In the 17th century, Jonathan Swift said, “A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their hearts.” Benjamin Franklin followed up with, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
I’m all about those two quotes, especially the last one. It’s been my experience that investing in knowledge over the years has paid massive dividends. I’ve been investing in mentors, self-education, and tools I need to better my life. Sharing The School of Greatness with all of you is that investment for myself and hopefully for you as well. Over the past seven years, I’ve brought in experts from around the world to share their knowledge, advice, and experiences — because I believe we learn best through the lens of other people’s stories.
Dean Graziosi is one of those experts whose knowledge I’m excited to share. He’s been a friend of mine for a few years, but I’ve known all about him for 15 years. I used to see his infomercials on TV all the time.
Dean knows how to create success. He’s one of the best teachers and one of the biggest givers that I know –– and he started from extremely humble beginnings.
I had him on the podcast a few years ago (listen to that episode here) and I wanted to have him back on because he recently taught me some things that have helped me streamline my business, generate more revenue, and optimize things.
This is a total game-changer episode, and I can’t wait to share with you everything I learned from Dean. Plus, stay tuned –– at the end of the episode, we talk about a FREE class that Dean will be leading with the legendary Tony Robbins. You don’t want to miss that! First though, I want to introduce you to a little more about Dean’s background and his journey to greatness.
Who Is Dean Graziosi?
Dean is an author, investor, entrepreneur, podcast host, and trainer. He is a New York Times best-selling author who built a multi-million dollar real estate business from the ground up. Over the span of Dean’s career, he has started or has been involved in 13+ companies that have changed lives all around the world.
Not only is he a businessman, but he’s a gifted teacher as well. Dean is committed to sharing his “Success Habits” that he’s learned over his expansive career. His book Millionaire Success Habits has sold millions of copies, and his podcast, The Dean Graziosi Show, offers advice for those looking to learn strategies to take their life, business, and success to the next level.
I met Dean about six years ago at Josh Bezoni’s Mastermind in Austin, Texas –– but I had seen him on TV late at night when I was in my dark period — broken, depressed, and trying to figure out what to do with my life. The man I saw on TV came from humble beginnings but had achieved amazing success. It wasn’t an easy road to get there. Dean is very open about some of the struggles he faced early in life.
“I lived in a trailer park. I was homeless with my dad for a year. We lived in a bathroom. I went through that. I didn’t go to school past high school. I had dyslexia, all this stuff that a lot of us have gone through.” – Dean Graziosi
How did he go from being a homeless man to a millionaire? It started with Dean making a radical shift in mindset.
The Gift of Naivety
Dean said there was no “one moment” when he realized he needed to make a change. Instead, he spent time observing people.
“I noticed the people in my town, this little tiny town I grew up in upstate New York, the people who had money seemed happier. I don’t know [how they felt] behind the scenes, but they seemed happier, more fulfilled. They were more relaxed like they were walking up a ladder, instead of my family, who seemed like they were running on a treadmill. We’re going fast, but we’re not going anywhere.” – Dean Graziosi
Dean started questioning why some people were doing well and others were just scraping by. He says it became kind of an obsession for him –– he began thinking about how to develop millionaire habits, but back then, he didn’t realize that’s what he was considering.
“I was young enough and naive enough to just think I could do it. Sometimes you wish you could give that gift to somebody … I had the gift of being naive and a little dumb and not listening to anybody.” – Dean Graziosi
Naivety served him well. Dean wasn’t afraid to take chances and try new things. He didn’t let fear of failure limit his potential. Dean’s career went from working in an auto shop to building houses –– and he started to hit it big. As he reached more success, he started taking more risks.
“It was consistent action, consistent failure, and getting back up. The space between failures is really a huge determining factor of your success. If you can fail fast, you can win quicker. I remember the first time I decided to do an infomercial. I [was] going to write a book on how to make money and go on TV. My family lost their mind –– my sister drove from Virginia to sit down with me and say, ‘It’s time to get real. You did good. You got lucky, but you’re going to blow it.’” – Dean Graziosi
Dean’s sister thought she was protecting him. Fortunately, Dean persisted, and he’s been on TV for the last 17 years selling millions of copies of his books. In our interview, he cautioned that success doesn’t come overnight. Dean had to work hard to get to where he is today, and falling in love with the process of success and failure is what made all the difference.
Enthusiasm and Authenticity
So what has Dean learned from all his TV experience? He has a formula that he thinks makes his infomercials so successful.
