The Blueprint to Success | IQ Matrix
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This is the first post built around a miniature sized IQ Matrix. Some of these “mini posts” will be focused on smaller segments of the MasterMind Matrix, while others will be directed towards topic areas that will help you to get the most out of your personal life circumstances through a more general means. The posts themselves will be structured somewhat differently in a far more simplistic manner. It is difficult to provide exact specifics at this stage because these topics will essentially evolve over time as the IQ Matrix Blog matures. On top of this, each IQ Matrix that is part of a miniature post will be available as a Free high resolution, printable pdf poster download from the IQ Matrix Shop. The larger and broader IQ Matrixes that focus on expanded topic areas will continue to be produced monthly, however they will be released less frequently as the creative workload is quite extensive, and I unfortunately do not have the time to keep producing them on a weekly basis.
Introduction to the Blueprint to Success
Achieving success in life is somewhat perceived as a psychological science built around a mathematical formula of sorts. When you mix this and that ingredient together, and you add these two digits you will essentially transform your life and achieve the success you have been longing for all this time. If I only knew that when I was a teenager 
- Is it really as simple as this?
- Can we essentially follow a formula that will lead us in the right direction towards the achievement of our goals and objectives?
The answer to that is “Yes” and “No”. Yes, there is a formula to success that if followed will help guide you towards the achievement of your objectives. And No, the formula is flawed because it cannot take into account every single step you are going to personally take along the journey towards your goals. As we have matured over the course of our lives, we have been conditioned somewhat differently by our peers and environment. This process of maturity, which has been discussed within the MasterMind Matrix, is built upon a unique individual journey that must be corrected and adjusted at each stage or segment that may be leading to a breakdown of the end goal or result you would like to achieve in your life. Make the necessary adjustments, correct these limiting habits, and you will progressively clear a path towards the outcomes you desire to experience in the physical world. On the other hand, neglect these breakdowns and you will consequently push yourself down the Path of Self-Destruction and unfulfilled dreams and desires. Please have a read of The Psychology of Personal Success & Achievement for further information about this topic.
The Blueprint to Success IQ Matrix is designed to guide you along the right path, and will help you to develop empowering daily habits that will instill the necessary patterns of behavior to assist you along your journey towards your goals and objectives. The discussion that follows is presented as a short list of simple steps and guidelines that we must all instill into our psyche if we seek to experience the sensations of “success” within our lives. Follow these steps to the letter, incorporate them into your daily habitual ritualistic patterns of behavior, and you will progressively develop the mental strength that is required to achieve your life’s ambitions.
Phase 1: Prepare Your Mind
Cultivate within your mind the seeds of discipline that will help propel you forward towards the attainment of your goals and objectives.
You Plan as Others Play & Daydream - While others are involving themselves in meaningless activities and daydreaming about a better future that someday may come their way, spend time planning your future on purpose. Simply take out a sheet of paper or draw up and Mind Map and layout a short, medium and long-term plan for every aspect of your life. Plan what you will do tomorrow, this week, this month and over the course of the year to move you closer towards the achievement of your goals and objectives. If the activities you are regularly partaking in, are not moving you closer towards your goals, than your goals are simply being pulled away from your grasp. Planning sets the wheels in motion and helps direct your mind on the most important tasks that will move you in the direction of your objectives.
You Study as Others Sleep - While others are cuddled within their comfy beds at night, you stay up 1, 2 or 3 hours longer, or get up 1, 2 or 3 hours before everyone else and study everything you need to know that will help you to achieve your goals and objectives in quick succession. Study how to negotiate, how to sell, how to market yourself, how to speak in public and more. If you spend time Studying while others are dreaming, than you will have the edge within the real world. Knowledge is after all the basis for all success in life.
You Learn as Others Complain - When things go wrong, as they inevitably will, simply take time to learn from your experience. Take time to contemplate your actions, your understanding of the situation, and take time to reflect on new perspectives that will help you adjust your sails and overcome these obstacles in the future. While others are complaining about their predicament and blaming the world for their problems, you are calm and relaxed, quietly contemplating and learning from your experiences.
You Believe as Others Doubt - Your beliefs build the foundations of the level of confidence you experience on a daily basis. While others are sceptically doubting their personal ability - based on biased perspectives they have built up in their mind over the course of a lifetime - simply take time to believe in yourself, to believe in a solution, and to believe that you can make the seemingly impossible become your reality.
