When you look at a fruit tree, the thing you admire is the fruit. And we enjoy picking the fruit… eating the fruit… and showing the fruit to our friends and family.

But what most people forget is that the fruit didn’t get there without a heck of a lot of work from the roots.

And no gardener who is any good wakes up the day after he has planted a seed and expects to go out and enjoy the fruits of his labour.

He understands that it’s a process.

He doesn’t expect to get rich in lemons… or apples… or oranges quickly.

But he knows that if he just keeps following a process… watering his plants…keeping the pest away… nurturing the soil… etc. then he will have a bounty of fruit in the not too distant future.

But when it comes to business and making the dollars roll in, we’re in too much of a rush for that, aren’t we?

We want the results the day after we put the seed into the ground.

Of course, that can happen.

But the reality is for 99% of us, success like gardening is a process.

We need to understand how to grow the plants.

Just like we need to understand how to get new customers – http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com and write killer ads – http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au/cashflow

We need to plant the seeds.

Just like we need to test our advertisements and identify which ones grow into huge trees which feed us for years and which ones die quickly.

We need to kill the pests.

Just like we need to keep on top of any threats which may effect our business and constantly stay in front of the curve.

We need to make sure the soil is in good shape.

Just like we need to constantly monitor and adapt our ads to ensure they continue to work week in and week out.

And we need to give the trees water.

Just like we need to continually build relationships and add value to the prospects and customers which come into our funnel.

Leave any part of this process out of the equation and a tree will most likely die.

And your business is no different.

Remember, building a business is a process. And you don’t get much fruit if you don’t nurture the roots.

On Sunday, we had the whole family over for the NRL football final between the St. George Dragons and the Parramatta Eels.

For those of you reading this who are not from Australia, these are NRL teams and Australia has a huge Rugby League following.

Anyway, this game was of particular interest to me because I had a best friend who was a mad St. George fan who sadly passed away a couple of years ago.

And even though I used to give him a hard time for every game St. George lost, I now hope they can pull off a grand final win and his heart will sing from somewhere up in the heavens.

Anyway, one of the things St. George is famous for is choking when it counts.

For instance, they were the minor premiers. They were the favourites to win that game. They won the previous game against the same team 37-0.

But when it came to the finals… they lost.

Why?

Not because they were beaten by a better team. Not because they didn’t have experienced players.

I believe it’s got something to do with a deep seated mindset which causes them to “choke” when they get into the finals.

They did it against Melbourne many years ago and lost the grand final. They did it against the Balmain Tigers a couple of years ago at a game I attended.

They are a brilliant side with brilliant skills… but to date they haven’t been able to pull it off in the finals.

And it’s no different with you and in business.

The reality is if we don’t get our mindset right, all the skills in the world don’t matter.

That’s why I spend so much time in my emails talking about the power of mindset.

Because at the end of the day, all the skill in the world isn’t going to get you to the top.

It’s having the belief that you can get there. It’s having the confidence that you can break through. It’s seeing yourself achieving your goals that truly makes the difference.

For instance, I can hand an advertisement to one client and they won’t even use it. I can hand that same advertisement to another client and they might run it once and then do nothing with it. I can hand that same advertisement to another client and they’ll make $100,000 or more with it.

Some get the vision. Others don’t.

Some understand that just one advertisement can be replicated over and over and over again making you more than it costs you forever and a day. Others don’t.

Some understand that a few small tweaks to a break even ad can send your sales through the roof. Others don’t.

Some have the courage to multiply their advertising spend once they have a winning advertisement, web site or sales letter. Others don’t.

Some people finish what they started and don’t give up until it is complete. Others don’t.

Same advertisement. Different mindset.

Of course, you’ve got to have the skills in the first place. There’s no way St. George could have won the minor premiership if they didn’t have the skills.

And there’s no way you’ll be able to maximise the number of new customers you get unless you master the customer attraction skills such as those you’ll learn at
http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com

At the same time, you won’t reach your ultimate goal unless you truly believe in your heart that you can do it.

Bottom line: unless you truly believe, you’ll choke before the finish line.

I’ve always admired Muhammad Ali.

And not just for his ability as a boxer because I believe this guy represents far more than that.

And when I was writing a newsletter many years ago, I started to do some research on this guy and the way he views the world.

And as I started scrolling through his quotes, what I found was pretty incredible.

Not only was Muhammad Ali one of the most entertaining and funny athletes the world has ever seen coming out with one liners which look as though they were
written by a comedy copywriter such as…

“If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologise”

“I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ‘em out, I pick the round.”

His catch cry “I am the greatest” is what he has become known for.

And according to Muhammad Ali, the reason he said this was because…

“I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.”

That’s right.

The bottom line is Ali used the power of the spoken word to make himself the greatest boxer that ever graced this planet.

Just look at what he had to say about the power of affirmations, faith and  mindset…

“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that  belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.”

“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.”

“It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I  believed in myself”

So what do you want to be the greatest at?

Being an entrepreneur
Being a parent
Being a sportsperson
Being a copywriter

Whatever it is, I encourage you to take the words of Muhammad Ali and start to tell yourself you are the greatest… start to have conviction in the
fact you will end up there… and start to have faith in yourself.

For instance, whenever I write a sales letter I visualise the end results – myself or my client getting more customers. And I tell myself I am going to
write a killer advertisement or sales letter.

Muhammad Ali understood that faith and belief in oneself is the cornerstone to success.

Of course, you need more than that.

You need to ensure you have the fundamentals in place too. Because if you step into the ring with faith alone, you are going to fall flat on your face.

Just listen to what Ali has to say about this…

“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”

And when you start writing to get more customers, you’ll either win or lose depending on whether or not you have the right training and templates.

The good news is you can get everything you need at http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com

Combine this program with faith and belief in yourself and just like Muhammad Ali – you can become the greatest in your industry.