Amassing a billion-dollar fortune isn’t easy, and “The Donald” has done it several times. He’s had best-selling books, an award-winning television show, and now he’s running for office. The man is a business tycoon, a real estate mogul, an inspiration to millions, and a controversial figure. Whether you love him or hate him, here are TEN things you can learn from Donald Trump.
You must find something you’re passionate about.
Money can be a motivator, but if you’re already passionate about something aside from the money, you’ll become an unstoppable force. No matter your current circumstances in life, approach them with passion and watch the magic happen.
Trump only sleeps around four hours each night because of his passion. He can’t wait to get up in the morning because he loves his work so much. Trump loves making deals. He says it’s even better than sex for him. He also loves real estate. He put the two together, and well, the rest is history.
You must be able to handle pressure.
If you can’t handle pressure, you might as well forget about success because you’ll crack like an egg. If you’re building a company, climbing a corporate ladder or changing your life in any major way, you’ll have to deal with a lot of pressure.
Donald Trump handles stress well because he does what he loves. He’s also solution-oriented, not problem-oriented.
You must not take life seriously.
Trump understands that life “is just a game, and we are all here to have a good time while we can.” He understands that life is but a fleeting moment. Tsunamis wipe out hundreds of thousands of people – does your presentation tomorrow really matter in the grand scheme of things? Problems that seem big today won’t seem that way years from now.
You must never give up.
Here’s a quote from Donald himself:
“You can never, ever give up. Now, if you love what you do, you are not going to give up, because you love it. Sometimes you will feel like giving up. It may seem impossible to try again. But that is the most important time, because it is the time when you begin to learn important information about what you are doing – information you need to succeed.”
He also says, “I can tell you many stories about friends of mine who are really, really smart and amazing – the smartest people you can imagine – and yet they never made it, because they quit. I can also tell you stories about friends of mine who were not as smart. If you gave them aptitude tests, they would score 25 percent lower. They are now some of the richest guys in the world because they had something different; they didn’t quit. If you love something, if you really love it, you are less inclined to quit.”
Both of these quotes are from Think Big: Make It Happen In Business and Life.
You must find something you’re passionate about.
Money can be a motivator, but if you’re already passionate about something aside from the money, you’ll become an unstoppable force. No matter your current circumstances in life, approach them with passion and watch the magic happen.
Trump only sleeps around four hours each night because of his passion. He can’t wait to get up in the morning because he loves his work so much. Trump loves making deals. He says it’s even better than sex for him. He also loves real estate. He put the two together, and well, the rest is history.
You must be able to handle pressure.
If you can’t handle pressure, you might as well forget about success because you’ll crack like an egg. If you’re building a company, climbing a corporate ladder or changing your life in any major way, you’ll have to deal with a lot of pressure.
Donald Trump handles stress well because he does what he loves. He’s also solution-oriented, not problem-oriented.
You must not take life seriously.
Trump understands that life “is just a game, and we are all here to have a good time while we can.” He understands that life is but a fleeting moment. Tsunamis wipe out hundreds of thousands of people – does your presentation tomorrow really matter in the grand scheme of things? Problems that seem big today won’t seem that way years from now.
You must never give up.
Here’s a quote from Donald himself:
“You can never, ever give up. Now, if you love what you do, you are not going to give up, because you love it. Sometimes you will feel like giving up. It may seem impossible to try again. But that is the most important time, because it is the time when you begin to learn important information about what you are doing – information you need to succeed.”
He also says, “I can tell you many stories about friends of mine who are really, really smart and amazing – the smartest people you can imagine – and yet they never made it, because they quit. I can also tell you stories about friends of mine who were not as smart. If you gave them aptitude tests, they would score 25 percent lower. They are now some of the richest guys in the world because they had something different; they didn’t quit. If you love something, if you really love it, you are less inclined to quit.”
Both of these quotes are from Think Big: Make It Happen In Business and Life.
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You must think positively.
Negative thinking kills your focus and cripples your chances of success. Trump is an avid golfer (as well as a golf course developer) and he’s noticed that the best golfers have the ability to think positively. Since golf is a mental game, world-class golfers must be mentally tough, holding their focus and being optimistic about where the ball will go.
Donald Trump finds that getting angry and letting it out doesn’t do much good. It’s much more productive to channel that energy into work. He says that constructively using anger is a form of mental toughness needed for success. Trump says, “Learn how to be optimistic even in the face of large and intimidating challenges and it will revolutionize your life.”
