13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 1

Contents
Introduction����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3

Secret # 1: Exit the Virtual World!������������������������������������������������������������������� 4

Secret # 2: Don’t Envy! Emulate the Successful�������������������������������������������� 9

Secret # 3: Learn to Think and Adapt����������������������������������������������������������� 13

Secret # 4: Listen, Talk and Listen���������������������������������������������������������������� 15

Secret # 5: Set Free Your Heart’s Desire.���������������������������������������������������� 18

Secret # 6: ‘FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT’.��������������������������������������������������� 21

Secret # 7: Open Your Mind to New Ideas.�������������������������������������������������� 24

Secret # 8: Nobody Does It Alone. Dump the ‘Naysayers’.�������������������������� 26

Secret#9: Let’s All Join Minds Together.������������������������������������������������������� 27

Secret # 10: Never Give up. If you Believe You Are Right. Persist.�������������� 28

Secret # 11: Go Against the Flow.���������������������������������������������������������������� 30

Secret # 12: What Doesn’t Kill you, Makes You Stronger. ��������������������������� 32

Secret # 13: Don’t See Barriers or Look for Alibis.��������������������������������������� 34

Conclusion���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 36

2 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

 Introduction
Getting rich and successful. Isn’t that what each of us dreams? For the vast
majority, though, these seem to be only unattainable goals. The truth of the
matter is we all have it in us, though. With the right amount of planning, with the
correct thinking patterns and overall a lot of courage, getting rich is not a utopian
achievement, it can be done.

I’m not going to do the usual thing of telling you ‘how to use’ this eBook. I just
know, YOU can figure out your own unique way to make the most of the incredible
opportunity this piece puts in your hands.

For in this small volume, I have distilled the wealth wisdom of a hundred
millionaires down to 13 concentrated secrets. Dive straight in and surface with the
ideas herein, smeared all over your face, and taken deep into your heart and mind.

You will be changed forever. Richer in thought, more creative, happier and above
all wealthier… And don’t forget, this happens when you play your cards right!

It is only right and fair that I pay homage up front to Napoleon Hill - author,
millionaire, and chronicler to Dale Carnegie. Napoleon Hill’s famous self-
improvement manual, ‘Think and Grow Rich’ was an inspiration to me in writing this
eBook. I like to think of it as an evolutionary leap forward for that fabulous work,
written for the digital age. So let’s get to it…

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 3

 Secret # 1: Exit the Virtual
World!
John Maynard Keynes, economist, earl and millionaire; ‘The difficulty lies not so
much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.’

Apart from having more money, what are the real differences between millionaires
and you and I? Thomas Corley (his book is called ‘Rich Habits: The Daily Success
Habits of Wealthy Individuals’) has spent years studying the daily doings of
hundreds and hundreds of people so he can answer this very question.

Interestingly the starting point for his study is one thing that is the same for all.
Millionaires and poor folks alike. We all go through life, day in day out, doing things
that we NEVER consciously think about. As much as 40% of our waking hours are
pass by with us in auto mode.

Edward De Bono, the great intellectual and coiner of the phrase ‘lateral thinking’
describes the new-born human brain as being like a smooth bowl of Jello. Into
which experiences drop like warm rain drops. The very first one makes an
impression and dribbles away down the path of least resistance to leave a slight
indentation. Then millions of experiences drop rapidly following and causing runnels
and impressions all over the surface of the brain.

Repeated drops cause deeper indentations and they join up with others. As
experiences are repeated, the runnels become so deep as to make canyons of
habit. Habits are our reactions to life situations that are automatic. Completely
unconsidered.  

4 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

Millionaires have habits. Lesser well-off folks have habits. And people who have
nothing at all have habits. The differences between millionaires and everybody
else is in the nature of those habits. The premise of this eBook is that doing the
same things millionaires do, can become your new habits and having the stuff that
millionaires have will be the consequence. As sure as night follows day.

If you want to get rich... GET REAL! And trash the TV! Watching the ‘boob-tube’ is
a ‘no no.’ Millionaires don’t watch TV or read much non-fiction. They have far better
things to do with their time.

Napoleon Hill entitled his book ‘Think and Grow Rich’. There was no TV to speak of
at the time he wrote it. But he would be appalled, were he but alive today, to see the
billions upon billions of good thinking hours, put to no practical purpose in the living
rooms of America today.

TV is a sedative for the mind. Especially commercial TV. Take back control of your
thoughts from corporate America. The marketing industry just bombards you with
consumer messages to buy stuff, 90% of which is pure trash.

Get back into the REAL world of people talking. Learn to code. Learn a language.
Learn to play the piano. Talk to your family. Reconnect with old friends and make
new ones. Read a book or do anything, other than switch on the TV to switch off your
mind. Begin the search for YOUR heart’s desire. And do it NOW!

All of the millionaires I have studied had big ideas. And they pursued those ideas
against the odds and through all adversity, to make them a reality. The thing I found,
that they all had in common was... Tah-Dah, drum roll here please… THEY BEGAN
BY THINKING.

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 5

 ‘Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common
sense.’ Gertrude Stein, novelist, art collector and millionaire.

Evolution and natural selection tells us that only the fittest survive. The fittest are
those who adapt to the constant changing environment around them. The human
mind is our (your) greatest evolutionary advantage. It has enabled our species to
dominate and live on every continent and even leave the World when we want.

‘A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth’. Charles Darwin,
naturalist, agnostic and millionaire.

TV is a sedative for the mind. You can only earn your first million by going at it
eyes wide open. By re-focusing on the real world around you, instead of the surreal
fantasies of ‘Breaking Bad’ or ‘Game of Thrones’, you will open your eyes to authentic
possibilities and new ideas.  Begin to think for real and make productive use of those,
otherwise dead, hours.

