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About a year ago I was probing through YouTube searching for millionaires and billionaires and their advice. I wasn’t searching for specific advice but rather to hear their thoughts and hindsight on what made them successful.

One day I came across what I now call the 3 billion dollar advice. Of all places it came from someone that I never thought that I would call a mentor or get advice from. It just goes to show how I still had not opened my mind  enough to realize that finding golden nuggets can happen in the most unusual places. Or maybe I should start to believe that unusual places are really the most common places. Either way when your hungry, really hungry you will be open enough to hear and listen to anyone.

So who is this person and what is the advice???

This person is not white. Wasn’t born “Trump” rich. And isn’t even a man. This person has the initial makings of a simple life. This person is black (to me, and for all intensive purposes instantly a drawback when trying to get somewhere great in life), This person is a woman (Again a drawback, most women earn .75 cents to every dollar that a man makes), and this woman was not born into a millionaire family. Who is she? She’s Oprah Winfrey. Now why would I take advice from Oprah? It’s simple. She’s black, a woman, and worth 3 billion dollars. It’s one thing for her to be worth a million, but to be worth 3 Billion, with a “B”. Now that’s impressive. Definitely worth researching her tenacity for success.

So what’s her advice???????

A simple binder with paper and a pen. It’s called a gratitude journal. Yep it’s that simple. Basically paper and a pen. Personally I thought it was hogwash, but after connecting the dots with all my other virtual mentors, and when she said it….. It just clicked and all of sudden made sense. It’s like a light bulb finally turned on and all my virtual mentors sang in unison. You see, to paraphrase she said that one of the most important things that made her successful was the gratitude journal. And now what I understand is that life is always going to be negative. Life is always going to be tough. Life is always going to have trials and tribulations. That’s why its called life and not heaven. And as Jim Rohn says, “Problems are not gifts reserved solely for the poor. It rains on everyone”. And its true. Life is going to suck. Life is going to kick you and tell you that you don’t deserve what you want. And when that happens we tend to doubt ourselves, we tend to see life as against us. We can’t find a smile in a room full of clowns. Life just has nothing to be grateful for.

And this is where Oprah’s super power comes into play. I can’t remember the exact person that said this, but it goes like this…. You cannot be grateful and angry at the same time. Your mind just won’t let it happen. That sentence is very important and worth repeating…….You cannot be grateful and angry at the same time!

So how does it work????

Buy a journal, each day write down 5 things that you are grateful for. It won’t be easy, at least not at first. Truth be told, for me, It was down right fucking almost impossible in the beginning. Even Oprah said that there were times when she couldn’t find anything to be grateful for and so the only thing that she could find was to be grateful for the cup of coffee that sat before her. I can honestly say that this “gratitude journal’ing” thing has been an eye opening journey. I couldn’t tell at first, but now over a year later, I can actually look at the day thru different glasses. Glasses that are not always negative and foggy.  I can now focus more on the important stuff. Like how to build my 12plex. How to find beautiful ways to enjoy the life I have while taking on every challenge and puzzle that life puts before me. How to build long term relationships, and how to see happiness when nothing around you seems to be happy or good. I can now start to see the good, and oddly enough like magnets…. gratitude seems to bring you closer to those that can help you achieve your dreams.

It’s like this… If you want a red car, and having the red car makes you happy, then by simply focusing on what makes you happy will somehow make you see more red cars. From there it is just a matter of a strategy needed to attain the red car. IE, gratitude helps you focus on your dreams and goals and in turn leaves you room to find the strategy needed to attain your dreams and goals.

So one last time here’s the advice to draw you closer to your dreams and goals.

1. Buy a blank journal (mine is small about a 7’x5′  with about 150 pages and I bought it at Walmart for about 2 or 3 bucks)
2. Write down the date and time. And maybe even where you are at during that moment. It will be helpful when you look back upon your life.
3. Write down 5 things that you are grateful for (no matter how hard or how small find something, even if you can’t fully believe in it yet.) You must build the muscle.
4. Do it daily. Painfully this has been my drawback. I don’t yet do it daily. Which is maybe what’s also keeping me from seeing this 12plex come into fruition. But this too will change. Rituals, I must cement my rituals.

Good luck my friend.

Wishing you the greatest!

Max.