Advance Praise for
TAKE THE STAIRS
I always say that personal finance is only 20% head knowledge and 80% behavior. Behavior change is hard, because it requires something a lot of people are missing these days: self-discipline. If you want to make a change in your money, business, or relationships, do not miss Take the Stairs. It gives you the tools you need to take control of the only person holding you back: yourself.
Dave Ramsey, host of The Dave Ramsey Show and bestselling author of The Total Money Makeover
This book wont let you off easyand thats why its great. Rory Vaden gives readers what they need to get focused and tackle problems head-onand win.
Keith Ferrazzi, bestselling author of Never Eat Alone
This book shows how to develop the courage, character, and determination to succeed in anything you attempt. It can change your life!
Brian Tracy, bestselling author of Eat That Frog!
Take the Stairs is a compelling and challenging call for all of us to ac-complish greatness. It not only shows you how to make self-discipline more sustainable, it will reignite your passion to achieve.
Andy Andrews, bestselling author of The Travelers Gift and The Noticer
A gem of a book that will inspire you to do the little extra things that make a huge difference. Buy it!
Chester Elton, bestselling coauthor of The Orange Revolution
If there is one book to read this year, this might be it. Its at the core of everything. Brilliant. Significant. Necessary.
Roxanne Emmerich, bestselling author of Thank God Its Monday!
Motivating yourself is a key to success in all of life. Read this book and your fighting spirit will come alive!
Mac Anderson, founder of Simple Truths and former owner of Successories
Dont be fooled. There is no escalator to the top. This book will tell you the truth about what it really takes to become a massive success in every area of your lifeif you choose to Take the Stairs.
Darren Hardy, publisher of Success magazine and bestselling author of The Compound Effect
The easy way is never the excellent way. For get rich quick or wish upon a star, go elsewhere. For an agenda for excellence, read this book. Rory gets it.
Mark Sanborn, bestselling author of The Fred Factor and You Dont Need a Title to Be a Leader
This isnt a book of cheerleading and motivational platitudes. This is the book that can change your life. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to take quality of work and life to a higher level.
Joe Calloway, bestselling author of Becoming a Category of One
Do you have a career worth loving? Rory Vaden will give you the ideas, insight, and inspiration to create a career worthy of your greatest potential.
Sally Hogshead, author of Fascinate and founder of HowToFascinate.com
Rorys book, Take the Stairs, is an encouraging message of hope and truth that can really help you improve your life. Read it as soon as possible!
Tom Ziglar, CEO of Ziglar Inc. and proud son of Zig Ziglar
Pure and simple, this should be the only book on the shelf in this categorybecause its the only proven way to achieve authentic, sustainable success. Buy this book and heed this message!
David Avrin, author of Its Not Who You KnowIts Who Knows YOU!
An inspiring and empowering book on how to harness your potential and become great.
Randy Gage, author of The Prosperity Mind
Take the Stairs identifies the specific strategies that will help you get past procrastination and fear to accomplish anything you desire.
Ron Marks, author of Managing for Sales Results
You cant spend 30 seconds around Rory without getting inspired to change your life. Youre about to spend a few hours with him. Get ready.
Jon Acuff, bestselling author of Quitter:Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job and Your Dream Job
TAKE THE
STAIRS
7 STEPS TO ACHIEVING TRUE SUCCESS
Rory Vaden
A Perigee Book
A PERIGEE BOOK
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Copyright 2012 by Rory Vaden
Text design by Tiffany Estreicher
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
PERIGEE is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The P design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First edition: February 2012
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Vaden, Rory.
Take the stairs : 7 steps to achieving true success / Rory Vaden.
p. cm.
EISBN: 9781101575413
1. Success in business. 2. Success. 3. Self-management (Psychology) I. Title.
HF5386.V143 2012
650.1dc23 2011039168
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Most Perigee books are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. Special books, or book excerpts, can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write: Special Markets, Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
This book is dedicated to the two most important women in my life:
To Mom, thank you for the sacrifices you made to raise Randy and me up in truth, and for making sure we always had extravagant love even though we had little money.
To my precious wife, Amanda. You are the reason that I live and the reason God created me. You are the most abundant blessing in my life. Thank you for being my partner through it all.
INTRODUCTION
Waking Up in a
ProcrastiNation
T he last time you came up to a set of stairs and an escalator, did you Take the Stairs? If youre like 95% of the world, then you probably didnt. Most people dont; most of the time we look for shortcuts. We all want to be successful and we all want to have a happy life, but we constantly look for the easy way. We look for the escalator in hopes that life will be easier. Unfortunately, in our search for making things easier, we are actually making them worse.
Next page