with a negative
environment, if thats the case, you need to get out of that
environment, move on and surround yourself with successful
people.
One of the strategies Ive learned and used as a secret to my
success is to find out what I truly want to do and stay around
others that are doing it. This leads to becoming like them.
This is called the Law of Proximity: when you become close
to a specific environment, you start to act and change yourself to be
more like the people around you. Its quite amazing. Your
environment is an important part of your success.
My limiting beliefs were that:

I couldnt read because I was Dyslexic.

I couldnt become successful because I wasnt smart

enough.

42

I couldnt have a great relationship because I came from

a broken home.

I broke through those limiting beliefs and fears.

Right now, I would like for you to take a few minutes and
think about your own limiting beliefs. What are they? What is
stopping you from success and achieving your dreams?
I know it may be painful to think about it, but it is important
that you KNOW what they are. It is critical that you are clear about
what your limiting beliefs are, so you can change them into
empowering beliefs.
Write down five self-limiting beliefs that are holding you
back, stopping you in your tracks, the reason for not achieving your
goals, and costing you your dreams.
1. _______________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________
What are your stories?
Do they serve you?

43

Why do you stick to them? Why do you keep repeating

them?
People create and live on their stories because it creates
certainty for them and they become addicted to the vicious
repetitive cycle of their negative identity.
Decide, right now, to break through that mindset.
To change your life, you must change your mind.
One way to change your mind and your mindset is to
change your environment.
Choose To Win
To start, choose to win. Make a conscious decision to WIN!
To win at whatever it is that you want. Not only to win, but to
WIN BIG!
Think about each one of the limiting beliefs you wrote down
above and decide to change it.
Take different actions for each one of those limiting beliefs to
start raising your thermostat. Decide and make a commitment to
victory. Commit to self-mastery, which in Japanese is known as
Kaizen, never-ending improvement, continuously working to get
better so you can win.

44

Each step forward is a victory. Celebrate each victory no

matter how small.
I see a lot of professional athletes who consistently practice
and train, repeating their skill until they reach victory. Thats what
winning is all about, continuing to work on you and over time,
getting better and better.
As soon as you commit to victory, one of the most important
things you can do is take 100% responsibility for your life. You
must stop blaming outside forces, stop blaming your parents,
bosses, the media, spouses, the weather, lack of money and all the
other outside forces. You must know, understand and believe that
youre 100% responsible for your life. Where you are is based on
the decisions you have made so far. Give up the excuses and stop
complaining. If you dont like the outcome, then change your
actions.
Let me share a quote from Lou Holtz, The man who
complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped
it.
The most important thing is to quit blaming. Blaming is a
complete waste of time, because no matter whose fault it is, the
result remains the same and it is still a waste of time.
45

You will never become successful if you continue blaming

someone or something else for your lack of success.
If you are going to win, you have to understand that you are
the person who thought the thoughts. You are the person who
took the actions and you are the person who said yes. It is
important that you know and understand that you are the person
who found that business partner, married that individual, took that
job you hate or ate that junk food. You decided and you took the
action. So stop the blame game.
The most amazing thing about complaining is that when
people complain, its usually to the wrong person. If a person is
unhappy at work, they dont talk to their boss, they go home and
complain to their spouse. If theyre unhappy at home, they go to
work and complain to their boss or co-workers.
Stop complaining and start talking to the right person. Most
people are afraid to talk to the person they have a conflict with, so
they complain, which is simply a waste of time. If you complain to
your spouse about your boss, what can they do? Nothing. So you
just wasted your time and energy.

46

If you have a problem at work, go to your boss and talk to

them. Go prepared with suggestions for making the situation
better or solving the challenge.
If youre not getting the results you want in life, you need to
look at the actions you are taking to achieve them. The only way to
change your results in life is to take different actions and start
thinking differently.
We talked earlier about the three ways to create change:

Change the pictures in your mind;

Change the way you talk; and

Change your behaviors.

If you are not getting the results you want, then you need to
do one of the three things listed above.
One of the easiest ways to get started to achieving better
results is by changing the vision you hold in your subconscious
mind, for something you want. Change the view of what you want
to something that inspires you and gets you excited about what
you want.
For example, I remember after my back surgery, I couldnt
walk or run and I could have blamed God or the doctors. I thought
my life was over!! The only thing I was ever good at was sports
47

growing up and when I broke my back, I thought I lost everything

because that was who I was . That was my identity. But then I
created a new game, which was to be a success, then I became a
new person.
Instead, I changed the pictures in my mind. I visualized
being able to walk again. Then I started to let myself think I could
walk again. In fact, I knew I would be able to run again some day. I
changed my behaviors, I started to eat better, do exercises,
strengthen my body and it all started to take shape. I started
walking, then running and got to the health I visualized for myself.
Take new actions to achieve your goals. Change your
strategy, talk to others and get new ideas.
Begin communicating to yourself and other people
differently to get the results you want. Speak in a positive and
empowering way about EVERYTHING that you talk about.
You will immediately notice a change how you feel, how
you look at things, how others respond to you. It will be significant
and create a positive force in your life.

48

Release the Magic from Your Mind

The Law of Attraction, in philosophy and throughout life,
states that man has found out that we become what we think about
most of the time.
The mind is one of the most powerful organisms on the
planet, so much so that it attracts people, ideas and things to you.
Releasing the magic of your mind and knowing exactly what you
want, and thinking about it consistently over time releases the
power of the mind.
Here is a quick story about how powerful releasing the
magic from your mind is.
I carry a little book with me every day. I call it my
Winning Journal, and it is my magic book because whatever I
write in this book, happens. I write what I want to happen and
then I write act as if today is my last day and I always play full
out.
Integrity
One of the most important things people dont realize is the
importance of having integrity. In todays world, a lot of people
dont keep their commitments. Its amazing that a majority of

49

people in business dont have enough integrity to keep their

appointments and commitments with their clients and prospects.
To win you have to make sure that when you make an
agreement, you keep it. Every agreement you make is with
yourself. If you dont keep your agreement, the cost can be huge
and devastating.
If you make a commitment with somebody and you break it,
then you have both external and internal consequences. The
external, of course, is that people wont believe you; they wont
trust you when you say youre going to do something, and it can
ruin your character.
But, more importantly, when you make commitments and
dont honor them, the internal effect is huge because now youre
teaching yourself that when you make a commitment; you cant
rely on yourself.
If you say to yourself that youre going to the gym and you
dont go, the effects are enormous because youre now teaching
yourself not to believe in you.
Your brain hears this, registers as a commitment and then
when you break your commitment, the result is that you start
doubting yourself which results in losing self-esteem, self50

confidence and self-respect. You lose faith in your ability to do

anything, which weakens your sense of integrity.
As you can see, it is critical that you keep your
commitments. Your integrity is worth more than a million dollars.
Most people dont realize how important it is to keep the
commitments you make to yourself and others.
The key is to make ONLY those commitments you intend to
keep. If you have any doubt, do not make a commitment. Make
sure you have the time, resources and ability to keep your
commitment.
I have met people who carelessly throw around their words
without having the intention to keep their word and I keep my
distance. Make sure when you make a commitment that you keep
it.
Here are some tips to make sure you keep your
commitments:
1. Before making a commitment, make sure its something
you intend to keep. Some people make commitments
knowing full well theyre going to break them.

51

2. Make sure when you make a commitment that you write

it down. Put it on your calendar, into your playbook or
into your computer. Write it in your journal.
3. If for some reason you have to break your commitment,
let the person know and then reschedule it.
4. One key note is to say no more often. Too many people
are saying yes to good and saying no to great. Make sure
you say no to good so you can say yes to great.
One of the greatest ways to create a lot of change in your life
is to up the ante. We do this in my Mastermind group. We have
goals and commitments were going to make so we up the ante,
turn up the pain so that you have no choice but to make the
commitment.

