Years ago, I asked my mentor, "What advice would you give to the average achiever?"
His reply was, “Don't be average”

The 90/10 rule of Success

Most of us have heard of the 80/20 rule. That is, 80% of our success comes from 20% of our efforts. Thought up first by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto in 1897, it became known as Pareto´s law.

Although we agree that the 80/20 rule is valid for overall success in many areas and we use it in many of our workshops, we have observed that it does not apply across the board to all areas of human endeavour. Have you noticed that 10% of the wealthiest people have 90% of the money, 10% of the actors make 90% of the money1, 10% of the athletes make 90% of the money as do 10% of the musicians, CEO etc?. During the customized workouts we use these principles of advancement²

1. Energy moves along the path of least resistance.¹
2. The underlying structure of anything will determine its path of least resistance.
3. We can determine the path of least resistance by creating new structures.

We expect you to advance by wholehearted commitment (explore unknown territory) and avoid your habitual oscillation patterns (trying hard and yet remaining in your comfort zone).

You can expect from us the ability to encourage you to use your strengths and reach out to a new level in the quality of your doing by applying the principle of transcendence.

There is magic behind mistakes if you take the time to learn from them. So mistakes -if you hold the right attitude are one gate to magic in your life.

It is my intention to support you creating your own opportunities to learn. Nevertheless, it is your role to allow mistakes to take place. I cannot do that for you. Furthermore, trying to be perfect will thwart the opportunity to reach excellence.

Thinking is the hardest work there is. That is why so few people engage in it.” Henry Ford. Founder Ford Motor Company.

You can restrict your learning in any of the following ways:
Liar: “I did not do that”
Blamer: “It is your fault, not mine”
Justifier: “Well, I did not have much time to prepare”
Quitter: “I knew this would never work”
Dennier: “I disagree, there is nothing wrong with what I did.”

I will urge you to become a RESPONSIBLE learner and be accountable for your thinking, saying and doing. Any expectations about anyone teaching you how to succeed should be immediately ripped off. Although, success cannot be taught it can certainly be learned

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another without any loss of enthusiasm. Winston Churchill

I will work hard with you to guide you through your own experience and learning. But I cannot learn for you.

That you have to do for yourself.

Our work with personal accountability shows to you how some of the participants in the 10% have obtained 90% of desired results and suggests exercises for you to be able to do the same.

Then the riddle is: How do I achieve that which I want without trying to achieve it?

1. The Wall Street journal stated that 90% of all corporate shares of stock in America are owned by just 10% of the people.
2. Fritz, Robert; “The path of least resistance”. Berret-Koehler Publisher, San Francisco.

Psychologists have discovered that the relationship between people and their results is not about knowledge or opportunities but their state of mind, behaviours and emotions. Moving forward and enjoying an enriched life is easier than what you thinking. The first step however, is to scan your reality to see where you actually stand. Surprisingly, many deny their reality and, so cannot start a journey to success because of their fear to find out how badly they are really doing. Furthermore, while denial is debilitating, the willingness to look at your reality is empowering.

Renewal®’s effective programmes are designed to support you in achieving results and well-being.

Very often we find ourselves trapped in a web of negative beliefs, perceptions, attitudes and behaviours that thwart our deepest desires for success. Drs. Ron and Mary Hulnik have discovered the following keys to assess your willingness to embark upon a remarkable journey that has the power to magically transform your life. I shall base my work with you on these simple and yet powerful keys.

1. Honest Assessment: Be precise in describing in writing where you are in order to establish a manageable path that leads you to where you want to be.
2. Future Vision: Give yourself permission to dream. Write down as clearly as you can how you want your future to look regarding your intention. Creating anything depends largely on your ability to focus on your goals. The clearer your goals the more likely those are attained.
3. Specific Goals: Setting balanced short-term as well as long-term goals will help you succeed. When goals are properly laid out, the creative part of your mind will support their attainment.
4. Easy and effective tools: It is essential to have a simple and yet powerful supportive structure to determine a clear strategy for creating the life you deserve.
5. Willingness to take action: When willingness to act is present almost 90% of the work is already done.

In life there are those who spend 90% of their energy nurturing the three roadblocks to success: blaming, justification and complaining and investing 10% in exercising the three springboards to freedom: clear intention, impeccability and ruthlessness . Others invest 10% in roadblocks and exercise 90% in springboards actions. Usually the formers are employed by the latter.

