We put on weight over the years, but then we want to lose it overnight. We spend years getting deeper and deeper into debt, but we want to become financially independent overnight. We decide we want to run that marathon-when it's only a month a way. We want to ace that exam, but we only allow ourselves an hour to cram all the material. We start thinking about retirement when it looms only five years out on the horizon. There are many examples of things we want to attain in the shortest amount of time possible and with the least effort possible, but it rarely happens that way. Success is a process and not a quick fix. Progress comes in steps and the foundation first has to be laid.

We want to make this a natural process. What do I mean by that, especially since new skills and new habits will initially feel unnatural? When you write a term paper, you research what the experts have said about the subject, you organize your data, you determine what is best going to support your thesis, and then through that process, you arrive at your own conclusion. As you observe, study and apply the skills and strategies used by successful people, you will learn to sift and sort, essentially "cutting and pasting" together your own roadmap that will lead you to the top.

You are unique, your perception of success is unique and what you want to accomplish on your way to achieving that success is unique. You are destined for greatness. Your mission in life is to find and tap into that greatness. That's why you need to customize a success plan according to your needs, talents, drive, personality, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. You can't live "exponentially" by following someone else's predetermined formula. Whose definition of success are you pursuing? Someone else's roadmap might help you make progress in some areas and you may achieve some degree of success along the way, but the greatest successes and happiness will always escape you if you are throwing your heart and soul into fulfilling someone else's definition of success.

Kurt Mortensen

Kurt W. Mortensen is one of America's leading authorities on persuasion, motivation and influence. Kurt spent 15 years researching personal development and motivational psychology and is currently a professor on the university level. He offers his speaking, training, and consulting programs nationwide, helping thousands achieve unprecedented success in business and personal endeavors. Kurt is author of Maximum Influence, an Amazon.com bestseller and is endorsed by Stephen R. Covey, Brian Tracy, Robert Allen, and Mark Victor Hansen.

?This is truly remarkable information,? said Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. ?It is based on solid scientific research and extensive field experience. It contains unbelievably comprehensive and fresh new angles and insights to persuasion, using immensely practical examples.?

"This is a great,? said Brian Tracy, Author of Advanced Selling Techniques. ?Magnetic Persuasion shows you how to immediately influence and persuade other people in every area of your life."

Mortensen received a bachelor?s degree in Communications/Advertising from Brigham Young University in 1992 and an MBA in Marketing and Consumer Behavior from the University of Pittsburg in 1993. He presented on the speaking circuit with Brian Tracy, Dennis Waitley, and Les Brown.

He teaches that success in every aspect of life depends on the ability to persuade, motivate, and influence others. He combines scientific research with real-world studies to provide the most authoritative and effective arsenal of proven techniques for persuading, influencing, and motivating others.

?Kurt has provided the most complete work on persuasion and influence I have ever read,? said Robert G. Allen, Author of Nothing Down, Multiple Streams of Income, and The One Minute Millionaire. ?Nowhere in persuasion literature have I ever seen the art and science broken down into such thorough and easy-to-understand concepts, covering every aspect of persuasion imaginable.?