52

Write down five things you want to change, keep your

commitments and then up the ante.
What do you want to change?
How are you going to keep your commitment?
How are you going to up the ante?
1. _______________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________
Commit to yourself. It could be that you want to lose five
pounds in a month and if you dont, then the cost is that you
donate $1,000 to a charity you dont believe in.
Or, up the ante and take away something thats very
important to you so youll be sure to get it done. Keeping your
commitments and having integrity is massive in the world of
success, because people need to know they can rely on you and
your teammates in life need to know they can count on you.

53

Winning Action Items

Write down your 5 limiting beliefs: What are they?
What new visions, actions and language are you
going to use to implement positive changes in your
life?
How are you going to make and keep commitments in
the future?
Write down the 5 things you want to change: What
do you want to change that will make a big difference
in your life?

54

Chapter Three

Personal Power
Put your future in good hands - your own.
~Author Unknown

The challenge we have in todays society is that everybody is on

the move going fast. Moving fast, driving fast, and eating fast
food. Our food and water supply is contaminated and we have a
problem with obesity.
I see a lot of people that try to win who simply dont have
the energy to make it through a day of work or meetings and
quickly get burned out. Im going to share with you some
strategies that will increase your ability to have more energy, to live
longer, be happier and enable you to get out of bed with energy.
One of the most important components to being successful is
to be healthy. Your health is very important and one of the things
people take for granted is that you need to take care of yourself.
You need to exercise and eat the correct foods. This book is to help
you to win and one of the ways to win is to take care of your body.
Being in the sports/medicine world and an athletic trainer, Ive

55

worked in hospitals and clinical settings where I saw people that

were 55 years old, obese, having total knee replacement surgeries,
back surgeries and their bodies were completely breaking down
because they had not taken care of themselves. They were so obese
their body wore out and gave up. A simple, smart and easy way to
get started is by simply moving. Start walking today, choose to eat
better foods and get the energy you need to win.
Water is a very important and often an overlooked topic. A
common thing we need to do is to drink 8-10 glasses of water per
day. About 90% of the American population is dehydrated, their
bodies arent getting enough water because they are drinking soft
drinks, alcohol and/or are eating foods that are low in water
content. If you are not hydrating your body correctly, your body
will not be able to do the things it needs to do.
One strategy I follow consistently is when I first get up in the
morning, I go for a walk or run. I do that for 45 minutes to an hour
every morning to get the flow of my energy level up so I can go out
and win. Its very important to exercise and get moving. Being in
the athletic world, I was consistently around people achieving and
winning, and I saw that taking care of their bodies and exercising
made a big impact in their life, not only on the field of sports but off
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the field as well. They were able to outperform business owners

because they had more energy and excitement. Its important to
maintain your health and energy.
Physiology
There was a study where 20 people were brought into a
room. The participants in the study were asked which person in
the group of 20 was the most successful. They all picked one
person simply because of his posture. Posture totally affects your
ability to win and succeed. The position of your body determines
how your body and mind think.
How you stand, sit, walk, breathe all of these contribute to
your entire image.
I have been a winning athlete my entire life. I took care of
my body, worked out and then at 29 years old I was seriously
injured, became paralyzed and had to learn how to walk again.
One of the things I did to gain back my personal power was to hire
a coach.
After my surgery, I was fully paralyzed and I left the
hospital in a wheelchair, unable to walk. Two years later, with
persistence and unwavering determination, I was actually running
again.
57

My mindset was consistently committed to winning and

improving every day. Its amazing how, when you start to stretch
yourself, how you can expand and continue to grow.
As I started training, I committed to victory and turned up
the painI knew that if I didnt continue to improve then I would
never walk again. I took the leverage of wanting to walk and
forced myself to continue to empower myself to continue moving.
In this way I upped the ante.
If you are not satisfied with your health or energy, you need
to decide and commit to making the change, and be sure to turn up
the ante.
Ask yourself the following questions:

How is my health? How do I rate my overall health?

What can I improve?

What am I going to do to improve my health?

What can I do EVERYDAY, just one small distinction that

will lead to more energy, vitality and great health?

What can I do TODAY to get started?

Committing to never-ending improvement is a powerful

way to get started and keep moving forward. From my own
experience, I learned that it is not possible to go from being
58

paralyzed to running. Progress must be done in small increments.

Take baby steps, and keep working toward improving your skills,
changing your behavior and surrounding yourself with successful
people.
Take small easy steps and eventually you will get there.
Decide you want to improve and then begin taking small
consistent actions, baby steps, to get to where you want to be.
When I was paralyzed in the hospital, I thought my life was
over and that there was no way out. I thought I would be in pain
and immobilized for the rest of my life, but I changed my mindset
to where I wanted to win and committed to being able to walk
again. I made a commitment to myself that I would be able to run
again, and began taking steps to achieve that important goal.
Now, more than seven years after my surgery, Ill be
running my very first marathon. Ive consistently improved myself
by taking small steps. I am grateful to be in the position Im in
right now.
Know how important it is to take care of your health and
yourself, because life is so much more enjoyable and precious when
you have the freedom to move, use your body and have plenty
energy to do what you want to do. This chapter is dedicated to
59

knowing what you need to do and doing what it takes to get it

done.
Take out your Winning Journal and write down one thing
you are going to commit to do to improve your life. What small
action can you start right now, today, to get there?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

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Chapter Four

What is Your Passion?

Don't live down to expectations.
Go out there and do something remarkable.
~Wendy Wasserstein

I believe we are all born with a life purpose, an identity and a

special gift. It is important to find out what that gift is and figure
out your purpose. Take the time to understand why you are here,
what your purpose is and what you are passionate about.
Why were you put on this Earth?
There are two ways to find out what you are passionate
about. Each and every one of us has a core genius, something we
are naturally gifted at. For example, we can look at Michael Jordan,
who had a gift to play basketball; Tiger Woods, who has a gift to
play golf. When you follow what you are naturally gifted at, it
usually brings you joy and happiness.
This is one way to determine what you are passionate about,
what do you simply love to do?

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When you are in alignment with what you are meant to be,
the first step is to find your core genius. Secondly, find out what
gives you joy and passion and then design and build your life
around your core genius and what gives you passion and joy. If
you do those two things, life flows easily.
We use the word inspire. People become inspired. When
you become in spirit, you figure out what you are meant to do and
you never get tired.
I found what Im truly passionate about and Im never tired.
Im always full of energy and people who are around me all the
time say, Dave, you have such positive energy and you are always
excited and passionate.
Its simply because I found out what I truly love to do and
what my core genius is. I think that is the key to life and to play to
win. If you look at sports, football, for example, you dont take a
quarterback and put him as a tight end or wide receiver.
It is about finding what you are naturally good at, so you
can have everything you want in this world.
My passion is to help people win, whether in sports the
business world, in relationships or their financial life. Its amazing
what happens when you find your passion. I call it being inspired,
62

because when you are inspired you are in spirit and when you are
inspired you never get tired.
I was able to work and have joy by turning my J.O.B. into
my J.O.Y. and I never worked again.
We all have a purpose, and of course, we want to find out
what it is because when you find your purpose; life flows more
easily. Id hate to have you climb the ladder to find out you are on
the wrong roof, so lets now take time to get clear about your
passion. Your inner guidance system is a great way to help figure
that out. It can help you learn what your passion is, and if you
know your lifes purpose youll have massive joy.
It is important to take time now to figure out your purpose.
This will be an exercise about your life purpose to find out what
you are truly passionate about.
In my life as a professional football trainer when I got hurt, I
had to find a new passion. Because I couldnt do what I did before,
I became passionate about real estate. As I was recovering from my
surgery, after about four weeks in a full body cast, I heard that they
were auctioning off properties on the courthouse steps. I got in my
car and drove to the courthouse in Clearwater, Florida to a

