Success Principles

On February 19th I had the absolute pleasure of delivering a keynote presentation on Financial Fitness for a church group in Toronto. It was a magical day and I was fortunate to have a few of my close friends share the stage with me that afternoon. What made this experience magical was seeing the many teenagers in attendance, eager to learn success principles for moving their lives to the next level.

Plan to succeed

Joining me that afternoon was my good friend Phil Taylor, author and founder of Goal Achievers International who delivered his motivational keynote entitled “I Believe in you”. Phil was followed by another good friend of mine Mr. Jim Pagiamtzis, who spoke to the audience about the power of networking….”Get Connected – Make Wealth Happen”.

For those who know me and have read my previous post, you understand that I am passionate about education and equipping our youth for success in all areas of their lives. Although my presentation was about financial fitness, I also embedded the importance of personal development and goal setting in my talk. I believe it is important to give back and this opportunity allowed me to do just that as I was able to share some of my successes and especially my failures in the area of finance, so that my failures will serve as a warning to others of how not to live their lives.

One of the major themes discussed during that seminar was wealth creation and retirement planning. Many people fail to make accurate plans for their future and are content with living from day to day. They have become conditioned to following the lead of the masses and will settle for what life gives them rather than demanding what it is they want from life. After a time this habit becomes so deeply ingrained that it is almost impossible for many to change course. Warren Buffet said it best “habits are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken’. What habits have you formed? Are they moving you in the right direct towards success or limiting your progress and pushing away the very thing you desire?

Financial Fitness can only be achieved if you have laid out concrete plans for its attainment. If you fail to put a plan in place, tailored specifically for you, how can you expect to succeed? Praying and hoping that things will work out is not planning, this is a philosophy for disaster that will leave you broke and embarrassed at the age of 65. It is true that many successful people believe in the power of prayer, but they also understand that true success cannot be achieve without immediate and consistent action in the direction of that which one desires.

So, what can you do to ensure your life becomes and example for others instead of a warning when it comes to your financial fitness? First you need to become crystal clear about what it is you want to achieve financially. Second, you need to have a strong enough why (what is your reason for wanting wealth) that will help you weather the storms and obstacles that will come your way. Third, you must be willing to take immediate and consistent action toward the attainment of your chief aim. The last point and one I believe to be critical to your success, is you need to seek the assistance of a mentor to help accelerate your progress.

About 6 years ago I became crystal clear that I wanted to achieve financial freedom and become a real estate investor. I had a very strong WHY (reason) for wanting to achieve these goals, the first was to be able to provide more for my family and the second was to support charities that were aligned with my personal values. I didn’t know how this would be accomplished but that was not my concern and not within my control. What was in my control was the ability to start immediately by moving toward my chief desires. So I began reading the books, attending seminars and found myself meeting others who were also on a quest for financial freedom through real estate investing.

Then the magic happened, I attended a seminar in Toronto at the Thornhill Wealth Forum and found my mentor. Within days I was taking her coaching and reshaping my personal philosophy about money and wealth creation. Paola Breda of Canadian Financial Freedom literally transformed my life and taught me how to see opportunities where others saw obstacles. She empowered me through her teachings and established accountability partners to keep me honest and on track. She held my hands when it was needed and kicked my butt when I procrastinated.


Freedom comes when cash-flows


Results……Priceless, within six months of taking her coaching I purchased my first investment property, then a second, then a third and so on and so on. It wasn’t always easy but easy is not an option if you truly want to achieve success. Listen you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

Yes if you plan to erase the seeds of doubt that are holding you back from achieving financial fitness you will have to change course. You will need to have a crystal clear picture of what you want your financial life to look like. Your WHY must be strong enough to draw strength from that inner reservoir and allow you to surmount any and all obstacles and see opportunities where others don’t. You will need to take immediate action and apply faith and perseverance until you achieve your goal. Above all, find a mentor that has done what it is you are looking to do. A good mentor will help you avoid some of the pitfalls that are inevitably on your journey to success.

The world is full of untold riches and those who know how to create wealth will continue to apply the principles that will continue to fatten their purse. If you wish to avoid a lean purse I would suggest you take immediate action and start charting a course that will allow you to live your life by design not by default.

With gratitude,

Courtney Carroll
www.courtneycarroll.com