‘A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.’
Charles Darwin

The cyber world is both your greatest opportunity for wealth and your greatest threat.
An opportunity because it connects you with the thinking community online. A threat
because it can be as tempting and delusional as TV. As a tool for learning, the Internet
is second to none. It is a force multiplier for facts and data.

It is important to keep your inputs from the Internet at a manageable level. More
than one email account is a surefire way to confusion, duplication and wasted time.
Every millionaire I researched, advise limiting your time online to research and
communication. Switch off all devices when you want to interact with people and

6 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

think about stuff.

When you’re entranced by a 3”x 5” screen and hearing only inputs from earphones,
life all around you is passing you by. Imagine all those fools not understanding Rome’s
Colosseum. I was awestruck by the atmosphere of this place where thousands of
men and beasts were brutally murdered for the entertainment of others. At the same
time, I was bemused by nearby tourists chasing Pokémon Go images and nearly
being run over in the crazy Italian traffic.

Man did not become the dominant species by NOT monitoring his environment
constantly for new ideas.

P.T. Barnum “He who is without a newspaper is cut off from his species.”

Old Phineas T. never lived long enough to goggle at O.J. on the run. Or the planes
crashing into the towers 4 times every hour. Modern newscasts are the worst
distraction to the thinking man, ever. They add nothing to your knowledge and distract
you from your real world. Believe me, if there is any news you really need to know
about, you will be among the first to hear it and long before the CBS choppers even
get off the ground.

Besides; I already know that...

● The biosphere is being ravaged.
● The oceans are becoming plastic poison soup.
● The rich are getting richer at the expense of the poor.
● The super-rich elites are warmongering all over.
● Hatred and fear is causing conflict like wildfires.
● At the individual level, depression and disconnect is rife.
● The financial system is unfit for purpose, on the verge of collapse, and run by

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 7

 criminals.
● Democracy has morphed into corporate socialism and gone beyond a joke.

The greatest problem of them all, is that WE are not adapting. We are not thinking.
We are not creating and innovating our way out of this mess.

It is definitely time to stop watching the news and wringing our hands. It is time to
stand up and be counted and to do something positive for ourselves and our planet
before it is too late. TODAY!

Elon Musk, polymath, genius and billionaire; ‘I think it’s very important to have a
feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how
you could be doing it better. I think that’s the single best piece of advice: constantly
think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.’

All habits are good, in the sense they save our brains from reinventing the wheel, as
it were, every time we are faced with a new situation. But some habits are also bad
in their very nature. So watch my lips… switching off in front of the TV, BAD! Reading
everything you can get your hands on, GOOD!

8 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

Secret # 2: Don’t Envy! Emulate
the Successful
Envy is natural, but it is also a negative emotion and totally counterproductive.
Millionaire secret number 2 is to study and learn from successful people. What do
they do, that you don’t? Then emulate them. Turn all that covetous negative energy
into a positive plan to take you closer to how millionaires are. Once you begin to
behave like them you soon begin to earn like them.

Elon Musk; ‘I think that’s the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how
you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.’

I am so jealous of Elon Musk! I confess it here and now. He is a phenomenon. He has

read everything and is a world class expert in rocketry, astrophysics, AI, solar power
and all other forms of energy. I can’t do that! But I’m not going to give up and turn into
a couch potato. That’s not rocket science!

Because I can read, as much as I can. I can read, in many different subject areas.
And only then can I stand a chance of transferring learning between topics, to make
those vital new innovative connections that can bring me wealth. While at the same
time, healing some of that horrendous world pain. You see, new ideas are all about
making new connections between disparate subjects.

J.K. Rowling. Creator of Harry Potter, witch, and multi-millionaire; “I think you’re
working and learning until you die.”

P.T. Barnum. “Energy and patience in business are two indispensable elements of
success.”

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 9

 Why - If new connections made from broad learning, is the key to creativity and
innovation, does our education system insist on pushing us into specialist little boxes
and nailing down the lid? I don’t know why, but there it is!

So from now on I’m going to read what I want, learn what I like and let my subconscious
mind sort it all out, into productive earning ways, for me. That’s one of the key things
millionaires do. So I recommend you do it too.

Money is not the best measure of success. Despite the slightly misleading title of this
eBook. Sorry about that, but I just needed your attention. You see, authentic self-
made millionaires are much less interested in making money than they are solving a
painful problem, providing first rate products or services, delighting their customers
or satisfying their own curiosity. Take a look at this email from Linus Torvalds, master
of computer science, creator of Linux and multi-millionaire.

“I’m doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won’t be big and professional
like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since April, and is starting
to get ready. I’d like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS
resembles it somewhat (same physical layout of the file-system (due to practical
reasons) among other things).”

Talk about humble beginnings! Here are 4 facts about Linux, which is now a quarter
of a century into its evolution from that email;
● The combined Linux Foundation’s collaborative projects have more than 116
million lines of code and counting. By comparison Windows XP has under 45
million.
● The Linux kernel is the fastest organically growing, open source project
anywhere. It integrates around 185 patches per day.

10 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

 ● Linux has benefited from approximately 41 thousand person-years in its
construction. This amounts to an estimated $5 billion of commercial developer
salary.
● Linus Torvalds himself receives $10 million a year for his ongoing work on
Linux.

How can you and I possibly emulate the incredible ‘work ethic’ demonstrated by every
millionaire I’ve researched? 80 to 90 hours every week for years without vacation
time, is the norm. In truth, this is the easiest habit to fall into, when you are striving to
make your big idea - your heart’s desire - a reality.

When the fun stops, the energy and drive dissipates. You’ll know you are on the
wrong track when you no longer want to put in the necessary hours. Listen to your
body. Be brave and ditch any project that does not consume you with a passion.

The late Stephen Covey, author, management guru and millionaire; “The key is not
to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

Millionaires get into the habit of working on the important stuff first and always. Rather
than on the urgent stuff. Which can consume all your time and energy if you let it. And
of course they know the difference. Because they are focused on their heart’s desire.