63

foreclosure auction. I knew I wanted to create wealth and financial

freedom for myself, so I decided to get into real estate.
I found my first real estate property, purchased it with no
money down, had a handyman come fix it up, flipped it and made
$42,000 in quick turn real estate. I became passionate about real
estate and making lots of money. In the process, I also enjoyed
teaching others how to do the same thing. So, I went on the road
for about five years teaching people how to win at the real estate
game and make millions of dollars. I created a company that made
the Inc. 500 Magazine as the 35th fastest growing private company.
Success is naturally drawn to you and you can have huge
accomplishments when you find what you are passionate about.
Within three years of being paralyzed by an injury, and starting my
company on my credit card, we were in Inc. 500 Magazine making
millions of dollars and the company was valued at $40 million
dollars.
The KEY to winning is to discover your passion. What is
your natural core genius? What are you naturally gifted at? What
makes your heart sing when you do it? When you find what you
are passionate about, you never get tired; life comes to you easily
and flows naturally.
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The challenge we face in our society is that people focus on

improving their weaknesses instead of focusing on what their
strengths are; this results in outsourcing and building their team
around their weaknesses.
One thing about winning is that we all have something
natural in our unique core genius. If you go to WinningNow.com,
you can take a test that will give you a report to help you figure out
what your core genius is.
One of the major challenges we have today is that after
students graduate from high school and go to college, they dont
know what they want. They dont know what they are interested
in or what they are passionate about, which is why there is such a
high dropout rate. If students were shown how to figure out what
their natural core genius is, then they would have a much better
chance of winning.
Core Genius
As soon as you figure out what your core genius is, it is best
to leverage it and outsource your weaknesses. Build your team or
systems and your life around your strengths and then build
systems and people to help you in your areas of weakness.

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The greatest thing about life is that you cant do everything

by yourself. Life is about working with other individuals and
having passion and joy. Its very important to understand what
your strengths are, but also what your weaknesses are, that way
you can build yourself up. You are only as successful and strong as
your weakest weakness. Therefore, build your team to do the
activities that you dont do well.
There are so many resources in todays market that an
entrepreneur, business owner, or anybody who wants to get into
business, has easier access to skills and professional services at
every level. Outsourcing can be a lot cheaper than doing it
yourself, especially if your time is worth more than the value of the
task. There are systems and technology that can help you with
every aspect of your business, so it is critical to understand your
strengths and weaknesses which will allow you to build a winning
team around you.
What Do You Want?
The next thing you need to understand and figure out is
what do you want? We have all heard about the Law of Attraction
and the philosophy of ask and you shall receive, but the problem
is that people dont know what they want. If you dont know what
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you want, then how are you going to get it? It is a basic fundamental
of success to get clear on what you want in life and what gives you
happiness.
Have you thought about what you want in your life?
Where you want to live? What your passion is? How you want to
spend your life? Is there anything you want to create?
Answering these questions will give you direction toward
creating the life you want to live. It is essential that you decide
what is important to you and what you want in life.
In creating the life I wanted, I focused on what I was
naturally good at, which is my core strength, and thats being able
to communicate. In business, I would communicate and
everything else was outsourced and delegated. I would travel and
when I was at home my entire life was automated. I had a
housekeeper to take care of my home, someone to do grocery
shopping for me, an assistant to take care of my bills, an expert
who took care of my limos and a skilled professional to manage
and take care of my yacht.
By building a team around me who could handle the
logistics in my life, I could focus on what I was passionate about
and did best! This created a life for me that I truly enjoyed.
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To discover what your core strengths are, go to

WinningNow.com to take your personality and profile test. This is
the first step to begin working on your core genius.
Taking Action
Taking action is the principal thing successful people do. If
you look at any successful enterprise whether it is in business,
sports, entertainment, politics, it all comes down to taking action.
What we know is not as important as what we do, the world
doesnt pay you for what you know, it pays you for what you do.
The Universe rewards people for taking action. This is one of the
most important principles of winning; winning people always take
action.
Taking action triggers additional action and creates
momentum to create your success. Action indicates your intent
which creates attention, which will give you feedback about what is
working and what does not work.
Talk is cheap. There are a lot of people who talk about
success and talk about their dreams, but what really separates
winners from losers is the people that take action and make things
happen.

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Nothing happens until you take action. Like the saying goes, If
your ship doesnt come in then swim out to it. To be successful
you have to do what successful people do, successful people take
action.
One of my primary action items is to take out my journal
and write down the things that I want to accomplish the next day. I
put them in the order of importance, which for me, my first goal is
typically the action item that will produce the most revenue for my
company. I put a checkbox by it and note a time in which to get it
done.
Whether you write it in a small journal or key it into your
iPhone, this is a very simple way to keep track of what action you
are going to take. Once you have written them down, the next step
is to visualize yourself taking the actions see yourself
implementing these actions. See yourself successful. Imagine the
victory!
Most people are familiar with the phrase, Ready? Aim!
Fire! but I always say, Ready? Fire! Aim! I go out and start
making things happen; I fall forward fast. This is what successful
people do because when you start taking action you get feedback
so you can adjust.
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Most people procrastinate, waiting for the right time to take

action. People are waiting for the right time for the real estate
market to turn around. Theyre waiting for the right time to ask
their boss to get a raise. Theyre waiting for the right person to
come along. Theyre waiting for the right time to get to that
workshop. Satisfaction comes from taking action. You have to go
out there and make it happen--dont wait, just do it now!
Many people are afraid to take action because theyre afraid
to fail. Successful people realize that failure is an important part of
the learning process, knowing that failure is simply another way
for them to learn. So, if you are stuck and cant get into action just
fall forward fast, take the steps you need to take to make it happen.
Then, as you start to take action, listen to your feedback so you can
correct your strategies. One of the best lessons about taking action
is that you can never learn anything in life unless you make
mistakes.
Enjoy the journey of success and remember that there may
be bumps in the road. Perhaps you may take some wrong steps,
but thats okay as long as you learn from the missteps and get back
on track. Dont take it personally. Dont create the story that you

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are not good enough for something, just learn from your mistakes
and keep moving forward.
Feedback
This is the breakfast of champions. Once you take action,
you will start getting feedback on whether or not you are doing it
right. To make the most of your feedback, gather data and use it so
you can consistently make sure you are on track. When an airplane
takes off and heads towards its destination, 90% of the time it is off
course. It is constantly receiving feedback from its instruments and
ground control to help stay on track and reach the desired
destination. Its the same in life. Its easy to get off course in life;
this is why it is important to use feedback to your advantage.
There are two types of feedback: positive and negative. We
tend to view positive feedback as good results, making more
money, being more productive, happiness, rewards, inner peace or
feeling better. We dont like negative feedback because its usually
a lack of results, no money, less productive, unhappiness, conflicts
or pain. However, both are useful.
The good thing is that when you get negative feedback its
simply telling you that you are off course and that you need to get
back on course.
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Positive feedback is good because it tells you that you are on

