10 Barriers Standing Between You and Owning a Ferrari Let's determine what's possible and what you can achieve. The Ferrari talk is just a cool way to do it.
By Tim Denning Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
So you want a Ferrari? Well, they don't come easy, and you're going to have to add more value than anyone else to get one. Remember, you can have shiny toys, just don't become obsessed with them. Earning a Ferrari is tough, and you are going to have to battle the demons inside your own mind to get one. Because it's inside your mind that success happens. You find out how to add enormous value, and figure out how to get the dollars to walk into your local Ferrari dealership and tell the salesman "I'll have that red one over there." I'm not talking about leasing one. I'm talking about paying cold hard cash for one.
Related: Working 80 Hours a Week is Not Actually What Leads to Success
I'm not talking about a real sports car here. Rather than focus on the material item of a Ferrari, let the car be a metaphor for what is possible and what you can achieve. It's time to put your head down, and study what I am about to tell you. Below are the ten barriers standing between you and success -- and a Ferrari:
1. You lack the mindset.
The mindset you have right now is determined by the ideas and attitudes that shape the way you think. If your mindset sucks, then it's time to get a new set of attitudes and a fresh set of ideas into that sponge we call your brain. Master the mind and you'll get the Ferrari. All the points from here on are secondary.
2. You don't believe anything is possible.
If you have ridiculous beliefs about how the world works, then you are going to get ridiculous results. Those results could be ridiculously incredible or ridiculously dismal. What you believe is your choice. The guy speeding past you in the morning driving the brand new red Ferrari just believes it's possible to own one. He's no smarter than you. All he has is a killer set of beliefs.
3. You're lazy.
If you've read my article on waking up at 4 a.m. and said "man this Tim Denning guy is on to something! I'm going to wake up at 4 a.m. just like he says and conquer my dream." Then, you stop dreaming. The real alarm goes off, and you tell yourself you need just a few more minutes. This decision is the same decision that auto opted you out of owning a Ferrari and being destined to earn the bare minimum. The first decision you make every day determines the rest of the day. Wake up!
4. You think that you don't need to work hard.
I'll let you in on a little secret. No one who drives a Ferrari got one by doing the bare minimum. They didn't leave work at 5:01 p.m. or suck up to their bosses. They went out, slayed the demons and sold themselves to whoever would listen. While their competitors were winding down at 5 p.m., they were just getting started. They were reading every non-fiction book they could until their eyes were a cherry red like the Ferrari you so desperately want.
Related: 9 Things Ridiculously Productive People Do Every Day
5. You spend your time looking at others people's success.
If you spent last night on Instagram looking at all the perfect butts that have been filtered to the same color as an orange smoothie, then chances are you're focused on other people's success and not your own. The success you are seeing other people have is a figment of your imagination. Most of these Instagram, wannabe influencers are not real and can hardly wake up in the morning from the hangover of all the fakeness they posted the night before.
Focus on your success and what daily habits you need to implement to compound your results and build momentum. Success is a result of small steps every day that build momentum towards some monster goal that will wipe the smile of any smuck.
6. You do business with the barely breathing.
In business, there are those with passion and those who are barely breathing. The one's you want to work with are the one's that have passion oozing out of their eyes. The "all about me" zombies that are obsessed with paying the mortgage and not with their life's work are standing in your way. Be known for dealing with the best suppliers, the best recruiters and hiring the best people. Be known for being the best at your craft.
7. You think the world is out to get you.
Once your mind goes into a state of paranoia about the world, your Ferrari dream is officially dead and buried along with your entrepreneurial dreams. No one is out to get you and Skynet is not trying to take over the world and steal your information. You don't need to stay off the phone, and no one is listening. Any form of paranoia will put a 40-foot wall between you and owning a Ferrari. The universe wants you to succeed. Challenges are guaranteed. How you deal with them is up to you.
8. You're not truly following your passion.
You can't fake passion. Sometimes we lure ourself into the comfortable life by telling ourselves lies about what we do to earn a living. Until you figure out what your passion is and what makes your heart beat just a little bit faster, you'll continue to be trapped like a bear that's stumbled on a bear trap. You'll know when you are living your passion every day because it won't feel like work, and you'll stop looking forward to the weekend. Each day you wake up, it will feel like the weekend. Your reason for pushing beyond the barriers of success will become clearer, and you won't live in fear anymore.
9. Your ego is out of control.
Just because you have had a little but of success at something, don't think that gives you the right to be a punk and talk down to people. Your ego is your enemy, not your friend. Your ego makes you think you're invincible, and it stops you from taking the advice that might give you the strategy you need to get the Ferrari.
Related: Warren Buffett: 5 Things You Can Learn From the Man Who Invested $1 Billion in Apple
10. You won't get started now.
Talk is cheap, and everyone talks a good game. Action is what is stopping you from getting the Ferrari. Take consistent action and be prepared to fail and learn a lot. With every blunder comes the opportunity to do it better next time. Warren Buffett didn't wake up one day and become some genius investor. He played the markets for years and most importantly, he played the long game. He wasn't trying to make a million bucks overnight. He used his patience, negotiation power and swagger to leverage his position. The more you talk about what you're going to do, the more your competitors are going to outdo you in every facet.
What's standing in the way of your success?