Millionaires have the habit of frugality. They do not spend money unless they have
to and they avoid the seductive messages of the marketing industry in the same way
we avoid eating food prepared by school children.

When you do not watch commercial TV it is a lot easier to organize your spending
properly and along the same lines as millionaires. First and foremost, they are future
oriented, in that they behave frugally by prioritizing their incomes of future. In other

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 11

 words, they save about a fifth of their present income and only consume four fifths
today. A good habit to get into, don’t you think?

Millionaires never spend more than they earn and they never, ever, borrow money on
credit cards. Oh! And one more thing. Millionaires never gamble.

And here is cautionary science tale: Dr. Donald Unger worked out his heart’s desire
at an early age. He was in love with the scientific method and maybe not so much
with his mother and her sister.

Donald produced the seminal longitudinal work and report on “Does Knuckle
Cracking Lead to Arthritis of the Fingers?”. You see, the two most important women
in his early life told him that cracking his knuckles like that would indeed give him
arthritis later in life.

So Donald became his own lab rat. Kneading the joints of his left hand twice a day,
every day for half a century. Don’t bother to work it out it is a painful sounding thirty-
six and a half thousand cracks. So far so good he shows no symptoms of arthritis in
his hand.

In 2009 he won the ‘IgNobel’. A prestigious award for esoteric advancements in

science.

I could not discover if he is a millionaire.

12 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

 Secret # 3: Learn to Think and
Adapt
Many millionaires have not completed the standard education process. Standard
education helps you be a standard citizen. But that’s not what you and I are about.
When you have discovered your goal, had your big idea and uncovered your heart’s
desire, why would you need to stay on at college? Proactivity is foremost among
Stephen Covey’s ‘habits of highly effective people.’

Stephen Covey; “The key is taking responsibility and initiative, deciding what your
life is about and prioritizing your life around the most important things.”

So, be proactive and get down to learning outside of your current field. The more you
learn from beyond your envelope, the more and different connections you can make.
Your peers, who remain nailed down in their educational envelopes, will never be
able to make such connections.

Linus Torvalds; “Intelligence is the ability to avoid doing work, yet getting the work
done.”

Be proactive and get down to wide and voracious reading - more nonfiction than
stories. Capture your ideas and dreams, no matter how far out or whacky they may
seem. Learn to be uncritical. Make eye contact with yourself in the bathroom mirror
and repeat this mantra 10 times every day or until it becomes your first reaction to
any new idea or piece of information…

‘How interesting! I’ve never seen things quite that way. Tell me more’

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 13

 All millionaires have self-belief in abundance. It’s almost as though they bring their
success about by sheer power of will. So, if wealth is a state of mind, I have got to
move there right away. And so have you.

What is your inner voice like? When you make a foolish mistake, do you berate
and abuse yourself? Millionaires never do that. Their consciousness is predicated
on success. Most of us wallow in failure, embarrassment, and ongoing shame. Our
inner voice says… “Dumbkopf! Why did you do that? Who saw me? How can I hide
that? Who do I need to kill to cover up?”

The millionaire inner voice says… “Mmmm, that didn’t go quite as planned. Why did
that happen? What will I do differently next time?”

There is no learning to be had in blame! Create your own success biased consciousness
by first listening and noting your own inner voice. Then changing it to a softer, more
positive tone, make sure to use gentle words of encouragement, and repeat it until
it becomes second nature to you. Go easy on yourself. There are plenty of other
people who will run you down without YOU joining their ranks.

I believe that to become a millionaire is like cultivating a beautiful rose garden.

Your mindset is the soil from which all that beauty and wealth is going to blossom.
Your mind needs to be rich and fertile. Nourished by imagination and the essential
elements of creativity it will become more capable of listening and absorbing. Just
as your garden soaks up sunshine and rain...  

14 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

 Secret # 4: Listen, Talk and
Listen
Tony Robbins, author, life coach and millionaire; “It is in your moments of decision
that your destiny is shaped. Quality questions create a quality life. Successful
people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”

You have 2 ears and 1 mouth and good learning and communicating demands
that you listen five times more than you talk. Telling everybody your ideas at every
opportunity is a surefire way to limit your thinking to just your ideas. Millionaires
constantly question the status quo. They are not satisfied with how things are and
they are always looking to improve even the smallest things.

I look at my palmtop in a completely different way today than I did yesterday. This
is thanks to the question a five-year old boy asked me. It has got me thinking about
different perspectives. Young Monty was doing something on my screen when the
keyboard popped into view. He turned to me with his beautiful blue eyes and asked
“why aren’t the letters arranged in alphabet order, like the song?”

Monty has never seen a typewriter. Touch screens, which feel like magic to my
jaundiced eyes, are ‘just the way things are’ for his generation. But the QWERTY
paradigm is just something I accepted and never questioned. But I didn’t want to let
him go without an answer. So I did what we always do - and this in itself would have
appeared like magic to my parents’ generation - I asked Google. Try it yourself, the
answer is very interesting.

So let’s do a PMI on the Monty proposition. 3 pluses, 3 minuses, and 3 interesting

thoughts on how it would be if your keyboard were arranged alphabetically rather

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 15

 than QWERTY style....
● Pluses: 1) Toggling between language settings would be easier. 2) People who
don’t touch-type would find computers easier. 3) Children and non-English
speakers would not need to process writing like their parents’ generation.
● Minuses: 1) The typewriter generation would have to relearn to word process
2) Spelling mistakes would multiply 3) The high cost of reconfiguring hardware
and software and retraining millions.
● Interesting thoughts: 1) What other preconceptions do I (we) live with without
ever questioning ‘why?’. 2) How long would it take for someone to notice if I
swapped the letter keys around on their clicky keyboard? 3) Could I create
a bespoke keyboard where phonemes match the user’s first language, or a
colored keyboard/screen interface for synesthetes?

