The 10x rule ffirs indd I 3/14/11 10: 22: 47 AM ffirs indd II 3/14/11 10: 22: 47 am the 10x rule The Only Difference Between Success and Failure Grant Cardone John Wiley & Sons, Inc

21. Be on a Mission
Whereas the unsuccessful spend their lives thinking in terms 
of a job, successful people approach their activities as though 
they are on a religious mission—not as work or merely “a job.” 
Successful employees, employers, entrepreneurs, and market 
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Successful or Unsuccessful? 
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changers consider their daily activities to be part of a more 
important mission that will change things signifi cantly. They 
are always thinking bigger and homing in on some massive 
target to achieve. Until you start approaching your job as 
though you are on a mission, it will always be reduced to “just 
a job.” You must undertake every activity with the zealous 
attitude that this endeavor could forever change the world. 
Approach every phone call, e-mail, sales visit, meeting, presen-
tation, and day you spend at the offi ce not as a job but as a 
calling for which you will forever be known. Until you adopt 
this attitude, you will forever be stuck in a job—and probably 
one that isn’t very fulfi lling.
22. Have a High Level of Motivation
Motivation refers to the act or state of being stimulated toward 
action. To succeed, it is critical that you be stimulated, excited, 
and driven to some action or actions. Although the defi nition of 
motivation suggests that there’s a reason behind the action, the 
study of successful people also makes it apparent that their high 
levels of activity are fueled by being goal-focused and mission-
driven. The unsuccessful demonstrate low levels of motivation, 
wandering, and lack of clarity or purpose. Elevated motivation 
is obviously critical to 10X actions and persistence. This isn’t the 
kind of enthusiasm that lasts for a few hours, a day, or a week; 
it’s based on what you do each day to stimulate yourself toward 
actions and inspire yourself to keep going. Highly successful 
people continually seek and uncover reasons to stay perpetually 
provoked to new levels of success. This may be why success-
ful people are never satisfi ed. As they continue to be compelled 
by new reasons to move forward, they achieve these new goals 
and then regenerate for the next round. They are constantly 
stimulated to higher levels of action and achievements. 
There’s one question I get in my seminars more than any 
other: “How do you stay motivated?” The answer? I create 
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THE 10X RULE
new reasons to keep showing up. The unsuccessful unceas-
ingly suggest, “If I had what [that person] had, I would retire.” 
But I don’t believe this claim for a second. First of all, they 
don’t know if that’s true, since they can’t tell how they’d 
respond to success. It is possible—and highly probable—that 
the success they’d create would also include some responsi-
bilities and obligation to continue to produce in order to keep 
things going. Motivation is an inside job. I can’t motivate you, 
and you can’t motivate anyone else. You can encourage, you 
can challenge, and you can inspire, but true motivation—the 
underlying reason for doing something—must come from 
within. I do it by setting goals daily to keep myself enthused. 
I look at things that seem to be out of reach for me—not 
just material things but other people’s accomplishments and 
achievements—to keep my attention on the possibilities. 
Anything you can do to stay highly motivated will be critical 
to your 10X commitment.