course. So all you have to do when you get feedback is to ask
whether you are on or off course.
At my seminars, I demonstrate this by asking who wants to
win a DVD player or an iPod. Of course, many hands in the
audience go up. I select someone from the audience and ask them
to come to the front of the room and wait there. I then go to the
other side of the room and place the item on a chair. I tell the
person that the only thing they have to do to win the prize is to
walk from where they are standing to where the item is on the chair
and they win the prize.
I ask the participant if they think that is fair and they always
say yes. Next, I blindfold them and spin them around, just as life
sometimes spins you around and gets you off course, with a
divorce, a poor economy, the loss of your job.
Now, I tell the audience they can say two words to the
participant: on course or off course. Then I say, Go!
The person starts walking and heads in the wrong direction,
so we tell them, Off course. They then adjust and begin moving
again and we tell them, On Course. This goes on for a few
minutes and eventually with the coaching and feedback they are
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receiving from us, they eventually make it to the destination and

win the prize.
It is a great example of how important coaching and
feedback can be, and even more essential, that we listen to the
feedback and win the prize!
Its the same thing in life. We need help to determine if
were headed in the right direction. This is why it is so important
to have a coach who will give us feedback and keep us on course so
we take action, accomplishing our goals and reach our destination.
You can go to WinningNow.com to learn about my coaching
program.
Use your journal right now to find out if you are on or off
course in the various areas of your life personal, relationships,
career, or business.
Are you living the lifestyle you dream of?
Do you have the relationships in your life that you desire?
Is your career on course?
Is your business growing the way you intended?
That is why coaching and feedback are vital to get you and
keep you on course.

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There are a variety of ways people respond to feedback.

Some people get feedback and quit, others get mad. Some people
ignore feedback, they simply dont pay attention to it and many
take the data and then move on.
As you take action, always ask for feedback and use that
valuable information to make adjustments and keep you on course,
just like the pilot who is flying the airplane. Remember, it is not
personal, its just feedback. Its not an attack on you or your
business, its just feedback important information that you want
to listen to, consider and take the appropriate action.
I ask for feedback from my wife and business partners every
Friday. I ask my wife, If you were to rate our relationship from
zero to ten, where would we be this week? She might say, Its an
8, Dave. Then I ask her, What would make it a 10? Shell tell me
things like, if you spend more time with me, go for walks or even
just sit down and watch a movie with me that would be great.
Now I have the feedback I need to make the proper adjustments
because everything should be a 10.
I also ask my business partners by asking them to rate my
performance from zero to ten for today, this past week or on a
presentation I made. Where would it be? They would hopefully
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say a 10, but if they dont and they say 8, then I ask them, What
would make it a 10? They give me their feedback; then I know
what action I need to take to play full out.
This is an easy thing to do. Get out your Success Journal
right now and ask someone significant in your life, On a scale
from zero to ten, if you could rate ( an action you are taking )
during this period what would it be? If they give you results less
than 10, then ask them what it would take to make a 10. This gives
you truly good feedback you can use.
You need to be aware that not all feedback is accurate.
Certain people may give you feedback or you might get false data
in their feedback, so find out what the source is and make sure the
person giving feedback is credible or that the feedback you are
getting is accurate. Always ask for feedback and use a zero to ten
scale to make the necessary adjustments so you will always be a 10.
Hire a Coach or Mentor
One of the most important elements of winning is to have a
coach, someone who has been to where you want to go, someone
who knows your industry, and can coach you because they know
the winning strategies and techniques to help you get to your
destination.
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We see it in sports, for example, professional football

athletes practice with a variety of coaches. They have a team coach,
a defensive or offensive coach; they may have a receiver coach, a
kicking coach, a coach for every aspect of the game. And so should
you!
I have a business coach, a speaker coach, a trainer coach, a
relationship coach, a time management coach and a financial coach,
all of whom keep me on track to reach my destination in the
various aspects of my life.
The greatest thing about coaching is that I havent spent a
dime, Ive invested in myself. Coaching is very important and
successful people understand this.
One of the best kept secrets of success is finding a great
coach. Coaches have helped many people win and succeed in
professional sports. We see a great team with a bad coach that
doesnt win. Then we see a great coach come to a team and
suddenly they win a championship.
Why does coaching work? Its because coaches have already
been where you want to go. They know how to get you there.
They know the steps and exact strategies, and theyre looking from

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a different angle than you are, so they can give you feedback and
help you and coach you to a successful outcome.
The greatest thing about a coach is that they can help you
determine your mission, purpose and goals. They can help you
with the each step. They can help you sort through the
opportunities and prioritize. They can help with accountability.
Coaching is important to have in order to keep you on track.
Successful people who win have a coach.
Go to WinningNowCoaching.com and well give you four
sessions with our professional coach to help you get to the next
level so you can start getting the results you want right now.
As a coach myself, being a professional football trainer for
eight years, I understand the value of coaching. I helped our
athletes by inspiring them. I gave them the right strategies to win, I
was there to guide and help them when they felt defeated. I picked
them up, pushed them forward and motivated them. The benefit of
having a coach is that they can look through a different point of
view to help you stay on track. Coaches push you to help you win
and to give you the right plan to make it happen.
The greatest thing about having a coach is that they are on
your team and they are invested to help you get to the next level.
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One of the things Ive used as a coach is to carry my journal

with me at all times. I call this my pocket coach. My pocket coach
goes with me everywhere I go, because I know when I have things
that come up, like feedback, I write it in my journal and now I can
gather and analyze feedback. And, when I write it down, I can look
at it from a different perspective or point of view.
I use my pocket coach as my accountability coach because
whatever I write in that book are my action steps. Its a must do, I
am committed to make happen. When I write down my action
steps, it is like its already done because I know Im going to make
it happen.

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Chapter Five
Relationships

"Be yourself" is about the worst advice you can give some people.
~Tom Masson

Building Your Power and Support Teams

Now that you have your goals and action items established,
it is important to begin to build your team. Who are the key
members on your team for your business, the people who will help
you?
One of the keys to success and to winning is to leverage
people and relationships. Begin focusing on who is going to be on
your team.
I strongly believe that your net worth is equal to your
network. Relationships are everything.
I built up my business to where I had approximately 85
employees that were on my team who helped me get my business
to Inc. 500 Magazine as the 35th fastest growing company. I
understand how humans work and operate and the winning

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strategy is to find out your natural strengths, your weaknesses and

build your team around it.
Before building your team, you need to determine your
outcome. What is it that you wish to accomplish? Then determine
the responsibilities required to accomplish your goal. Then you can
decide who is going to help you reach that goal.
As you build your team, it is important to hold people
accountable. You need to have their job responsibilities clearly
listed so they know exactly what to do and you can measure their
results.
You should only be concerned about the outcome and the
results that person is giving to the team. The results are what
counts. As you start building your team, think about who you
want on it. What special skill or knowledge do they have that will
help you reach your goals? How well do they know their skills?
Mindset and attitude are powerful tools. How do you learn what
they are from potential team members?
There are many standard tests that businesses use. I have
used the DISC and COLBY profile tests to determine natural core
strengths, what they like and what theyre good at. By doing this I