You all know about the different ‘listening belts’ right? NO! OK listen up (or should
I say ‘read up’). Anyway, ‘white belt’ readers are people who don’t really listen at
all. Or more accurately they listen for the pauses in your conversation, so they can
hijack the spotlight and tell their favorite joke - you know the one about the guy who
wants to patent an apple - (for those interested, see appendix 1).Black-white-check
belt listeners, practice selective hearing. They give all the appearance of listening
intently. And indeed they are. But only for their buzz words. Words that trigger an
anecdote from their repertoire of well-rehearsed triumphs.

Pink belt listeners are good. They listen so that they can sympathize with the speaker.
‘Ooh I know exactly what you mean. My great aunt Petunia had the same thing, only
different’.

Millionaires are black belt listeners! They listen to the words. They focus all their
attention on the speaker. Treating everyone as though they were the most interesting
person they have ever met. They speak fluent body language and hear the unspoken

16 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

words. They even feel the unexpressed emotions.

Black belt listeners ask open questions - especially ‘why’ - to both check their
understanding and to build on their knowledge. The more they know, the more
opportunities there are for wealth-creating new connections.

What is your listening belt color? The good news is that we can all become black
belt. Because it is a skill that can be learned and practiced - go read up on it -. And
practice makes perfect does it not? Always carry a notebook - or some other means
of capturing your ‘blue sky thinking’ -. After every conversation make a ‘mind map’ of
the answer to these questions:

1. What did I learn from person X?

2. What was the topic of that conversation?
3. What does it remind me of?

Tony Buzan, mind mapper extraordinaire and millionaire; “Mind mapping is a

technique based on memory and creativity and comprehension and understanding,
so when the student or a child uses the mind map, they are using their brain in the
way their brain was designed to be used, and so the mind helps them in all learning
and cognitive skills. It simply helps them in what the brain does naturally.”

I’m sure it is obvious to you by now that secrets 3 and 4 take time. A crucial part of
the learning process is time out to review, time out to think about experiences, time
out to meditate upon the workings of your own mind. Learning really does start with
self-knowledge. And it’s a process that doesn’t stop until the grave. Don’t know how
to do mind maps? Learn!

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 17

 Secret # 5: Set Free Your Heart’s
Desire.
I do not know and cannot tell you what your big idea, your heart’s desire, is or should
be. Furthermore, I cannot tell you when or even IF, you will find it. All this eBook can
do - and that’s a lot - is to help you enrich the already fertile soil of your magical mind.

Secrets 1 to 4 are the bedrock of your search for your ‘mojo’. When you have it you
need to give it wings. Turn it into a mantra. Share it and test it with everyone you
know. When you unearth THE idea that they can’t destroy, then you’ve got your
heart’s desire.

Without doubt, the most important thing, millionaires say, is to strive with every breath
and fiber of your being to achieve your heart’s desire. Your main purpose in life.
People who do this are wealthier and happier by far than the rest who settle for the
ordinary rat race life. All of their waking hours are given over to striving for their goal.

Unlike most people who feel they are not pulling down the salary they want. And this
is because they are doing a job, that at best they tolerate and at worst they hate.
When you can put your hand on your heart and say you get enough reward for all
your efforts, you have found your main purpose.
 
If you are still unsure as to your heart’s desire, try this simple step by step guide; 

Step 1: List out your happiest memories.

Step 2: Review the whole list and pick out the memories that include the use of
knowledge and skills. 
Step 3: Rate these stand-out memories on a happiness scale of 1 (least) to 10 (most

18 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

joyful). 
Step 4: In a second column assign a score, again from 1 to 10, for the earning
potential of each experience. 
Step 5: Multiply the first happiness score by the second earning potential score and
the memory with the highest overall score is your heart’s desire.

Napoleon Hill; ‘Think & Grow Rich’; “FAITH is a state of mind which may be
induced, or created, by affirmation or repeated instructions to the subconscious
mind, through the principle of auto suggestion.”

Tony Robbins; “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”

These two millionaires know what they are talking about. Listen to them! And let’s
move on to a key milestone on your journey to ‘millionairehood’. What amount of
cash are you aiming for? Visualize it. Count it in your mind’s eye. Then make a short
movie of how that amount of money will change your life. Watch that movie over and
over in the projector room that is always open for business in the recesses of all of
our minds.

What will happen when you have achieved your goal? Write, direct, produce and
star in ‘mind movies’ of all those delicious little vignettes. Replay them whenever
you come up against obstacles, or you get discouraged. Write down the amount of
money you are aiming for. Write a mantra for your inner voice to repeat over and over
in your head.

What I am proposing here is nothing less than self-hypnosis. You are preparing the
emotional soil of your beautiful rose garden. There is no such thing as failure. When
you have already achieved emotional, intellectual and spiritual ‘millionairedom’.
Meditate daily on your success. When your rose garden comes into bloom you will

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 19

 take it for granted because you have been there all along.

Take some time every day to meditate on your goal and the steps you need to take in
order to get to it. Don’t know how to meditate? Learn! All millionaires meditate daily
for their mental and physical wellbeing.

By beginning with the end in mind like this, you are focusing all of your physical
mental and emotional resources on the most important thing. Your heart’s desire.
See how the stepping stones from last to first fall into place.

The answer is always ‘no’ if you never ask the question. Allow no negativity to interfere
with your goal or your plans. Be steadfast in hoping, wishing, desiring, and planning
to have the wealth you deserve.

All great athletes visualize winning in order to get into the zone of champions. You
are bound to succeed. Because failure is not in your vocabulary. You will bend reality
to suit your perception like Henry Ford, engineer, car manufacturer and millionaire
many times over...

“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few
engage in it.”
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”

And the last words on this secret goes to J.K. Rowling via Albus Dumbledore to
Harry Potter; ‘Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on Earth
should that mean that it is not real?’

