I really enjoy studying successful people.

It’s one of my favorite, and most rewarding activities.  I’ve learned so much about what it takes to succeed in business and in life.

After all, who better to learn from, than those who have already created a lot of success for themselves?

I’m really grateful to people like Felix Dennis, Marc Cuban, John Templeton, and Estee Lauder for sharing their stories and their insights into what it takes to be successful.  

It’s true what Anthony Robbins said, “Success leaves clues.”  That’s exactly what I’m looking for when I study these people; clues to success.

Common themes that emerge in each of their stories are the importance of being grateful, working hard, maintaining a dogged determination, and cultivating a no-quit mindset.

But there’s one surprising mistake that some of these successful people admit to making that I didn’t expect to hear.  What is it?

They didn’t think big enough.

That’s right.  As difficult as it is to believe, some of these titans of industry and global business leaders admit that if they had it to do over again, they’d set their sights higher.

This was something I never expected to hear them say.  Especially given the massive success these extraordinary men and women have created for themselves.

To me, this is proof that even the most successful people can fall victim of limited thinking, albeit on a much larger scale.

In his eye-opening best-selling book, The 10x Rule, Grant Cardone shares the following mistake he made early on in his career.

The single biggest financial mistake I’ve made was not thinking big enough. I encourage you to go for more than a million. There is no shortage of money on this planet, only a shortage of people thinking big enough.” – Grant Cardone

It doesn’t get any clearer than that.

This is something we can all learn from.

By the way, if you haven’t read Cardone’s book, The 10x Rule, I highly recommend it.

This book changed my life.  It caused me to re-think my approach to everything, and challenged me to bring my thoughts and actions up to 10x levels.

Here’s what Dan Pena had to say about his success.  Mr. Pena is a highly successful American businessman, entrepreneur, and mentor.

I’m often asked, if I had my life to live over again what would I change. I’d only change one thing. I’d set my goals higher. That’s right. With all my mega-success, I’d still set my goals higher.” – Dan Pena

So how can you avoid making these same mistakes?

Simple.

Set your sights higher than what you actually want to achieve.

This means that as you’re planning your personal and professional goals, think about doubling, tripling, or even 10x’ing them, as Mr. Cardone suggests.

Learn from the mistakes (if you can call them that) that these successful people have made.

If you do this, you may fall short of achieving your goal, but you’ll certainly achieve much more than if you hadn’t set your sights higher.

It might be helpful to keep in mind that the creative power within you that works to help you achieve your goals and dreams in life doesn’t know the difference between a $1 goal and $1,000,000 goal.

Only you know the difference. 

And therein lies the problem.

Your conditioned thinking can limit you, if you let it.  Just as it did for these successful people.

If it can happen to them, it can happen to you and me.

So don’t let limited thinking get in the way of your big dreams.

Think big, and plant a BIG seed in your consciousness, right from the beginning.  Create a gigantic vision of your realized goal, then work hard, and prepare for it to become your reality.

Your gigantic vision will be transferred to the creative power within you (your subconscious mind) and this power will help you realize your goal.

So I guess the only question left to ask is, “How much bigger will YOU think?

Until next time.  All the best.

Mark