You Question as Others Whine - When “stuff” hits the fan, people naturally tend to whine and try to persuade others to feel sorry for them and their circumstances. You on the other hand don’t need sympathy. Instead, when things go wrong, you immediately flick your thinking cap on and begin curiously questioning everything that life throws your way. In fact you don’t stop questioning up until the moment when the answers you have been searching for are revealed in their full glory.
You Decide as Others Delay - Our entire society and culture is built upon the “instant gratification” that life’s small - and somewhat insignificant - pleasures provide us with. Yet when it comes to the most important things in life… well… in such instances we tend to shy away from any decision that involves living through temporary pain no matter how wonderful the rewards could be in the future. You on the other hand reverse this habitual pattern of gratification, and decide daily what you must do to help yourself move forward towards your goals and objectives - despite the initial pain you may experience in the fleeting moments.
Phase 2: Take Immediate Action
Cultivate within your body the seeds of action that will help propel you forward towards the attainment of your goals and objectives.
You Begin as Others Procrastinate - Once your clearcut decisions have been made, you take immediate action that will move you a step closer towards your goals and objectives. These actions don’t have to be large, or of a significant nature, however they must be actions that will start the ball rolling towards the tenpins. So while others hesitate, procrastinate and keep putting off the achievement of their dreams until tomorrow, and the next day, and the week after… you step up to the plate with your bat firmly within your grasp, and you begin by taking a swing; learning from any misses you experience; and then swinging again; learning from your misses; and swinging another time until your misses become the successes you have always envisioned in your life. Wayne Gretsky, the great Ice Hockey player once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”
You Save as Others Waste - We are living in a society of reckless spenders. People spend hard earned money on absolute rubbish that makes them feel all comfy and wonderful for fleeting moments throughout their day. Yet they completely disregard the long-term consequences of this behavior and take completely no responsibility for their future. You on the other hand are different. You spend only on what you need (not what you want), and you save and invest the rest, securing your, and your families long-term future, happiness and fulfillment.
You Create as Others Destroy - The vast majority of the population habitually destroy themselves (through psychological self-sabotage), other’s livelihood and dreams (through criticism, doubt and ridicule), and the environment they live in (through ill thought-out decisions and careless actions). On top of this, they wonder why their life never gets any better. You on the other hand are a Creator, not a Destroyer. You create by building strong and empowering psychological habitual actions that prepare your mind, body and heart for the road ahead. You help others cultivate their dreams and bring them to fruition in the real world. And you nurture the environment by living in harmony with the Universal forces of life that help to guide you along your path towards the achievement of your goals and objectives.
You Work as Others Wish - While others are wishing for better days, hoping that life will give them some lemonade, you on the other hand are taking lemons, turning them into lemonade and making a fortune in the process. You work while others wish, moving each and every moment towards the bigger picture, towards the end goal and objective that will help you bring all your dreams into fruition.
You Risk as Others Fear - There are just too many people in this world who are afraid to step outside their comfort zone. They are afraid of the unknown, the unfamiliar and the uncertainty of the decisions they are about to make and the actions they are about to take. What they don’t understanding is that life is built around uncertainty. Without uncertainty life would be boring and stale. Lucky for you, that this is not something you regularly suffer from. In fact, you live on the edge and take calculated risks that inch you ever so closer towards the attainment of your most sought after goals and objectives.
You Persist as Others Quit - When the journey gets rough, tough and difficult to manage - both emotionally and physically - you persist while others QUIT. For you life brings No Failure, in fact you don’t even know the meaning of this word. This word only becomes reality for those who stare at the sight of the obstacles standing in their wake, and look on them with a pitiful glance that spells DEFEAT. It has been said, that persistence above all else is more important than creativity, intelligence or experience in life.
You Zig as Others Zag - As a population we are completely absorbed within a “me too” culture. We consciously and unconsciously observe what others are doing and naturally mimic and model their behavior. We do this because we seek to connect and blend in with the rest of society. This is all well and good, however this “me too” attitude is leading the vast majority of the population down the Path of Psychological Self-Destruction, leaving their dreams, goals and ambitions in the realm of fantasy. You on the other hand, will have none of this. When others Zag you Zig, and when others Zig you Zag. You thoroughly know and understand that in order to get ahead in life you must walk a different path to the average masses, otherwise your destiny will be no different than the destiny of the vast majority of the population.
Phase 3: Charm Your Way towards Success
Cultivate within your personality the seeds of charm that will help propel you forward towards the attainment of your goals and objectives.
