We are all pre-programmed with hope. That's a good thing. We all need the hope that we can accomplish our goals and objectives; that our circumstances in life will improve; that we will achieve the position of wealth and happiness we dream about for our family and ourselves. When that hope is not connected to action, we are entrenched in the lotto mindset.

The lotto mindset is when hope and action never intersect. To experience true success in one's life, hope must intersect with action. Due to the vibrancy of the real estate market in the last few years, the lotto mindset has been more pervasive than ever. The lotto mindset tells us there is a winning ticket out there; that for a few bucks and a trip to our corner store we can win a $300 million dollar jackpot.

Studies have shown that most of the lottery winners soon lose or have spent all their money. They are unhappy a few years later because of broken relationships (the fair-weather friends who want a piece of their money) and lost or squandered money. The real reason for this outcome is that they didn't do anything to actually produce the money. They just showed up to buy a ticket! It's easy to want and pine for that easy winning ticket. As post lottery winner studies have shown, the results are disastrous.

Another example of the lotto mindset is our late night infomercials. Better than 80% of them fall into categories of get rich quick with no effort or lose weight instantly with little or no effort. This multi billion dollar industry of success without work preys upon our lotto mindset.

In the real estate industry, we have an ever-growing number of "marketing gurus", magical websites, lead generation systems, and all other shapes and sizes of paraphernalia that will magically transform our business and life. Our hope of a big lotto win drives sales for these people.

There is no one that has achieved long-term success with the lotto mindset. One might achieve a temporary level of success through a short cut or quick fix magic formula. That temporary success on the surface seems like it will be sustainable but it never is. To achieve wealth that is sustainable, we must do it through a disciplined approach to saving and investing over an extended period of time. To increase health and lose weight, we must reduce intake and increase movement. To increase sales, we must increase personal contact and separate prospects more effectively to work only with the highest probable prospects. We must also increase presentation skills to achieve a higher return. Others would have you believe that their short cut to avoid the work I outlined above is the "magic path" to success. It is however, a clear path to destruction.

In the end, success for all of us is available for anyone who really wants it. We have unlimited opportunity to acquire success. The real truth about success is that she does not care who acquires her. Success does not play favorites. She merely says, "I have a price. Are you willing to pay it?" If you are willing to pay success' price you will be successful.

Published: April 10, 2009

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Dirk Zeller is a sought out speaker, celebrated author and CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 350,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters. The Real Estate community has embraced and praised his six best-selling books; Your First Year in Real Estate, Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®, The Champion Real Estate Agent, The Champion Real Estate Team, Telephone Sales for Dummies®, Successful Time Management for Dummies®, and over 300 articles in print. To learn more regarding this article, please visit www.realestatechampions.com.