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can profile the people Im hiring to make sure Im hiring the right
person.
In sports, football for example, you dont want to hire a
kicker to be a running back. A kicker will not deliver the running
results you want. If you put somebody in a position where they are
weak, this will not help the team and frustrate your team member.
As you build your team, knowing their core strengths is
essential so they can be in position to perform at a high level and
contribute to a winning team. It is key to build your team around
you to achieve success. Everyone on the team has a different role
and responsibility and when you use them all together, you have a
winning strategy, and you enjoy success.
Also, I want you to know there is a difference between a
good quarterback and a great quarterback.There is a difference
between a good sales person and a Great sales person. There is a
difference between a good accountant and a Great accountant.
Great quarterbacks win championships. Make sure you only hire
and put Great people on your team. Its a non-fact that 4% of the
sales people will produce 78% of the sales in a business compared
to the rest. Its all about results. Also, make sure to hire people who
are smarter than you; take care of them and pay them more than
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you pay yourself. Create a win win for your entire team.
Sometimes people do not want to hire anyone smarter than them
because of their EGO. Make sure not to let your EGO destroy your
success.
Get out your journal right now and write down who is on
your team. Think about their core strengths and their unique
ability. Write down if theyre gifted at sales, marketing,
networking, paperwork or numbers, whatever it may be, write it
down.
Next write what their job duty or task theyre doing and
does it match with their core strength? If not, then relocate them or
bring in someone else to do that job, because youll burn people
out, they wont be happy and it wont work.
Just like in real estate, Location! Location! Location!
Communicating with Your Team
Effective communication with your team is essential. In
todays society, many of us use email and texting, often not
meeting with people or communicating very well. One of the key
parts of communicating is to regularly meet with your team. Go
over responsibilities and duties, communicate with them, and find

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out what their challenges are and how you can help them get their
jobs done. Communication is a huge part of success.
In your relationships at home and with your family, how are
you communicating and spending time with them? Are you
connecting with them? Are you present when you are
communicating with them?
We have all heard the saying, The quality of your life is the
quality of your communication. It is very important to be present,
to communicate and to listen. A lot of people talk but never listen
so it is important to make sure you ask questions, listen and get
feedback to build your relationships.
One of my own strategies when I meet people for the first
time is to listen to what they say, and ask precise questions. I
always think to myself, What is their natural core genius? What
gift did God give this person to do and focus on? What is their
strength? Knowing the answers to these questions can provide
you with a powerful insight to them. When learning about
someone, I always try to focus on the persons strengths.
Most people focus on peoples negatives and try to make
them wrong, so that way they can feel right and better about

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themselves. They will never see the GREAT or the abundance in

people. Successful people focus on the positive in other people.
Dont let yourself spend time on the negatives, focus on the
strengths and attributes of those on your team. See the Great in
people.
The next thing is, how can I help this person? How can I
show value for this person and help this person? Thats how I
communicate when Im working in my business. Its amazing
when you help someone and spend time connecting with them.
Then, if theres ever something you need, you can call them and
theyre eager to help you. Building your relationships to win is very
important.
Unsuccessful people think about themselves and think short
term. Successful think about long term meaningful relationships.
You will see that these relationships will help you on your journey
in life, in many ways you never dreamed of.
Unsuccessful people think about themselves and in the short
term. It is the opposite for successful people, they think about long
term meaningful relationships. You will see that these relationships
will help you on your lifes journey.

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Several years ago, I helped a friend of mine by letting him

stay at my home for six months, not expecting anything in return.
Three years later, he created a successful business and asked me to
speak at one of the biggest conferences in my industry. That helped
me launch one of my businesses. It all came down to relationship.
Write down in your journal who you need to communicate
with on your team, on a consistent basis, to make sure theyre
getting the tasks completed that you need to help you move
forward.
Be aware of how you are communicating with your team. A
powerful tool to use is Match and Mirror. Effective
communication requires this strategy. You need to mirror and
match their communication level.
It is best to match how they are communicating so you can
both understand each other.

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Chapter Six

The Time of Your Life: Being Present

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
~Confucius

Time To Do What You Want

One of the important things you have to do in winning is to
be present.
When you are in present, that is when you are in spirit and
when you are in spirit, you never get tired. When a human is in his
present moment, he has the power to create, to attract things in his
life and control.
So you have to get in the present moment.
What I found is that most people are in the future or in the
past. Very few people have mastered the art of being preset.
When you are in the future, the only thing that lives there is
the doubt, fear and anxiety.
When you are in the past, there is depression, regret, guilt.
When you are in the present, that is when you are in power
and that is when you will break through those limiting feelings.

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We hear athletes talk about being in the zone all the time. When
they are in the zone they play at the highest level. The key is to
model what athletes do and get in our present zone in life.
The key is to get in the present. What will happen in life is
life will take you out of your present time. You need to focus on
the task at hand. So if you are driving your car, be present driving
your car. If you are on a sales call, focus on who you are talking to.
If you are working on your computer, you focus working on your
computer.
If you are a multi-tasker you think that you may be
accomplishing more, but what you are doing is less effective.
Focus on your day; retrain yourself by continually being
present.
All of us are trying to get to the present moment because
that is when humans are in their complete power.
Its amazing that people dont know the answers to simple
questions like, What gives you joy? and What gives you
happiness? For business clients, I always ask, What is the best
use of your time? and, What is a revenue generating activity?

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There are a thousand different things we can do for our

business but there are only a couple of key techniques that will
bring revenue into the business.
It is time to celebrate your life, spend your time wisely and
begin scheduling and implementing what is important to you.
I recently read the following statistic: the average American
watches 4.5 hours of TV each day! If you multiply that by seven
days, you get 31.5 hours per week, which is 945 hours each month,
and incredibly, 11,340 hours each year.
With that amount of time you could create a million dollar
business! Turn off the TV and spend more time with your family,
build relationships, do things that bring you joy, start spending
more time creating the things you want in your life.
It is vital that you know where you spend your time. One
way to determine this is to keep a seven day journal and look at
your daily activities. Create a grid in your journal and write down
all the activities for the week, use a red pen and circle all the
activities that are unproductive and non-revenue generating
activities. Circle activities that do not get you closer to your
dreams, things like watching television, computer games, or just
wasting time. Then, take a green pen and circle all the JOY in your
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life, activities that you enjoy doing, spending time with your
spouse or family, and revenue generating activities. This will show
you how you are spending your time. You will be surprised at
how much red youll have on your schedule. Your goal is to turn
that red into green time and money wise!
Next, look at the activities in red and ask yourself, how you
can outsource those activities. How you can leverage technology to
do some tasks? Determine if you should even be doing some of
those activities. One of the first things I delegated to my assistant
were time consuming errands like going to the cleaners, washing
my car and grocery shopping. The hours I paid her to do it gave
me hours to work on my business and my green activities. It
allowed me to spend my free time as I wished, with my family and
doing things I enjoyed.
Whether it is business or personal, your time is priceless. It
is worth every penny to set up your activities and schedule your
time so you can
Write in your journal a summary of your work time and
your free time. Are you designing the life that you want?
Getting Present

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Ive noticed that for many human beings, they are not in
present time. They are hypnotized by life. They are in the past or
in the future. They are texting, on the phone or driving their cars
but they are not present. It seems to me that the entire planet has
lost being present. We are the only species on the planet that isnt
in present time.
A human being is seldom in the present moment anymore.
You have to focus on becoming present. Great and successful
leaders have gotten present and people are drawn to people that
are present. Being present is very important. What is being
present? How do you get present?
First, you have to stop multi-tasking. In this society,
everything is running so fast that people think multi-tasking is
good, but statistics show that multi-tasking is actually inefficient.
As odd as it may sound, working on one project and being
present is beneficial and more productive.
One of the things I do is segment my life. That means I get
up in the morning and if Im going to spend the next 45 minutes
running on the beach, all I do is run on the beach and therefore Im
present. During those moments, Im not thinking about anything
else, Im only experiencing what Im doing.
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When I get into my car to drive to my office, as Im driving I

enjoy the experience of driving. Im not on the phone or doing
many different things, Im simply present in the moment. When I
communicate with people Im also in the present moment. I have
my focus on where I am right now. Ive turned off the noise of in
the future because the past is history, the future is a mystery and
the present is a gift, so you need to be present, be right here, right
now.
To get present, focus on what is at hand. If you find that
youre not present, one of the strategies I use is to ground my feet
by pushing my heels into the ground and then I become present.
Another strategy I use is to close my eyes and run my hands over
my face, as I say to myself, Im here right now.
I also listen to my breath, thats another way to get present.
Meditation is also helpful to become present. Going for a
walk can help you get present. As you walk by trees, mailboxes
and cars, acknowledge them and after a while you will find that
you are present and your energy level will increase.
So, if you find that youre burned out from working too
much, go for a walk, become present and increase your energy.