20 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

Secret # 6: ‘FAKE IT TILL YOU
MAKE IT’.
Richard Bandler, originator of NLP (neuro linguistic programming) and millionaire;
“You are born with only two fears: fear of falling and fear of loud noise. All the rest is
learned. And it’s a lot of work!”

Creation is a thing of two parts. Firstly, any idea, invention or concept, begins in the
mind. That’s why the first 5 millionaire secrets are all about thinking in new ways.
I don’t remember who said it first, but that old adage about ‘doing today, the same
stuff as you did yesterday and expecting a different result is just crazy’, is right on
the money.

“Since most problems are created by our imagination and are thus imaginary, all we
need are imaginary solutions.” Richard Bandler.

The second part of creativity is realization. Literally making it real from out of your
mind. Take a look at Elon Musk’s business playbook for Tesla automotive and
SolarCity. His heart’s desire is to help create a sustainable energy economy and
end the burning of fossil fuels... 

“So, in short, Master Plan, Part Deux is:

Create stunning solar roofs with seamlessly integrated battery storage. Expand the
electric vehicle product line to address all major segments. Develop a self-driving
capability that is 10X safer than manual via massive fleet learning. Enable your car
to make money for you when you aren’t using it.”

Ah but Elon is a special case I hear you cry. And of course you are right. But

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 21

 remember secret # 2? Emulate him! Talk the talk, because YOU believe in your
plan and goal. And walk the walk, because it is going to happen in the way and the
order you believe. Never say ‘I will try...’ Because trying leaves the door of failure
ajar. Simply, always say ‘I will…’

Now it is time to visualize your plan. You have the end in mind... Your big idea! Your
heart’s desire. You know in your mind’s eye how it looks when you have achieved
it. Enrich your vision by reviewing the ‘modalities’ of your thoughts about your goal.
Modalities are our five senses played out in our minds: Vision, auditory (sounds),
kinesthetic (touch), gustatory (emotions) and the two lesser senses of taste and
smell. Here is how;

Go to a quiet place where you can relax and ensure you will not be disturbed. A
place for meditation and the deepest kind of thinking. Bring your heart’s desire to
mind. Then ask yourself these questions, and follow these instructions.
 
Is it in color? If it is monochrome, close your eyes and paint in, the color. Make it
as rich and vibrant as the real thing. Thoughts in color are far more powerful and
evocative than those in monochrome.

How big is it? When you see it projected on the movie screen of your imagination.
Is it full screen cinemascope or even three hundred and sixty degrees of IMax?
If it is anything less. Then focus on changing your mind to make it as large and
imposing as you can. Make it three dimensional and dive into it.

Are you associated with it or disassociated from it? In other words, in your mind’s
eye, can you see yourself, as if standing apart from yourself. This is a disassociated
modality of thought. 
It is a far more powerful mode of thought to be associated. To be inside your own

22 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

head, looking out through your eyes at the color 3D image of your heart’s desire. 

Where is the image of your heart’s desire in your mind? If it is not front and center,
then make it so.

Is this a silent movie or is there sound attached to it? Turn up the volume and
create a soundtrack that has good associations for you. Your favorite rock anthem
or piece of poetry for example. Intersperse it with your mantra for success.

Notice how good the image of your success makes you feel. Take all the time you
need to enjoy and bask in these positive feelings. 

Notice also, any tastes or smells that are associated with your achievement. The
fuller and richer you can make your visualization the more success-conscious you
will be. 

Richard Bandler; “The greatest personal limitation is to be found not in the things
you want to do and can’t, but in the things you’ve never considered doing.”

Note the things you need to have in place in order to achieve your dreams and
work back in time past each milestone on the journey to your desired state.
Visualize them as stepping stones and note them as stages in a plan from base
camp to the peak of mount Everest.

And when things aren’t working out, in the way you want. Then it is time to rethink
in new ways. Never losing sight of your goal. Develop a different approach. ‘Make a
new plan Stan’ do something different. Belief in yourself and your dream is another
key to success. It is the key to harnessing the power of DESIRE and focus. In less
agnostic times. When magic was attributed to the ‘Infinite’ people would say ‘faith
can move mountains’.

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 23

 Secret # 7: Open Your Mind to
New Ideas.
Edward De Bono, author, ‘lateral’ thinker and millionaire; ‘Creativity involves
breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way’.

The late Steve Jobs, Apple founder, engineer and multi-millionaire; “Kick-start your
brain. New ideas come from watching something, talking to people, experimenting,
asking questions and getting out of the office!”

If we could solve all our old problems with the same old thinking, we would not
have any problems. It is time to floss out between the ears and consider these 4
approaches for creative thinking;

1. Beginning with the end in mind. Start at the desired finishing point and
mentally create the steps back in time and space to where you are now. For
example: For members of Congress to be completely accountable to their
voters we need...

2. ‘What if…?’ This is the most powerful question for creativity. Apply those two
small words to any situation and follow the thread down each avenue that
occurs to you. For example, continue like this: What if... we abolish political
parties and elections. What if… We appoint congress members for limited
time periods in the same way we appoint juries?

3. Random connections. Allow a dictionary to fall open at a random page.

Close your eyes and point to a place on the page. Look at the random word
and make connections to your issue. You will enjoy the process and the new

24 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

 options it brings to light. Ninety-nine percent of the ideas will never see the
light of day again but you only need the smallest nugget of a golden idea to
launch your new enterprise.

4. Pluses, minuses and interesting points, PMI. Consciously discipline

yourself to have second thoughts about every idea or issue you are
contemplating. Be rigorous in thinking up 3 pluses, 3 minuses, and 3
interesting possibilities BEFORE you express your opinion. It is a powerful
technique for overcoming prejudice and avoiding snap judgments based on
subconscious beliefs. For example, continue:
1. 3 pluses 1) No more elections. 2) A huge diversity of representative
experience. 3) No more buying of influence or lobbyists.
2. 3 minuses 1) Representatives may not be capable of filling the
role 2) Administrators become very powerful. 3) System may be
unresponsive in times of emergency.
3. 3 interesting possibilities 1) Distributed government and economic
trickle down. 2) Every congress vote could be a nationwide
referendum. 3) #president for a day!

