10X Rule by Grant Cardone (Book Summary)

Overall Summary & Review

The 10X Rule is simply: “You must set targets that are 10 times what you think you want and then do 10 times what you think it will take to accomplish those targets. Massive thoughts must be followed by massive actions.”

Or, in just three words: Take massive action

The Good

The book will leave you motivated to drive at 10x goals through 10x (massive) action. Moreover, it espouses a logical set of success virtues: perseverance, positivity, tenaciousness, risk-taking, self-direction, fearlessness, ‘just do it,’ ethics, and so on.

The Bad

Many will find the book highly repetitive, testosterone-charged, and occasionally insensitive. While the “massive action” concept is refreshing and not overdone elsewhere, much of the book is the usual stock-and-trade of motivational speakers time-immemorial. Finally, I prefer reading books that back advice up with references to academically sound research studies which this book avoid (but that may be a personal pet peeve).

Introduction

The first thing that has to happen is for you to adjust your thinking to 10X levels and your actions to 10X quantities.
Setting the right targets, estimating the mandatory effort, and operating at the right level of action(s) are the only things that will guarantee success

Chapter 1: What Is the 10X Rule?

Any success I’ve achieved was that I always put forth 10 times the amount of activity that others did. This is known as massive action.
The second part of the 10X Rule: the 10X way of thinking. Set targets that were 10 times what I had dreamed of in the beginning.
Extremely successful people know that their efforts must continue in order for them to realize new achievements. Once the hunt for a desired object or goal is abandoned, the cycle of success comes to an end.
This is the focus of the 10X Rule: You must set targets that are 10 times what you think you want and then do 10 times what you think it will take to accomplish those targets. Massive thoughts must be followed by massive actions.

Chapter 2: Why the 10X Rule Is Vital

When you have underestimated the time, energy, and effort necessary to do something, you will have “quit” in your mind, voice, posture, face, and presentation.
Never reduce a target. Instead, increase actions.
The 10X Rule assumes the target is never the problem. Any target attacked with the right actions in the right amounts with persistence is attainable.
Attack everything with the ferociousness of a champion athlete who is getting his last opportunity to claim his pages in the history books. And always remember to follow through completely: That is the great common denominator of all winners. They see every action through to completion. Make no excuses,

Chapter 3: What Is Success?

Chapter 4: Success Is Your Duty

Success always comes as a result of earlier actions — no matter how seemingly insignificant they are or how long ago they were taken.

Chapter 5: There Is No Shortage of Success

Chapter 6: Assume Control for Everything

it is impossible to take big actions if you don’t take responsibility.
To get where you want to go in life, you must adopt the view that whatever is going on in your world — good, bad, or nothing — is something caused by you.
Begin to ask yourself after every unpleasant encounter or event, “What can I do to reduce my chances of it happening again — or even ensure that it doesn’t happen again?”
You are the source, the generator, the origin, and the reason for everything — both positive and negative.
Success isn’t just a “journey,” as countless people and books suggest it is; rather, it’s a state — constant or otherwise — over which you have control and responsibility. You either create success or you don’t — and it isn’t for whiners, crybabies, and victims.

Chapter 7: Four Degrees of Action

Disciplined, consistent, and persistent actions are more of a determining factor in the creation of success than any other combination of things.
Cold “visiting” companies taught me more about taking massive action than any other activity I have ever done and has proved more valuable to me in my other ventures.
You have to approach each day as though your life and your future depend on your ability to take massive action.
You will know you are stepping into the realm of massive action when you (1) create new problems for yourself and (2) start to receive criticism and warning from others.
Money and power follow attention, so whoever can get the most attention is the person who takes the most action and sooner or later will get the most results.

Chapter 8: Average Is a Failing Formula

People optimistically overestimate how well things will go and then underestimate how much energy and effort it will take just to push things through.

