A number of years ago when I was visiting with a good friend in China, Master Zhang, he questioned me about why I teach others my secrets to success, especially those secrets that help me in my business.
"In China, we have a saying," he said. "If you teach someone your secrets, maybe tomorrow ... no food."
"That's interesting," I replied. "In America, I have a saying: 'If you teach someone your secrets, maybe tomorrow you eat whatever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want, with whomever you want.'"
He didn't quite understand. So I gave him a rundown of many mega-successful people who have made veritable fortunes teaching their secrets - as well as a list of their students who have ALSO benefited greatly. I gave him the WIN-WIN situations. Yet all he could think of, based upon his upbringing, was WIN-LOSE.
So I told him what I'm telling you right now. There are two ways to look at business: With a competitive mindset or with a cooperative mindset.
If you have a competitive mindset, you believe that your job is to beat your competition into the ground - to make sure YOU are number one and that everyone else is way behind you.
If you have a cooperative mindset, you believe that your job is to get along with as many people as you can, in a spirit of perfect harmony. And you believe that by so doing, everyone benefits, everyone wins.
Note: Key words in the above paragraph are "perfect harmony." This means that if someone in the relationship does something to upset the balance of harmony - whether it be sneaky or overt - cooperation no longer exists. One of the parties will have gone into competitive mode.
Ironically, the cooperative mindset is more powerful than the competitive one. Yet, those who have been programmed to believe that business is ALL about competition will be difficult to change. I should know. After 30+ years as a competitive wrestler and martial artist, making the switch was not easy. But make it I did - and I'm all the better for it. So are my students who have benefited from what I've taught them - and, in return, as a show of gratitude, have bestowed even more gifts upon me.
Now, there are pitfalls in the cooperative mindset. Without a doubt, you will meet those who "pretend" to be like-minded, but really are not. You'll meet those who want to take advantage of your nature, steal all they can from you, and so on.
The main thing to understand is that when you're in harmony with yourself (and most people are not), you'll more quickly recognize the non-harmonious fellow - and, at the first sign of trouble, you'll know to cut him off. Let me tell you about two of my students who have the cooperative mindset.
The first is Dr. Dave Woynarowski.
30 months ago, "Doc" (as I like to call him) attended my first Internet seminar. He learned the secrets I taught, then joined my coaching program to learn even more. 18 months later, he retired from his medical clinic in Pennsylvania because his income from his website was three times what he made from his clinic. Today, he makes at least 10 times what he made from the clinic. And because he no longer works those long hours, he has more time to spend with his family.
The second student is Lou Vukas - a man who made his fortune in real estate. Like me, he decided to "teach his secrets" via books and programs and sell them over the Internet. Today, as a result of what I taught Lou about marketing on the Internet, he makes a seven-figure Internet income as well as a seven-figure real estate income. In fact, Lou will be the first to tell you that he's making 10 times the money because of what I taught him - AND that he added an "extra" seven figures last year to his real estate business ... again, because of what I taught him.
If you're in the competitive mindset, you may think, "If you teach these people your secrets, maybe tomorrow, no food." But the three of us - Doc, Lou, and I - are NOT competing with each other. We're cooperating. And, as a result, we can all eat whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want, with anyone we want.
More importantly, all of us can sit at a table together, eating and having a good time.
Zero competition. Zero desire to beat the other guy.