You must hit people harder than they hit you.
Donald Trump is a fighter, no doubt about that. His motto is: “Always get even. When somebody screws you, screw them back in spades.”
Remember poor Rosie O’Donnell? Donald Trump ripped her a new you-know-what. Don’t mess with “The Donald” and he won’t mess with you. He’s like a rattlesnake who will strike if provoked.
You must listen to your own counsel.
The media has a field day with Donald Trump. If he says something off-color or something that can be taken out of context, they tear him apart. This type of stuff can mess with a person’s head. Trump doesn’t believe what anyone says about him, good or bad. You should do the same. Draw your own conclusions about yourself, because nobody knows you better than you do.
You must have a prenuptial agreement.
Trump says that if he didn’t have prenups with his former wives, Ivana and Marla, he wouldn’t have anything. While, “I love you, sign this” isn’t very sexy, it’s instrumental in keeping whatever fortune you’ve built. People and businesses are destroyed every day because of divorce, so it’s usually a wise decision to have some protection in place.
Over half of all marriages now end in divorce, but nobody thinks it will happen to them. Trump understands it’s better to play safe. For example, when Paul McCartney and Heather Mills divorced, Mills sued him for $400 million. She got around $60 million, and she was only married to him for three years! It’s not romantic, but you need it.
You must use leverage to get what you want.
You must figure out how you can get what you want, and then amplify it. For example doctors make big bucks because of leverage. Either you pay what they want or you’re left with the health consequences. If you’re making a deal, don’t seem desperate, since it will let the other guy smell blood. You should always deal from a position of strength.
“Leverage is having something the other guy wants.” – Donald Trump (from The Art of the Deal)
You must think big.
Thinking big is Donald Trump’s life work. He lives his life in a “go big or go home” type fashion. In real estate, this makes a lot of sense, because it takes almost the same amount of energy to manage 30 units as it does 300 units, except with 300 units the upside is much larger.
Negative thinking kills your focus and cripples your chances of success. Trump is an avid golfer (as well as a golf course developer) and he’s noticed that the best golfers have the ability to think positively. Since golf is a mental game, world-class golfers must be mentally tough, holding their focus and being optimistic about where the ball will go.
Donald Trump finds that getting angry and letting it out doesn’t do much good. It’s much more productive to channel that energy into work. He says that constructively using anger is a form of mental toughness needed for success. Trump says, “Learn how to be optimistic even in the face of large and intimidating challenges and it will revolutionize your life.”
You must hit people harder than they hit you.
Donald Trump is a fighter, no doubt about that. His motto is: “Always get even. When somebody screws you, screw them back in spades.”
Remember poor Rosie O’Donnell? Donald Trump ripped her a new you-know-what. Don’t mess with “The Donald” and he won’t mess with you. He’s like a rattlesnake who will strike if provoked.
You must listen to your own counsel.
The media has a field day with Donald Trump. If he says something off-color or something that can be taken out of context, they tear him apart. This type of stuff can mess with a person’s head. Trump doesn’t believe what anyone says about him, good or bad. You should do the same. Draw your own conclusions about yourself, because nobody knows you better than you do.
You must have a prenuptial agreement.
Trump says that if he didn’t have prenups with his former wives, Ivana and Marla, he wouldn’t have anything. While, “I love you, sign this” isn’t very sexy, it’s instrumental in keeping whatever fortune you’ve built. People and businesses are destroyed every day because of divorce, so it’s usually a wise decision to have some protection in place.
Over half of all marriages now end in divorce, but nobody thinks it will happen to them. Trump understands it’s better to play safe. For example, when Paul McCartney and Heather Mills divorced, Mills sued him for $400 million. She got around $60 million, and she was only married to him for three years! It’s not romantic, but you need it.
You must use leverage to get what you want.
You must figure out how you can get what you want, and then amplify it. For example doctors make big bucks because of leverage. Either you pay what they want or you’re left with the health consequences. If you’re making a deal, don’t seem desperate, since it will let the other guy smell blood. You should always deal from a position of strength.
“Leverage is having something the other guy wants.” – Donald Trump (from The Art of the Deal)
You must think big.
Thinking big is Donald Trump’s life work. He lives his life in a “go big or go home” type fashion. In real estate, this makes a lot of sense, because it takes almost the same amount of energy to manage 30 units as it does 300 units, except with 300 units the upside is much larger.