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Another thing I do is write in my journal these four

sentences:
I like myself.
I love myself.
I love my life.
My life starts right now.
This is a quick and easy technique to get present.
Designing Your Life
We need to decide what is important to us, what we love
and then begin to design the life we want to live. Throughout this
book weve thought about how we create our own life by the
thoughts that we think and the actions we take.
Now, lets design the life that we want. A great way to get
started is to ask yourself questions:

What do I want?

What kind of life do I want to live?

Who do I want in my life?

How do I want to spend my time?

What do I want to achieve? Create? Attract?

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We can design anything in this world that we want and

anything will happen to us if we can figure out what we want. It
all starts with deciding what you want.
What I want in my life has changed throughout time. At one
time I wanted to be a professional football trainer. I created that
life. One of the things I wanted was to win a championship and
that happened. Another thing I wanted to create was to have a
condo on the water with a beautiful boat and that happened. I also
wanted to have limousines so I wouldnt have to drive, I created
that.
Design the life you want on your terms, not anyone elses.
What is important to you? What gives you joy? Creating your life is
about how you spend your time. You can create a big business
with lots of employees if thats the life you want. I currently have a
multi-million dollar company with just a few employees. I have
built a team that works together to create what I have envisioned.
I created a life where Im debt free. I could take the next five
to twenty years off if I choose and not have any financial concerns.
I have no bills, everything is paid for this is how I designed my
life. I could have designed a life with a bunch of materialistic
things and a lot of payments, but thats not the life I designed.
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So getting clear on what you want is important. Goal setting

is very much like internal global positioning, like a GPS. In our
minds we have a type of GPS where we determine the design of the
life we want and then our GPS tells us how to get there. Take the
time to figure out what kind of life you want to design.
Take the time right now, close your eyes, visualize and think
about everything you want in your life.

Describe it out loud.

Where do you want to live? Be very detailed. Where is

your house or condo located?

What kind of car are you driving? What color and year is
it?

What type of relationships do you have? Are you

married or single?

What kind of career or business do you have?

What kind of health are you in?

Figure out how much money you have in your bank

account.

Where do you spend your free time?

Create your life right now.

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In your journal, write these categories with questions and fill

them in; what is important and what gives you the most happiness
and joy so you can design and create your life.
Appreciation
When you have appreciation, its amazing how your entire
perspective changes. One of the things I do that makes my life
enjoyable is to focus on the positive things that I appreciate. I do
not spend time thinking about the negative things, it is what it is.
By having your focus on what you appreciate in your life, it is
amazing how much more aligned you become, and how what you
visualize comes to you very easily.
Every night before going to bed I write down in my journal
10 things that I appreciate. Then, first thing in the morning as I am
in the state of waking up, I think about the 10 things I appreciate
most in life and I focus on the things that are important to me. I
focus on the beautiful place I have on the ocean, my wife and how
Im glad to have her and my daughter in my life. I think about the
joy of having air conditioning, running water, a beautiful car and
office, employees and business associates.
Appreciation is the key to happiness.

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Celebrate
Celebration is what life is all about. A lot of people who win
go through life with goals and never really take time to celebrate.
Winning is all about celebrating life every day, celebrating not only
the small wins but the big ones as well.
Celebrate time with your family and the joy that life has
given you. Its very important to celebrate life consistently, always
celebrate everything. For every win, make sure you celebrate. I see
many entrepreneurs who say that theyre not going to be happy
until they sell their business for a million dollars. Then for three to
five years they sweat and work hard. When they finally make that
million and sell their business, they celebrate for a fleeting moment
and then its over with.
For me, I wake up every day and celebrate all the small
things. When you accomplish the things you want in creating your
life, celebrate it, enjoy it and have fun with it.
You can create all the goals you like, but if you dont have
fun and celebrate, its not worth it.
There are many great ways to celebrate and can be as simple
a taking a walk on the beach. What more inspiring way to celebrate
a win?
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One of the things I do is take one week off each month and
celebrate by taking a vacation. I celebrate time with my wife and
daughter. I celebrate spending time by working out and running. I
celebrate when I drive my beautiful car. I celebrate when I get on
my yacht. I celebrate when I eat healthy food. I celebrate spending
time friends and family. I celebrate when I am able to help
someone with a challenge or need in their life. I celebrate freedom
and choice.

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Chapter Seven

Scheduling Your Wins

Dreams are only thoughts
You didn't have time to think about during the day.
~Author Unknown

Time Management
We can do a million things for our business and our success,
but only a few of them are key, time management is one of them.
Using your journal to write down what you do for the week is the
first step. The next step is to fine tune it to make sure youre
maximizing your time. The quality of your life is the quality of the time
you spend doing the things you want to do.
In my business I use my time efficiently. Because there are
always many things I could be doing, I schedule my time carefully.
My calendar is my bible and nothing gets in there unless I decide
that it is part of what I want to accomplish or have in my life. I
schedule and design my life, holding myself accountable. When I
schedule something in my calendar I make it happen. No
excuses.

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Each morning when I first wake up I schedule in 20 minutes

for meditating, visualizing what I want and having appreciation.
Then, I schedule an hour to run three miles on the beach. When I
get back I spend time with my family and enjoy a healthy breakfast
with my wife. Next, I schedule time in my office meeting with
entrepreneurs, speakers and promoters. Every day I make certain
that my time is spent wisely. I love my time, my days and my life
because I live my life the way I have designed it.
Just like when you go to a restaurant and order your favorite
meal, exactly how you want it with dressing on the side and a
little extra ice in your drink. You tell the waitress EXACTLY what
you want and how you want it cooked. A little while later, when
your meal arrives, isnt it the best feeling when you see what you
asked for, and its EXACLY the way you wanted it? Isnt it the best
meal ever?
Well, it is the same with life so dont be shy and ORDER
UP!!! Ask for the life you want.
You can have ANYTHING you want, EXACTLY how you
want it. You just have to know what it is you want. Ask yourself,
and keep asking yourself, until you decide, what is it you want to
choose from the Menu of Life?
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Your calendar is your success plan, not a to-do list.