There are four clear instructions that will allow you to obtain maximum benefit:

1. Positive Attitude: Beliefs, attitudes and thoughts are largely controlling your life. However, you have total dominion over what you think and choose to be true.
2. Inner Alignment: It is essential that your intention is aligned to the four engines for willingness:
   1. Attitude: Your reaction to what life presents to you. (This must be really important because it has come up several time, don’t you think?).
   2. Altitude: Your ability to see things from a higher perspective.
   3. Aptitude: Your ability to overcome difficulties and sort out challenges.
   4. Attention: Your ability to focus primarily on the positive rather than on the negative.
3. Determination and Perseverance: You must be willing to consistently do what it takes to produce the desired results. Investing your energy on what you want, will dissipate the energy you spend in what you no longer want in your life. Does this make any sense?
4. Responsibility: If you learn how to take care of yourself people, information, resources, strategies and techniques will unfold before you to help you succeed.

I am thrilled to embark myself with you in this journey of self exploration and positive action.

Please ask for a detailed catalog of programmes at www.Renewal®company.com

1. President and Academic Dean of the University of Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California, USA. To learn more, please read: Ron and Mary Hulnik Phd “Financial Freedom in 8 minutes”. Rodale Books, 1993.
2.John-Roger: “The spiritual Warrior”, Mandeville Press.1998; Introduction, page XX.

According to the many medical studies carried out, the value of laughter is intrinsically linked to our health, well being and happiness, all of these are vital to obtain learning and innovation in companies.

As you surely know, theory X infers that work is something sacrifying and undesirable. People therefore only make the effort to earn money with the least exertion, leaving management to sort out problems. The employee is restricted in the doing the job for which s/he had been hired in an efficient manner over the signed off labour day. In contrast, theory Y infers that work can be stimulating and gratifying and that personal fullfilment and growth are the real motivators of people. Employees actively seek experience, growth and personal accountability.

Renewal® has witnessed how many companies still create a “strait jacketed culture” based upon an unlimited number of “shoulds”, “it will be necessary that …”, “I cannot…”, “it cannot be done…”, “you must”, “ you have got to” that moves the employee to dramatize his/hers life and take away her/his power to act and experiment efficiently and effectively on problems and challenging situations. Making a “mistake” becomes the tyrant of our interior growth instead of being no more that a way to correcting the set course. A great deal of unnecessary anxiety is being created.

“Rather than wanting, preferring or wishing to change things and relations, we tend to demand, insisting that we must have them done “our way” at any cost. With this kind of “must-ness” we transform and inflict a tremendous defeat on ourselves.”¹

Once again, the scientist insist that children are born with an enormous potential that atrophies with some unnecessary social ruling, family and personal conditioning that turns ineffective. From lack of practice and age our potential to learn and laugh goes unused everyday. Even less in inadequate labour context. Do not expect a greater performance and passion from your workforce if there is not first an adequate environment for learning.

Renewal® works with the definition of Dr. Ellen Langer of Harvard² - on mindful learning- as the use of our creative potential to grow and explore by consciously abandoning the comfort zone created by our negative conditioning and that keeps us entrapped.

Everyone without exception, and that also includes you, can recuperate the power that you had during childhood. The good news is that comes back with practice and it is as easy as riding a bicycle. Once you learn it you never forget it..

We have not given up playing because we had grown older but we grow older because we stop playing. Anónimo.

Amusement is the key, flow is the experience and freedom the result.Dr. Csikszentmihalyi. The flow: Psychology of Optimal Experience.

Laughter is an organic experience where all muscular, nervous, cardiac, cerebral and digestive systems participate. The organic effect that laughter has on anxiety is the stimulation and relaxation of the health by means of a deep exercising and relaxation of the aforementioned systems. Laughter frees two chemical neuropeptides -endorfines and encefalines- both pain suppressors. Likewise, it generates the provision of adrenalin and noradrenalin and frees the catecolamines responsible for the boost of blood flow, reduction of inflammations, acceleration of the healing process and the facilitation of global body awakening³.

Laughter can ease the natural activity of toxic anxiety and revert the destructive process of the cells⁴. The stimulation of humour reinforces the immunity system in people, decreasing the high levels of lost productivity and labour absenteeism⁵.

Physical and mental relaxation is a core practice in successful businesses and no longer a “luxury” nor an exotic fashion for elite athletes or “new age” followers. Turning our backs to the toxic anxiety problem and its enormous effects on productivity losses is a folly act It would be more convenient to consider the value of techniques of visualization, affirmations and meditation as means to transform toxic anxiety into creative energy and facilitate satisfying achievements in surroundings of uncertainty and vertiginous change.

Applying the smiling gesture in the workplace can be in fact a challenge in the present environment and at the same time tremendously comforting. To laugh at someone is considered a defensive attitude, divisive and in some instances aggressive whilst to laugh with somebody helps us break the ice, connect and unite people with whom we dispute. Healthy persons with a high level of proactivity tend to laugh with whereas the reactive person tends to laugh at someone or something. Laughter is a technique in negotiation that is oftenly used in processes of high tension and complicated conciliation acts and encourages an attitude of greater tolerance of opponent parties. Laughter is a social language that cement relationships and serves to celebrate processes of growth, achievement and conquest.