Chapter 9: 10X Goals

I believe that one of the major reasons why people don’t stick to their goals and fail to accomplish them is because they fail to set them high enough from the beginning.
I make sure to always do two things: (1) I write my goals down every day and (2) I choose objectives that are just out of reach.
If you underestimate your potential, then it is impossible to set appropriately sized targets. Set the goals too small, and you will not gear up for the massive action necessary.

Chapter 10: Competition Is for Sissies

“If competition is healthy, then domination is immunity!”
Never make it your goal to compete. Instead, do everything you can to dominate your sector in order to avoid spending your time chasing someone else.
Do what others won’t. Find something they cannot do, maybe because of their size or their commitment to other projects, and then exploit that.
The rules, norms, and traditions of any group or industry are usually traps that prevent new ideas, higher levels of greatness, and domination.
If you are going to duplicate the best of what others do, then hammer away at them, champion that practice, and make it yours. Hone their “specialties” until they become your advantage.
The message you want to send to the marketplace through your persistent actions is, “No one can keep up with me.
Your biggest problem is obscurity — other people don’t know you and aren’t thinking about you.
Don’t get too involved in competing on best practices; take your actions to a point considered unreasonable by the world
It doesn’t matter what you do — it does matter that your goal be to dominate your sector with actions, that are immediate, consistent, and persistent and at levels that no one else is willing to operate at or duplicate.

Chapter 11: Breaking Out of the Middle Class

Chapter 12: Obsession Isn’t a Disease; It’s a Gift

To create a 10X reality, you have to follow up every action with an obsession to see it through to success. You need to stay seriously motivated to take 10X actions every day.
Any individual or group that accomplished something significant was completely obsessed with the idea of it.
Never make it wrong to be obsessed; instead, make it your goal.

Chapter 13: Go ”All In” and Overcommit

You can go “all in” with energy as many times as you want — because even if you fail, you can keep going all in!
Approach your goals like the tortoise and the hare — by attacking them ruthlessly from the beginning and also staying with them throughout the course of the “race.”
I am willing to go for it with every customer, every time, and have the lowest closing ratio of everyone but the highest production!
Overcommit and overdeliver!
The only way to increase appointments is to increase the number of people to whom you speak — and then amplify the reasons why they should make time for you.
One of the major differences between successful and unsuccessful people is that the former look for problems to resolve, whereas the latter make every attempt to avoid them.

Chapter 14: Expand—Never Contract

Chapter 15: Burn the Place Down

Don’t rest, and don’t stop — ever.

Chapter 16: Fear Is the Great Indicator

Last-minute preparation is just another way to feed the fear that will only get stronger as time is added.
People give their fears much more time than they deserve. They wait to make the personal visit or phone call, write the e-mail, or present their proposal because they’re afraid of the outcome.
Fear is a sign to do whatever it is you fear — and do it quickly.

Chapter 17: The Myth of Time Management

It’s pointless for people to worry about time management and balance. The question they should be asking is “How can I have it all in abundance?”
Most people only work enough so that it feels like work, whereas successful people work at a pace that gets such satisfying results that work is a reward
An easy way to achieve balance is to simply work harder while you are at the office.
The busier you become, the more you have to manage, control, and prioritize.

Chapter 18 Criticism Is a Sign of Success

Laying low in order to avoid attention (and consequently, criticism) probably means that you’re holding yourself back to some degree.
The highest performers — the winners — [study] successful people.

Chapter 19: Customer Satisfaction Is the Wrong Target

Make your primary focus commanding attention and generating customers before you worry about making them happy.
I only concern myself with getting more customers, then I overdeliver to my clients.
In addition to surveying those you acquired, garnering input from those who didn’t buy will disclose much more to the company about true customer satisfaction!
Even if your product and company deliver perfectly, you are going to get complaints from customers — because they’re human. You can’t keep everyone happy all the time. It’s a mistake to be scared of complaints. Instead, encourage them, look for them, find them, and then resolve them.

