Shannon's BAMM 2.0 Journal

[Cozy]

Well I’m glad we can have a conversation without someone exploding. When I hear personality I think the way someone interacts with the people around them, and the way they choose to. I think when it comes to anything successful it just has to do with passion, passion for something that will make impact and is therefore profitable, and then the “personality”, if you want to call it that comes afterward. We are largely defined by the things we focus on, I believe that, but I don’t believe in focussing on personality traits, especially when worrying what others think usually hinders the potential for success, don’t you think?

There's no need to explode. I know that there will always be people who disagree with me, and sometimes you just have to agree to disagree.

Here I am defining personality traits in different terms than you are, apparently.

Passion and drive are indeed an integral part of becoming wealthy without "luck" or being born into it. But is not passion and drive a personality trait? Some people have it, some people don't, and it can be developed.

Let's do this. Instead of personality traits, let's just state what they are. Consider:

self confidence, courage to take risks, knowledge of their specialty, drive to succeed regardless of what anyone else said or did, refusal to quit when they met with failure or setbacks, believing in themselves and their dreams, goals and efforts regardless of everything else, wise use of time, resources and money to achieve their goal, strategic planning, perseverance, patience, focus on the goal, ability to break large goals into smaller ones and then accomplish them step by step

All of these - whatever you want to call them - and more are necessary for a person to have, use and benefit from in concert in order to successfully make themselves wealthy at the millionaire level or above.

but I don’t believe in focussing on personality traits, especially when worrying what others think usually hinders the potential for success, don’t you think?

One of the traits, qualities, whatever you want to call it that makes a self made millionaire is that they do not worry what others think of them, their goals, their dreams and their actions and choices. They have their goal, they map out a path to it, and then they take that path step by step. Unless what others think is going to directly damage their ability to achieve that goal, they don't let themselves be affected by it; and if it will, then they will either remove themselves from those who would potentially derail them that way, or adjust their path to accommodate.

For instance, I have to care what my customers and potential customers think of what I do, and how I do it. If my customers and potential customers do not like and trust me, they are not likely to buy from me, and I will be much less likely to succeed. So I work that fact into the plan and make it part of how I make myself wealthy: any good business owner knows that your customer must like and trust you and/or your brand/products/whatever for the business to succeed, if the business is structured to sell products or services to customers. So the common sense way forward is to build your business model to make your customers and potential customers happy, and keep them that way.

But when I encounter someone who hears what I do and laughs at me because they don't believe subliminals work, or becomes derisive or attacks me for thinking I can become a self made millionaire, I just chalk it up to a difference of opinion and move on. I don't allow the negativity of others to affect me in my journey to succeed in making myself wealthy because that is the path to failure, not success, and I'm not working on this for the last decade and a half to fail.

Every self made millionaire I ever met has the same point of view and opinion and they are successful in large part because of that fact. Nobody can tear me down without my permission, and if I give them my permission, I fail to achieve my goal. So why would I give them my permission to tear me down? I choose to succeed, and the naysayers can enjoy themselves doing their thing, but I'm going to keep working toward my goal steadily and surely, and eventually I will achieve it. And I no longer care what the naysayers think once I achieve my goal, because I'm not doing it to impress someone, or prove something or be right... I'm doing it because I want that end goal for my own security and for the expanded good I can then do in the world, and thereby make my life worth having lived.

So people like Bill Gates (who I admire as a businessman, but disagree with on certain aspects of how to become wealthy) are not going to be worried what other people think of them. In fact that very trait, quality, whatever we're calling it is one of the biggest reasons Bill Gates succeeded, and one of the biggest reasons I admire him: regardless of what anyone else thinks, says or does, he is his own biggest fan and supporter, and he always bets on himself. He was one of the people who taught that to me, even though I have never met the man.

Well, Bill Gates came from a successful/supportive family, but I get your point. I think you should read the book anyway.