Holding yourself accountable is another key element to
success. Each step and appointment on that calendar is a step to
progress.
Now, it is time to schedule your future week, the next seven
days or even better, the next 30 days. Go ahead and schedule your
month with all of the appointments, tasks and steps you need to
do. Schedule them on your calendar or your journal. This is to
ensure youre scheduling your success.
Three Rules to Creating Success
1. Accountability
2. Goal Setting
3. Planning
Accountability is something you need to have for each one
of your goals and outcomes. If you say youre going to do
something, you must hold yourself accountable and do it. Whether
you hold yourself accountable or have your team or coach or
mentor hold you accountable, you must be accountable.
One of the greatest things about having your Success Journal
is that now that you are writing down your activities, action plan
and holding yourself accountable to get it done.
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Just like on a football team, you need to be able to count on

your teammates. If the quarterback is going back for a pass, he
needs to know that he can count on his offensive line to protect him
so he can throw the ball to the receiver.
It is the same thing in the business world. Accountability
means everything: getting it done, your reputation, your expert
status, credibility.
Just as your team and peers hold you accountable, you can
hold others accountable as well. I find it interesting that people
will deliver based on how you hold them accountable. If you hold
them to low standards, that is what they will deliver.
Goal Setting are dreams that have been written down and it
is essential that you understand how important it is to have goals
and how they work. Once you have determined your purpose and
your business, and designed your ideal life, now is the time to put
them into specific measurable and objective goals.
Scientists have been studying the brain as it relates to goal
setting and have figured out that the mind is a goal-seeking
organism. When you put your goal into your subconscious mind,
it will work on that goal, even while youre eating or sleeping, in
order to achieve the goal.
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Its amazing what happens when you write down your

goals. Also write down how much and when. When you write
your goals you want to include the date of when you want them to
happen and then how much money you want to make or lose.
Therefore, writing goals down, in great detail, is absolutely
necessary. Write goals that stretch you. Dont just say my goal is to
make $100,000, stretch it and say my goal is to make $10 million.
This is you ordering up! Remember, you can order anything you
wish.
When I write down my goals I put them in my Success
Journal. I write them down every day, so Im continually telling
the Universe in my mind what I want. Another important thing is
to carry your goals with you in your book at all times, so you can
read them and always be very clear about what you want.
Remember Lou Holtz and how he wrote down 107 goals? How he
achieved every single one of them? Something else I have done is
to write myself a check for $10 million dollars. Write yourself a
check and carry it with you until it becomes a reality.
When a friend of mine started her business, in addition to
her regular spending money, she always had a $50 bill in her wallet
this made her feel wealthy. A year or so later, she bought herself
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a fine leather wallet that she was proud to pull out of her purse and
upgraded that $50 bill to a $100 bill. As time went by it became
$500 that she tucked away in a secret compartment in her wallet. It
represented to her that she could accomplish whatever she wanted.
As soon as you write down your goals, some fear may come
up, you may face some roadblocks. That is normal. Fear is simply
not knowing the next step. Thats why you have a coach, a mentor,
a team. Roadblocks are simply obstacles that you need to
overcome. Just like fear, thats why you have a coach, a mentor, a
team all of who are going to help you jump over those
roadblocks.
If you are not really inspired by life and seem kind of bored,
then Im here to tell you that your goals arent big enough! When
you have big goals that you are really passionate about, you wake
up every morning inspired to get them done. You want to create;
youre vibrating and cant wait to get up in the morning.
Only 3% of the worlds population write down their goals
and carry them with them. Its quite amazing that same 3% have
95% of the wealth. As you can see, the successful people in this
world are successful because they wrote down their goals and
know where they are heading.
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In your journal there are five categories for you to fill in

regarding your goals:

Planning

Finances

Relationships

Religious / Spiritual Beliefs

Celebration
Lets talk about each one:

Planning - Now that you have your goals written down in

your Success Journal and you know just what you want, the
next step is to put a plan together to make it happen. It is
time to break down each of your goals into realistic and
manageable chunks.

Finances - What kind of finances do you want in your life?

How much money do you need to have the lifestyle you
desire? You may be surprised that it might not be as much
as you think you want or need. Finances are a component of
your life that you must be clear about. How much money
will it take to have the life you want to live?

Relationships - What kinds of relationships do you want? Do

you want to be married and have kids, friends or family?
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What is important to you when it comes to relationships?

You can have all the money in the world, but if you have
nobody to share with or spend it with, your life isnt
fulfilling. Know what you want.
Let me share with you how I met my wife. It was around
2009, Id made a lot of money in my business, made money in real
estate and had a lot of great materialistic things, but didnt have
fulfillment because I didnt have anybody to share it with. I
followed the principles Im teaching you here and wrote down
exactly what I wanted in a relationship in precise detail. I wrote
down who I wanted, what she looked like, even how she smiled
and within two weeks of getting clear and writing down what I
wanted, a friend of mine came to me and said, Dave, I have this
beautiful girl at my church that I want to hook you up with. I think
youd be perfect for each other. I said okay and we set up a dinner
date. We met at the yacht club, we ate sushi at dinner. I met her
and instantaneously knew she was the one. From that day
forward, we were together almost every day and seven months
later we were married. That is how important being clear and
knowing what you want means. I now have a beautiful family,
something I wanted for the longest time. I never imagined how
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fulfilling it could be and how much joy and gratitude it would

bring into my life.

Religion/ Spiritual beliefs - What does that look like in your

life? Whoever your creator is, how do you honor them?
How does this show up in your life?

Celebration - What is your goal for fun time? What does that
look like to you? Would you want to scuba dive, skydive, go
to the gym, eat at nice restaurants?How do you celebrate
life?
These are the different categories you want to consider in

designing your life.

If you create and carry out the vision of each one of these
categories, you will be successful.
Its remarkable, when you begin this process, how easy
winning becomes. It flows to you when you get very clear and take
the correct actions, use the right strategies and surround yourself
with the right people in the right environment. It is amazing how
this works.
The process begins when you know what you want.

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Chapter Eight

Financial Freedom
In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.
~Franklin D. Roosevelt

What is Wealth to You?

Some people might think being wealthy is having a lot of
money, but thats not true. Having a lot of money will not make
you wealthy, what makes you wealthy is freedom. The freedom to
be able to do the things you want to do and experience the
emotions you want to experience.
So what is wealth for you? What things do you want to do?
What type of experiences do you have to have? Knowing what
wealth means to you is the first step so you can make your plans to
achieve it. For some it may be surfing every day at the beach,
traveling, living in a $10 million mansion or on a 100 foot yacht.
Wealth could be knowing that you can spend your time, your

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money, as you wish on yourself, your friends and family and

helping others.
To me, wealth is the freedom to be able to do what I want
with whom I want when I want and how I want. For me, thats
what life is all about. Its about freedom, which is what this
country is built on. Somehow, it seems in todays world, we have
lost wealth and freedom.
What has happened is that we are in the 21st Century version
of slavery, which is DEBT. Most of us have been programmed to
buy things on credit which results in debt. We have become
enslaved to our businesses or jobs. We cant take time off to spend
time with our families because we have to make a car payment, pay
the mortgage and purchase groceries.
I want to be clear that when you win, you have the ability to
take time off to be able to do the things you want. To do this, you
must know what wealth is to you and to win without credit cards
or the accumulation of debt.
Can you imagine what it is like to take time out to relax,
travel, spend time with you loved ones and not have to do
anything? Would you like to take five days to go on a hunting,
skiing, golfing, fishing or river rafting trip? What about spending
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the summer at your lake house in the northwest and the winter at
your home in Palm Springs, and work out of your home? A friend
of mine does that. She decided how she wanted her life to be and
took action to make it happen.
How are you going to create your wealth? In todays
environment, there are a lot of different ways to create wealth. One
of the things you have to consider is that to be wealthy you cannot
have a JOB. If you want to be wealthy and win, you have to get out
of your JOB. You must turn your JOB into JOY by creating
something you love.
Think about whatever it is you want and grow it. This
might be a major change in your mindset. This might even scare
you, but it is the foundation of the winning formula.
So how do we do it?
There are a lot of options available for growing wealth.
There are a variety of strategies in real estate, on the internet
selling information, products or services, fortunes are being made
with Apps online. Speaking, creating a product or service are a
few more ways to create wealth.
Ive taught many people to create massive wealth by
flipping real estate with nothing down. And, not only buying real
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estate but holding income-producing assets to create revenue is a

great way to create wealth.
There is also a tremendous opportunity on the Internet to
make money. I created an online company, a membership site,
where I tracked $100,000 a month residual income. The Internet is
a great way to create massive amounts of wealth and residual
income.
Another avenue is to create a product or service. Right now
coaching is in huge demand. There are lots of people looking for
coaches in a variety of niche markets. Not only people but
businesses are looking for coaches. This is another great way to
create wealth.
Here are some examples of people I know who took their
experience, expertise, gift, whatever you want to call it, and turned
it into a money making machine:

Julia who loves to bake, found an investor, and turned

her fabulous lemon cake recipe into a $100,000 a month
business. She appeared on the Shark Tank television
show.