Chapter 20: Omnipresence

It is impossible to amass true success without thinking in terms of making your ideas, products, services, or brand universal.
You want people to see you so often that they think of you constantly and instantaneously identify your face or name or logo with not just the offering you represent but even the offering made by those similar to you.
The best way to even the score against those who have it in for you is to make yourself so well known that every time they look up — each morning when they wake and right before they go to sleep at night — they see evidence of you and your success.

Chapter 21: Excuses

Excuses are never the reason for why you did or didn’t do something. They’re just a revision of the facts that you make up in order to help yourself feel better about what happened (or didn’t).
Victims make excuses — and will forever be destined to having leftovers and others ‘ scraps.
Nothing happens to you; it happens because of you.”
If you are going to approach success as you’ve been taught throughout this book — not as an option but as your duty, obligation, and responsibility — then you must commit to never using excuses for anything!

Chapter 22: Successful or Unsuccessful?

The only way to be successful is to take the same actions that successful people take. Success is no different than any other skill. Duplicate the actions and mind-sets of successful people, and you will create success for yourself.

Have a “Can Do” Attitude
Believe That “I Will Figure It Out”
Focus on Opportunity: Successful people see all situations — even problems and complaints — as opportunities
Love Challenges
Seek to Solve Problems
Persist until Successful
Take Risks
Be Unreasonable
Be Dangerous
Create Wealth: Money exists in abundance and flows to those who create products, services, and solutions. Move your attention from conserving money to creating wealth.
Readily Take Action
Always Say “Yes”
Habitually Commit
Go All the Way
Focus on “Now”: The successful understand that they must keep taking actions now.
Demonstrate Courage: Courage is only attained by doing — especially doing things that you fear.
Embrace Change
Determine and Take the Right Approach: The successful know that they can quantify what works and what doesn’t work, whereas the unsuccessful focus solely on “hard work.”
Break Traditional Ideas: Highly successful individuals are not concerned with the way things “have always been done”; they’re interested in finding new and better ways.
Be on a Mission: You must undertake every activity with the zealous attitude that this endeavor could forever change the world.
Be Goal Oriented
Have a High Level of Motivation
Be Interested in Results: Successful people don’t value effort or work or time spent on an activity; they value the results.
Have Big Goals and Dreams: Read everything you can about great people and great companies ‘ accomplishments. Surround yourself with everything you can that inspires you to think big, act big, and reach your full potential.
Create Your Own Reality
Commit First — Figure Out Later: It is not necessarily the smartest and brightest who win in the game of life but rather those who can commit the most passionately to their cause.
Be Highly Ethical
Be Interested in the Group: The larger population’s health and well-being should be of utmost importance to each individual member — which is something that the most successful know.
Be Dedicated to Continuous Learning: There has never been a book, audio program, download, webinar, or speech from which I have not benefited — even from the ones that sucked.
Be Uncomfortable: Successful people are willing to put themselves in new and unfamiliar situations.
“Reach Up” in Relationships: Make a habit of “reaching up”in all of your relationships — toward people who are better connected, better educated, and even more successful.
Be Disciplined

Chapter 23: Getting Started with 10X

You want to focus to some degree on now but keep most of your attention on the future you desire to create.
A few things to keep in mind as you start:
- 1. Do not reduce your goals as you write them.
- 2. Do not get lost in the details of how to accomplish them at this point.
- 3. Ask yourself, “What actions can I take today to move me toward these goals?”
- 4. Take whatever actions you come up with — regardless of what they are or how you feel.
- 5. Do not prematurely value the outcome of your actions. 6. Go back each day and review the list.
A little trick I used was to ask myself quality questions like “What do I have to do to become the name people think of when it comes to the topic of sales?”
The most successful expand while others get smaller. They take risks while others conserve.
Your only real problem is obscurity
“Show up, be all in, and trust that creativity follows commitment.”
When it comes to dreams and goals, there is no being reasonable or rational and there is no distinguishing between the possible and the impossible.