Anthony J. D’Angelo; founder of Collegiate EmPowerment, educator and

millionaire; “Learn not only to find what you like, learn to like what you find.”

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 25

 Secret # 8: Nobody Does It
Alone. Dump the ‘Naysayers’.
John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil, philanthropist and you know the rest;
“A friendship founded on business is better than a business founded on friendship.”

We all know people who are ‘yes buts’ or ‘naysayers’. But have you ever thought
how much they take out of you? Millionaires ‘do not suffer fools gladly, nor do
they tolerate negativity. They ensure that they spend all their time with positive
reinforcing friends.
 
Be ruthless in exorcising mood vacuums and negative people from your social
circle. Work only with people you like. Hire only people you trust and surround
yourself with positivity and love.

Your level of success will rise to the same level as the people you interact with most
of the time. Millionaires connect only with other wealthy people. If you are serious
about putting financial dire straits into your personal history then take a close look
at each and every one of your relationships. 

Is it rich and supportive or poor and inhibiting? Make time for the rich and fend off
the poor ones. Only rich connections can make key introductions and mentor you
onwards and upwards.

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 Secret#9: Let’s All Join Minds
Together.
Daymond John, celebrity entrepreneur and millionaire; “Mentors, by far, are the
most important aspects of businesses.”

Nine out of ten millionaires swear by a mentor. Many go as far as attributing their
success to that teacher person. Mentors give you the benefits of their experience
just before you really need it. Is there a greater gift?

A mentor can regularly take a part in your personal development by sharing their
thoughts feelings and rationale at key decision points in your journey. Do you know
of anyone who has been there, done that and looks good in the T shirt?

They will, by definition, be a positive successful person. Just ask them to help. They
will be pleased you did and only too willing to give you support. After all they were
in your position once.

It’s especially useful if you can identify someone who has already attained goals in
a similar or related field to your heart’s desire. 

With the internet, social media and the amazing example set by The Linux
Foundation there is a whole crowd out there waiting to be sourced. And at the
individual level, why not start your own ‘wannabe’ millionaires club. Carefully review
your contact list and get them together for what used to be called a ‘consciousness-
raising’ encounter group.

Richard Stallman, software freedom activist; ‘Sharing is good, and with digital
technology, sharing is easy.’ 

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 27

 Secret # 10: Never Give up.
If you Believe You Are Right.
Persist.
Richard Branson, entrepreneur, Virgin and millionaire; “You don’t learn to walk by
following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”

Cha Sa-soon, a spinster from the remote little town of Sinchon, South Korea has
persistence in spades and to spare. It was her heart’s desire to own a car and be
able to drive it. Her driving passion became almost an obsession for her well into
her sixth decade (it is difficult to know her exact age).
First step was for the venerable grandmother to pass the written theory exam. It
has forty multiple guess questions and answers. Success came after her nine-
hundred -and forty- ninth attempt.
The verbal reasoning and hypothetical questions were very difficult to learn and
adapt to. It was totally alien to her everyday experience. Test number 950 found her
with a pass grade of 60% and so she could move on to the practice test itself.
Her fourth attempt was the breakthrough. Success was hers, along with national
legend status and a complementary Kia car, plus a starring role in that company’s
global advertising video. She’s not a millionaire but probably the wealthiest person
in her hometown if not the whole of South Korea.

Every millionaire I have ever come across has stories of mistakes, failures, times
spent at the rock bottom. Many of them have more war stories than triumphal ones.
And all millionaires have persistence in common. They learn from their failures.
They rarely make the same mistakes twice.

Lucky for you and all us would-be millionaires, I believe persistence flows from

28 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

knowing your main purpose. Because you care so much about that goal of yours,
your fighting spirit will be kindled in the face of all adversity. You will never submit or
give in. Regardless of the enemies lined up against you. 

And it’s a virtuous circle because confidence flows from knowing you won’t be
beaten and persistence is built on confidence. Together they roll you onwards to
personal success and wealth. 

Rejection flows off you like water from a duck’s back. In business, this is a great
strength because all businesses are about sales. And rejection is ubiquitous in
sales. All the great salespeople never take ‘no’ for an answer. From houses to
ideas, entrepreneurs aiming to sell in every field must be, not only robust in the face
of rejection, they must be tempered and strengthened by it. 

As I have said before, millionaires learn from mistakes and the knockbacks.
But this is only half of the persistence trait. The other half is the ability to move
on. Improving with each failure and entering the next contest, confident in new
knowledge and armed with new insights.
Millionaires know that crying ‘uncle’ is not in the script. Especially those that
succeed in business, know that persistence is the power source for the next
attempt. 

Simon Sinek, author, YouTube star and millionaire; ‘Champion’ is a state of mind.
They are devoted. They compete to best themselves as much if not more than they
compete to best others. Champions are not just athletes.’

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 29

 Secret # 11: Go Against the
Flow.
Warren Buffett, businessman, speculator and billionaire; “Should you find yourself
in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be
more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.”

The timing of exactly when you make your move in business terms is crucial. The
business cycle is an authentic phenomenon. And becoming a millionaire is all about
standing out from the crowd.

So remember to consider where the rest of the world is, ‘boom or bust’ or more
likely somewhere in between? But crucially, is it on the rise or the downslope of
economic activity? When everyone else is selling, it is the right time to buy and
vice versa.

Think in the future act in the now. Take the opposite view and see where it takes
you.

Millionaires have always stood out for their seemingly superhuman ability to ride out
the storms that life rages against us all. And go against the flow of popular opinion.
Their stories are inspiring to us mere mortals. But make no mistake, they are mere
mortals too...