John a fabulous, but unemployed and starving, piano

player, saw a commercial on television selling a DVD
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that teaches you how to use a computer. He videotaped

easy to follow piano lessons, wrote a workbook, put up a
website and now generates approximately $35,000 a
month selling piano lessons online.

Sandy a computer geek, turned her skills into a

business she operates from her home. She helps people
with online marketing and sells her marketing programs
and services for $5000. She sells 2 or 3 programs each
week!

Ann my Authors Coach, created a powerful wealth

building strategy for Authors. Most authors get $20 for
their book. Anns authors get $500 to $1500 for their
Book, Workbook and Audio Program. She heard a speaker
say: People want information and they are willing to pay for
it. She proved him right!

These are just a few examples of how people turned their

knowledge, their passion, and their magic into wealth. What is
your gift? What is special about you? What could you turn into
wealth?
Start by discovering your core genius and how you can
transform your gift into creating wealth for you.
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Chapter Nine
Wealth

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.

~Jimmy Johnson

Contribution, Giving Back and Serving

One of the most heartfelt things you can do in life is to
contribute. Whether you help someone cross the street, run an
errand for a housebound neighbor, help paint a local church or
donate wood to build a fence, for me, service to others brings the
highest form of satisfaction.
One of my favorite ways to serve was to go to the high
schools in Florida and donate my time to work with the team, help
kids that got injured or who were in trouble and lost. I would go to
the schools and be their trainer. When they would come to me with
questions they didnt understand, I would help them figure out a
plan, what they were passionate about and how they wanted to
create their lives. I donated my time to ten different high schools.
I would always say the same thing, Have fun in life, play
full out, stay in school, do the right thing and continue learning. I

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told them to enjoy the ride, have fun but always do the right thing
and always have integrity.
In working with these kids, I remember one in particular. In
a small country town in a small school, there was a young boy on
the football team and his environment around him told him to go
to school, graduate and work in a factory.
I challenged him, stretched him and told him to do more. I
told him how much fun college would be and how much better life
would be after he went to college. I sat down with him and spent
time exciting his imagination. Seven years later I ran into that kid,
he came up to me and said, Dave, do you remember me? I kind
of remembered him, but my memory was vague. He said, You sat
down with me one day and told me how the next four years of my
life would affect the next 45 years of my life. I went to school and
got my degree, I have my first job and I want to thank you so much
for your advice. Im so glad I listened because you inspired me get
my education. This felt really great to have inspired this young
man to be his best, to follow his dreams.
The feeling of giving back and knowing that I served and
made a difference on this planet, made it all worthwhile.

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A friend of mine does two RAKs a day. These are

Random Acts of Kindness.
Another friend loves to visit convalescent homes and takes
her dog Bella to visit them. Bella can so some amazing tricks and
her visitors appreciate her very much.
It is amazing when you start to get how the Universe gives
you wealth, its almost like it rains down on you. Contribution and
serving is very important. When you start giving back, your life
changes and more flows to you, which is the beauty of how the
Universe works. This is the Law of Reciprocity, the more you give
the more you receive.
If you focus on contributing, on giving and serving, money
will flow to you easily. I like helping other people so it comes
naturally when I work with my clients. I do what I can to find how
I can better serve and help them. Its wonderful how it comes back
to you 10-fold when you put your heart into it. Ive found that the
key to creating massive wealth in life is to give and to serve.
Part of my daily routine is to think about how I can best
serve and help people. When you say to yourself, Im going to do
at least one thing today to give back, help or serve, I promise, it
will change the way you live, and it is easy to do: give someone a
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compliment, the smile they give you lasts all day long for you and
forever for them. As you are driving, let a person pull out in front
of you, be patient, you dont know what has happened in their life.
Open someones door. Pick up a box of cookies for your office
mates; youll get a lot of thank yous!
Live your life that way, everyday. Its amazing how wealthy
and great it feels. You win in the game of life when you add
contribution and serving to your life.

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Chapter Ten

Increase Your Money Consciousness

If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree.
~Jim Rohn

What is Your Money Consciousness?

Weve talked about the thermostat that is inside your mind,
similar to the thermostat in your house. Have you decided what
your money consciousness is set at?
When we are growing up, from birth to age six, our beliefs
are programmed into us by our parents, our role models and our
teachers who tell us who we are and what kind of income we are
going to make. We take those beliefs and create them in our
subconscious, so when we grow up, that is what we become.
There is a way to increase your money consciousness and
the best way to do this is through affirmations, repeating them over
and over. How do affirmations work? If you tell your mind
something enough times, it starts to believe it and when it starts to
believe it, it will achieve it.

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In affirmations, you want to use the I am statement. These

two words are the most powerful words you can say to your mind.
When your mind hears I Am statements, it will then take on that
belief. I had a rough childhood which included a lot of bad
programming and disempowering beliefs, but I have
reprogrammed it to embrace incantations that include:

I Am successful

I Am a multi-millionaire

I Am brilliant

I Am everything and more.

I reprogrammed my mind using I Am statements.

Another way to increase your money consciousness is through
your environment. What is your set point? What are the people
around you doing? What the people around you are doing is
oftentimes what you will become.
A way to increase your money consciousness is that you
become who you surround yourself with most, so increase the
quality of people you hang out with.
Another great way to increase your money consciousness is
by the books you read. By reading success books and continually
feeding your mind with positive success stories and reading about
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people that are winning is a great way to increase your money

consciousness. Another strategy to increase your money
consciousness is to hire a coach or mentor. And, finally, setting
higher expectations for yourself and pushing yourself to achieve
your goals.
What are your beliefs about money? Do you believe you
have to work hard to make money? Have you been told that
money doesnt grow on trees? Have you been taught in school that
you have to work 30 years before you can make money?
If you have, reprogram these useless and untrue beliefs by
creating and saying positive affirmations to yourself to change
these outdated beliefs.
Law of Attraction
Weve all heard about the Law of Attraction, that you
become what you think about most of the time. The thoughts we
think in our minds are like a magnet. As we are constantly
gathering ideas and concepts, we start visualizing and writing our
goals down and use our journals, the Law of Attraction becomes
activated.
It is the most powerful law in the Universe. You become
what you think about most. Youll start attracting people, ideas,
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resources, everything into your life in order to accomplish your

goals so make sure you consistently write down your goals.
When I write down things in my journal, I visualize them. I
think about them in my subconscious mind and see pictures of
them. Then, eventually what I have visualized is drawn to me and
shows up in my life.
One of the things that has been drawn to me is that I wanted
to write a book, like Tony Robbins, and look what has happened.
Tony Robbins creative assistant became my Authors Coach and
coached me through the process of writing my book.
The Law of Attraction is very powerful. Write down your
goals and visualize the activities youll do the next day. Maximize
the Law of Attraction.
Your Subconscious Money Belief System (SMB) is what you
were told about money that has become your beliefs. What has
been programmed in your subconscious? What is your SMB? Go to
WinningNow.com and take your own SMB test to get your results
and find out where your thermostat is set, that way youll know
where it is so you can raise it to the level youve only previously
dreamed about. Make your dreams a reality by following my
systems and philosophies.
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