The four principles of business excellence proposed by Renewal® are the following:

1. Creativity, invention, vision, communication, effort and determination are the pivotal assets in any corporation.
2. To foster a growing environment is essential for self-discovery and personal growth of the innate capabilities for leadership of your workforce.
3. We can elect to make work a form of profitable play rather than a profitable punishment.
4. The people who enjoy their work obtain better results in their balance sheets than those who are bitter.

An adequate labour context, improves the workforce motivation, the levels of performance, the transformation of toxic anxiety into positive energy , and a strong team spirit where effective communication between lines of responsibility is found..

1 Dr. Alber Ellis; “Fun as Psychotherapy”; American Pychology Convention 1976.
2 Langer, J.Ellen. The power of mindful learning, © 1997,Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
3 Dr.Robert Holden is the founder of the Happy Project in the UK y teh clinics on stress and laughter.
4 Dr. Berk; “Eutress of Mirthful Laughter Modifies Natural Killer Cell Activity”; Clinical Research 1988.
5 Dr. Labott; “The Physiology and Psychological Effects of the Expression and Inhibition of Emotion”; Journal of Behavioural Medicine (Winter 1990).

From our point of view, in an employers market, high potential employees who thwart the development of their inner talents will see a very long ROI to their undergraduate studies investment (€ 24,000)¹ and experience a very intense personal dissatisfaction.

Typically, a high potential employee will either “quit or sit” when dissatisfied.

Those who sit, do not only become blockers in the organization but are costly (severance package of (€9,000)² . For each high potential employee who does not reach the expected job position, after five years in the organization, the company could face a loss of € 200,000³.

On the other hand, those who quit not only have a severe negative impact on the morale of those who stay, but will push the company to further expenditure in replacement of € 25,000⁴.

It is,therefore, of paramount importance to enhance the progression and growth of these talented people. Strengthening talents through well designed business education that tap the soft and hard skills could save you € 235,000.

Research confirms that the average company loses half of its employees every four years, half its customers every five years, and half its investors in less than 12 months (1996 statistics)⁵.

Experts spend years generating and using customer statistics on the value of loyal customers. For example, it costs five times as much to get a new customer than keep an old one; by increasing customer retention 5%, company profits increase 25-100%; and boosting retention by 2% is like cutting costs by 10%. Studies were published demonstrating that a bank's 20-year customer is worth 85% more per year in profits than a 10-year customer. The same idea applies when talented employees are successfully retained⁶.

Carl Sewell, the highly successful Cadillac Dealer in Texas made famous by Tom Peters, showed that by treating customers right -- treating them like family – garnered his agency $332,000 over the lifetime of that customer. That didn't even include referrals! Other researchers found that by working with customers who had complaints, that once solved, they would purchase three times as much more.

Still, most consumer-brand companies focus on new markets and new customers. They reveled in the thrill of the hunt, not the satisfaction of the harvest. Many treated their employees in the same way.

Many of the most talented people in a firm/company resist trying new things in fear of failure and peer criticism. As human beings, we want to satisfy four key motivations: Physical or survival, emotional or belonging, mental or willingness to grow and spiritual or legacy. Meaningfulness is found, hence, through the satisfaction of all four wants within a corporation. However, some organizations only satisfy the physical wants and high calibre employees lack the chance to fulfill three fourths of their needs.

The search for meaningfulness requires people to risk, explore and make mistakes.

Unfortunately, to err is not permitted in our society. Do it once and do it right, is one of the first commands I heard when I first began working in a corporation. By this way of thinking, companies activate our psycho-physiological defense mechanism called comfort zone, which makes it difficult for us going for what we really want.

It is of utmost importance to rescue the value of positive imagination, endurance and concentrated focus in the workplace if we really want to manage effectively the rapidly changing environment.

1 If the employee has in addition prestigious graduate studies, the cost could reach as high as € 85,000.
2 Equivalent to approximately three months of Gross Annual Salary at a SG6/7 after five years.
3 It includes an average yearly salary of €30,000 and associated costs such as Social Security etc.
4 It Includes Monthly wage + recruitment associated costs + time until basic skills required on new job are mastered.
5 E-news #108. by Mark Albion.
5 E-news #108. by Mark Albion.

We have observed that most people today face the same three challenges: time pressure, financial pressure and unbalanced work and family life

This is commonly expressed within the workplace as resentment, rage, sabotage, inactivity, resistance, unhappiness, criticism, judgements, internal rivalry, anti-leadership and much more negative behaviour.