Take Jim Carrey for example. You know the Riddler in that Batman movie. His
public persona may be zany devil may care and ‘laugh a minute’ but his early life
was typically grim. He and his unemployed father lived out of a camper van on the
front lawn of relatives when he was 14. He is a classic example of the success who

30 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

did not follow the traditional education route. In fact, he left school at 16 to chase
his dream of being a comedian. Oh and check him out on YouTube with Oprah
talking about visualization as one of the secrets of his rise to fame and fortune.

Or how about the passion and persistence of Vincent Van Gogh and his brother?
Vincent only ever sold one painting while alive. His brother believed in him and
supported him and empowered him to produce nearly a thousand masterpieces
that only became so after his death.

Contrary to popular belief, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and
Ringo Starr, when they first formed into the Beatles, were instantly popular and an
overnight success. In truth the staid music makers of the early sixties could not see
past their comfort zones. Many of the record companies they auditioned for at first
were fixed in the attitude of ‘innovative new stuff does not sell’ and ‘all that guitar
strumming is past it’. Boy were they ‘nowhere men’!

My favorite all-time ‘against the odds story’ is that of the author J.K. Rowling. She
hit rock bottom in the ‘90’s in Edinburgh. She was nearly destitute. A single mother
raising her daughter after a messy divorce. Even chronic depression could not keep
her from persisting with her heart’s desire to be a writer.

The Christopher Little Literary agency passed on to the author, no less than 12
rejections for the first Harry Potter novel. One of them even dines out to this day on
his advice to her to forget about writing children’s books and not to give up the day
job.

But what do adults know? It was the young daughter of a Bloomsbury Publishing
editor that demanded she be allowed finish reading the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’
manuscript. Do you think Bloomsbury or any publisher now employ only children as
editors for children’s books? It’s an idea that has not yet found it is time.

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 31

 Secret # 12: What Doesn’t Kill
you, Makes You Stronger.
This secret is not so much a secret, more a truism. But now it’s been born out a
psychological study no less. The ‘pointy heads’ surveyed a large sample of over
the age of eighteen. They were asked to recall all of the awful things that life had
thrown at them. Things like relationship breakups, deaths of close family or friends,
serious acute illness or injury due to accidents or even violence.

Simon Sinek; ‘Champions are not the ones who always win races - champions are
the ones who get out there and try. And try harder the next time. And even harder
the next time.

And you know what? Around 1 in 10 of the respondents could not list a single
adverse life blow.

I would think this a cause for celebration and joy, but strangely this was not the
case. These lucky people were measured - self reporting on a happiness scale - to
have the same attitude as other with up to twelve fateful hammer blows.

The people who reported being happiest were those who reported anywhere
between two and six awful events.

It would appear from this study that emotional resilience is like a muscle. The
more it is exercised the more pronounced it becomes. However, put it under too
much stress and it can tear and rupture. Some unfortunate people in this study
reported personal tragedies in double figures. And it showed in their responses and
behavior.

32 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

Be consoled by the seeming fact, that time does heal, for the most part. And
we tend to emerge more resilient, capable and confident after such traumas as
bereavement and divorce.

Any significant hammer blow of fate, once integrated into our experience does
make us more prepared for the next.

Distressing episodes give us expectations of further ones and makes us more

aware of who our authentic friends are.

Serious setbacks also put the rest of daily life into a more robust perspective. And
almost inoculates us against that most undermining of emotional vicious circles; the
blues - realizing that others have it far worse - then feeling awful more generally.
That old callous army axiom; ‘shit happens’, does in fact help you feel more positive
about yourself and your circumstances.

Millionaires would seem to have more than their share of emotional resilience. One
could even describe them as ‘antifragile’. This is a term coined by Nassim Nicholas
Taleb in his book ‘Antifragile; Things that Gain from Disorder’.
Don’t be a ‘fragilista’ Nassim Nicholas Taleb; ‘At the core he tends to mistake the
unknown for the nonexistent’.

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 33

 Secret # 13: Don’t See Barriers
or Look for Alibis.
All millionaires have failed many times. But it is never an excuse for not trying again
and again. Rock bottom is the best foundation for long term success.

Richard Branson; ‘Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and
start again.’

And to paraphrase Henry Ford, ‘barriers are the things you see when you lower
your eyes from your goal’.

When things are really bad, in money terms your inner voice can be your own worst
enemy. Your head can get so full of ‘trash’, that far from creating that all important
success-mentality you are in truth reinforcing your own failure-consciousness. 

Just listen to yourself. Note the lies and excuses. ‘Millionaires have all the luck’,
‘they are born into wealth and inherited their start.’ ‘The whole system is against
the ordinary man in the street’, ‘I can’t do math’, ‘my high school teacher (or parent)
was right. I’ll never amount to anything’. ‘I always manage to screw things up
somehow’. And just listen to that awful whiny tone of your inner critic.

So just stop it! Stop it right now! It really is as simple as that. Start to visualize your
success. Go back to your positive mantra. It is your mind and it is up to you to
change it. To work FOR you, rather than against you.

Just as millionaires have deeply ingrained habits of success. So the less well off,
have negative habits of thought and action and all the excuses in the world for

34 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

giving up and settling for less.

But you can adapt! You can learn! Indeed, you must. Begin by reading what the
millionaires say. Get hold of the classics like Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie and
Tony Robbins. Immerse yourself in positive affirmations and make them your own.
All of the bios of rich people will tell you the same thing... First there is the self-
belief, followed by the hard work and finally the wealth. And like a snowball rolling
downhill, success gathers success and wealth attracts more wealth.

The poverty trap is in many ways self imposed. It is the inevitable consequence of
you believing your own ‘head trash’. And they are the deeply ingrained habits of the
poor. They build up over time and with repetition, like millions of snowflakes on an
icy peak. The depressing weight builds and builds until BOOM! There is a fatalistic
avalanche that buries you and smothers you.

