I open each class with an explanation of the singular importance of being a "dealmaker." The manifesto of the dealmaker is simple: Reality is negotiable.

To have an uncommon lifestyle, you need to develop the uncommon habit of making decisions, both for yourself and for others.

The way we measure productivity is flawed. People checking their BlackBerry over dinner is not the measure of productivity.

An entrepreneur isn't someone who owns a business, it's someone who makes things happen.

The most important actions are never comfortable.

The golden years become lower-middle-class life revisited. That's a bittersweet ending.

If you spend your time, worth $20-25 per hour, doing something that someone else will do for $10 per hour, it's simply a poor use of resources.