Are You Paying Success Tax? - Millionaire Success Habits
Dean Graziosi (speaker) argues that the difficult, embarrassing, or stressful periods in life can be a "success tax"—necessary tests that build grit and prepare you for higher levels of income, life, and impact. He uses a personal anecdote (a 1999 photo of himself working out of a beat-up barn/garage, fixing cars and struggling financially) to illustrate how early hardship later became a source of pride and foundation for later achievements. The episode reframes setbacks as growth opportunities and ends with calls-to-action (subscribe, follow, grab a free book).
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Could the biggest, scariest, most stressful things you worried about, the most events in your life actually be the key to your success? With all the opportunities that exist today, why haven't you reached your next level of income, life and wealth? In most cases, we've been lied to. We've been told that if you find the right opportunity and you work hard, you can be successful. And that's simply not true. Millionaires, billionaires and successful people have realized you need the foundation for wealth, the habits. And that's exactly what you'll be learning on the Millionaire Success Habits podcast. All success starts here. Hey guys. Welcome to the Millionaire Success podcast. I am so pumped today. I'm just in an amazing mood, driving in my car, recording this and filming this for you. And if you're on video, if you're watching this on YouTube, you can see this picture I'm holding up. And if you're not, it is a picture of me. If you're listening to this as a podcast, it's a picture of me in 1999. So standing in front of a beat up old barn. I don't know if you can see it again. If you can't see it, imagine just a, a two car garage with big barn doors, beat up, looks like hell, bunch of ugly tires sitting outside and, and my outfit in 1999, hilariously ridiculous. I had pleated khaki pants on a long sleeve blue shirt and I was standing kind of weird, but hey, that's life. That's my history. That barn represents a lot for me. I was going through some old pictures this weekend and stumbled across this and made me realize how embarrassed I was at that phase of my life. At that phase. My, I had been out of high school a few years. I didn't go to college, didn't think I was smart enough. Plus didn't have money. Just wasn't my gig. I was terrible in school. So I went to work with my dad in his collision shop and I used to fix cars every day. I mean, you wrecked your car? I fixed it. I, I painted, painted acrylics, I, I changed engines. I did br. Greasy every day. You know what, it was part of my journey. But then in about, let's see, 19, I'd say 90ish, maybe no, 90, no, maybe 93. My dad went through a really horrible divorce. His third divorce had hit him really bad and he gave up on life, gave up on his business. He let the building where the collision shop was, he let it go. So I'm not paying right? Didn't pay the rent on his house and said, I'm done with my house. And he literally checked himself into a place to get better, and they wouldn't let him out. So he's in there for a while. So now I'm, I'm in my early 20s. I don't know the exact year I should, but I was in my early 20s and I had no place to go. I had to get out of the house I was living in. He said, good luck. So I rented his house for him so he wouldn't lose it. Got some tenants in there, got that paying for itself, so that paid the mortgage. But then I had to move out of the collision shop my dad had. He rented it. So I found this barn. It was on a piece of property that where I was living. I was living in a tiny little apartment that I. Or I moved into this tiny little apartment, and I literally moved a compressor, a wood stove and all my tools into this. Imagining this barn, nothing big. Like, you know, barn doors barely fit two cars in, and it was heading towards winter. And I started fixing cars out of there, literally. I, I, every friend I have, if you wreck your car, I got this. And then I had enough goodwill that I put out to the world that I got enough to eat. Like, I'd fix a car. My attorney, I fixed his car. My friend of a friend, the guy I worked out with at the gym's buddy. And I just, I kept hustling and pushing to get cars to fix. Working out of the most disgusting garage in the world, feeling like a pathetic loser. Like, because when I didn't go to college, I remember thinking, yeah, but I have a drive in me nobody else has. I don't need college. I can do this. And now all of a sudd a sudden, I'm in this dumpy little barn with a bunch of couple lights in it, with a wood stove for heat, some tools by myself, sucking fumes, getting greasy. And I had days, and maybe you've had days like this. I've had days where I was like, wow, I guess this is life for me, you know, maybe success is meant for other people. Maybe I should have went to college. Maybe I wish I came from a different family. I wish I was smart. All those things would happen on the days. Sucking fumes, putting wood in the wood stove, greasy fingers. But here's what I remembered. I remembered those were just every third day. But I was lucky enough to realize that they were just thoughts. I could think that, and I could end up struggling like my dad just Being honest, I love him. I could struggle like my mom, struggle like the rest of my family. I remember thinking, no, there's more. For me, this is just a stepping stone. I didn't realize it then. I was a kid, but I was paying success tax. You might be paying success tax right now, thinking it's the worst thing in your world. Life is screwed up. You wish you had a better break and you don't. When you look back someday, if you don't give up, you'll realize that you wouldn't take away those moments for anything. Listen, me standing in front of this garage, this garage where I was embarrassed and didn't want to tell my friends, and, and I was thinking, Everybody's like, oh, Mr. Big Shot, thought you were gonna make it. Look at you now. Oh, working out of a garage. Yeah, that's. That's what I felt. But now I look back, that picture is pride. This is my pride. I. I worked out of this shitty garage, sucking fumes, grease under my nails, using a wood stove to get heat, using credit cards to get by, begging friends to let me fix their cars. But guess what? That built the grit, that built my muscle, that made me realize, if I can go from that place to where I am now, then what's next for me? And I felt that way at every evolution. In my 20s, my 30s, my 40s, this decade I'll be in my 50s. So what about you? Where are you currently paying success tax? And you're thinking it's the worst thing in your life, when actually it's the path designed for you. You can't get to the next level without dealing with what you're dealing with right now. Listen, when I was working out of that garage, if someone would have come to me and said, hey, just want to let you know, someday you're going to be a multiple New York Times best selling authors. Someday your brands and your company is going to break a billion dollars in sales. Someday you're gonna be a dad with two amazing kids and you're gonna coach, literally coach softball. Someday you're gonna be able to jump on private planes and fly and go to the best fishing resort in the world with your kids for one day to have the time of your life. I'm only referencing that because we did it about two weeks ago. I'm not saying that to brag, but that kid, I'm holding up this picture again where you could laugh if you're watching this. That kid, that scared, embarrassed, broke kid, had a vision for more in his life. And he made it. If he would have told me that at that age, I would have said, no way in hell. I hope I can make 1500 bucks a week someday and not have to struggle and hump it. But that was my journey. What is yours? What if every single thing in your life was designed for you as a test to see if you really have the grit, the courage, the dedication to be the best version of you. And if you pass the test, you get to live the life that you deserve. Not my life. Not some silly person you follow on Instagram showing all these pictures and stuff. I'm talking about being the best version of you. There is a next level waiting inside of you. Realize that life is just putting all these things in your place, in your way to test you. Pass the test, go to the next level. Live the life you deserve. It's so much fun to be here with these podcasts. Oh my God, it is exploding. I can't believe. You know, I do these in my car on the way to the office most of the time. It's about a seven to eight minute ride sitting outside parked there right now. And it's been so good to share what's in my heart, but the feedback from you guys has been incredible. You guys sharing with your friends, liking this. It's been unbelievable. I appreciate you and I give you my word I'll do my best to deliver absolute value every time I open my mouth. I could screw up a few times, but I'll try not. See you soon. Listen, if you like the video, make sure you click subscribe right now so you never miss an episode. And while you're there, click the notification bell so you'll know when the next one goes live. You can always follow us on Instagram and if you don't already have millionaire success habits, you can grab it for free@deansfreebook.com Remember, all success starts here.