Get this very clear, you cannot manipulate the law of cause and effect..

Get this very clear, you cannot manipulate the law of cause and effect.

The law is very clear: “What you do determines the result you experience”. In other words, you cannot escape the consequences of your actions . However, the good news is that you can choose to act differently at any time and avoid the negative consequences you are experiencing today.

We are all aware that the more often you repeat behaviour the stronger the habit and the easier it becomes to repeat it. It ends up being automatic and many times unconscious. Hence, it is all about choices and how you perceived situations and the way you had responded to those situations.

Once again, there is no quick-fix formula, nor do you need any self help book or spend money on external consultants. You yourself are very aware of what you are doing and the negative consequences those actions have created.

Notwithstanding, you will certainly need a facilitator to help you go through a process that will help you build more effective habits and support you during the transition period. We are such persons.

The 90/10 riddle applies here:” only 10% of the people are, doing and have 90% of what they want”. How come this is true? Well, very simply, because 90% of the people just TALK about their miseries in life and

What you need to overcome is your inertia to get your butt off the chair and start doing those things that will bring you the experiences you want.

how they are victims of their circumstances, whilst the other 10% of the people are fully engaged in actions that lead them to what they want. As one of these people said it bluntly: “I am too busy building up my own happiness and enjoying the process. I have no time to complain or moan about my fate in life, my setbacks or difficulties”

The sad thing is that the former group of talkers, gather around a bar counter to chat with people whom also belong to the 90% group and mutually reinforce their perception of fatal fate and victimhood. Unwillingly, these large proportions of people persist in resisting ACTION.

This vicious circle is broken lose when you commit to stop doing those thing that no longer work for you and begin to do those new things that will support you in attaining that which you want. Many people fall short because they learn new ways of doing things and yet do no apply them. All their good notes and books usually end up collecting dust on an expensive bookshelf at the office.

You can reprogramme yourself any time you choose so by either looking into your perceptions, beliefs, state of consciousness (physical, emotional, mental) and behaviours.

There are plenty of opportunities to shift. The 10% Club of successful people is looking to expand its membership and invites you to join them. You will require clarity, focus, action and endurance until attaining your goals. And remember to CELEBRATE ALL YOUR VICTORIES ALONG THE PROCESS.

The first step toward success is to find out what is it that you love doing and then doing what you love. External recognition and social acknowledgement has a very short life if what you do you do not like doing.

The second step toward success is specialising in a specific area of activity of a chosen path and working hard to mastering it. You should naturally experience a continuous flow of enthusiasm and endless energy to continue learning and experimenting in that chosen area. This attitude contrasts with the generally accepted attitude of " to get by". This attitude of "just getting by" is not an attitude that will lead you to where you want to go. It is unconceivable to listen to a top ATP tennis player say " I am just getting by" or " Oh no, Monday again!" every time he gets to the court to do that which he loves the most.

The third step toward success is the most important one. You must make sure that that which you love doing will not only contribute to your success. Your desire must not be selfish but should also benefit others along the way. The circuit must be completed for you to learn how to serve yourself by serving the world. Then all your efforts will be returned to you tenfold and will fill your cup up with unimagined satisfaction. However, should you work to your exclusive benefit, the circuit will not be completed and your success will be always threatened by the aggressiveness and fierce competence of those who wish to take your job away from you or make you fail.

Here are some suggestions that you might find worth trying:

1. Success means to live a plentiful and satisfactory life. When regardless of the results obtained, you hold peace, happiness and laughter in your heart, your life is successful.
2. Find out that which you love doing and do it. If you are not clear knowing what you love doing, ask those who know you enough to tell you the abilities and talents they see in you. Consult your intuition. Let go and let your intuition guide you. Throw away the belief that only a few can work in what they love doing.
3. Specialise in one area and continue to master it throughout your life.
4. Those who succeed do not hold back from sharing their success with others and improve their environment. Loosers thwart positive actions to help improve the workplace and contribute to the well being of the group. So do you sabotage or contribute?
5. There is no sustainable success without a serene and calmed mind.
6. A successful person has a deep understanding of self-imposed limitations of other people and supports those who honestly are in pursuit of their right to be successful.

It is of utmost importance to rescue the value of positive imagination, endurance and concentrated focus in the workplace if we really want to manage effectively the rapidly changing environment. Renewal® offers seminars that support participants in becoming aware of their personal purpose, provide a safe environment to use their untapped creative imagination and promote the use of self positive affirmation as mechanisms to overcome resistance, fears and unwillingness when pursuing that which we really want out of life.

1 Dr. Joseph Murphy; el Poder de la Mente Subconsciente; p 123; International Open Project 2001.