Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Rule of 95%

One of the wisest men I have ever known told me the Rule of 95%, upon hearing it I knew that I had heard something quite profound. This gentleman is someone who raised himself from a school teacher living in a mobile home to a businessman whose enterprise does nearly a billion a year in business. It makes sense listening to those who have the fruit of success on their tree. Another one of his sayings is that "A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with a theory."

The Rule of 95%


The Social Security System several years ago did a study to determine the statistical financial results of people at 65 years old. What they found:

At 65:

1 was rich
4 were self sufficient.
5 were still working.
36 were dead.
54 were dead broke living off friends, family, and/or government.

That isn't too motivating at the surface. However, the question is how to reach at least the top 5%. Do you believe that those 95% intended to be dead or dead broke? Of course they didn't plan to fail. We have all heard the saying that they didn't plan to fail, they failed to plan. However there is more to it than that. It takes more than planning, but proper planning.

If the above is correct, and it is, that means that at least 95% of everything you have learned you have learned from someone in the 95% bracket, isn't that true? If you learned what you know from those who ended up in the 95% where would you likely to end up? Again, the 95% would be likely wouldn't it? Those who taught you, your family, your teachers, and professors, they were not trying to harm you, they just taught you what they knew, and that was 95% thinking.

Wouldn't it make sense if you wanted to end up in the top 1% you would need to learn to think like a 1%er? Because you don't know what you don't know, and that is why you don't have. If you knew what you don't know, you would have what you don't have, and to know and not to do is really not to know.

How do you learn to think like a 1%er? Listen to them? Pick their brains? There are many who have written their story into books, read them. Learn not just how they did something, but even more important, why they did something. What you want to learn is how they think.

Once Aristotle Onassis was asked by a reporter what he would do if he lost all of his great wealth. His reply was if he were poor, he would live as cheaply as possible, do whatever jobs he could get to make enough money to buy a fine suit of clothes, and at least once a month have lunch at he most expensive restaurant in town where the wealthiest businessmen ate lunch. He said that the ideas that fell from their conversations like crumbs from their tables would be all he would need to start another business empire. In other words, listen to and learn from those who you would like to emulate. If they are speaking somewhere, go, take notes, if you can get a chance to meet them afterward to ask questions, do. If you can get them on CD or DVD do, and wear it out. You won't get all of the information out of it in less than five playings, because as you listen it will cause you to think and you will be distracted and miss portions. If you can get with them for lunch, buy them lunch, so you can pick their brains.

If you want to be a 1%er you must think like a 1%er.

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