The 11th Element: Why the First 10 Elements Don't Work Without It

Why do we need another element for business success?  Dozens of books have been written outlining the ten traditional elements, those very real but sometimes difficult to verbalize components the experts say are part of any successful venture. While these have nothing to do with capitalization, expenditures, cost of goods, sales, marketing or team-building, they certainly can be important.

The ten elements I'm talking about are desire, belief, the law of attraction, goal setting, modeling, creating clear and detailed plans, taking massive action now, persistence, visualization, and affirmations. But they're all missing the one ingredient that's absolutely essential for the creation of business success and wealth-the 11th Element that, when managed correctly, virtually guarantees success. Let's look at each one more closely so we can see why they don't work.

Element 1: Desire

The experts tell us it takes a burning desire to achieve wealth and success. Not necessarily. A lot of people with burning desire go down in flames and others without it succeed to their own amazement. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, has made publishing history without any burning desire to be a billionaire. She only wanted to earn enough money to support herself and her baby. Wendy's Dave Thomas only planned to run three or four restaurants in Columbus, Ohio, not a nationwide franchise. Sam Walton wasn't planning one of America's largest corporations when he opened his little discount store. Desire must be aligned with your life purpose and mission to have an impact.

Element 2: Belief

"Whatever you believe becomes your reality." That experts' viewpoint is disproved everyday. We've all known people who firmly believed in their potential for success and still fell flat in the process. Like desire, belief is often a component, but it's not necessary.

Element 3: The Law of Attraction

You'll find this "law" in multiple forms throughout business and self- development literature. The premise is that the people and situations you attract are in harmony with your dominant thoughts. In other words, if you think you're going to be rich and famous, you'll naturally attract the people and opportunities that will make it happen. If that were true - and if it's a law, it must be true all the time - then everyone would be rich and famous. It takes a lot more than dominant thoughts to be a success.

Element 4: Goal Setting

Set goals, review them daily, and success will follow - wouldn't it be nice if it were that easy? Your goals are congruent with your life mission and you ask for help from your Inner CEO, the internal guidance system that helps you attain your goals based on their relevance to your mission and purpose. Otherwise, going after what you think you want in your conscious mind may focus you in the wrong direction. This explains why goals are so often unattainable.

Element 5: Modeling

This suggested shortcut to success advises we find someone who's doing what we want to do and copy them. Sounds simple enough, until you realize that it's almost impossible to find out what someone else really did to become successful because either they don't know, don't remember, or won't tell you.

Historically, the most successful people have broken the pattern not followed it. Michael Dell of Dell Computers said, "We learned the importance of ignoring conventional wisdom and doing things our way." Billionaire J. Paul Getty wrote, "Try being a nonconformist for a change. Be an individualist - and an individual. You'll be amazed at how much faster you'll 'get ahead.'" Copycats often come in second.  Instead, pick and choose distinct aspects of successful people's actions and adapt them to work for you in new and creative ways.

Element 6: Create a Clear and Detailed Plan

Plans are important and all successful businesses have them, but working with only our conscious minds, we don't have enough information about our life purposes and mission to develop workable plans. Furthermore, flexibility is vital because even the best plans are
changed by circumstances.

Am I suggesting that you don't make plans? Of course not! I'm saying that your chance for success will be greater if your plans come from the combined effort of you and your Inner CEO.

Element 7: Take Massive Action Now!

We're urged to not waste another minute. Immediate action is the key. The truth is, "timing is everything." When I was looking for an agent for my book, "The 11th Element: Unlocking Your Master Blueprint For Wealth and Success," it took two frustrating years to find just the right agent and publisher who understood my message and cheered me on. If I'd followed the "Take Massive Action Now!" Theorists, I might have ended up in a very different place. Take the time tap into to your invisible network and listen to your Inner CEO.

Element 8: Persistence

Study the lives of wealthy and successful people and you'll find plenty of examples where persistence paid off. However, for every example of persistence leading to success you'll find thousands of instances where it led to nothing but failure and disillusionment. Persistence only works when you're correctly aligned with your mission and purpose. Aim instead to be appropriately persistent, sticking to the path when you're properly aligned and backing off when you're not.

Element 9: Visualization

Visualizing what you want won't bring you wealth and success because without drawing on the 11th Element resources, your picture is going to be limited and ineffective. Pictures are open to interpretation. What you're visualizing and what your Inner CEO is seeing may be worlds apart so you don't get what you really wanted. And the results you're visualizing may not be in alignment with your purpose and mission, so your Inner CEO may not approve them.

Element 10: Affirmations

In theory, if we consistently write or speak clear, short, present tense descriptions of our goals, they will become reality. If this is true, why do affirmations fail so often? What happens is your Inner CEO hears you say, "I make $10,000 a month," and since there's no question and no request for help, there's no reason to tap into the invisible network to help you get the desired result.

**The 11th Element**

The 11th Element is a simple system for creating consistent breakthroughs. You can apply it to produce extraordinary results, quickly, easily and with much more fun, no matter how large or small your goals. It brings your Inner CEO into play and gives you the optimum access to the invisible network that will provide the answers and direction you seek. It gives power to the 10 traditional elements giving you the ability, through the various techniques, to tap directly into the invisible network and produce stellar results.

So while none of the traditional 10 elements works by itself, together with the 11th Element system you have an unbeatable template for success.

Learn more about The 11th Element, the invisible network, your "Inner CEO" and how you can apply my system to create extraordinary results, in less time, with less effort and much more fun.

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About the Author

For more than 20 years, Bob Scheinfeld has been helping marketers and other entrepreneurs create extraordinary results, in less time, with less effort, and much more fun. His passion is helping others carve out and live what he calls their "Ultimate Lifestyle."