If you're willing to invest two or three years, if not more, in the pursuit of learning how to tie your shoelaces, why would you treat your career or health or income or relationships any differently? To be great at something, isn't it worth an hour or three per week stretching your own envelope of life? No need to quit your job tomorrow, we can all do it on a part-time basis. Need proof? From 1990 to 1999, a whopping average of six hundred thousand Americans became millionaires, are you ready for this… every single year!! That's more than one thousand one hundred new millionaires every day for three thousand six hundred and fifty straight days.

Of these six million new millionaires created in the last decade of the twentieth century, a distinct majority, more than sixty percent, in fact, became millionaires through a home-based effort of four or more hours per week. Wow. That tells us that every American has that same opportunity, more so when you realize how few of our millionaires have much formal education in the areas that have brought them millions.

It's been written that a carpenter who says he has twenty years' experience, more often than not really has just five years experience… four times over. For every 100 people who set to a task, only seven out of that hundred are still trying to get better after their fourth or fifth year at any given task. If you can understand this simple set of thoughts, then you have a tool in your hand to help you produce better, and more results in your life, than you have in all of the years of your life all added up together.

You may have heard the old saw about a little bit of knowledge being a dangerous thing. As often as not, the danger presented is not to others, rather, to ourselves. Where do you think the phrase, "He's his worst enemy" comes from? It comes from people falling into the dangerous trap of complacency, the trap of believing that they need no help from outside. If that's true, then you're living your dream life, right? If not, what does it cost to take a look at the process? Who knows, maybe you'll actually use a shortcut or two used every day by millions of masters and millionaires. If it's not broke, no need to fix it. If it's not working at peak, let's take a look.

The clear and present danger in possessing a little bit of knowledge is that we have enough arrogance to believe that we know as much as we need to know. Whether you're a train switchman or a sales clerk at Radio Shack, a rocket scientist or a musician, librarian or librettist, either you're world-class, or you're not. The use of high-powered shortcuts can and will boost you into a higher level. These shortcuts work very quickly.

First, state out loud or in writing how you figure you'll be earning your living this year. Second, admit that you're not in the top ten percent, and that you do intend to be, quickly, and powerfully.

As far as how you actually get there, first go back and reaffirm what's contained in the last four sentences. This is by far the largest shortcut in this group, because saying it with belief goes far towards making it happen. Suspend your current opinion… if your opinion was valid on this subject you'd already be in the top ten percent, wouldn't you? Getting into the top ten percent means using your two ears and your two eyes a total of four times more than your one mouth.

You're getting this information from thousands and thousands of masters and millionaires who have already achieved what you're still merely hoping for. Accepting their guidance through these crunched shortcuts will bring you fast, measurable results.

Now that you are determined to get into the top ten percent, you should be happily laughing within days or weeks of today, because we're now going to accelerate you up there.

If you want to be in the top ten percent, first identify those who are already there. Whether it's in your company our outside of it, there are people already kicking tail in the field you'd most like to get great at, yes? Once you identify at least ten to twenty people who are in that top ten percent, write them a short letter. It should be in your own words. One of my more successful letters had only three sentences in it. I'd simply say, "Dear ___________, we both know you're one of the best in the world at what you do, and before I die I want to be like you. Would you consider being my mentor for thirty minutes? I'd be thrilled to buy you lunch or dinner."

Three sentences that got me positive responses from millionaires and billionaires, Olympic champions and so many other leaders. As a bonus, they rarely ever let me pick up the lunch or dinner tab when the invitation to break bread was accepted.

What's wrong with writing a letter to someone saying, "Hey, you're my hero, and I want to be a Winner like you. Would you grant me thirty minutes to glean your best wisdom?"

You'll surely be impressed at the number of people who respond positively. Recognition is something most of us respond to with warmth and welcome.

Spending time with your role models provides quite a few instant benefits. Rather than try to bribe you with those fringe benefits individually, I can only ask you how much you think you'd benefit by spending a half hour or so with each of ten or twenty of your own heroes and role models?