Eleven-year-old Dean Graziosi and his grandmother shared a secret.
They were the only two people who believed he would do something important with his life; something that would rescue him from the trailer home where he spent his difficult childhood. Graziosi tells Jay Shetty he’s not exactly sure what convinced him of his impending greatness, but his grandmother helped fan that flame into fire.
Today, Graziosi is an author, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur who paved his own way to success and is passionate about helping others succeed too. His bestselling books share secrets for others to attain greatness of their own.
Graziosi sat down with Jay Shetty in a recent episode of On Purpose to share practical truths for those who are ready to take their dreams to the next level. The wisdom he shares applies to anyone, whether they are in an overwhelming place or sailing smoothly along.
It Starts with Mindset
Graziosi believes most adults would benefit from being reintroduced to their inner 11-year-old self.
“Sometimes when older people come to me and they want to go to another level and they’re stuck, I want them to go back to being more of a child when they didn’t know limits and the world didn’t tell them no,” he told Jay Shetty. Childlike innocence and tenacity can do a lot for people who are going after their dreams.
Graziosi also explained to Jay Shetty that he believes everyone has to choose which voice to listen to when they go after their dreams.
“We have the voice that says, ‘You’ll never do it, you’re an imposter,’” he told Jay Shetty. “‘You have to be smarter, richer, faster.’ And then we have the other voice that says, ‘You can do anything. You’re limitless.’” The experiences we have and the people we surround ourselves with help determine which voice we listen to.
“You talk about freedom a lot,” Jay Shetty said. “Tell us about the starting point of that journey – when someone’s literally at a point of like, ‘I’m not satisfied with my job. I’m not sure how that’s working. I’m not really sure that this career line has something for me.’ Where does someone go from that kind of space?”
Although it’s tempting to jump into the most trendy new formula or template to try to figure out a way forward, Graziosi cautions that those tactics never work. True success is brought about through mindset transformation.
Live a Little Harder
How do you know you’re ready to take the leap? Dean Graziosi gives those who are wondering two key pieces of advice. The first is to write down your big goal and look at it every day.