“When I look back at those original infomercials, I had two things going for me. I wasn’t the smartest guy in the world. I struggled with reading, and I was insecure about that. I wasn’t college-educated. I [didn’t] have a really incredible vocabulary. It [was] hard for me to articulate certain words. But what I had was enthusiasm and authenticity. Those early infomercials hit like monsters – I did, 150 million in sales, just from one infomercial.” – Dean Graziosi
There are two lessons that Dean has learned while doing infomercials that I think really apply to anyone looking to be more persuasive in their business and life. The first is to be yourself: Don’t try to come in and show how impressive you are, how much you’ve achieved. Approachability and humility will take you a long way.
The second lesson that is you must make your audience feel understood. Put yourself in their shoes. What are their struggles, their hopes, their resources, and obstacles? Get inside your audience’s mind because that’s who you’re speaking to!
The Habits of Millionaires
Dean shares some of the habits he’s learned over the years that lead to success on his book and on his podcast, and we talk about them in this episode. There’s one practice Dean talks about that I find so inspirational. It’s called the 7 Levels Deep Exercise — and it’s a direct path toward finding your “why.”
How it works is that you start by asking yourself, “What do I want to do?” Then follow that question with, “Why is that important to me?” seven more times. Dean went through this exercise with marketing expert Joe Stump.
“By the time I got to the third question, I switched from my head to my heart. I felt my physiology change. I felt my emotions change. I felt tears welling up. And when he asked me, I don’t even remember what the fourth thing I said was, but the third thing I said was I never want to go backward. He got me thinking about things I haven’t thought about in years.” – Dean Graziosi
Dean says at the time, the experience totally opened up his mindset. He learned so much about himself through this exercise.
“I moved 20 times. By the time I was 19, [my parents had remarried nine times], five for my dad, five for my mom, four for my dad. We were always moving like military kids. I’d be in a cul-de-sac with a new stepdad, stepbrothers, stepsisters … and my mom [said] we’re moving again. I moved in with my dad, with my grandma. [After] this crazy childhood … [I didn’t] want anybody to ever tell me when to move, how to dress, how to live, how to work, how I’m going to raise my kids … I realized that … my ‘why’ was that I don’t want to be a control freak. I just want to be in control.” – Dean Graziosi
Dean says that whenever he has a bad day or whenever he struggles with something, he can return to that “why.” That exercise rocked him to his core, but it also helped him build a strong foundation. It’s what drives him every day toward his greatness. What drives you toward greatness? What causes you to dig deep and keep working toward what you want to achieve?
Why You Should Listen to this Dean Graziosi Podcast Episode Right Now…
So what’s Dean shooting for next? He says there are two things that he’ll never stop striving to achieve. The first is helping people the tools and strategies to harness their potential. The second goal is something I really love.
“Number one is to just be a totally present and impactful father. I’m at this magical age, where the kids are eight and ten years old. I’m still Superman [to them].” – Dean Graziosi
Of course, that doesn’t mean Dean is slowing down at all. Dean is partnering with Tony Robbins to offer a FREE course on the “one thing” that has allowed them to create massive success in up and down markets — it’s highly relevant for what many of us are going through today. You can sign up for it here!
Guys, Dean had so many nuggets of wisdom in this episode –– and his story is so inspirational. Listen to the full episode for more, and don’t forget to share the episode with someone who needs to hear it: You could change someone’s life.
I’m so grateful to Dean for coming on the show again and sharing his knowledge. He’s not super active on social media, but you can follow him on Facebook and Instagram, as well as on his podcast. If I can leave you with one big piece of advice, it’s that you should go out and get his book, Millionaire Success Habits.
I’ll leave you with Dean’s definition of greatness:
“Just going at it full-tilt boogie. A buddy of mine [from high school] used to say, when he’s playing football and had a great game, ‘I was full-tilt boogie.’ I don’t even know what that means, but I think the definition of greatness is just knowing that you gave it your all.” – Dean Graziosi
Join me on Episode 787 to learn about giving it your all and developing a mindset of success with the always inspiring Dean Graziosi.
To Greatness,
Some Questions I Ask:
- Who were your biggest mentors growing up? (6:30)
- How did you get out of the scarcity mindset of growing up? (7:00)
- What are some of the habits that millionaires have? (22:30)
- What do you want to accomplish in your life? (39:00)
- What do people misunderstand about you the most? (41:00)
In this episode, you will learn:
- How consistent action can lead to success (10:00)
- The two things you need more than knowledge (16:30)
- How making someone feel understood is the key to persuasion (20:00)
- The power of gratitude (25:00)
- About the “Seven Levels Deep” exercise (28:30)
- The three types of entrepreneurs (37:00)
- Plus much more…
Connect with:
Dean Graziosi