Nobody else can dig you out from under the weight of all that negative self-
image, criticism and abuse. Go on like this and you will make yourself ill, ruin your
business, get yourself fired, succumb to bad situations. 

The good news is; you have all the tools right there inside your wondrous magic
imagination. To fashion a snow plough, a rope ladder and a Swiss chalet with a
cozy log fire. You can fake it till you make it. Have you got something you would
rather be doing?

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 35

 Conclusion
Thomas A Edison; ‘Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent
perspiration.’

Practice, Practice and More Practice.

Try this simple experiment now: Cross-fold your arms across your chest. Notice
that the hand that is uppermost on your arms is your dominant hand. The right hand
in most cases. This mode of arm folding is an auto habit.

Here comes the learning part: Refold your arms so that your ‘weaker hand is
uppermost and your dominant hand is hidden below. I bet that feels a little strange.
Just a little unnatural and discomforting. In this tiny example is the essence of
learning. There is always a different way of approaching everything and it is always
more or less disconcerting. Were you to fold and refold your arms 100 times
every day you would soon become ambidextrous in the pointless exercise. I’m
not recommending this. Merely highlighting the difference between learning and
practice.

Millionaires love learning and they practice it every day. The new, the innovative,
the original is meat and drink to them. They adapt and then help the world around
them to adapt to changed circumstances too. It is a habit you need to emulate
and practice from now until you die. Learning to think creatively and adapt to all
circumstances will make stand out from the crowd and bring you the wealth that is
your heart’s desire.

It all has to begin with you. You ending your addiction to such non-thinking

36 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

behaviors as watching TV. It also begins with reading outside of your current field of
knowledge.
It begins with getting healthy. Because we all know that a healthy body goes hand
in glove with a healthy mind. And here are 7 more bits of important wealth wisdom
to leave you thinking:

1. Stop working ‘overtime’! In order to improve your productivity. It is quality

of effort not quantity of attendance that counts for all of us. Too many hours
will very quickly take its toll on you physically and mentally. Take a daily
meditation nap. The following wealthy individuals did just every day: John D.
Rockefeller, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Jack Kennedy - lunch in bed
and a nap was ‘de rigueur’ in Camelot -, Thomas Edison, Eleanor Roosevelt
and the emperor Napoleon.

2. Apply Pareto’s 80/20 rule to all tasks: 20% of your efforts will yield 80%
of the outputs. And the converse is also true. Learn to say no tactfully and
with grace because your time is precious and you need to be ruthless about
putting it to the wisest use.

3. Get by with a little help from your friends: You simply cannot do
everything yourself. Learn the exact science of delegation and the subtle
art of stewardship. Keep your friends close. Especially when you are doing
scout work. There is a growing body of evidence, proving that productivity is
multiplied, especially on onerous tasks, when you have some company.

4. The devil is in the detail, but do not sweat it: There is always a tradeoff
between productivity and perfectionism. People who are OCD on detail
handling hardly ever meet deadlines and never get as much accomplished
as non-perfectionists.

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 37

 5. Blitz those repetitive tasks with ESCR: There are mechanical repetitive
tasks in every walk of life. Study them, video them, watch them in slow-mo.
Break the process down into discrete stages then ask yourself; what steps
can I ELIMINATE, SIMPLIFY, COMBINE, REARRANGE? Then automate
them. You will be amazed at how much time you can reassign to high
priority- high output tasks. And you might even come across that golden
idea!

6. Lose the SWAG in favor of 3 F leadership: You see it all the time in
organizations large and small. I call it SWAG management. It stands for
‘sophisticated wild ass guessing’. Never make a quick decision based on
insufficient data. Provide authentic leadership by going to the FLOOR and
FINDING the FACTS. It always pays off.

7. Take regularly thinking time-outs. Concentration and intense focus is

good. But like everything else you care to name in life, it has to be taken in
moderation. Do go into ‘lockdown’ work mode when you really need to make
progress but also take regular breaks away from the grindstone to allow your
brain to assimilate and process. You will often find your best solutions only
when you stop looking for them.

Appendix 1. The one about the guy who wants to patent an apple.

This nerdy looking guy walks into the Patent Registration Office and puts a big red
apple on the desk of the first registration clerk and says;

I want to patent this apple please.

38 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES

The registration clerk says. It’s just an apple. Go away and stop wasting my time.
No no! I call it a ‘multifruit’. It’s special. Try it and see. The nerd comes back at once.

The doubtful clerk has had lots of experience dealing with nuts and his approach, is
to humor them out the door as quick as possible. So he sighs, and takes a bite out of
the apple. Wow! He exclaims that tastes like an orange, amazing.

Turn it around a bit. Says the nerd. The clerk does so and takes a second bite.

Wow it tastes like a melon.

Turn it around a bit. Says the nerd again.

Amazing, now it tastes like grapes.

Turn it around a bit.

Then the clerk goes into his well-rehearsed kindly meant speech.

Listen sir. Your invention is truly amazing but there is no point and lots of expense in
patenting something that will never sell. ONLY SEX SELLS. If you could make your
apple taste like a woman… Well then you are onto something.

The nerd gets a faraway look in his eyes. Thanks the clerk. Picks up his multifruit and
heads off to the drawing board.

A year later, the same nerd walks into the PRO and approaches the same clerk with
another apple. He is really excited as he explains.

13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES Wealth Wisdom 39

 I took your advice and made this apple to taste like a woman. It’s a surefire winner
and I want to patent it as soon as possible. Try it, go on try it!

The clerk is even more skeptical and world weary than ever. But humoring the nuts
is his business. So he picks up the apple and takes a big bite.

Yuk! It tastes like shit!

Turn it around a bit. Says the nerd!

40 Wealth Wisdom 13 ESSENTIAL SECRETS LEARNED FROM 100 MILLIONAIRES