Stewart Hsu

It’s not every day for me (at least not yet!) I get to see and hear a billionaire speak about their experiences. I was grateful to have had the opportunity to hear Bill Bartmann speak a couple weeks ago at Harv Eker’s Guerilla Business School (GBS).

Bill’s life and stories are truly inspirational. He went from being homeless at age 14, a member of a street gang and a high-school dropout – to passing the GED, putting himself through college, and later law school. He has a wonderful companion/wife, has been on the Forbes 400 Richest Americans list (in 1998) and now has a purpose in life he’s passionate about. His 2007 year goals are 1) to speak at 100 high schools (to reach a total audience of 70,000+ students) to give kids a permanent boost to their self-esteem, and 2) to touch the lives of 10 million people. Very admirable.

Sitting in the audience, what made him so compelling was the genuineness and warmth in which he spoke; I personally felt he was speaking from his heart.

He covered a lot of material and I wanted to share his *Top 3* Life Wisdoms. I found these simple, insightful, and empowering.

Here goes:

Billionaire Life Wisdom #1
“The only opinion of you that matters, is your own.”

It may seems obvious, but so often people do things because of what others may think. To heck with anyone else’s opinion, follow your heart, and do what you know you should be doing.

Billionaire Life Wisdom #2
“Learn how to forgive - both the people who took advantage of you, and the people who did not do anything when they should have.”

I think this one may be more subtle, yet very powerful. Each one of us needs to learn how to let go, and rechannel our energies that may be stuck on the past (which one can’t realistically do anything about) and direct them towards a more constructive, positive future.

I would also add a third part to the forgive list, which is to learn to forgive yourself. People are often their own worst critics, and hence self-limiters. If you’ve ever started a sentence with “I can’t [fill in the blank]“, you’ve placed a limitation on yourself. Instead, replace “I can’t” with “How can I?” This small shift in terminology opens doors and kicks the mind into a problem solving mode. It’s magic for your mind.

The only thing that matters is what you decide to do now / today. Release the past and allow yourself to grow forward.

Billionaire Life Wisdom #3
“Everything in life is a choice. We are the result of all of our choices. Choose wisely.”

How you spend your time, what you focus on, how you respond to events, what you eat, what kind of car you drive, who you spend time with — everything is a choice. “Choose wisely.” I love it!

Bill of course had great stories to accompany each of these concepts (which you’ll have to hear him speak live to get) but I’ve presented you with his Top 3 key points for your own consideration / meditation. I have been thinking about these 3 concepts often since I heard Bill speak them.

My intention is that you also find the wisdom in his words and use them to empower you towards reaching your goals.

For more information about what Bill’s up to, feel free to visit his website:
http://www.billbartmann.com