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

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7. Take Risks
Once when I was in Vegas, a man sitting next to me said, “These 
casinos will always make money because the people that play 
here are never willing to take risks at levels great enough to 
wipe them out.” I am not suggesting that you go out and try 
to take a casino down; however, the man’s observation reminded 
me of how many of us are taught to play it safe, be conserva-
tive, and never really “go for it” in a big way. Life is not a great 
deal different than Vegas; you must put something into the 
game in order to get a return. At some point, you will have to 
take a risk, and the successful are willing to do so daily. In the 
truly big casinos of life and business, do you really take enough 
risk to create the success you want and need? Most people 
never go far enough in getting recognized, gaining attention, 
and making a big splash; they are trying to protect or conserve 
a reputation, a position, or some already achieved state. The 
successful are willing to take gambles—to put it all out 
there and know, regardless of the outcome, that they can go 
back and do it again. They allow themselves to be criticized, 
looked at, and seen by the world—while the unsuccessful hold 
back and play it safe. Remember the old saying, “Nothing 
ventured, nothing gained.” At this time, it is vital that you get 
your family and friends to be supportive of you in taking risks 
and in no longer playing it safe.
8. Be Unreasonable
No, that is not an error; it does say unreasonable. In my book 
Sell to Survive, I introduced the notion that the successful 
salesperson must be unreasonable with his or her client in 
order to consummate the sale. This clearly fl ies in the face of 
what most of us are taught—that is, to be reasonable and logi-
cal. Being unreasonable requires that you act without rational 
consideration and not in accordance with practical realities. 
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THE 10X RULE
And, yes—that’s what I want you to do! When most people 
see this defi nition, they get confused and think that I’m telling 
them to be crazy. But successful people recognize how vital it 
is to act without reason. They know they cannot afford to act 
in accordance with the agreed-upon realities. If they do, the 
supposed “impossible” can never become possible for them. 
Being a 10X-er requires thinking and acting unreasonably. 
Otherwise, you will end up the same way everyone else does—
forced to survive on successful people’s leftovers. Unreason-
able doesn’t mean being mentally unstable—and let’s face it, 
who isn’t just a little off the rocker—but that you refuse to 
validate the alleged “sanity” of reasonable actions that will 
never get you what you want. Most of the world is playing in 
accordance with some set of stupid, useless, reasonable rules 
that only ensure that you continue trudging along in bond-
age as a mere slave. Think about it: Would we have cars, air-
planes, space travel, telephones, and the Internet—in addition 
to thousands of other things we take for granted—if some-
one hadn’t done something that another person had labeled 
“unreasonable”? Man would do nothing exceptional if it were 
not for the willingness to be unreasonable. So be one of the 
unreasonable ones. They are usually the people who make a 
huge difference in our world.