Being selfish asks, “How do I protect my time, energy, and money so I am only spending them on those things that will take me closer to my goals?” This kind of selfishness allows you to make sure your precious resources are only being spent on activities that benefit your company. But, until you can define the types of customers you want to attract and the problems you can fix for them, it is very hard to be selfish.

It is very hard for a company to be focused if you don’t know where you are going. The dictionary defines focus as “close or narrow attention; concentration.” Without a clear perspective, you cannot focus on the desired outcome. It is too easy to become distracted, unorganized, and inconsistent. When you understand what it is you are to be selfish about, you generate a clear focus—a sense of purpose.

Discipline is controlled behavior resulting from training and self-control. Your mind is made up. You have decided to achieve your marketing goals. Being disciplined means you will not abandon your goals. Discipline has taught you that business life is not smooth and that there will be rough spots. Experience has taught you that by being disciplined, you can get through the tough spots. Your eye is on the target, and you have the discipline of a laser-guided missile; you seek out your objectives, and your focus never falters.

You keep your eyes clearly fixed on your objectives; you try different things to overcome these obstacles. You know where you are going; you know you can’t be stopped. You know that your persistence is what drives you forward. You will find a way around any obstacle, and keep right on going.

Ownership is the state of being an owner. It is taking the legal right to the possession of a thing. Not only tangible things, but also your dreams, your goals, your business, and your life; if you do not take ownership for achieving your dreams, who will? As Jesse Livermore said, “There are only two emotions in the market—hope and fear. The problem is you hope when you should fear, and you fear when you should hope.”

But not you. Your fear is motivation to move you forward because you learned that when you take action, you get results. You always hope for the best and plan for the worst. You are ready for what life throws at you. You have to be. Taking ownership is about change—making change to move forward, changing behaviors that are not working, and dealing with the world as it is and not as you want it to be.

You own the outcome because you are clear about where you want to go, and you take ownership for it. With ownership, you know that if you are not getting your desired results, you can take action and change the outcome. Ownership is so very empowering. You know that if you do not have the skills, you can learn or hire someone to teach you.

Results mean ending in a particular way. Once you define your goals—the outcomes you want to achieve—and how you want things to end, you can take ownership to create your desired outcomes. You can create the results. When you don’t get the results you want, you fall back on persistence, ownership, focus, and discipline, and know that you have the skills, the drive, the desire, the knowledge, and the road map that will take you where you want to go.

Results are simply a way of measuring your success. You either get the job done, or you don’t. If you don’t, because of your ownership, you go back and try something different. No excuses. No remorse. Only results. You understand, as Yoda once said, that “there is no trying; only doing.”

All successful people understand that their success comes with, and through, other people. Successful people recognize these individuals and appreciate them for their contribution to the results. They will also assume complete responsibility for things not working. They must because there is no other course of action when you are the owner and take ownership.

You will learn how to implement these behaviors in the great book 49 Marketing Secrets That Work to Grow Sales. So take out your pencil and begin creating and developing your strategy, and changing your life.

Everything in 49 Marketing Secrets That Work to Grow Sales is important, but to make the most of all the information contained within, you need to understand where you want to go and how you will get there. Then and only then can you implement the tools and techniques described in the later sections.

Read Part Two - The Visual Components of Your Brand