You Lead as Others Follow - It is important to have “Guides” who can direct us down the right path as we progress through life. However many people mistaken “guidance” as a “leash”. And when things go badly, as they usually will (it’s the reality of life), these people take no responsibility and blame their “Guides” for leading them down the wrong path. You on the other hand are not a “follower”. Yes, you take guidance from others, however you are not tied to a leash, and comprehensively understand that you must make your own decisions and create your own destiny based on what is best for you in every situation and circumstance. You effectively utilize this experience to attract “followers” who will help you along your journey towards the attainment of your objectives. And as others follow you, you in turn help them to achieve their dreams via your personal guidance, inspiration and influence.
You Commend as Others Criticize - People are so quick to lay blame and criticize others for their actions, decisions or behavior. This only deflates people’s moral, and certainly isn’t the best way to Win Friends and Influence People. On the other hand you thoroughly understand that people are the keys to your long-term ongoing success in life. Without the support of a powerful network of other individuals assisting you with your cause, you will become a miserable failure in life. As a result, you seek to inspire and commend others for their efforts, lifting their spirits, confidence and motivation, in ways that will lead to a mutual beneficial relationship assisting everyone involved to get what they want most in life.
You Give as Others Take - The habitual cultural pattern of instant gratification is built upon the concept of “taking” what you want, when you want it. People take, take and take, hoping that it will get them what they want in life. They are so engrossed within themselves that they fail to realize that to get what they want long-term, they actually must give what they have short-term. You on the other hand fully realize that you must give to others that which you would like to receive. This concept essentially revolves around the Vacuum Principle, which states that a void is created whenever you send your energy out into the Universe. This void must be filled with the same kind of energy in order to once again restore the delicate balance of life. Hence, you give gifts, your energy, positive emotions and your time to others without any expectations. Over time this energy will charm your way into so many people’s lives, that it will naturally and progressively bring your dreams into reality in the most unexpected ways.
You Love as Others Hate - Sometimes it just seems that our world is filled with so much hatred, that secretly it feels as though everyone despises everyone else for usually very small and insignificant reasons. You on the other hand live through “Love”. You love the world, others, your career, body and life. This doesn’t mean that self-improvement goes down the drain. On the contrary, self-improvement is an enormous aspect of your life that brings you a vast amount of knowledge and experience. “Love” however centers you on the positive aspects of life, allowing you to see opportunities where others only see problems, and helping you to cultivate strong bonds and lifelong relationships with others.
You Listen as Others Talk - Everyone has a story to tell, a need to meet and is searching for someone to listen to them unload all their problems off their shoulders. These people are so focused and concerned about themselves that they completely neglect the needs of others. To get ahead in life we must learn to solve other people’s problems. To do this, we must listen, contemplate and then take action that will bring about the solutions we desire to attract into our life. In fact, is it so far fetched to assume that the most intelligent and strategically minded people are the ones who listen more than they talk? You are indeed one of these people. You listen for the clues, the opportunities, and the solutions that reveal themselves, helping you make definite progress towards the attainment of your goals and objectives.
You Smile as Others Frown - No matter what problems or obstacles are currently standing in your way, you smile while others tend to frown. A simple smile instantly transforms your perspective, forces you to look on the brighter side of life, opens the doors to new opportunities, and sends powerful life transforming energy towards others within your sphere of influence.
A smile is nature’s best antidote for discouragement.
It brings rest to the weary,
Sunshine to those who are frowning,
And hope to those who are hopeless and defeated.
A smile is so valuable that it can’t be bought,
Begged, borrowed, or taken away against your will.
You have to be willing to give a smile away
Before it can do anyone else any good.
So if someone is too tired or grumpy to flash you a smile,
Let him have one of yours anyway.
Nobody needs a smile as much
As the person who has none to give. 
Dale Carnegie
I suppose the underlying key to The Blueprint to Success is to Zig when others Zag. Simply move in the opposite direction of the masses and life will throw you a bone. Yes, by all means the 3 Phases of Preparation, Action and Charm will help instill the qualities and habitual patterns of behavior that will move you forward towards the success and achievement you desire to experience in your life. However, is this really all that is required? Is this really the solution you have been searching for? The answer to that question is yet again, “Yes” and “No”. Begin by downloading, printing out and utilizing this free IQ Matrix as a reference poster that will help keep these indispensable habitual patterns of behavior at the forefront of your mind at all times. Afterwards take a Journey through the MasterMind Matrix to discover more about your unconscious psychological patterns of behavior that could be silently sabotaging your actions.
